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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.
This is one of the novels of 2012 that I have been really excited for, the cover is pretty sick and the description I found on Goodreads had me hooked instantly. You mean to give me a novel about romance, aliens, the future and the fact that everybody on Earth might suffer should the MC (main character) not make the appropriate choices? You had me at aliens.
Gravity by author Melissa West is the story of main character Ari Alexander, the daughter to one of the most powerful men in North America . The story is set in a dystopian future in which aliens invaded Earth due to their planet running out of water, after a treaty was signed, the aliens and humans decided to live in a peaceful existence… that is as long as the humans allow them to steal small amount of their microscopic cells. Every single night at midnight aliens come when humans put on their patches and steal parts of their bodies, no big deal right? That is, until Ari loses her patch and finds herself awake when her alien is taking from her, and she learns just who her alien is. The super attractive, Jackson Locke who is (gasp) an Alien spy. Jackson and Ari work together to find out just what secrets are being kept from the public and what the alien leader, Zeus, is hiding. It’s not until Jackson and Ari begin to fall for each other that things begin to get dramatic and it becomes evident that nothing is ever going to be the same again.
Can I be the first to say that when it came to the possibility of Jackson being an Alien spy, I totally figured it out right after he and Ari first “meet”? The fact that Ari’s patch magically showed up seemed too unlikely, I knew that there was something wrong with that attractive Jackson and I’ll admit that I ignored my gut when it came to how sweet he was to Ari. After reading the Lux series by Jennifer Armentrout, I’ve found myself falling pretty hard to alien bad boys and Jackson is the complete package. He’s the one character that Ari literally cannot have, and that just made me (and Ari) want him so much more. He was sweet, badass and positively to die for despite his mood swings.
The sci-fi world found in Gravity is one that I wouldn’t mind living in, despite the fact that an alien would be stealing from my body and that the human species is under attack by an alien threat. But I mean, other than that, I wouldn’t mind getting to be like Ari or her friend Gretchen. Why? Because the two are total badasses! They get taught how to fight in school and throughout the novel Ari gets to use her fighting skills in a style that is straight out of a Suicide Squad action scene (and that’s a comic for those of you who don’t know). From start to finish, Gravity was a novel that I had such a fun time reading, especially with the strong opening chapter and the cliff-hanger ending. All in all, I want the next book… now.
I would recommend Gravity to fans of alien novels, YA dystopia & romance as well as fans of sci-fi.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted December 28, 2012
A great book, kept me completely distracted for two days of nonstop reading.. I can't wait for the next book.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted December 21, 2012
I have been looking forward to reading this book for a long time and the story did not disappoint. What an amazing book. I stayed up late into the night because I couldn't put this story down. There was a bit everything to hold my attention: action, mystery, suspense and a romance. Usually, I am big on the romance aspect in a story but the plot and story line of this book were so great that I would have been okay without. I am glad there was a bit of romance, though, and I was pleased that this did not turn into a (traditional) love triangle!
I recommend to fans of the Divergent series for the action and fans of the Lux series for the aliens.
Looking forward to the others in the series!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted May 18, 2013
I liked this book one of the best alien books i read second only to alien huntress the plot sort of got lost in the romance thats why i gave thus a novel a 3 and not a 4 or a 5 but i did like unique spin to alien storu and the relationsip between law and jackson kind of shook me the author got me there with how they are connocted and i loved it
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted May 12, 2013
Nice, quick young adult sci-fi read. Refreshing that it wasn't the same old YA story line and feel.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted April 24, 2013
I've been in such a reading slump and this was just the book to pull me out of it! I think the thing that threw me in this story was that I originally believed GRAVITY was another paranormal romance. Wrong. I'd classify this book as a science fiction thriller with a dash of highly-believable romance thrown in to make an already great book, outstanding. GRAVITY was incredibly refreshing and reminded me a lot of Beth Revis's ACROSS THE UNIVERSE (which I loved!).
