Gravity by Melissa West

Reading Level: Ages 16 and up
Paperback: 400 Pages
Release Date: November 20, 2012
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Genre: Aliens/Sci Fi

The Taking
Book One: Gravity
Book Two: Hover (8/6/13)
Book Three: Unknown (2014)

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Amazon Review:

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.

My Review:

The first thing I noticed about Gravity, was the motto, "Don't. Ever. Peek." It was probably supposed to aspire curiosity out of the reader, but in my opinion it sounded sorta cheesy. However, after reading the summary, I couldn't resist the temptation to open the book anyways. I was so happy I made that decision.

Gravity takes place in a futuristic America, during the year 2040. At this time, the world was in ruins because of the devastation left by World War IV, a war filled with nuclear bombs and weapons. Without food, humans could not survive, so they turned to the Ancients, an alien race with special powers, and asked them to help rebuild Earth. The Ancients, at that time, also needed certain nutrients that they could only find in humans, so a treaty was made. In exchange for there help, Ancients were assigned to a specific human, and every night the Ancients came at midnight to collect the nutrients needed for them to survive. There was only one rule that all humans were supposed to abide by. One rule that could never be broken. One rule, that if broken would cause dire consequences. "Dont. Ever. Peek."

Ari Alexander, broke that rule.

The night of the Taking, Ari couldn't find her patch. The patch was a device that was specifically designed so that a human would not be able to feel or see what was happening around them. She knew that she didn't have long until her assigned Ancient arrived, but she searched to no avail. Ari finally accepted the fact that she would just have to close her eyes and deal with it, and that's what she did. However, when her Ancient arrived and started the Taking, she couldn't help but open her eyes. Surprise, surprise, the Ancient that was assigned to her was none other than Jackson Locke, one of the hottest guys at school and her biggest competition.

Jackson explained to her that if she didn't help him, then life as they knew it would change. War was coming, and it was up to them to stop it. Will they stop the war before it's to late?

This is probably only the third Alien novel I have ever enjoyed. When I think of aliens I usually think of green martiany dudes with big black eyes that say, "Take me to your leader." Obsidian by Jennifer Armentrout and I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore totally changed my perspective! I mean let's face it, with Alex Pettyfer as Number Four and Daemon with his infuriating good looks, Aliens are rather hot nowadays. Jackson Locke is no exception. The romance between him and Ari was believable and not one of those stupid Insta Love connections! I'm so happy about that! I think I can speak for all of us when I say that instant connections between the main characters are overused and very very annoying. Ari didn't immediately fall for Jackson's swoonworthy good looks. She started off rather skeptical about his intentions and wondered what he really wanted from her. She asked herself if what she was doing was right and if she was being played or not. Every single one of her reactions were believable and I feel like the author really captured the voice of a teenage girl. She was compassionate and hated death, but knew that it was neccesary in order to survive. Ari never ceased to amaze me with her bravery and kindness.

Jackson was a great character as well. I expected him to be some kind of arrogant ass that loved getting under Ari's skin, but he wasn't. Yeah he had his cocky moments but deep down he was a big softie. Jackson always thought about the well being of Ari first, and understood her in a level that no one else did.

The action and worldbuilding were amazing as well. It was fast paced and had my pulse racing at times. I was constantly entranced by the twists and turns of the story, and nothing ever fell flat. I ended up talking to myself alot, trying to figure out who the good and bad guys were. The worldbuilding was descriptive, but at the same time didn't bore you with overzealous details. If you enjoy hot aliens, believable romance, heart racing action, and two very stubborn and badass characters, you should definitely check out Gravity today!

Heroine- 5/5
Romance- 5/5
Comedy- 4/5
Action- 5/5
Writing- 5/5
Overall- 5/5