By: Melissa Landers
Published: February 4, 2014 by Disney Hyperion
352 pages
Source: Netgally ARC from publisher (Thanks!)
Buy Link: Amazon
*The above Amazon link is an affiliate link. Affiliate links support giveaways on Words Fueled by Love.
Summary:
Interplanetary relations have never been more exciting! The first in a funny, romantic YA sci-fi series.MY REVIEW:
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.
I was excited to read this after my love for the Lux series by Jennifer L. Armentrout. Aliens have become the new vampires. At least in my nonexistent list of favorite creatures. But not the green scary aliens - the ones who look human, perhaps are hotter than humans, and who aren't out to necessarily wipe the human race out of the universe.
Aelyx is from a planet called L'eihr, a planet where they have cloned their people for thousands of years to bring out the best qualities. He along with 2 others are sent to Earth as a type of exchange student as the two planets are working towards an alliance. The L'eihr people are far more advanced in technology, medicine and behavior but they are lacking emotions. The elders of their planet want to correct this flaw and feels that by having an alliance with humans can learn to feel and show emotion once again in their own culture. They have shared their cure of cancer with humans and are now working to mix the two races together. But Aelyx and his generation find humans repulsive and have devised a plan to go against what their elders want.
Cara is a 17 year old high school senior who is chosen by L'eihr as one of the 3 human candidates to house these alien exchange students. Her driving force is more about her future with her college being paid for by accepting this new role and her future career as a journalist. So she sets out to become Aelyx's friend and learn as much as she can about him and his planet and to make his stay on Earth as close to home as she can make it.
Not all humans feel the same way and are as open-minded as she is. In fact a great many whose voice becomes louder and louder, are fearful over what they don't understand, fearful over the unknown and that fear leads them to violent acts. Cara is shunned and she has to choose which side to stand on. She sees a different side to Aelyx and over months of being together she knows there is more good in him than what the extremists want to believe is there among his people.
I loved seeing Aelyx's perspective coming from a planet of dreary colors and bland foods and cold emotionless existence, to a planet where color abounds and stimulation is everywhere you look and in everything you hear. He is very overwhelmed with this at first and everything about humans disgusts him. From what they eat, to how they behave, to what they wear. But something about this redheaded, pale skinned girl, who can debate and speak in such an impressive way, fascinates him. The loathing he feels slowly begins to chip away little by little, and his respect and admiration for her grows.
Cara is a blogger - loved that! (It seemed she couldn't debate or blog when her give-a-crap was broken.) She is a strong willed and opinionated person. She's doesn't follow the crowd and looks for the good in others. She's definitely a heroin to look up to.
Although I never watched the show it reminded me (some) of Kyle XY (ABC Family show). I think the book does a great job of looking at prejudice's and what happens to a society that is so focused on them. It also has a really accurate view of how the loud voice of a few can start a war of great magnitude. The book ends in such a way that, though isn't a huge cliff hanger that leaves your mouth hanging open, it definitely left me with absolutely having to know what happens next. I'd like to take a trip to L'eihr!
Favorite Quotes:
Fight came from within - either you had it or you didn't.
He wanted his Elire back - his beautiful warrior.
"Look what I made for you. A bowl of diabetes."
Final Rating - 4.5 stars!
This post is part of the ARC Thursday feature on Words Fueled by Love.
0 comments:
Post a Comment