An ARC was provided in exchange for an honest review. This did not alter my thoughts in any way.

As you, I, and many others know, books aimed at the Young Adult demographic are full of female narrators. Heroines who have problems with their crushes, who have been chosen to lead revolutions that would topple governments, and heroines who will one day save the world from the evil, nasty, eternally-laughing villains. That is expected given that the majority of readers in the YA category are female, and that is precisely why I look forward to books with male narrators for once. I want to see how a male would encounter the same problems (oh come on, don't look at me that way. There is hardly any originality anymore!), how romances are viewed in their perspectives, yada yada yada.

That's why I expected a lot. Male narrators are rare (at least I can count the ones I've read with my fingers) so you'd think they would be done nicely, right? Not only the character but the plot as well, right?

Well, wrong.

For the last few years, Tony and his family has been in the Witness Protection program while also avoiding a notorious mafia leader who his father betrayed. Unfortunately, his dad always gets into trouble with the law in all the cities they've tried to relocate to so they had to move from one place to another, until they get their last chance in the town of Stepton. Here he takes on the identity of Nick Pearson, and he has to make friends all over again. He meets Eli, a gamer who runs a sort-of Journalism club, and his twin sister Reya, as well as a couple of jocks who want nothing but to club his head against the wall. Unknown to them, the danger is bigger than a bunch of football players who flex their muscles...

Nick Pearson (Tony) could have been an interesting character. He's "funny", "intelligent", and "laid-back". He's the mysterious teenager who's had to take on so many identities in the past that he has admitted he sometimes don't know anymore. He's a flawed hero with a tragic past who we're supposed to feel sorry for. Unfortunately, while reading, I found myself not giving any rat's ass about him. We're told he's like this, he's like that, but it was hardly shown due to the very lacking narration. His being "funny" was shown in the dialogue when he's conversing with other people, but I never found myself smiling or chuckling at all - he was flat, boring, as interesting as watching paint dry, and as cringe-worthy as cats in heat (ugh, my ears...). I wish I were kidding, but he just didn't show enough humor to justify this. It would have been cool if it was portrayed in the internal narration, but I never felt the narration was engaging enough. There were times it was cool, but oftentimes it was lackluster.

Me:What's da Urethra Gauntlet?
Eli: Urilium Gauntlet. U got my message.
Me: I got it. What wuz it?
Eli: I'm talkin Finite Universe. An MMORPG
Me: wuz dat a typo?
Eli: Massively multiplayer online role-playing game
Me: Like Warcraft?
Eli: Hellz no. Better. More scifi than fantasy. No weirdo stuff like dwarfs and fairies.

This was one of the times I almost wanted to drop this book. I know text speak has evolved over the years, but I'm surrounded by teenagers all the time, and they never text like this. "U" is acceptable, I suppose. "Da" could be bearable after a little teeth grinding. But "wuz" and "hellz"? WTF. Dude, one message can have as much as 160 characters. USE IT. Goodness, if anything, one version of text speak is shortening the words, not making it longer. So why add a "z" at all? Why use "wuz" when "was" has the same amount of letters? I know I may be accused of being nitpicky, but personally, having been in this phase myself and having texted hundreds of people over the years, rarely do I see this kind of text in real life. It gives me a migraine and teenagers aren't that stupid.

"We're on a date. If anyone asks, that's our cover." 

"Right," I said. "Pretending." 

She glanced sideways, then back to the road. "People are going to talk when we come in together. We better give them what they ask for. It will make the night go more smoothly." 

"Hope I don't miss your rep." 

She laughed. "Mess up my rep? Do you own a mirror?" 

"What do you mean?" 

"De pinga! I can't tell if you're being modest or you're one of those guys who got cute over the summer without realizing it." 

Focus, focus, grin, focus...

