Starseed

by Liz Gruder

Kaila Guidry has always known she is different. After all, her mother insists Kaila hide her hair under a tin foil shield and a wig before leaving the house. When Kaila meets Jordyn Stryker one day at school, she starts to understand the origin of her mother’s seemingly irrational fears.

Jordyn Stryker was born and raised far from Earth, a starseed, one of six new students sent undercover to Louisina’s Bush High to learn human ways. When Kaila is pushed to her limit by high school bullying and cruelty, Jordyn steps in and awakens her to a new reality, and to love. Out of loyalty to him, Kaila looks the other way when the real purposes of the starseed begin to unfold.

As the horrific plan behind the starseed visit to Earth moves forward, Kaila and Jordyn, caught in an impossible love, must face who they really are and decide where their true loyalties lie.

Genres: Science Fiction, Young Adult, Aliens, Romance, Fantasy, Young Adult Science Fiction, Fiction

285 pages, Paperback

First published January 19, 2013

About the author

Liz is an author and a yoga teacher & lives in New Orleans.

Her YA novel, Starseed, just released by WiDo Publishing. She is currently working on a collection of ghost stories and another YA novel.

Question everything, believe in yourself and never give up.

Like Liz on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorlizgruder

Follow Liz on Twitter: https://twitter.com/LizGruder

Reviews

[Nasty Lady MJ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Before I read it:

Requested it on NG because of the creepy cover. What do I say I'm morbidly curious about this one. I mean look at that thing. It's like someone wanted to imitate the Lux covers but couldn't afford to use real models so they photoshopped Barbie and Ken's face on there. Or it sort of reminds me of Earth Girls Are Easy that old 1980's movie. Sigh, don't expect me to finish this one, but I'm going to at least make an attempt just to see if your really can judge a book by it's creeptastic cover.


After I read it:

To see full review click here.

You know, I actually feel bad about ripping into this one. And no it's not because I've learned that I'm an evil person and that I should go all buddy bear when I review books, that's not going to happen. Rather, I feel this book was written so horribly that it would be kicking a puppy or something. But on the other hand, this piece of shit is selling for seven bucks on Amazon. Seven freaking bucks for an ebook and it's hardly written where the price be justified. Sigh...I guess I'm going to do it. Just call me Heathcliff because I'm going to rip into this atrocity.


The structure of the book is really off. Okay, so I can understand-for the most part-what's going on, but this book reminds me of what a third grader might write: Introduction to character, description, action. Rinse and repeat. And yeah, I get that when you write a book, usually your audience will want some sort of description. But knowing when and when not to insert description is crucial to the success of a story.

Character development is another factor in having a successful story and the characters in this book were just horrible. I really didn't like Kaila. She's rude, obnoxious, throws tantrums, gets her way, and knows everything about technology (because apparently working an iPhone is a difficult task). Her boyfriend, or future boyfriend, or whatever Jordyn is is no better. He just reminds me of an alien version of Draco Malfoy. And really, if you don't your alien race to be found out you might want to lay off the silver spandex body suits and talk in proper English-just saying.

The world building really wasn't that much better. This book makes Vanity's info dumps look minuscule in comparison. That's how bad it is. Powers are used by the aliens with very little consequences because hey they can turn back time just like Superman and erase memories and all that jazz. Really, all I have to say about the world building is that...no, I'm not going to kick a puppy.

Because this is what this book is a puppy. I don't know much about Gruder's background, but everything about this book feels novice and that makes me feel sorry for it. Selling it for seven dollars though makes me angry. So while I feel like I should be gentle with the book to an extent because I really don't think Gruder at times knew what she was doing, I just can't. People are paying money for this book and it has gotten a ton of four and five star reviews. When it's...well, the majority of fan fiction that is readable is better than this.

Look this book epitomizes what my issues are with self pub. For the most I think it's a great and wonderful thing, making work that otherwise would've been ignored by mainstream publishers is great, but when you try to sell something that is not ready to be sold it's just...it makes me want to bathe in bleach.

Best Feature: Nice Concept. I like anything that has aliens it if done well, so I guess that's the best thing about this book. Though the aliens here are hardly hot or bad ass. Rather, they remind me of the aliens in that bad Tim Allen movie, Galaxy Quest.