Hands down, the best part of the book is the action. THE ACTION!!! At one point, I actually glanced down at my Nook ensure that I wasn't farther into the book. I couldn't believe how much had happened within the first 75 pages. One thing's for sure, West doesn't hold back when it comes to keeping the reader entertained. And the ending? Get the heck out of here!
I will absolutely, positively be buying HOVER when it comes out in August. Also, for the record, I got a digital copy of this book from Entangled Teen to review...and immediately bought myself a print version so I could keep it in my library. That should tell you how much I liked it!
Anonymous
Posted April 12, 2013
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Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted April 7, 2013
So a great book all around! I have no critiques! I loved it! I went into this book with really no expectations, and I was so pleasantly surprised!! If you are looking for this book to be like Obsidian than you have come to the wrong place, this was on the other end. Melissa created such a real and perfect description of life in the future with or without aliens. The characters were flawless and the writing was so smooth and effortless! Fantastic!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Suzie_Beth17
Posted March 20, 2013
Love the fantasy stuff. Love the alien factor. Didn't expect this book to end how it did.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted March 19, 2013
I love it and I can wait for the squeal to see what happens next.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Tishia
Posted March 12, 2013
Gravity is the first book in The Taking series by Melissa West. It centers around seventeen year old Ari, who lives in the future. The humans share the planet with aliens – also called Ancients. They are able to appear human. Each Ancient is assigned to a human for the Taking – a process in which the aliens have to take antibodies from the humans in order to survive on Earth. You're not allowed to know who is assigned to you. They come into your room at midnight every night. The humans are supposed to wear an apparatus that makes it impossible to see anything during the Taking. However, on one particular night, Ari can't find hers. She closes her eyes, but can't resist from peeking. That's when she realizes that the Ancient assigned to her is a boy from school – a boy who is pretending to be human.
The world building in this book is pretty good, which is necessary for a dystopian book. It's always interesting to me to read books set in the future – to imagine what could happen to the Earth under certain circumstances. In this book, much of the civilization is destroyed because of WWIV. The Ancients and humans don't exactly live in peace. Both species want to take over the Earth instead of co-existing.
Ever since Ari found out that Jackson is assigned to her, they become close. They try to work together to stop the impending war between their species. A forbidden romance slowly blossoms, though I would have liked to feel a little more spark between these characters. I liked the characters though. Ari is training to be an Operative, so she is no damsel in distress. She's tough, intelligent, and likeable. Jackson seems genuinely caring and not like others of his kind. He is mysterious, and you can tell he is hiding something throughout the book.
The book had good pacing for the most part, but the ending seemed a little rushed to me. There was a lot of action and suspense toward the end. There's also a bit of a cliffhanger that will make you look forward to the next book. There is a little bit of gore, but not much. I recommend this book to readers who enjoy paranormal romance, sci-fi, and/or dystopian.
Anonymous
Posted February 17, 2013
I loved this book and i cant wait for the second one!!! Luv this woman.... i want to be a writer because of her and a vet! ( out of subject)
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted February 9, 2013
Popcorn worthy.I loved it!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged. I saw this cover and was reminded of Across the Universe, and immediately felt the need to read this. Sometimes, I need to remind myself that there are certain subjects that just don't really click with me. In this case, I really think it's aliens.
I never could get a firm grip on Ari's character. She's the daughter of the military commander and has basically been raised to take his place. She's no nonsense, knows her place, and does what is expected of her. At times it was like she was going through the motions. Perhaps that is why she falls for Jackson so easily. He's the kink in her tightly woven plans. He makes her questions everything with just the slightest little bit of information. He never reveals too much. Which I think its all part of his plan. He wants her to think about the way things are done. He doesn't like his side as much as she beings to question hers. I honestly think I liked Lawrence the best out of our 3 main characters. I never thought he had a hidden agenda and he's the most straight forward.
I didn't understand a lot of things about the world this book is set it. The aliens can't live on the planet for any length of time, but its ok to visit every night for the taking? What exactly are they taking for the humans, their spirit or life line (I'm picturing the witches from Hocus Pocus here for some reason)? And the idea of the taking just was just disturbing. Both sides seem to have an agenda that I just don't seem to understand. And both sides seem to be set on total annihilation of the other species. I think there's a better solution.