...is this real life? Am I dreaming? Am I really reading a guy who's supposedly cute and good-looking but didn't know it?!FACEPALM



I... I don't know. I'm sorry. I've read of so many heroines in YA whose beauty were not known to them (let's call Captain Bullshit for this, yes?), and for some reason... a guy doing that... feels...worse. You be the judge.

Aside from that, the book just lacks character development. I didn't love the hero and I couldn't bring myself to care for the side characters, too. We're told he feels this way towards this person and that person, but we're not really shown. Hardly any of his "feelings" were enforced. These things were only told and expected to be seen as facts, but proven? Not sure about that. He says he loves his mom but never once has he shown appreciation for her actions. All he does is talk about himself, despite knowing his mom being unhappy with their current situation. He says he has lost trust with his dad but he has never shown his frustrations with regards to him. He lies and covers for him even (...what for?). Zach and his cronies felt superficial as well. Football guys, macho galore, who would sack the first person who'd approach his ex-girlfriend, Reya *insert yawning here*. It felt like watching a movie with typical and stereotypical characters all over again. I think the only person who had a bit of complexity was the Mayor's son... but even I was able to see through him. No depth in the hero, no depth in the side characters... is it such a surprise I'm rating this a 2?

The romance as well didn't feel believable to me. It started as an instalove and went downhill very fast.

The girl I'd bumped steadied herself, said, "It's okay. I'll live." 

I barely heard her, though. Too busy seeing her. 

You know how in the movies when a gorgeous girl enters the scene there's music, and slow motion, and fans blowing her hair? None of that happened or anything, but for the first time, the concept didn't seem stupid. She made a gym uniform look good.

In their succeeding scenes, he'd often find himself feeling everything is in slow motion with cheesy music playing every time they see each other. He'd be saying something, she'd pop, and then the things he wanted to say would be forgotten in a snap. Not too long after, they much confessed they like each other, and I was like... "why?" We weren't shown what he saw in her aside from her appearance. We weren't shown how he really felt from her aside from the "everything went into a standstill" comments. There just weren't any substance. At all.

This book's only saving grace at this point was the mystery factor. Unfortunately, that didn't deliver at all. By the end, there were still so many questions lingering in my head, and a lot didn't make sense. I could talk about that here and wonder what the fuck was going on, but that would mean spoilers (if interested though, check out the comments. Stuti and I pondered about it).

Overall, this book was meh to the very core. I was not impressed. Definitely, there were some interesting moments, but majority of the time, I felt empty while reading and only tried to finish it because I needed to give a review. It was fast-paced though, so you can get this one if you want something quick. Otherwise, if you're looking for a good mystery with substance, you can skip this one and sleep easy knowing you didn't miss anything.

lol I should've known this random-ass kiss was coming. So the guy says something ingenious in order to get into school property, and when he was about to go all humble since the girl seemed shocked, the love interest suddenly kisses him... tasting like "cinnamon gum".

I don't know why I rolled my eyes. Please tell me I'm not alone with this sentiment.

Filipino readers, you can read this book early! Head over to The Social Potato blog and fill up the rafflecopter form to get a chance to win an ARC of this beautiful novel. We're also giving away a Php 300 Fully Booked Giftcard on the blog!

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To be completely honest, Alienated was a very surprising read. I was expecting hardcore science fiction that was mildly altered to suit young adult tastes with a bit of romance here and there, but it turned out to be the opposite. It's a fluffy read of two students from two different worlds, one from Earth and one from another galaxy hundreds, probably thousands of light years away, as they learn from each other's cultures and endure the widening protest and violence against the two civilization's mingling of each other. So it has a lot of fluff, a lot of politics, and a lot of science fiction. And you know what else?  I LOVED IT! 

The plot is actually pretty simple. Aelyx (pronounced A-licks) and two of his friends, Syrine and Eron, are to be sent to Earth in a sort of student exchange, a move that hopes to strengthen the relationship of the two planets. However, the trio has other plans, as they don't want their home to be influenced by the violence and discord human societies have showcased in their history, so they plan to sabotage everything.  He later meets Cara, a human with a passionate and gentle heart and a fiery spirit, and she could just be the key to weakening Aelyx's resolve.

