Invaded by Melissa Landers Blitz

I am excited to be able to participate in the Invaded release week blitz! Thank you to Rock Star Book Tours for the opportunity. Invaded by Melissa Landers is the second book in the Alienated series. If you love Alienated, you will love Invaded! Be sure to pick up your copy soon! I was able to take advantage of the pre-order campaign for a signed hardcover of Invaded and a signed paperback of Alienated. I can't wait for my book mail :D.

Checkout the note from Melissa below and make sure to enter the giveaway!

Hey, fiction lovers. I’m Melissa Landers, author of the Alienated series (YA sci-fi from Disney-Hyperion), and today I’m bouncing with excitement because THE SEQUEL IS FINALLY HERE!

It’s been a year since we left Aelyx and Cara onboard the intergalactic transport, and INVADED begins with an emotional goodbye as they part ways—Aelyx returning to Earth to salvage the alliance, and Cara continuing to L’eihr to serve out her part of the student exchange. While they’re apart, our star-crossed lovers will face assassination attempts, betrayal, crippling self-doubt, and a sadistic alien Phys Ed class. (Because there’s no escaping PE, even in another galaxy.) When Aelyx and Cara finally reunite…well, let’s just say it’s combustive. ;-)

What do reviewers think? I’m glad you asked!

“Readers will love the seamless blend of suspense, humor, and romance set against an interstellar landscape. Dual narratives and a tightly plotted mystery keep the suspense running high, and the chemistry between Aelyx and Cara smolders.” –Booklist

“Excellent character development and integration between modern reality and science fiction. Teens will be rooting for the galactic couple while enjoying the action and suspense that runs through the two volumes.” –School Library Journal

“The protagonists' forced separation gives greater depth to their romance. Each learns to turn a critical eye upon the flaws of their native societies while confronting genuine obstacles to a future together. These complications only underscore the growing sense of menace that propels the narrative to an action-packed climax.” –Kirkus

I hope you’ll make tracks to the nearest bookstore and pick up a copy of INVADED! If you’re snowed in, here are some easy links to bring the sequel right to you:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

iBooks

Book Depository (free worldwide shipping)

Indie Bound

Indigo

Books-A-Million

About Melissa Landers  

Melissa Landers is a former teacher who left the classroom to pursue other worlds. A proud sci-fi geek, she isn’t afraid to wear her Princess Leia costume in public—just ask her husband and three kids. She lives outside Cincinnati in the small town of Loveland, “Sweetheart of Ohio.” For more information, or just to say hello, visit www.melissa-landers.com.

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To celebrate my book birthday, I’m offering one lucky winner a $25 gift card to Barnes & Noble and an autographed swag pack, complete with mini posters of BOTH books! This giveaway is open internationally, and due to sweepstakes laws, entrants must be 18 years or older to participate.

Best of luck, and happy reading!
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Checkout my review of Invaded!

Title: Invaded
Author: Melissa Landers
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Publication date:  February 3, 2015
Pages: 368
Source/format: ARC from Boston Book Festival

Rating: ☆☆☆☆ 1/2

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

The romantic sequel to Alienated takes long-distance relationships to a new level as Cara and Aelyx long for each other from opposite ends of the universe...until a threat to both their worlds reunites them.

Cara always knew life on planet L’eihr would be an adjustment. With Aelyx, her L’eihr boyfriend, back on Earth, working to mend the broken alliance between their two planets, Cara is left to fend for herself at a new school, surrounded by hostile alien clones. Even the weird dorm pet hates her.

Things look up when Cara is appointed as human representative to a panel preparing for a human colony on L’eihr. A society melding their two cultures is a place where Cara and Aelyx could one day make a life together. But with L’eihr leaders balking at granting even the most basic freedoms, Cara begins to wonder if she could ever be happy on this planet, even with Aelyx by her side.

Meanwhile, on Earth, Aelyx, finds himself thrown into a full-scale PR campaign to improve human-L’eihr relations. Humans don’t know that their very survival depends on this alliance: only Aelyx’s people have the technology to fix the deadly contamination in the global water supply that human governments are hiding. Yet despite their upper hand, the leaders of his world suddenly seem desperate to get humans on their side, and hardly bat an eye at extremists’ multiple attempts on Aelyx’s life.

The Way clearly needs humans’ help . . . but with what? And what will they ask for in return?

My Thoughts:

I couldn't wait to read Invaded. I pretty much marathoned both books in a row. Cara and Aelyx take the long distance relationship to a whole new galaxy. Aelyx ends up staying on Earth with Syrine to maintain the alliance between the L'eihrs and humans with a PR touring campaign. When HALO human extremists threaten Aelyx's and Syrine's life, The Way turns their heads the other way. But why? Are they hiding something? Do they not care about Aelyx and Syrine? Do they plan to sacrifice them for the future of L'eihr? There are humans that are willing to die for the L'eihrs. David is human and joins Aelyx and Syrine protecting them from harm.

Cara, on the other hand, is stuck on L'eihr. However, Cara has some comfort with Troy, her brother, being on L'eihr. Cara learns the ways of L'eihr and even becomes a citizen of this new world. I love the world that Melissa Landers created. In Alienated, we learn a little bit about the L'eihrs but we learn so much more in Invaded. We learn their traditions, how they live and how they stay fit. Cara is trying her best to assimilate to the L'eihr ways but she is struggling. She is suspicious about what The Way has planned for her and mankind. Cara uncovers secrets that have been hidden from her and boy is it an exciting read when her suspicions about certain things are actually true.

Although there isn't much romance throughout the books due to the long distance relationship, I love the little things Cara and Aelyx do in order to stay in touch. They keep in contact with each other through the comsphere. Aelyx even ends up sending a shirt of his to Cara so Cara can smell him even though he is back on Earth. I thought that is super cute. Sometimes it's the little things that bring joy! However, there is a second relationship blossoming in Invaded. It is something I didn't expect at first but I like how love grows over time.

I love seeing the difference between humans and L'eihrs. Even though Alienated and Invaded are fiction, readers can see similarities of race relations that are similar to our's. Although we are all different, we have a lot to learn from one another. I appreciate how there are different ranges of acceptance of each other between the two species. We see some L'eihrs hate Cara with a passion but we see some who treat Cara like one of their own. We see some humans who want to kill Aelyx but we see some who are willing to risk their lives for him. There are some characters that are one sided that end up changing their stance throughout the book. An example is how Syrine starts off hating all humans and by the end of the book, she realizes that some are willing to sacrifice their lives for L'eihrs. She realizes they aren't all bad and savage. I love how Elle treats Cara like a sister and protects her just like how Aelyx does.

The ending is pretty crazy! It's even more action packed than Alienated. I hope a third book is coming out because I need more books about Cara and Aelyx. However, Landers leaves the ending at a good spot whether the series comprises of two or three books.