Worst Feature: I don't know. I really don't know. There are so many things I can criticize. And so many things that appalled me. I really have to choose just one? Okay, maybe what annoyed me the most about this book was the way it was written. The writing is very primitive in nature: introduction to character, description, action. Dialogue that just doesn't work. Character interaction that feels unrealistic. It just doesn't work.

Appropriateness: Ugh, no. Alien probing, sexual harassing, characters who act like two year olds when they don't get their way....anyone who wants to protect their brain cells shouldn't read this one.

[Anastasia ｼ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full Review on NG

[Rose · Rating 1 out of 5]

Initial reaction: This novel gets so many things wrong that I'm very surprised that it was marketed as a YA, but that it was even written and sent out the way it was at all. And this saddens me because it not only comes from someone who self-published the work, but also works in a health related spectrum. It's not just the fact that this was poorly written, had every imaginable sci-fi stereotype you could throw a book at, and disjointed presentation with randomized scenes that don't go together with any logical resonance at all.

But when you take the time in your work to blatantly slut shame, depict a young woman imagining an unwanted sexual display in a guy's mind she clearly had no desire for (and had made unwanted advances to her in the scheme of the novel before then), you depict carnage and depression and cyberbullying and so many different things without handling them with any sort of care, you run into problems. Major problems. I was really appalled by this book and I would not recommend it for any one or any audience. That's me being firm and probably more polite and with more patience than I should probably have with this respective novel.

Full review:

Liz Gruder's "Starseed" really has to be one of the worst novels I've ever read, in sci-fi, in YA, in any genre really. I don't say that lightly. It's one of those times when you wonder how a book could contain so many problems that it becomes not only a hindrance but an offense to read as it goes along.

There was a part of me, initially picking this up, that thought this might be a parody sci-fi story judging from the rather odd cover. I kept thinking of one of those cheesy 80s fluff sci-fi movies and thought "Oh, this might be fun, even if it is kind of a familiar premise."

Turns out I couldn't have been further from the truth. The cover in itself is oddly done in design. I didn't realize that it was meant to be taken seriously, and that pretty much the appearance of these two characters are intentional and spot on for the book and might even be the least offensive thing about this work.

You basically have a narrative that feeds upon every possible sci-fi cliche that may exist, from the tin-foil hat featuring, to the sudden impregnation of a female character bearing an alien baby (who happens to be horrified because she's suddenly pregnant and she's a lesbian), to unwarranted probing and mind-control, to nightmarish visions that include a character forcing his way onto the female lead and somehow that being telegraphed into her emotional reception via her Facebook friending feed (don't ask me how that makes sense, it doesn't and honestly I was horrified at some of the portrayals here). If that weren't enough, it also plays upon every YA cliche, right down to the instalove and insta-magic ability, Mary Sue heroine, melodramatic portrayals of death and fear, the depiction of cliques, the bullying and cyberbullying played on the part of mean girls and enabling of the administrators among other things. There's also the atrocious, clearly unedited prose that jumps from one spectrum of the story to another without any rhyme or reason, doesn't flesh out its characters, contains massive amounts of infodumping, and becomes a pain to read after a given point with all its massive drops of pop culture references.

But the true kicker in this particular story: the utter offenses of slut shaming, bitch-slamming, sexual groping, rape-insinuating, gay bashing (which is confounding considering this does have a token lesbian character in it), violence against children, misappropriation of religion, stereotyping of the Southern U.S., depression-evoking, and body shaming/women hating that made me feel like I wanted to take handfuls of my hair and scream. What on earth made the author think this was a good book? How does someone who works in a health industry think anything in this book could be construed as healthy or engaging or well...anything worth reading for any audience, let alone YA? (And don't get me started on the random inserts of yoga and meditation done on behalf of the main character in here - which just adds insult to injury in my eyes.) This book isn't worth the $7 that it's being offered for in ebook form. I'd demand my money and time back if this wasn't a galley read (well, I'd demand my time back now even considering it was a free read). I was that offended by this work.