I think aliens might not be for me. I think there are definitely those who will love this book though.
Anonymous
Posted December 29, 2012
Fast read. Good escapism.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.ephrielle
Posted December 28, 2012
A watered down version of Romeo and Juliet set in a science fiction scenario. Entertaining but odd. I am not really sure where this all is going. I guess the next book takes us down the crazy old-man's mind. Maybe Hover is more like hovering on the edge of insanity.
A very battle oriented society. Extremely blind in its pride. 'Pride cometh before the fall' So interesting how once that fall happens everything changes. Even the harsh hard-hearted father becomes desperate and soft. Sweet mothers become dragons protecting their young. And protection turns into death.
As is common for me with science fiction it took some time to acclimate to the strange ideas and world. After that the story felt more dystopian. There are so many secrets. Even as the book closes we know so very little. I don't envy the girl. She is penned in by strangers and she knows nothing. I fear she is going to be used as a tool to keep certain people in line. Not very nice. Sort of a "We have your future Commander or I can kill your girl anytime you don't do as I say." Trouble is brewing. At least we might get a better idea of what is going on with the Ancients. Who is Jackson and just what is his life really like?
The ending made me laugh. I had to read it twice because I felt it was missing something. Such a dramatic reveal that it just felt funny instead of crazy scary.
So while there are parts that really don't make sense just yet and I feel sure doom is just around the corner I enjoyed this book. It will be fun to see what happens next.
Holy crap that was amazing! I honestly am having trouble coming up with a review that conveys how awesome this book is. I don't really know what I was expecting going into the book. I HATE to compare books but I was suspecting something similar to Obsidian but this one was... wow. I loved the aliens in this novel and even though I'm not a huge dystopian reader (my knowledge goes as far as Hunger Games), the dystopian added another level to the story. If you think about it Melissa took YA and molded together with not only SciFi but dystopian, romance, suspense and horror. All I can say is thank you, Heather (publicist) for allowing me the opportunity to read this, without you, I would not have this new addiction.
Imagine a future where coexisting aliens were our best chance at survival. In return for them returning our damaged Earth back to livable conditions, they ask that they be allowed to "Take" the essential energy from our body in order to be able to survive on Earth and over time when they acclimate to our planet, be able to live with us. How about a world where you rarely have real food for nourishment. Instead you take a pill that fills you up and gives you the nutrients you need. At night you put this device on your face that leaves you blind and paralyzed so that an alien came come into your room for the "taking"... every night at midnight starting at the age of ten. That is the future that Ari lives in. The world that Melissa creates is a creepy one but she writes it so well that you feel like it could be possible.
I really enjoyed the characters in this story. Ari is a really strong character. She doesn't take the spoon fed B.S that's handed to her. Even though teaming up with Jackson goes against everything she knows, she does it anyways because she feels that is the only way to stop the upcoming war between the humans and aliens. She uses her standing as the next commander and gets intel on what the humans are planning against the aliens. Only, she doesn't realize how bad things really are until she starts her training at her father's facility.
The author doesn't take the easy route with giving us a cutesy fluff YA with aliens. Nope, there are some pretty horrific parts when it's coming up to the war. In an effort to come up with ways to attack the aliens they have test subjects where they do horrific things to them to figure out what their options are as far as weapons go. However, I was mollified with the bonus of the romance aspect of the story between Jackson and Ari. One thing I can tell you is be prepared for a cliffhanger at the end. This author knows how to leave you on your seat swearing at the book because you have to wait, who knows how long, just to figure out what happens next.
