Gravity by Melissa West

Gravity by Melissa West was another Goodreads recommendation.

Gravity by Melissa West is a good blending of science fiction and fantasy. It is set in the undisclosed future, far enough ahead that technology has improved by leaps and bounds. WWIV has devastated planet Earth, destroying almost all of the arable land. Chemists develop a food pill, a single pill that serves as a replacement for a full meal. The only down side is the large cost of manufacturing the pill, to solve this they exorbitantly raise the prices on what little real food remains.

They call on the Ancients, an alien race that has provided help terra forming Earth every time the human race has managed to destroy it. The Ancients agree to help only on the condition that once their bodies adapt to Earth that they will be allowed to peacefully cohabitate with the human race. The Ancients don't have the antibodies necessary to survive on Earth yet, instead they have to take some each night from a human. The humans use a Patch that immobilizes them during the time the Ancients feed.

Enter Ari Alexander and Jackson Locke. Ari is a human teen, she is the daughter of the Commander and the next in line to lead the Engineers/military. Jackson Locke is the Ancient assigned to her. One night Ari's Patch goes missing and she is stunned to discover that Jackson is her Ancient. Jackson is a popular boy at school, competing with Ari to be 'top seed'. But Jackson is also a latent Ancient, sent to spy on Ari and her father.

While Ari fears the consequences of seeing him, Jackson has a message for her. Ari's help is needed to save the Earth from war.

I rated Gravity by Melissa West a 4 out of 5. It was an enjoyable read. There were times that Ari and Jackson were a bit like Mary Sue characters, perfect at everything, but it worked for them. One thing I really enjoyed was the lack of a love triangle which is a rarity these days in YA books. I plan on reading the sequel when it is released.

Recommendations:
The Host by Stephanie Meyer - I don't know why this one popped in to my head, I'm really not a big fan of her other works. But when I think of alien invasion I am reminded of The Host. I did enjoy The Host the most of all of Stephanie Meyer's books that I have read.

Touched by an Alien by Gini Koch - This one is definitely not a YA novel. Katherine 'Kitty' Kat is your every day Mary Sue until she witnesses an alien attack and manages to take down the alien with a pen of all things. It turns out that Kitty's special way of thinking is just want a government agency needs to save the world.


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