Kalia is as close to a Mary Sue as you can get with her blond hair, round eyes and ditzy personality. She nags at her family that she wants to be normal, champions herself over them when she takes control of technology, and pretty much subjects to everything that could potentially go wrong when it comes to consorting with alien beings. I was frankly quite annoyed with her from around the start and had a feeling I wouldn't like her for her demanding nature, but then the instalove that she finds with Jordyn pretty much confirmed this would be a rough read. Betwixt the long infodumps associated with the probing, nightmares, and otherwise odd visions in this work, it was difficult to move through the static dialogue in which the characters spoke, and I'm not just talking about the "alien speak" here. Even Kalia's respective dialogue felt wooden and mechanical.

The bullying and subjections that Kalia was exposed to really felt done for the sake of drama rather than having any constructive point, and adding that to the "mean girl" activities, name dropping of pop culture icons and branding, I felt it was trying too hard to be into contemporary times. You could tell it was forced. I mean seriously, Jersey Shore references, Lady Gaga, Jerry Springer reruns, Titanic and the forced cheesy dialogue that I had to endure reading that in relationship with Jordyn and Kalia's watching of it? Come on.

For anyone curious about the insinuated rape scene in this work, it felt a lot like the episode called "Violations" in Star Trek: The Next Generation, if anyone remembers Deanna Troi being subjected to the mind control effects of the enemy in that particular episode. That, ironically, has a parallel with this particular work, not just in the numerous Star Trek references here (*rolls eyes*), but in that it was trying to evoke many nightmarish images associated with the alien races in this work (though ultimately the nightmare sends Kalia into a dark depression which is somehow alleviated with the power of love and religious context. Though not of any significant weight or true coming to terms). But it wasn't done well, certainly not done with any kind of context (though the character is repulsed by it), and oddly the whole nightmare scenario felt disjointed and wasn't particularly creative with the whole psychic connection with the friends on Facebook feed.

This was just utter, complete rubbish as far as a YA sci-fi work is concerned for me. It offended me and I would not pick it up again, nor recommend it.

Overall score: 0.5/5 stars

Note: I received this as an ARC from NetGalley from the publisher WiDo Publishing.

[Joana Hill · Rating 1 out of 5]

Read more reviews at my blog, Words and Tea Bottles.

Received as a free ARC from NetGalley.

This book was ridiculous. That is the first thing that came to mind. Usually I do try to find something good about a book, but no redeeming qualities come to mind this time around. I’ll break it down.

The prose is painful. It’s simple at best, and whenever a new character is introduced, it follows the “Character name, who was physical description, did action” formula. Descriptions themselves are plentiful and put in at inappropriate times. That’s called an info dump, ladies and gentlemen.

Speaking of info dumps, things happen much too quickly. Before the book’s even a third over, we know everything about everything. Heck, a lot of it can be deduced just from the first chapter. Even when it’s trying to be mysterious and foreshadowey, it isn’t smooth at all.

Back to the prose, when it isn’t being painfully simple, it’s rife with really weird metaphors. One on page thirty-two in particular stays with me. “Her intuition nagged her, like a fish line caught on an alligator.” Talk about subtle, huh? Not.

The grownups are more than useless. They’re enabling. The English teacher lets the “preps” pick on him, the alien lady Physics teacher literally gave birth to all of them, and the minute Kaila decides that she needs a cell phone so all her ~new friends~ can talk to her, her grandfather takes her to the mall and buys her a top-of-the-line iPhone, not to mention a ton of new clothes and makeup. Anything to “make her feel pretty” because apparently clothes from Wal-Mart are NOT acceptable in the judging atmosphere of high school.

Speaking of her high school, it feels like the author wanted to copy Mean Girls and fell really, really flat. All the cool kids are called preps. Her first friend, Melissa, even does a scene similar to when Cady is being introduced to all the cliques in the cafeteria. Except where Mean Girls was doing a parody, Starseed is completely serious. There’s even a line at one point that goes “And to feel emotion is to create war and die.” Don’t have sex kids, or you will get pregnant. And die.

This is literally a tin hat conspiracy theorist book, except instead of tin foil, Kaila has to wear layers of black plastic around her head under a hat or wig. To protect her mind, you know. Because her mother was abducted by aliens and impregnated by them, so she’s half alien and they want her back. That isn’t even a spoiler because, as I’ve said, everything in this book is revealed before it’s even half over.