Anonymous
Posted November 28, 2012
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Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.There were two versions of this e-ARC that were sent out, the second included some changes (a Prologue was added, the end was changed as well as a few other things.) and being the nosey nelly that I am, I read them both. I'm so glad I did because while I liked the first one, I enjoyed the finished version much better. In fact, you should just bypass this review and read this book for yourself, you won't be sorry. Gravity (The Taking #1) is one of the most unique, creative and interesting alien stories I've read in a long time. There's action, adventure and a swoonworhty romance that will have you wishing for your own close encounter of the third kind. Ari, the heroine is one tough cookie. She's been training for Special Ops her whole life and takes her future as a military leader very seriously. She's loyal to her family and her country but the one thing she's never been okay with is the Taking. Ari knows the rules and she's been warned against peeking but her curiosity gets the better of her one night and she opens her eyes. She's shocked to discover Jackson Locke is assigned to her and from that moment on, life as she's known it will never be the same again. Ari expects to be at odds with Jackson, especially now that she knows what he is but she never expected to want to help him or worse, to develop feelings for him. He shows her that they really aren't that different and that together they might be able to keep their worlds from going to war. Ari struggles with betraying not only her country but her family as well and she doesn't know for sure if Jackson can be trusted. However, when she sees the truth firsthand, she'll realize the only person she can really trust may be herself. I enjoyed this book for many reasons - detailed world building, solid characters, and having to work together with those who are different than us are all key elements, but what jumped out at me is that this is a clean read. The romance definitely gets your blood pumping, as do the action scenes but this is a book younger readers can enjoy (like my nearteen) without any worries from the parentals. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens in book 2!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Ellenalwaysyaatheart
Posted October 31, 2012
Don't. Ever. Peek. When I saw that sentence, of course I knew I had to read this book. The year is 2040. The world as we know it no longer exists. After being destroyed by war, an agreement is established with an alien race, known at the Ancients. The earth no longer is able to produce food, but the Ancients have a special ability to make that happen. In exchange for this, each night the Ancients come in and perform "the taking," from the humans. Each human has one Ancient assigned to them. At midnight they come in and the "exchange" takes place, with the Ancient absorbing the necessary vitamins, energy, etc. from the human. There is one rule, a rule that is never to be broken. The humans are to wear a patch preventing them from seeing and moving, and they are to never look. As it happens, Ari Alexander breaks that rule and opens her eyes to see Jackson Locke, one of the most popular boys at her school, hovering over her. Ari Alexander is the daughter of the military commander and is destined to take over that position one day herself. Her dad is tough, unrelenting, and highly demanding, so Ari has trained day and night in preparation for her future. Jackson Locke is hot, the girls fall all over him, he seems to be the best at everything, and he is Ari's biggest competition at school. Her best friends are Lawrence and Gretchen. Lawrence also happens to be the son of the President, and Gretchen's father works for Ari's dad. Lawrence and Ari also have prearranged destinies planned for them by their parents. After Ari finds out who Jackson really is, he asks her to trust him and to help him, or everyone is dead. The whole goal of the treaty has been for the two races, the humans and the Ancients, to coexist together on the planet, after the Ancients acclimate to it. After agreeing to help, a series of events begin to unfold, a web of secrets is discovered, terrorist type attacks occur and escalate, and the agendas of both races are in question. Hints of war break out and Ari is forced to make a decision between loyalty the government or taking a stand against things that are wrong, as the threat of war increases. Ari and Jackson's relationship quickly turns intense, and though forbidden, they can't seem to stay apart. Jackson has secrets, big secrets, secrets including who he really is, who Lawrence really is, and the truth behind what is going on. Will these secrets destroy any chance these two have at a relationship? Ari must decide if her love for Jackson is strong enough to trust him, despite his secrets, especially when she finds out what is happening to her and what she must do to survive, and insure the survival of others like her. I really liked this book. I love science fiction, especially when there is romance involved. Gravity also has a dystopian feel to it, which made me like it even more. I loved Ari's character. She was a kick butt heroine, tough, determined, yet willing to make difficult choices when it came to the welfare of others and the good of the entire race. I loved Jackson to. It says he is arrogant in the synopsis, and he comes off that way, but he's really a great guy despite all his secrets, and he really loves Ari, not to mention the fact that he is very hot. Lawrence seems sort of passive, but rises up and does what is right and necessary when faced with the truth, and he is a hottie to. Gretchen is Ari's best friend, who accepts her without j
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Overview
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 ...