Me on Alienated

Title: Alienated
Author: Melissa Landers
Release Date: February 4, 2014
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

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, school suddenly isn't safe anymore. 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.

Alienated is entertaining, fun, and a quick read. As exciting as this book is, I also found it to be a curious look at fear hatred, love, and the other. Aliens are coming to Earth, to learn and to live, and not everyone is pleased at the news, but some learn to accept them and will have to stand up for them when others try to stop them.

Cara is intelligent, opinionated, and passionate, and she's a bit unsure about the exchange program. She sees the pros and cons, how it means she could essentially pick any college she wanted to attend, but she's not sure about having a stranger in her house, an alien from another planet with no emotions. But Cara's one of the most open-minded characters. After a rocky start she genuinely wants to know more about the L'eihrs and their planet, their customs. She doesn't understand why the hatred that's slowly grown in parts of the human population exist.

Aelyx is extremely intelligent and extremely distant. He's reserved, rather emotionless, but he's an alien. His world is not Earth, it's muted in terms of colour and emotion. He doesn't really want to be on Earth, neither do any of his friends, his fellow L'eihr exchange students, and so they have a plan to leave as quickly as possible. But when he sees Cara's circle of friends dwindle to nothing he's there to support her, even if it feels strange to him. And he's been keeping some secrets from her that could destroy their growing relationship.

This book seems to have two sides, the exchange student Cara and Aelyx side and the fear of the other side. There's a slowly growing group in this book that are vehemently against the L'eihr and anything to do with them. They fear them, hate them, because they are different, because they assume the L'eihr are going to take over Earth and make it their own. This group assumes the worst and responds the same way, with hatred, abuse, bullying, and violence. Those moments left a bitter taste in my mouth.

I found this to be a fun, quick, entertaining read, science fiction with some real world contemporary issues. At times it reminded me of Adaptation by Malinda Lo. As fun as it was there's a darker side, a dangerous side, that can't be overlooked. It adds weight to the book, makes it so it's not just a simple exchange student romance kind of story. I hope the second book doesn't have what I don't like that appears in most second books, because I really like this first book.

(I received an e-galley of this title to review from Disney Book Group through NetGalley.)

Me on Waiting on Wednesday (163)

Waiting on Wednesday is a bunch of weekly fun hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. :)

Title: In the Shadows
Author: Kiersten White
Illustrator: Jim Di Bartolo
Release Date: April 29, 2014
Publisher: Scholastic

From Goodreads:

From the remarkable imagination of acclaimed artist Jim Di Bartolo and the exquisite pen of bestselling author Kiersten White comes a spellbinding story of love, mystery, and dark conspiracy, told in an alternating narrative of words and pictures.

Cora and Minnie are sisters living in a small, stifling town where strange and mysterious things occur. Their mother runs the local boarding house. Their father is gone. The woman up the hill may or may not be a witch.

Thomas and Charles are brothers who've been exiled to the boarding house so Thomas can tame his ways and Charles can fight an illness that is killing him with increasing speed. Their family history is one of sorrow and guilt. They think they can escape from it . . . but they can't.

Arthur is also new to the boarding house. His fate is tied to that of Cora, Minnie, Thomas, and Charles. He knows what darkness circles them, but can't say why, and doesn't even know if they can be saved.

Sinister forces are working in the shadows, manipulating fates and crafting conspiracies. The closer Cora, Minnie, Arthur, Thomas, and Charles get to the truth, the closer they get to harm. But the threat is much bigger than they can see. It is strangling the world.

Until one of the boys decides he wants to save it.

Told in an astonishing mix of art and words, IN THE SHADOWS collides past against future, love against evil, and hope against fear. The result is both a mystery and a masterpiece.

I love books that mix prose and illustrations, like The Year of the Beast and Lips Touch. This sounds like it could be really interesting. :)

Me on Cress

Title: Cress
Author: Marissa Meyer
Release Date: February 4, 2013
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends (Macmillan imprint)

After escaping prison and discovering some new allies in France, Cinder and Captain Thorne are fugitives on the run with Scarlet and Wolf in tow. Together, they’re plotting to overthrow Queen Levana and her army. Their best hope lies with Cress, who has been trapped on a satellite since childhood with only her netscreens as company. All that screen time has made Cress an excellent hacker. Unfortunately, she's just received orders from Levana to track down Cinder and her handsome accomplice. When a daring rescue goes awry, the group is separated. Cress finally has her freedom, but it comes at a high price. Meanwhile, Queen Levana will let nothing stop her marriage to Emperor Kai. Cress, Scarlet, and Cinder may not have signed up to save the world, but they may be the only ones who can.

Cress is entertaining and thrilling, a brilliant continuation to this series of fairy tale retellings set in a distant future. New characters are introduced as familiar ones return to face new dangers and carry out new missions as they all share one goal: to protect the Earth from the Queen. But it won't be easy, it never is easy, it's dangerous and painful, secrets will be revealed as truth, but it must be done.

