Alienated
Author: Melissa Landers
Publisher: Disney Hyperion, 2014
Genre: YA Aliens
Buy: Amazon ♥ B&N ♥ TBD
Two years ago, the aliens made contact. Now Cara Sweeney is going to be sharing a bathroom with one of them.
Handpicked to host the first-ever L’eihr exchange student, Cara thinks her future is set. Not only does she get a free ride to her dream college, she’ll have inside information about the mysterious L’eihrs that every journalist would kill for. Cara’s blog following is about to skyrocket.
Still, Cara isn’t sure what to think when she meets Aelyx. Humans and L’eihrs have nearly identical DNA, but cold, infuriatingly brilliant Aelyx couldn’t seem more alien. She’s certain about one thing, though: no human boy is this good-looking.
But when Cara's classmates get swept up by anti-L'eihr paranoia, Midtown High School suddenly isn't safe anymore. Threatening notes appear in Cara's locker, and a police officer has to escort her and Aelyx to class.
Cara finds support in the last person she expected. She realizes that Aelyx isn’t just her only friend; she's fallen hard for him. But Aelyx has been hiding the truth about the purpose of his exchange, and its potentially deadly consequences. Soon Cara will be in for the fight of her life—not just for herself and the boy she loves, but for the future of her planet.
After aliens made contact some years ago and brought along with them the cure for cancer as a peace offering to humans, the two races have been working on an alliance. Cara Sweeny is all for it, the cure saved her mother after all, but when they tell her she’s going to be living with one of the L’eihrs exchange students things get complicated fast. Her L’eihr couldn’t be more alien if he tried—robotic, with a superiority complex that may or may not be warranted, and too beautiful for words.
Melissa Landers debuts into the YA with a full on humorous teen voice and a unique story! Alienated surprised me with its fully fleshed world building of the L’eihr civilization—everything from what they ate, their language, unique ways of communication, social and systems, climate and flora of their world, and much more. I also liked the alien names—Aelyx, Eron, Syrine, Elyxa, Stepha—because they looked and sounded alien, yet not over the top.
The reaction humans had to everything (protests, riots, murders) was very realistic. After all, humans fear everything that is unknown and many would become ‘specieist jerks’ if aliens ever made contact. I did think things slowed down a bit much in the middle of the book. There was the hate mail and threats in school, but nothing actually came to pass until we got closer to the ending. But I’m getting ahead of myself.
Regardless of how amazed I was by the L’eihr and everything happening, there were some things that really threw me off, basically jettisoned me off the story. Maybe it’s because this is a pet peeve of mine, but the Google translated Spanish ticks me off like you would not believe. Publishers, hear me. I will revise the Spanish in all works you publish for a low salary, but please do not put sloppy translations out into the world. It’s very lazy of you. The second thing that took me out of the story has to deal with Cara and Aelyx, but I’ll get to that in a moment.
Cara was a fun heroine to follow. She is intense, isn’t afraid to go after what she wants, and is really good at debates. Cara’s blog—Alienated: Your exclusive source for close encounters of the nerd kind—was a nice touch and served to provide the reader with more information about the L’eihr. In contrast, Aelyx scenes were wrapped up in mystery and conflict. He’s planning something with Eron and Syrine, and that something isn’t very nice. So, I was kind of torn between liking his alieness and hating his quick dismissal of the human race.
The development of Cara and Aelyx relationship worked pretty well. It might have been a bit instaloveish on Aelyx’s part, since it’s only two times of them being friendly before he remarks on his sudden interest for her. But I saw it as natural, because he’s never experienced this sort of thing before. So, okay. Clara was doing amazingly well too, even during their ‘physical attraction’ test that left me a feeling a few degrees hotter than normal. Cara was left excited, but calm and collected, thinking things rationally about how Aelyx would eventually leave and she would be heartbroken. But then I turn the page and it’s like I’m reading about a completely different character who is acting like a bimbo, spouting things like “she was pretty sure they were a couple now.” Excuse me, WHAT? Then, of course, we get all the drama about him ignoring her and I was just like, this is not the story I was reading five minutes ago. The whole thing was just weird, because after that Cara got back to normal, even telling Aelyx she wasn’t going to be his “intergalactic booty call” which was just hilarious. But I got whiplash from going to serious, to silly, to serious again.
The ending was quite a thrill and I was surprised by the outcome. It certainly paves the way for an exciting sequel and, by the skill she has shown in this book, I know Landers can pull it off. Can’t wait to see where Cara and Aelyx’s story will go next! I mean, I know where they will go, but what will happen there? How will they survive? And can the triangle plz plz plz not happen?
*Arc copy provided by the publisher via Netgalley*
Favorite Quotes:
~L’eihr style~
The L’eihr ambassador had finally answered her e-mail asking what Aelyx’s room looked like back home. His response: gray walls, beige floor, basic cot, one storage unit per resident, no decorative embellishments. In other words, prison chic.
~Clone Program~
Aelyx’s voice was guarded when he said, “Our geneticists terminated the program.”“Why?”
“Because we all started growing tentacles.”
Her eyes opened wide. “Really?”
“No,” he said, totally deadpan. “Not really.”
~In the future we have a…~
“Great,” Cara said around the food in her mouth. “Just what we need—more crazycake protesters. Why’re they surprised the bill failed? The president would give her right boob for this alliance.”“Pepper!” Mom snorted, gently smacking Cara’s arm.
“You know she would,” Cara argued. “Probably the left one, too. And an ovary.”