It may seem really cliché and worn-out due to the premise being written a hundred times in other novels, but reading this book, you'll find yourself grinning to yourself anyway, because the book's strongest point isn't the plot – it's the development between Cara and Aelyx as they learn more about each other. I swear, I laughed, I cried, and I grinned like a mad lunatic. It was so funny to read the alien guy being wary of human customs, of their food, of their sexual advances, of his OWN sexual reactions (to which he would try to recite the human periodic table afterwards... haha!!)... it felt like a learning experience for me, too. Aelyx was an adorable character, and even though as a reader you know he has other agendas, you kind of understand the reasons why he was willing to do what he planned (and honestly, if I were an alien from outer space, I wouldn't bother with humans, too. We're complicated beings =P).

As much as it was heartwarming, there were heartrending scenes too, in which I couldn't help but tear up a bit. There is a political backdrop here as many people are not keen on having aliens in their midst, and it results to a lot of betrayal and violence, and these take a toll on Cara. My heart swelled and my throat tightened whenever she would put her head up high despite all the bad things happening to her, and even more when Aelyx saw all of these and blamed himself for it. Sigh. If there's anything this book was, it was one hell of a roller coaster ride. I felt so connected to the characters that I could feel the emotions overflowing from the pages. Such a spectacular novel, this one.

All in all, this was a great read, and would be an excellent introduction to the science fiction genre to others out there who are hesitant to try it. It's full of heart and emotions, and a lot of scenes that would make you laugh, cry, and sweat (that making out scene was HOT, BABY!). 2014 will be a great year if all books are of this calibre!

Before going into this novel, I saw a few of my friends on Goodreads giving it low ratings, saying it felt “forced”, “weird”, and “boring”, three adjectives that would have sent any person in the right state of mind running. There was even one who put it into the DNF pile! Knowing these people were well-known bloggers whose opinions I hold in high regard, I was instantly wary, and obviously, afraid of meeting the same assessments. I may love books, but I dread reading a bad one because 1.) I do not want to waste time; and 2.) as much as possible, I want to avoid writing negative reviews, especially about a debut work.

So, moments before I commenced, I thought to myself  that I should read with an open mind and let go of my prejudices and preconceived notions. The first ten pages are crucial to keeping my interest, and I vowed to see it through even if I meet the same problems my peers had.

That’s what I did. And when I finished reading the last page, I found myself feeling uplifted and teary-eyed. This book turned out to be a very pleasant surprise.

At first, I was also weirded out by the rather unique voice of Kippy Bushman, but reading more, I found myself gradually liking her. She was odd and quirky. She would blurt out the weirdest of things to herself and to other people in the most inopportune times. She has a rather dark and strange sense of humor that some people may find hard to appreciate (took me a while, too!). She was also an awkward person, but not in a sense that she was clumsy, but in an adorable, endearing way in which she would comment about a person’s ripped finger just to let them know she’s there. Here’s an example from a scene where she collaborates with Davey, her best friend’s brother, in order to investigate her murder:

I turn around and see him reaching underneath his gray sweater to tuck his blue plaid shirt behind his tan belt.

 

“I like your finger,” I blurt.

 

“You mentioned.” He raises his eyebrows. “Thanks.”

 

“You’re very welcome.” It comes out sounding too loud. Something about Davey makes me want to raise my voice and talk in all caps. Like, NO  MATTER WHAT I’M SAYING I JUST WANT YOU TO KNOW I’M HERE AND VERY EXCITED.

And when she finally realizes that things are not what they seem and considers finding things out herself…

I look out at Mrs. Klitch laughing in her folding chair, gleefully kicking her boots against the cold grass. Certain people might be able to ignore this but I can’t leave Davey alone with the knowledge that things just aren’t right – because he isn’t crazy, and it’d be mean to pretend he is just because that’s easier.

