Alienated (Alienated, #1)

by Melissa Landers

[Angie]

I received an ARC through NetGalley.

Alienated is oodles of fun! It had me from the very first chapter, and I read it in one sitting! This is definitely one of my favorite alien books so far, because it was clear that the author put a lot of thought into her alien species and into the repercussions of making contact. It all starts off with Cara winning a very exclusive scholarship. She'll get a full ride to the college of her choice, but first she must complete an exchange program with the L’eihrs (the aliens). A teenager, Aelyx, from their planet will be sent to Earth to live with Cara's family, and then when she graduates, she'll spend a year on their planet. It's suppose to help build an alliance between the L’eihrs and the humans, but as always, things don't go according to plan, since Aelyx doesn't believe in mixing with humans.

My favorite part of Alienated was, of course, the world building. There is just so much to learn about the L’eihrs! Our world is mostly the same, but there are some consequences to meeting aliens that we learn about throughout the book. I really appreciated the inclusion of these small details, since made this future seem more real. But, back to the aliens! I loved them! The L’eihrs are a species not run by their emotions. In fact, they're quite standoffish and never make unnecessary contact or jabber incessantly, even with each other. They're also super smart and straightforward. Aelyx does come across as rude in the beginning, but that's just how his species is.

There's also a whole mess of biological, technological, and environmental information about the L’eihrs themselves and their planet. The culture is completely different, as I already mentioned, but there's more than just their lack of emotions. Most of the recent generation are clones, and are raised as a group. The whole planet is essentially one big family. They also practiced selective breeding and artificial insemination which made sex and relationship pretty much obsolete. The planet isn't green and blue like Earth, but grey. Coming to Earth was like sensory overload for Aelyx! It's just very different and there's lot of details!

The plot of Alienated is the typical humans versus aliens, but they need each other to solve their problems, but something gets in the way. I still liked it! Even though it's nothing new, it felt fresh, probably because of all of the amazing world building. We also get to see a lot of the prejudice against the aliens, as well as Cara's isolation from taking one in. Of course there is a romance. It doesn't really pick up until about two-thirds in, but it's there. It's hate-to-love which I love, but it's also kind of insta-lovey. No love triangle though!

Alienated is just a fun book. I loved the culture clash and the fast paced plot. I think aliens are moving up my list of favorite paranormals. Vampires better watch out!

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.