And what would a book be without love at first sight? As soon as she meets the love interest Jordyn, who’s also half alien, she’s in love. She can’t even think of him without getting all warm inside. Just another example of how shallow she is. Not that it’s all that different from every other character in this thing.

As a final note, it falls flat in being “modern” as well. Lines like “she’d rather listen to music on her iPod” and “but what she really liked was reading romance e-books on her iPad” pop up everywhere. It’s cringe worthy. What, did people at Apple give her sponsorship money as long as she name-dropped as often as possible?

Oh and the cover’s creepy. I mean. Look at it. Paula Deen’s photoshop team has nothing on whoever did that number.

[Jadie Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liz Gruder’s headstrong heroine, Kaila Guidry, elicits a reader’s encouragement from the first page. Fans of P.C. Cast will find themselves similarly transported into Gruder’s exploration of the dark sides of faith, love, higher dimensions, and, of course, high school.

[Bailee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was initially unsure of what to think about this story. It's hard to say that I was looking at the plot subjectively because the subject of aliens has always been an interesting topic. About four days before I read this story, I had actually watched a documentary about the same subject. Well, alien abductions and hybrids and so on. So to say that I was on an alien overload would probably be an understatement. But despite my preconceived notions of where the story was going and my opinion of the topic, I actually really liked the story. It caught me off guard and won me over after the first chapter.

Starseed by Liz Gruder is really about aliens. It tells the story of Kaila who just wants to be normal and wants to fit in. She wants to escape the home she was raised in and all the stupid rules that seem to have no purpose. Once she breaks her family's biggest rule to never take off her hat, they are forced to give into her but only if she always wears a wig lined with this special plastic. A feeling of triumph washes over her until she finds herself being pulled into something she doesn't know anything about. Aliens? Starseeds? Missions? Mind control? Powers? She can't help but be confused.

Kalia is a fun character to read about. She has a lot of similar reactions to situations that I know I would have and so would most teenagers put in her place. It's clear from the beginning that she just wants to be normal even if she is clearly so far from normal that it's not even worth trying. She is rash when she is experiencing high levels of emotion, forgetting consequences and the problems that she faces. Her innocence about the world around her is endearing, which makes me want to hide her away from the danger she so obviously is heading towards. Her passion is inspiring. Her loyalty towards those she cares about plays a huge part in the story. She does things with the intent of helping those around her. It isn't surprising when she gives into the idea of being completely selfish. She abandons her normal life and becomes the person that Jordyn and his friends expect her to be. But is that fair to the people who get hurt in the process? It's her loyalty and passion that keeps her from becoming something horrible and that is what makes her an admirable character.

Jordyn was weird? If that makes any sense. He is a Starseed, a hybrid of alien and human DNA, and his loyalties clearly lie with the alien part of him. He is trained to believe that human emotion is a weakness that will surely lead to his demise or destruction. From the moment he is introduced, it is clear that even if he looks like a human, talks like a human, and acts like a human, he doesn't have the humans best interests in mind. I felt sad for him more than anything. He faces a battle between the fact that he wants to be with Kalia and his trained nature that tells him what he's feeling for her is bad. It's hard to give up something you are trained to believe all your life but he knows that a life without Kalia is worse than breaking rules and having a life with her. I wished I would've been able to see more into his background to better understand his character, his motives, and really everything about him. He was essentially an interesting character that left more mystery hanging in the air than necessary.

Kalia's friends were unique and intriguing. I love the fact that Pia and Melissa were undefined at the high school, neither belonging to a specific crowd or fitting into a specific role. The friendship between Kalia and her friends is so strong that she would rather give up her happiness for the happiness of her friends. Over a short period of time, they create a very strong bond and I admire that. I hardly ever get to see a group of girls undoubtably get along without constant friction or fights.

The Hive. Now, if I thought Jordyn was weird, the Hive makes him look decidedly normal. They are kind of creepy in the sense that they refer to everything as group, there is no personal feelings or actions. It's almost strange to see people so connected and yet unconnected from each other. I could see the battling personalities and responses to situations and yet this group of hybrids clung to what they were trained. They were one and they protected their own. This group accepted Kalia but did not accept the way she behaved, such as feeling emotions or craving to be around Jordyn. They want her to be like them, emotionless and powerful, but who said that she ever wanted anything like that?

