Alienated

As a book blogger and lover of books I sometimes feel like I should only love the serious books or the beautifully written ones. I sometimes worry that people won�?�¢??t think I am a proper �?�¢??reader�?�¢?? if I like something that is just a bit of fun. I know feeling like this is ridiculous and it is not something I feel all the time but when I do it is kind of horrible. I have bought this up because there are loads of reasons why I probably shouldn�?�¢??t have liked Alienated but the truth is I did, I liked it a lot. Sometimes I just get fed up of the serious and the beautiful and I just want a book that is fun and easy to get lost in. Alienated was that book for me. That is not to say there were no serious messages here, there were, but for the most part it was romantic fun. Plot wise I found Alienated quite interesting. It wasn�?�¢??t an all-out science fiction epic but it definitely fell within the sci-fi genre parameters. It was mainly a romance that tackled some big topics such as tolerance and discrimination. Some have criticized this book for its lack of science fiction and the intensity of the romance but for me it worked. The romance is full of drama and chemistry and it will either work for you or you�?�¢??ll hate the melodrama of it all. The chemistry between Cara and Aelyx is explosive but it takes its time getting there which is great for me (so tired of the insta-love). I really liked them together, Melissa Landers has done a good job at creating a romance that is cute and also at times rather steamy. I was also impressed by the way she managed to create distinct cultural differences between Cara and Aelyx. It takes time for them to sort through them all but I think that is what made the romance work so well. I really liked the characters but like the romance they took a little time to get going. At first glance Cara sounds like an annoying over achiever and Aelyx a cold hearted stuck up with no personality. This quickly changes, Cara is not afraid to fight for what she thinks is right regardless of the consequences. She loses a lot in this but never hesitates to do the right thing. She wears her heart on her sleeve especially where Aelyx is concerned but also won�?�¢??t let him walk over her. Aelyx was equally likeable but harder to get to know. He struggles to break free of the rigidness, and at times, arrogance of his culture. His attempts to learn about humans, especially where romance is concerned is adorable. Generally I found him to be a more complex character than Cara but I liked him a little less, probably because it took so long to get to know him. Alienated isn�?�¢??t going to blow your socks off with its gorgeous prose and serious topic but if you are looking for a well-developed, engaging YA romance than you could do a hell of a lot worse. I really enjoyed this book and cannot wait to see what happens in the sequel.show more

In all honesty, I wish I could rate this book higher than a five-star. It just seems like it's not enough stars. What I really liked the most about this book was that not everyone got on board with letting aliens come and live among the humans. It was a slow process, but humans go from being super excited to having three alien ambassadors living among them, to fearing them. A little bit of fear goes a long way if the conditions are just right. That was what really made this book so believable to me. There was just enough fear that over a little time, the aliens weren't so acceptable to be around. Cara's life goes from the lucky girl hosting the first alien exchange student, to being a social outcast. She loses her boyfriend, her best friend, everything all because of the alien named Aelyx. But you can see that over a little time, she starts falling in love with this amazing boy and that he starts falling in love with this amazing girl. And in the end, it doesn't matter who they lose in the fallout, just as long as they don't lose each other. This is definitely a book that you need to read asap!show more

