Scan barcode
A review by bookishjosh
Alienated by Melissa Landers
4.0
Alienated is the perfect book which refutes the saying "Do not judge a book by its cover." I practically fell in love with it the moment I saw it featured on one of Sasha Alsberg's (abookutopia) videos. Thankfully, the phenomenal cover was not strategically created to cover up bad content.
Basically, this book is about an adorably nerdy girl named Cara who hosts (lives with) a ridiculously attractive foreign exchange student (and alien) named Aelyx. The reasons behind this set-up are initially political in nature, but soon both of these prejudiced teenagers find themselves in an us-against-the-world love story that could determine the fate of their respective planets. Now if your interest hasn't been piqued in the slightest, then I don't know what else will. Har-har.
Even though the romance was quite predictable, Alienated still gave me a memorable reading experience. I finished it almost four months ago, but I keenly remember the many times it made me grin in delight. I was able to relate with Cara's fondness for academics, as well as with Aelyx's generally reserved personality. It really loved how the introverted sides of these characters made them (and their interactions) more unique and interesting.
The setting of Alienated is also something to be praised. The environment within the book was reminiscent of the typical American public high school, but it was nevertheless intriguing because of the backdrop of gossip, paranoia, and violence. As a consequence of the tenuous relations between humans and aliens, both Cara and Aelyx's lives were almost always at stake. I never knew that academic life had the potential to be so dangerous, all thanks to racial prejudice.
In its totality, Alienated lives up to the expectations evoked by its beautiful cover. If you're looking for a mixture of sci-fi, romance and political intrigue, then this is definitely the book for you.
Basically, this book is about an adorably nerdy girl named Cara who hosts (lives with) a ridiculously attractive foreign exchange student (and alien) named Aelyx. The reasons behind this set-up are initially political in nature, but soon both of these prejudiced teenagers find themselves in an us-against-the-world love story that could determine the fate of their respective planets. Now if your interest hasn't been piqued in the slightest, then I don't know what else will. Har-har.
Even though the romance was quite predictable, Alienated still gave me a memorable reading experience. I finished it almost four months ago, but I keenly remember the many times it made me grin in delight. I was able to relate with Cara's fondness for academics, as well as with Aelyx's generally reserved personality. It really loved how the introverted sides of these characters made them (and their interactions) more unique and interesting.
The setting of Alienated is also something to be praised. The environment within the book was reminiscent of the typical American public high school, but it was nevertheless intriguing because of the backdrop of gossip, paranoia, and violence. As a consequence of the tenuous relations between humans and aliens, both Cara and Aelyx's lives were almost always at stake. I never knew that academic life had the potential to be so dangerous, all thanks to racial prejudice.
In its totality, Alienated lives up to the expectations evoked by its beautiful cover. If you're looking for a mixture of sci-fi, romance and political intrigue, then this is definitely the book for you.