The bad guys and the good guys played minor roles in the story because the main conflict really was a personal one for Kalia. Was she going to embrace her alien side or continue life as a human? This is not to say that the bad guys weren't well written, they stood out and often gave me the chills whenever they appeared in the story. The good guys played an even more minor part which was sad and disappointing. I wanted to be able to definitively say that I knew who the good guys were but most of the time I was caught between guessing and lying. I wish they would've played a bigger part.

The plot was unique and it held my attention to the very last page. The writing was good as well. There was some disappointments but a lot of triumphs throughout the story. It was pretty good and completely caught me off guard.

[Jasmyne]

Starseed is a really great book. If somebody asked me to recommend a book that was fantasy Si-fi, I would recommend this on.
I think that though Starseed is a good book, there should be more of them. This book feels like an ending hasn't occurred along with The Mist on Bronte Moor. If you ask me, I would buy a million of these books and keep them for collections if I had the money to.

[Chrissy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I guess I should start by saying that I'm really conflicted in my thoughts on this book. On the one hand, it was hands down one of the weirdest things I've read in a while. There were a lot of things that frustrated me -- although, that's not necessarily bad, right? Because, at least the book left an impression. On the flip side, it was just so odd and unique that it was compulsively readable. I just couldn't stop without finishing, so that's a definite positive for this title!

So, starting with the plot. Kaila has always lived quite a sheltered, unusual lifestyle. She knows that something tragic has happened to her mother, which has apparently since been repressed, but she never wants to discuss the event or any of her reasoning behind her behaviors since then. The family lives a secluded life, alone on a deserted home with horses where Kaila is home schooled and is rarely allowed to leave the confinement of her home. She really has no friends nor any communication outside of her immediately family, and her mother always requires everyone in the house to wear a head covering with an uncomfortable lining inside -- although she will never let Kaila know which such measures have been deemed entirely necessary.

As Kaila gets a little older, though, she begins to rebel. She demands to be sent to a real school where she may finally interact with people her own age while learning about the reality outside her own little bubble. Now from here, this is where things *really* start to get weird...

In her advanced physics class, Kaila meets a quirky group of teenagers who all dress alike in silver jumpsuits. They introduce themselves as former members of a distant cult who are just learning to assimilate themselves into normal society. Kaila notices that these teens are uniquely characterized by extraordinarily large eyes and abnormally long fingers that resemble claws. The problem, though, is that Kaila sees so much of herself in this strange group as well -- since she, too, has only four long fingers on one hand, explained to her in childhood as the result of early trauma in her mother's pregnancy.

Well, as you probably guessed from the cover, this novel does involve aliens and alien abductions, although it does read very much like others in its genre, which keeps it from being entirely unrelatable to those who typically enjoy YA fiction. For one thing, there is definitely a bit of a love story here, although the author is careful not to let the single romantic relationship really take over the gist of the story (although the love aspect does work to perpetuate a greater message about emotionality, free will, and love in general). We get to see a few typical teenage relationships as well as a couple of situations involving bullying that could have taken place in any contemporary fiction that didn't involve aliens.

At times, STARSEED did read a bit like a cheesy soap opera, I must admit, with overdone dialogue and extreme emotional responses that seemed unwarranted based on the situation at hand. Now, I'll accept that aliens from another planet may not quite know how to convey their thoughts in a manner that feels young and relevant, but it didn't make some of the conversations any less awkward to read. And while I do understand that the aliens were struggling to observe new emotions that were entirely mysterious to the breed, it felt like some of the reactions and statements made by the humans in the story were just a bit excessive and over the top. I can't really give adequate examples without either spoiling the story or providing direct quotes, which would not be appropriate given that I read a possibly unfinished copy intended for review purposes, so I really can't justify my thoughts to you on this one.

I appreciated the thoughtfulness in the individual struggles of the characters and the journeys they took in discovered the depth of their free will, the strength of their own personal powers, and the balance between thinking with the head and feeling with the heart. I think the author did a really nice job turning this novel into something more grand than a temporary teenage love story, for sure. On the flip side, though, some of the statements towards the end just felt a bit too new-agey aka embrace the higher power that lives within the self type thing. I think it just felt a little bit preachy near the end which could feel a little uncomfortable to certain readers.