“‘How does he look at me?’ Tori raised a black brow. Then she made a circle with one hand and stuck her index finger through it in an X-rated puppet show. ‘Like he wants to dock his ship inside your spaceport.’” “He reached down and took her hand. His long fingers were stiff, but he laced them between hers and tightened his grip, fusing their palms together in a mesmerizing contrast of skin. Cara stared at their intertwined hands and went a little gooey inside. ‘You don’t have to do this,’ she said. ‘I know you hate it.’ ‘Quite the opposite.’ He smiled down at her. ‘Consoling you brings me comfort. Listening to you cry while I’m trapped on the other side of the wall is what I can’t stand.’” why I picked it up The premise of aliens kind of reminded me of Jennifer Armentrout’s Lux series. And i had heard wonderful things about it. plot This novel follows Cara Sweeny, one of the three students in the United States chosen to host students from an alien planet for a few months at her house. She thinks of it as a fantastic was to get a leap on becoming a journalist. But Aelyx, the exchange student from L’eihr, has other plans. The teens on his planet think that humans are pathetic, and they come up with a way to sabotage the alliance that the humans and people of his planet are trying to come to. But not everyone in Cara’s town takes to Aelyx well, and soon Cara and her family face isolation from everyone in their community. And Aelyx comes to learn that not all humans are as bad as he thought. But at that point, is it too late for him to correct the wrongs that he’s done? And are they even really safe at all? I loved this alien aspect of this novel. It gave it a sci-fi feel without all of the more technical stuff. It was just enough to make it interesting without eclipsing the novel. The plot line was interesting to read and definitely kept me engaged. It was a pretty easy novel to understand, with the exception of some of the slang that Aelyx used. But eventually, you can figure it out. The novel ended with a bang, and kept me hoping for more. I can’t believe that I have to wait an entire year for book two! Leading lady “Yeah, that was just like Aelyx. She’d fallen for him so slowly she hadn’t realized the depth of her feelings until he pulled away. But why would he pull away? He was the one who’d initiated the whole let-me-touch-you-all-over-and-take-your-pulse thing. The jerk.” Cara was our leading lady. She was definitely ambitious. She was the Valedictorian of her school and did anything she needed to to stay at the top. She was also determined to succeed with her life. She took a lot of crap from her community for hosting Aelyx, but she didn’t let it deter her too much, even when she lost her best friend and boyfriend. She was an admirable character, and I liked her perseverance. She also wasn’t one of those female characters who just swooned over the hot guy. No, she was feisty and didn’t take bullshit from Aelyx. leading male “‘Cah-ra, that’s absurd.’ He turned off the game and shoved it back in his pocket. ‘All canines, even the ones humans have domesticated, respond to an intricate social hierarchy, not affection. I asserted my status as the alpha male so the animal would know its place. Then I gave it everything it needed to survive. It shouldn’t have died.’” Aelyx was the love interest. He was from L’eihr and did not have the best intentions. He was pretentious and looked down upon humans for no other reason than they weren’t as advanced as those on his planet. It was not an attractive quality. However, the more time that he spent with the Sweenys, the more he opened up and let down his defenses. Once he did that, he was an alright guy capable of human emotion. other characters In this novel, we see some of Aelyx’s friends and Cara’s friends. Cara’s friends are somewhat jerks because they abandoned her to the wolves. Aelyx’s friends were a bit better, but one of them was a jerk because she was the one keeping Aeylx on the plot to ruin the alliance. That is all. romance “He took her face between his hands and refused to let go. Peering deeply at her, he whispered, ‘This is how I feel every time I’m with you.’ She wasn’t prepared for what came next. A split-second rush of chest-swelling desire inflated her lungs, lifting her rib cage until her body melded with his. Sensations of devotion and tenderness flashed through her in an instant, forcing her to exhale or burst. Every inch of her skin flashed hot and prickled into gooseflesh while her heart fluttered like hummingbird wings. Her limbs lightened, and she grasped two handfuls of his shirt to stay grounded. It was both terrifying and glorious in its intensity. It was love.” The romance was definitely slow building in this novel, which I really enjoyed. Aelyx hated humans and Cara hated Aelyx for hating humans and for being so egotistical about his race. Their banter was funny. Then, of course, Aelyx, who has never really experienced much attraction in his life, is confused about feeling something for a member of the ‘inferior race’. That’s when things got interesting. Their romance was a bit innocent and naive, due to Aelyx’s background. But it was refreshing. It wasn’t all about the physical attraction, and more about liking each other’s brains (maybe not personality (; ). world buildling “‘I don’t have what you call a belly button.’ ‘Oh, right.’ She cleared her throat and stared down at her slippered feet. ‘Because of the clone thing.’ ‘No. Because we’re all born from artificial wombs. Even the Elders.’ ‘Really? So it doesn’t matter how—Oh!’ ‘With a gasp, she pointed at his feet. ‘And your toes!’ He’d forgotten humans still had five toes, and Cara probably didn’t realize hers would appear just as odd to him. ‘You’ll lose the smallest one in a couple thousand years,’ he said. ‘Maybe sooner, if you stop mating like animals and reproduce with purpose.’” Landers created one of the more interesting worlds that I’ve read to date. I don’t usually read sci-fi, so this was out of the norm for me. But it was wonderful. She created a completely new planet with their own unique customs that we actually got to see and experience. For many novels that I read with other planets, there isn’t much visiting the actual planets. In this novel, we see L’eihr frequently, which definitely made it more intriguing and made it feel more real. It was complex and had very cool features that I wouldn’t have ever imagined, which a history and story of its own. It was phenomenal and very realistic to read. It could have actually been a planet. conclusion Alienated was unlike any novel that I have read before. A perfect blend of sci-fi, romance, and action, it’s definitely one that I would recommend, and I am anxiously awaiting its sequel.show more

Alienated by Melissa Landers is a fun, fast read with a great story! When Cara is chosen to host an exchange student from L'eihr, a newly discovered planet populated by human-like aliens. She agrees, but doesn't realise what this will mean for her and her family. I have to say I really enjoyed this book. It was such an interesting concept that had me hooked from the very beginning! It was really interesting to see the extreme prejudice most humans felt towards the L'eihr exchange students. I also have to mention that while there is romance it is most definitely not of the insta-love variety which I absolutely hate. Cara and Aelyx's feelings developed naturally, especially with Aelyx who disliked humans from the start. I can't wait for the next instalment in this series, I'm at the edge of my seat waiting to read about L'eihr and what happens next for our protagonists!show more

So the Aliens made contact with the humans and now they are planning a "Exchange Programm". Cara the main Protagonist of the Story has to share a bathroom with Aelyx who is an Alien. One Thing Cara is absolutely sure about: Aelyx is freaking HOT. But when Cara's classmates get swept up by anti-L'eihr Paranoia the town isn't safe anymore for her. Okay guys, I am giving this book 3,5 STARS! There were a lot of positive and negative things. The idea Melissa Landers uses in this book is pretty good, it somehow remindes me of "Starcrossed" which is a new "Alien series" on CW! I had my difficulties sometimes reading the book because the beginning was soooo slow. We have like 200 pages with no Special Happenings. Why is everything Happening in the end? And why so short? This is a SCI-FI book and this should be full of Action etc., I guess. I was always asking myself when the Reader would experience the planet L'heir. Like when do we have the Chance to travel there. Aelyx always talked about his planet but we didn't see much of it. The love Story was actually a good one, even though I had the same Problem here. We didn't have much chemistry at the beginning. I ´mean come on both were sharing a bathroom ?! HELLO!! The writing style was good, though. Sometimes here and there I didn't know how to pronounce some words Melissa Landers used in her book but I thought it was kinda funny ;)) All in all I enjoyed some parts of this book and others lessshow more

I wasn't sure if i would like this book when i first started it. But once i started it i couldn't put it down. I ended up staying up half the night before i made myself go to bed. Though i woke up before my alarm in the morning just to read and finish it. I can't wait till the second book comes out. Such a long wait... but so worth it!!! This is a must read!!!!!show more