Invaded (Alienated, #2)

by Melissa Landers

Madeleine Lambert (Narrator)

Cara always knew life on planet L eihr would be an adjustment. With Aelyx, her L eihr boyfriend, back on Earth, working to mend the broken alliance between their two planets, Cara is left to fend for herself at a new school, surrounded by hostile alien clones. Even the weird dorm pet hates her.

• ISBN10: 1494508397
• ISBN13: 9781494508395
• Publish Date: 3 February 2015
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 14 March 2021
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Tantor Media, Inc
• Edition: Unabridged edition
• Format: Audiobook (CD)
• Duration: 8 hours and 24 minutes
• Language: English

Reviews

[Sam@WLABB]

A solid addition to this trilogy. Invaded differs greatly from its predecessor, in that our MCs are light years apart for most of the book. However, Landers does a good job filling that void with thoughts and com sphere connections, and that's enough to keep the fires burning. I thought the separation was used quite well, and allowed Landers to show us all the ins and outs of L'eirh.

There were so many relationships to be excited about in this book. I really enjoyed watching the sibling relationship between Troy and Cara flourish. They got to a good place, and I hope to see more of them together in the last book. I also loved the bromance between Aelyx and David. They were a fun pair. Lots of new friendships and repaired friendships.

The nefarious plot was revealed, and I cannot lie, it has me worried about my lovely characters. I don't deal well with loss. I mean, it's already hard for me to forgive Landers for what she did in Invaded (I cried a little), but that last chapter gave me hope for a really epic surprise (a girl can dream).

Oh, and Ms. Landers - I loved the little bit of social commentary there when Cara was at the mall. I couldn't agree with you more.

Overall: An intriguing galactic adventure, with some interesting twists and turns, and don't worry, lots of swoony romance.

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[liz089]

I had a lot of fun reading this book! Even though it has been over a year since I read the first book, I dived right back into it and felt like I never left. Some things were a bit predictable and cheesy, but overall I really liked this one, very curious about the third one !!

[littleread1]

Super cute follow up to book 1. Really hope there is more to come!

[Berls]

This review appeared first at Fantasy is More Fun.

**I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.**

I launched into Invaded as soon as I finished Alienated - and I just couldn't put it down! I love the themes, the characters, and -as an added plus for Invaded - there's a strong mystery element that I ate up!

Note: You will want to watch out for spoilers from Alienated in this review, though I'll try to keep them at a minimum.

I freaking loved everything about Cara's time on L’eihr (Aelyx's planet). I was worried about this going in - since it's one thing to write about aliens on earth and entirely another to write about a human on an alien planet. If you're not a huge alien person (which I'm not generally), I think Invaded has the perfect blend of weird and familiar to make a believable but not uncomfortable alien world.

What I didn't expect was the mystery. There really wasn't any mystery to Alienated, so I expected a continuation of the sweet romance with a strong emphasis on learning to overcome prejudice and fear. Both those elements are there, in completely different but equally enjoyable ways, but (for me at least) Invaded was much more about this mystery. I know it shocked me a few times and I came close to tears twice! So not expected!

I'm super glad I requested Invaded for review - and in audio. Madeleine Lambert does a good job with the voices and really grew on me. There's a shout-y quality to her voice with Cara at times, but I think that's appropriate because Cara is someone I imagine would have that quality - she's so passionate about EVERYTHING! And I easily got used to the male voices, though they were slightly feminine. All in all I'd say Lambert gives an A- narration, which more than makes me happy!

I look forward to a third book - technically there isn't one contracted and Invaded does end with enough resolution that this COULD be it. But there's also enough left hanging for the series to continue and based on how well it's been selling, I suspect we'll see a third *crosses fingers*!

[Angie]

I received an ARC through NetGalley.

Invaded is a great sequel! It does have fewer adorable moments than Alienated, but it makes up for it in excitement and world-building! Cara is beginning her new life on L'eihr, while Aelyx continues to be a spokesperson on Earth. Now that Cara is the alien, it was interesting to see the kinds of discrimination she has to put up with. The L'eihr aren't as physically violent as humans, but they certainly have ways of making her feel unwelcome. Meanwhile, someone is trying to kill Aelyx and stop the alliance from happening. He wants to get off Earth as soon as possible, but Cara wants return once she learns the Colony is not all it's cracked up to be.

I absolutely loved learning more about L'eihr in Invaded! Cara spends most of the book on the blue and beige planet, so we get to see a lot of it. She's placed in the dorms with the other students and a pesky house pet who treats her pillow as a toilet. She even has to take PE in space! It's much harder than what's done in human high schools, and the teacher has no problem giving Cara extra "motivation" to run faster. It's not all lessons and physical fitness though. The entire culture is completely different, most notably in how they raise they children (Cara works in the nursery). It's all very interesting, and not info-dumpy at all.

There is a conspiracy in Invaded! Of course, there was already one in the first book, but there's more! Some of the L'eihr are not who they seem, and someone is really trying to sabotage Cara's dual citizenship. Not to mention strange things falling from the sky which are immediately covered up! The Colony also seems to be more of a fancy prison island than anything else, and Cara is trying to her best to get more human influence in its design, but the L'eihr are set in their "superior" ways. Or is there more than that? Hint, of course there is! I totally did not expect one of the twists, and cannot wait to see how it plays out in the next book!

I really liked Invaded. It goes really in depth into L'eihr history and culture, and there's such a major contrast between how humans live and how they live. That was definitely my favorite part, especially since the romance is not quite as front and center in this installment. Cara and Aelyx are separated by lightyears, so there's not going to be much kissing happening! But I have high hopes for their interstellar reunion. I just wish it wasn't so far away!

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.