23 December 2012

Gravity by Melissa West


Gravity by Melissa West
The Taking #1
Release Date: October 30, 2012
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Source: Bought
Goodreads Stars: 3
Rating: Enjoyable


In the future, only one rule will matter:
Don’t. Ever. Peek.

Seventeen-year-old Ari Alexander just broke that rule and saw the last person she expected hovering above her bed — arrogant Jackson Locke, the most popular boy in her school. She expects instant execution or some kind of freak alien punishment, but instead, Jackson issues a challenge: help him, or everyone on Earth will die.

Ari knows she should report him, but everything about Jackson makes her question what she’s been taught about his kind. And against her instincts, she’s falling for him. But Ari isn’t just any girl, and Jackson wants more than her attention. She’s a military legacy who’s been trained by her father and exposed to war strategies and societal information no one can know — especially an alien spy, like Jackson. Giving Jackson the information he needs will betray her father and her country, but keeping silent will start a war. - Goodreads

ALIENS! Does anyone else love aliens?! Because I do. A hell of a lot. My love for aliens is what drove me to get this book in the first place, and that part of the novel definitely didn't disappoint. Unfortunately, I wasn't a fan of the main characters.

Ari, the main female protagonist, was kinda slow and kinda dumb. She didn't have that spark that I like to see in YA female leads, and as a result I found her boring. Ari was really slow on the uptake, making her look unintelligent and also lacking the basics of common sense. It was really disappointing, because I LOVE strong females in the novels I read. Alas.

Then there's Jackson, the arrogant alien spy turned love interest. This is going to sound weird, but he wasn't arrogant enough for me. I mean, if you're going to pitch a love interest as an arrogant bad boy, at least give him some witty dialogue and some funny scenes. Instead, he kept secrets from Ari to the point that I wished she had the balls to punch him in the face. In some scenes he was really sweet, and in others he was just sort of there. There was no substance.

The world building and the political dispute were my favourite parts of the novel. I loved the idea of World War IV ruining the Earth and aliens having to swoop in to save the day, and then one side not keeping up their end of the bargain. I wish we could have seen more of the alien planet, and also more explosions. I love explosions!

There was one twist in the novel, and it wasn't that shocking. I had been expecting something like that to go down, and so when it happened I rolled my eyes. It didn't help that this twist involved Jackson and, well, I've made my feelings for Jackson pretty clear!

Overall, Gravity was an enjoyable, although pretty average read. I love the aliens and all that jazz, and I was really pleased with that aspect of the novel. I'll be reading the sequel to see where it goes, and I'll be hoping that the characters improve.
I love the covers of this series! Here's the cover for Hover, book two in the trilogy:
GORGEOUS, right?

15 comments:

  1. Sounds interesting. Added to TBR. Merry Christmas, Amber!

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    1. Hope you like it! Merry Christmas to you as well, dearie!

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  2. I agree, I thought Jackson was a really bland love interest, and I wasn't really fully invested in the romance. Like you the thing I enjoyed most about this is the actual plot! And that ending, gimme book 2!

    Great review. :)

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    1. Thank you! Hehe, book twins! I'm really looking forward to more aliens, especially as I'm reading the Lux series and it's given me a weird craving for them!

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  3. Both covers look amazing! The premise sounds super interesting, especially the aliens bit- haha :) Glad to see you enjoyed it, may be adding this to my TBR list next! Great review!

    Alex @ Possession of Books

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    1. Thanks Alex! Woo, I hope you enjoy it if you do decide to pick it up!

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  4. Great review, Amber! I'm glad you found Gravity enjoyable.
    New follower here. Love your blog <3

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  5. Shoot Amber! I was hoping this one would have a little more going for it as I was really looking forward to giving it a try. The fact that Ari is a little slow on the uptake is a problem for me, I don't deal well with heroines who lack common sense, and I agree that if you're going to label someone an arrogant bad boy, he best live up to it:) Still, the premise does sound interesting, so maybe book 2 will see some growth for both Ari and Jackson!

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    1. I totally agree, heroines need to at least have some idea what they're doing, otherwise they get ridiculous! I'm crossing my fingers for some character growth there :D

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  6. Those covers! ♥_♥ This sounds like a pretty good book, I'm glad you liked it. Too bad you weren't that invested in the characters though, I hate it when that happens! Might give it a try soon :)

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    1. RIGHT?! So beautiful. Oooh, I hope you like it! I'll look out for your thoughts on it XD

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  7. Bummer sounds like you didn't connect well with the main characters. I hate it when twists turn out to be predictable. What's the point of the twist, if you're most likely to think that it will turn out that way? It's a shame. Lovely cover, and I was looking forward to this, but I think I'd have the same problems as you did. Nice review. :)

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    1. Exactly! Twists should actually be, you know, surprising! If you do decide to pick it up then I hope you really like it. And thank you :)

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  8. Have you read the open mind books? I loved them, it's the mindjack triology, try it.

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