 

But what do I even do? Because honestly I don’t even know what I’m after or up against here. I mean, the cops won’t listen and everyone else has their heads inside their butts trying to be polite. Not to mention, Frienship is actually way less boring but maybe also much more weird and creepy than I thought it was, and nobody really prepared me for that.

 

I guess the real question is: How would a professional handle this? I know that if I were Diane Sawyer, I’d be serious and focused and composed and beautiful and perfect – wait, I’m getting off track. The point is that I’ve got to handle it correctly. Because who knows? Maybe if I do this right, and get to the bottom of things, it could be the sort of masterpiece that might even make Diane Sawyer cock her head and say, “Hey there, who the heck is that?”

I understand why some people would find these things “forced”, but I honestly enjoyed it and didn’t see it that way, because while she indeed had a lot of quirks, there was an abundance of internal monologue (as you can see above) that really made her personality shine. She felt like a genuine teenager with a real voice. When she would talk to us, sometimes she would get side-tracked, too – a habit perfectly normal even to the most of us. It was a very intimate experience reading her talk about herself and her relationships with other people. She was also a very flawed character and was not without her own mistakes. During her investigation, due to her bizarre quirks, she messed up a lot of times and shot herself in the foot as well. I am not denying that even I felt frustrated whenever she made obvious faults and avoidable errors, but I thought to myself that this made sense because of her personality and her inexperience in socializing with others outside Ruth, her dad, and Ralph. She was a darling, and quite possibly one of the most original characters I’ve ever read, with layers and layers of complexity underneath (yes, there is more to her than her awkwardness, but that would be spoilers!). All I can say is I enjoyed seeing the story and mystery unfold in her eyes. Adding to that was her growth, making it a very fulfilling experience.

Despite the book being largely character-driven, it was still able to give me a deeper look  into the town of Friendship and its inhabitants. Beneath the slangs (You betcha! Dontcha know? Oh my Gah!) is a rather creepy and disturbing backdrop, where each of the secondary characters  have secrets up their sleeves and we are left uncertain who to trust and who to suspect. Many of these characters were very unconventional and were complex in their own way. There was Dom, the father and a psychiatrist who had a hard time handling Kippy since the death of his wife. He uses his trade on his daughter in hopes of being able to raise her properly (he even posted the five stages of grief on the refrigerator!). There was Libby, a popular girl with D-cups and a Christian background who insists on using “Gah” instead of “God” and who launches a campaign for Ruth despite not being friends. There’s Staake, the town’s sheriff who never finished high school and is in a power trip, using his position for many unethical things, who may or may not have an ulterior motive to arresting Colt, a football player who was a douchebag through and through. We even learn more about Ruth and her deeper, dark side through her diary. There were a lot of things going on in the background, and knowing that we have yet to unfold the bigger picture made me look forward to reading the next chapters. What I appreciated the most about these “strange” characters is how they illuminate or represent the many flaws and realities of our OWN community. Putting labels on you just because you fit a certain criteria, pushing you towards a particular direction because that’s the accepted norm, going the easy way even though it’s wrong, becoming biased towards a particular person or thing because of hidden grudges despite of the possibility he or she is innocent, and exploiting one’s power for one’s own gains… these were what made the town of Friendship in this book extra scary – the parallelism that hits close to home.

My only complaint was that somewhere in the 60-80% percent of the book, things got really weeeeird (read: fucked-up) and it left me confused for a little while. And also that bit where Kippy kissed a certain guy out of the blue and for no reason at all. I was shaking my head and raising my eyebrows to the high heavens at that scene as it didn’t make sense to me. I finally understood it later, though, when Kippy explained the reason why she did it. Just a bit of warning there in case you get off guard by that scene, too.

All in all, I thought this was a brilliant work. I didn’t find it cliché and I definitely didn’t find it boring. It may be unconventional, but this character-driven mystery book was a thrilling ride all the way, and I absolutely recommend it to those who want something new and out of the box.