The Martian

Title: The Martian
Author: Andy Weir
Pages: 387 (paperback)
Published: October, 2014, by Broadway Books

Summary: Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars. Now, he's sure he'll be the first person to die there. After a dust storm nearly kills him & forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded & completely alone with no way to even signal Earth that he’s alive—& even if he could get word out, his supplies would be gone long before a rescue could arrive.

Chances are, though, he won't have time to starve to death. The damaged machinery, unforgiving environment or plain-old "human error" are much more likely to kill him first. But Mark isn't ready to give up yet. Drawing on his ingenuity, his engineering skills—& a relentless, dogged refusal to quit—he steadfastly confronts one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after the next. Will his resourcefulness be enough to overcome the impossible odds against him?

My Thoughts: I know I don't read a lot of science fiction books, but I'll be danged if this isn't one of the best ones I've read in years. Not only was it suspenseful and action packed, but it was downright hilarious!  So I initially picked this book up because I saw the movie trailer and was completely enthralled by what I saw. However, when I started reading, it wasn't exactly what I had expected.

I had heard mostly good reviews about this book from my fellow booksellers at work as well as other book reviewers, but I don't remember anyone saying how funny it was. And oh my stars, I was actually laughing out loud at some parts! 

Even when it wasn't all about the laughs, it was a great fast-paced, un-put-down-able, sci-fi thriller and I couldn't get enough of it. The characters and plot were great and the even science made sense (I cannot tell you how relieved this made me feel), so yeah I was a happy camper when I finished this one.

My only qualm with this novel was that sometimes the science was a little over my head.  I'm not very proficient in math or physical science, so when Watney would go on and on in detail when explaining why something broke or how he managed to fix it, I kinda sorta might have skimmed a little bit through those parts. It wasn't that much of the book where I felt this lost, but when it occasionally happened I would skim to the bottom of the page to see what was going to happen next.

That didn't take away from the book much at all, though. I feel like people of pretty much all science backgrounds can understand what's going on because Andy Weir did a good job of explaining the details and cutting the fat so you weren't inundated with a new and complicated science lesson every time you turned the page. 

So far it looks like this book is going to be on my list of top 5 favorite books I've read in 2015, and I seriously cannot wait until the movie adaptation comes out in October, like I already plan on dragging anyone willing to witness this movie with me because I gots to share the love. Let me know what you thought of The Martian in the comments below or if you plan on reading it!
My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Alienated

Title: Alienated
Author: Melissa Landers
Series: Alienated (#1)
Pages: 344 (paperback)
Published: February 2014 by Disney Hyperion
(All links lead to the books' respective Goodreads pages)

Summary: 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.

My Thoughts: When I first started this book, the info dump that is the first two chapters was a little disconcerting, but that's to be expected when delving into a new science fiction series. However, it wasn't the info dump or the alien terminology that put me off of this book, it was the hot and cold nature of the characters that did.

I liked Aelyx, our alien exchange student, better than his human host, Cara Sweeney. I could see where he was coming from especially when his customs and upbringing was explained. Cara on the other hand was quite the drama queen, lashing out and playing the "flaming redhead" stereotype to a T. Aelyx and his world a well built and so were most of the characters except for Cara's, it seemed. I didn't hate her character, but I feel like there's room for improvement for her in terms of temperament.

That isn't to say that there wasn't character development in this book. Aelyx goes from unfeeling and antisocial to a creature capable of feeling guilt, sorrow, and love. By the end of the book, you fall in love with this cute little alien! And even though Cara is still the stereotypical hot tempered redhead at the end of the novel, she is more likeable and able to control herself.

And Cara's + Aelyx = fireworks! From the the first time they started bantering about L'eihr vs. Human differences, you can feel the chemistry in the writing. That and the various action packed scenes are what really saved this book. When I got halfway through the book, I couldn't put it down.

I guess those were the points that made me want to continue on with this series. It may have some weaknesses but in the end, I really did like this read. It's a great, cheesy,  light, YA sci-fi read and I already have plans to read the sequel, Invaded, this summer on my next vacation.
My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars