From the Publisher
"A perfect blend of sizzling romance, action, and suspense."—#1 New York Times Bestselling Author Jennifer L. Armentrout
"Intergalactic exchange students? Yes, please! I fell in love with this story and couldn't put it down."—Jodi Meadows, author of Incarnate
"Smart, funny, and epic. I'm now impatiently awaiting contact from planet L'eihr."—Julie Cross, author of Tempest
School Library Journal
12/01/2014
Gr 9 Up—In Alienated, Cara Sweeney, high school overachiever and class valedictorian, has been selected to host the first L'eihr exchange student. Initial excitement and pride are quickly overshadowed by doubt and unease upon meeting the alien Aelyx. Although almost genetically identical, the two cultures are as different as night and day and the level of discomfort is evident. Further complicating matters is anti-alien paranoia and violence directed not only at Aelyx and the other exchange students, but also at Cara and her family. Drawn together due to circumstance, the teens start falling for each other. In Invaded, the couple continues to try to forge an alliance between the two planets, as mutual survival of both populations are depending on it. Amid hate and an unknown future, Cara must decide between love, the unknown, and the future she always dreamed of having. Excellent character development and a nice integration between modern reality and science fiction drive the plot in a satisfying story arc. Continuation of the story line is seamless between series installments, giving readers a continued interest in and connection to the protagonists. Themes of racism and environmentalism are integral to understanding and developing the emotional level of the story as well as the momentum of the plot. Teens will be rooting for the galactic couple while enjoying the action and suspense that runs through the two volumes. A fun pick for fans of sci-fi with a bit of romance.—Elizabeth Speer, Cisco College, TX
Kirkus Reviews
2013-11-27
A charming if lightweight science-fiction romance bogs down when it attempts to convey moral lessons. High school senior Cara Sweeny plans on being the best at everything--schoolwork, debate, life. These ambitions earn her the ambiguous honor of hosting one of the first "exchange students" from the L'eihrs, the aliens who have just initiated contact with Earth. But while Aelyx might be completely human-looking (and a total hottie), he's also cold and arrogant, with a major hatred for all of humanity. The alternating viewpoints convey their personalities well: Cara's is breezy and chatty and studded with slightly dated slang; Aelyx's more formal, occasionally gloomy and often bewildered. Although there seems little beyond raging hormones to inspire their intense devotion, the romantic shenanigans are entertaining until overshadowed by the heavy-handed, simplistic message that prejudice is wrong--a moral somewhat undercut by the reliance upon such stereotypes as the temperamental redhead, the bigoted jock and the vivacious Latina who sprinkles her conversations with Spanish obscenities. Once the tone abruptly shifts to science-fiction thriller, the willing suspension of disbelief snaps under the weight of unbelievable behavior, nonsensical science and a "happy ending" with profoundly disturbing implications. It's still rather fun in an after-school–special sort of way, but hardly an essential purchase or read. (Science fiction. 12-18)