That said, I'm glad I had the opportunity to read and review STARSEED. It was definitely something a little different than the norm and it kept me entertained up until the last end. Give this one a chance if you get the opportunity. It's always nice to see an author give a thoughtful new take on a tried and true genre.

[MJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Starseed

I’ve been having a difficult time lately finding a good YA Sci-fi mix that really kept my interest, and didn’t do a complete 180 on my radar. However, after reading Starseed, my faith in YA Sci-fi has been mostly restored!

When I first saw this book on NetGalley, I almost passed it over. I’m glad I didn’t! But I almost did because I had, at first, believed this would be a bit of a “The Host”/”I Am Number Four” crossover. Again, happily, I decided I was probably wrong (especially considering I’d looked up more about the book…and I was wrong) and so I requested it. Lo and behold, I got it and started reading immediately.

The concept of starseeds was a big selling point for me. I’ve watched enough Star Trek and sci-fi in my time that this really hooked me. Aliens, who look perfectly normal, and so much like humans they might as well be, are hiding among us. Maybe they’re trying to help us into a Golden Age. Maybe they simply want to watch and learn about us. Or, maybe, they’re here for another, darker reason. Who knows!

On to the characters. I found myself really connecting with Kaila, even if I had never shared her experiences. She was believable and reacted to situations as I expect most teenagers would. Or, really, most teenagers in her situation would. She has a strange family, is forced to do strange things (not all of which she seems to understand), and, in the end, really just wants to be a normal girl and do normal things. I was cheering for her when she rebelled, even though it did cause some problems…which left me not cheering so much.

Jordyn is a starseed/Hybrid. He is an alien that has human DNA and is living, breathing, and pretending to be one. He soon falls in love with Kaila, and that’s where the real trouble starts. He’s been raised/trained/taught, whatever you want to call it, all of his life to see human emotions as the thing that makes them weak. However, that doesn’t stop him from having them about Kaila, and this becomes a conflict for him. He loves her, but isn’t suppose to. He cares about her, but doesn’t want too, because he knows/thinks it’s forbidden and wrong. However, he also knows that being without her is painful, and that’s not something he wants either. His struggle to come to terms with his feelings, and what to do with them (and really Kaila herself) was an interesting part of the story.

The only disappointing bit of the story for me was that the central struggle (the good vs bad) seemed like it was more of a sub-plot and not really the engaging bit of the story. The back story of it all, why everything was happening, who everyone was and why they were there, really seemed to take a back seat to the romance bits. Or, maybe, the journey that Kaila had to go on, both physical and metal. I’m not saying that this was necessarily bad, but I simply wish more had gone on and there had been a bit more explained/shown. I really found myself wanting more from the good/bad guys!

The book, however, was still intriguing and I’m very glad I didn’t pass it over. I didn’t want to put it down, and it had enough mystery and suspense to keep me going, page after page. Superb job, and 4.5 out of 5!

I was given an eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Kaitlyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

To be honest I kind of thought the book was supposed to be a parody before I read it. Looking at the cover I think it is understandable how I got that impression. This wasn’t the case.

Kaila grew up in a strict home with odd rules. She was forced to wear hats lined in plastic-garbage bag like material her whole life to protect her from a danger that her mother never fully explains to her. At the start of the book Kaila throws a tantrum because she is sick of being home schooled and wants to go to high school with the other kids. Her mother relents and designs Kaila a wig lined with garbage bags just for that purpose.

When she gets to school Kaila meets all of the stereotypical high school clichés. There is the obligatory scene where the people destined to be her friends explain all of the cliques to her based on their appearances (preps wear this, dorks wear this, goths wear this, etc). This particular school has an additional group to the ones normally found at high school – aliens. You can tell they are aliens because they wear silver jump suits straight out of a 1950s movie and they speak like foreigners.

Kaila is instantly attracted to one of the alien males, Jordyn. (Side note: why are authors obsessed with weird spellings of names? Is it supposed to make their characters edgy or do they just enjoy the red squiggly lines in their word processing program?) She also finds herself drawn to the aliens in general. Because she is one. Shocking, yeah?

As the story progresses Kaila discovers her alien powers and starts to learn how to control them. She also discovers that the purpose of aliens on earth might not be as harmless as she once thought. Eventually she has to make a choice about her place in the world and where she belongs.

