MiniReview: “Alienated”, Melissa Landers.

Titolo: Alienated
Titolo originale: Alienated
Autore: Melissa Landers
Editore: Disney Hyperion
Pagine: 344
Anno: 2014

Sinossi
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.

#35 Teaser Tuesday!

Eccoci qua! Sono in ritardissimo sulla tabella di marcia, ma Alienated di Melissa Landers è il secondo libro proposto nel GDL interno all’iniziativa di Let’s read in english!, ideata da Veronica di She was in wonderland. Per quanto Tiger Lily sia ancora insuperabile e insuperato, devo ammettere che questo YA sta piacendomi non poco: una storia leggera, dai risvolti interessanti, forse non eccezionale ma sicuramente piacevole! Siete curiosi? Fate ancora in tempo ad unirvi a noi, cliccando qui!
Nel mentre, godetevi il teaser di oggi, rigorosamente spoiler free.

Following Mom’s lead, Cara speared a forkful of beef and signaled for Aelyx to do the same. He stabbed a small bite.
Cara lifted her fork in a toast. “Ready?”
“No.”
“C’mon,” she said. “We’ll do it together on the count of three. One . . . two . . .”
Before she finished, Aelyx wrinkled his nose and shoved the bite into his mouth. He clenched his eyes shut and chewed while Cara braced herself to admit failure once again.
But then something phenomenal happened.
Mom’s pot roast brought Aelyx to life. He glanced at Cara and smiled—a real smile that reached all the way to his eyes and lit them up like a supernova. Even his body responded, relaxing against his chair the way hot wax conforms to the curves of a votive holder.
“You like it?” Cara asked.
“It tastes just like l’ina!”
“Please tell me that’s not someone’s name.”
He laughed in a warm, low chortle that made her want to say something funny so she could hear it again. “It’s my favorite dish from home.”
“That’s a relief.” She wiped imaginary sweat off her fore- head. “Hey, maybe my brother’s eating l’ina right now and comparing it to Mom’s roast.”
“Possibly.” Wasting no time, he shoveled in another bite and spoke with one cheek full. “It’s a staple on my planet.”
“If Troy ever decides to e-mail, we’ll ask him,” Dad grumbled.
“I heard transmissions from L’eihr are delayed because of signal problems on the main transport,” Aelyx said. “They should’ve given Troy a com-sphere—that’s our newest tech- nology. But e-mail is antiquated, so it’s only as reliable as the ships conveying the electronic data. Think of it as an inter- galactic Pony Express. All it takes is one ship to disrupt the chain. That’s probably why you haven’t heard from him.” That wasn’t why, but Cara didn’t want to further upset Mom, so she kept quiet.
She couldn’t quit watching Aelyx for the rest of the meal. It made her smile to see him eat with so much enthusiasm. He’d never looked more human. After they’d finished, she asked Mom to make pot roast every night that week. Bland or not, Cara would gladly suck it up if it meant seeing Aelyx glow that brightly each night. Because, you know, it was her job. Nothing more.

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.

|| GoodReads ||

#30 Teaser Tuesday

Quest’anno, tanto per rendermi la vita semplice, ho deciso di aderire ad un sacco di iniziative – tra queste, la Let’s read in English Challenge, ideata l’anno scorso da Veronica di She was in Wonderland. Più che una vera e propria challenge, questa carinissima iniziativa vuole essere un incentivo alla lettura in lingua, che si articola in letture di gruppo, discussioni, confronti e sane chiacchiere nella cornice di un gruppo Facebook a cui potete iscrivervi, se interessati. Cosa c’entra tutto questo con il teaser di oggi? Facile facile!
La citazione di oggi arriva dritta dritta dalle primissime pagine del primo libro scelto dal gruppo di lettura, Tiger Lily di Jodi Lynn Anderson. In fondo al post trovate il calendario relativo a questo primissimo appuntamento.

These days, there is no new world. The maps have long since settled and stayed put. People know the shapes of Africa, Asia, and South America. And they know which beasts were mythical and which weren’t. Manatees are real, mermaids aren’t. Rhinoceroses exist and sea monsters don’t. There are no more sea serpents guarding deadly whirlpools. There are pirates, yes, but there is nothing romantic about them. The rest is all stories, and stories have been put in their place.
Now, the outsiders keep their eyes on their own shores, and we keep our eyes on ours. Too far off route, we’ve been overlooked, and most of us don’t think about the world outside. Only she and I are different. Every month or so she comes here and stares toward the ocean, and all the village children whisper about her, even her own. It has become such a ritual.
And when she surfaces from her dream, she calls me by my old name, though no one uses it anymore. And she turns to me, her eyelashes fluttering in the glare that surrounds me, and whispers to me in one short syllable.
Tink.

 

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Tappa #1 ▸ LUN 12 a GIO 15 ›› Prologo – Cap 9
Tappa #2 ▸ VEN 16 a LUN 19 ›› Cap 10 – Cap 21
Tappa #3 ▸ MAR 20 a GIO 22 ›› Cap 22 – Cap 33
Tappa #4 ▸ VEN 23 a LUN 26 ›› Cap 34 – Fine

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