Cress is trapped on all fronts. Trapped up in space in a satellite, trapped between following her Mistress's orders and helping Cinder, trapped between doing what she must to survive and doing what's right. And then all hell breaks loose and she's not as trapped as she used to be. But that doesn't mean she's out of danger.

Cinder and her rag-tag team return and their mission continues, but all she really has are questions. How will she stop the Queen? What will her plan of attack be? And what will she do now, with her team in pieces? Cinder is constantly pushed, to be their leader, to come up with their next plan, to take control, but how can she take charge when she's so unsure? When she's afraid of being caught?

Making difficult decisions is hard. Each character has to do it, and each decision they make will impact more than just themselves. They're inching closer and closer to a war, a war where their odds of winning aren't so good, but it has to be fought. For freedom from oppressors. For the chance to one day live a better life, a life no longer on the run or filled with pain, suffering, and even death.

The overall journey of the series has been filled with twists and turns, trust and betrayal, revelations, rescues and failures, wins and losses. It's been thrilling and fast-paced, the stakes are the highest they could ever be now. Knowing there's only one book left, one book remaining to bring it all together, is exciting, but the wait for it will be painful.

(I received an e-galley of this title to review from Macmillan through Raincoast Books.)

Me on This Week's Book Week (88)

This Week's Book Week is rather similar to Stacking the Shelves hosted by Tynga's Reviews only with far more rambling and a less witty title. ;)

Things are weird. It's feeling vaguely like spring. I heard there's a cherry blossom tree in Vancouver with cherry blossoms on it. Like already blooming. And it's only the end of January! Geez, our winter sure was mild and not terrible.

On Friday I got some book mail, a finished copy of Hollow City and the sampler of Ignite Me. It wasn't until I'd taken a picture for this post that I realized how appropriate it was that both came on the same day. Oh, Tahereh and Ransom. You're the most adorable author couple ever.

Oh, ALA Midwinter. You were so cool last year. And I miss that I'm not at you this year and probably won't be until you're in Seattle again. In 2019. I'm trying to curb my jealousy at those who are in Philly this weekend. Maybe I should just avoid Twitter all weekend.

Reviews for the coming week will feature Cress by Marissa Meyer (Tuesday) and Alienated by Melissa Landers (Friday). :)

Bought/borrowed/received:
Hollow City by Ransom Riggs (won from Indigo Teen Blog on Twitter) (plus a tote bag)
Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi chapter sampler (won from HCC Frenzy on Twitter)
Avalon by Mindee Arnett (e-book borrowed from the library)
Don't Even Think About It by Sarah Mlynowski (e-galley from Random House through NetGalley)

Me on Secret

Title: Secret
Author: Brigid Kemmerer
Release Date: January 28, 2014
Publisher: Kensington Teen

Nick Merrick is stretched to the breaking point. Keep his grades sky-high or he’ll never escape his hometown. Keep his brother’s business going or the Merricks will be out on the street. Keep the secret of where he’s going in the evenings from his own twin, or he'll lose his family. Keep his mind off the hot, self-assured dancer who's supposed to be his "girlfriend's" partner. Of course there's also the homicidal freak Quinn has taken to hanging around, and the Elemental Guide counting the hours until he can try again to kill the Merrick brothers. There’s a storm coming. From all sides. And then some.

Secret is tense and powerful, masking secrets. The pressure behind what so many characters are hiding is slowly building, but with too much pressure often comes an explosion that will change so many things.

Nick is under pressure. He's always been under pressure. School, family, now a girlfriend. What about what he wants? What if he doesn't want to apply to every college under the sun and work so hard to get good grades? What if he's tired of being the dependable one who always says yes when someone needs help? What if he doesn't want to date Quinn, or any girl? What if he wants to date Adam?

Quinn has her own issues. Her home life sucks, which has lead to some abandonment issues. She wants someone to care about her because they really care, not because they're obligated to, not because she asked them. Not because they've got a deal worked out. She craves love and affection, no questions asked. Someone who loves her for being her. And she's getting desperate and angry. She's starting to feel worthless.

This book lives on secrets, it thrives on it and bleeds it from every page. The things we hide in fear, in shame, in hope. The things we keep hidden from everyone, including ourselves. The things we don't want to admit to ourselves because they have the power to change everything.

I liked that this book was so much more about the personal side of the series, the actual characters, and no so much about the Elemental side. It made the book very character driven and reminds the reader that the Merrick brothers all have lives beyond their abilities. It's not just about Elementals, about Guides, about family feuds. It's also about them as human beings with hopes and dreams and fears of the future, like college and dating and family and careers. They're still human, and that's what made this book so captivating.

(I received an e-galley of this title to review from Kensington Books through NetGalley.)