This book had a lot of issues. I’m going to list some of the main ones:
- The dialog was awkward. I don’t just mean the aliens and their “we just learned English from a foreign language” way of speaking. Reading over the dialogue I just kept thinking people don’t speak this way.
- The sentence structure was choppy and the story lacked flow
- The main character was kind of a brat. She threw tantrums to get what she wanted and people gave it to her. That’s how kids are spoiled.
- The aliens are over powered. They can travel/freeze time, teleport, use mind control, heal, and erase memories/insert new ones into people’s heads. If they have all this control over humanity then why do they need hybrids to infiltrate? Why don’t they just pop in, make everyone their slaves/dinner, and make them happy about it?
- That ending. The good aliens are angels and the bad aliens work for the devil? Complete with creating a hole in the ground that goes into “hell”? Where did that come from?


I can’t recommend this book. I think the author has a good spark of an idea but needs a little more practice in her execution before she has a good book.

[Sue Tint · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was gifted this book by the author for an honest review; R4R. Which makes writing this review so difficult. After reading the first 25%, I skimmed the majority of this book because it was so boring, full of cliches and just not believable (I know it is science "fiction" but even fiction needs to be believable to the reader. First off, the cover! The book cover is simply horrid. UGH, look at it! Had I not read the description (and been intrigued by the storyline) before seeing the cover, I think the cover alone would have completely turned me off.

So the story... We are introduced to Kaila, a recluse teen who desperately wants to go to school, see, she is homeschooled by her weird mom who makes her wear tin foil hats over her hair, with virtually no explanation of why. We find out why later, but I was bothered by the fact that the reader AND Kaila was not given even a glimpse of a reason. So, Kaila begs her mom to go to high school. Once at school, she is exposed to all sorts of 80's cliches of high school cliques- the jocks, the preps, the nerds... ugh, it was painful reading this drivel.

Then, she hears about the group of new kids who were apparently part of a cult, and now they are at her new high school. These weirdos wear silver jumpsuits,,, yup, you heard me right, all of them. Ummm..it's been awhile since I was in high school but those kids would have been so severely picked on and bullied, they wouldn't return to school. However, it seems OK, so, one of these aliens who are finally and fittingly termed the "aliens" is Jordyn... the love interest.

Let me talk about the "love interest" for a moment. First of all, it's a total rip off of Twilight down to the "one minute he wasn't near me, the next he was right next to me, saving me." Jordyn is creepy, the way Kaila responds to him is creepy and simply not believable. But he is there for her, cause he is a "starseed" and guess what, so is Kaila! Shocker!

Not a whole lot happens in this book; Kaila learns she is a starseed, gets an education from The "Hive" (the "aliens") about what it means to be a starseed, about how to draw out her power. What does happen in the plot is corny, creepy (but not in a good way), not relatable or believable. The love story is weird (how can Jordyn be in love - and be alone with her when he is part of a Hive Mind?), and forced, and the shockers (aliens impregnating unsuspecting girls - one of which is gay), bending and stopping time, and subconscious interstellar travel.

I never felt connected to the characters in any way. I didn't like Jordyn at all, and I feel like he was too possessive (and not in the way Edward was with Bella in Twilight). It is a shame that I didn't enjoy this book, as it had such promise for me in the description.

[Katharina Gerlach · Rating 2 out of 5]

I got this book in a R4R and must say that I wouldn't have read to the end if I hadn't promised to do so. As an Indie author myself, I find it very, very hard to give a bad review. Usually, I simply refrain form reviewing books I didn't like. But as I said, I promised an honest review, so here it is:

There are some major problems with this book (I'll get to them in a minute), but the biggest is the beginning. For 1/3 of the novel, the story is simply plain boring. Nothing interesting happens. We get introduced to a high school with cliché people in cliché groups and cliché interactions. The alien-abduction-pregnancy idea is so easy to see through that it doesn't add even a pinch of tension to the plot. The main character is unlikable and obnoxious and acts like a toddler at times and, what's worst, she gets her way.

After the first 1/3, the pace picked up somewhat and some more interesting conflicts show up, but none is clearly defined and all are more or less ignored by the main character. The author didn't manage to pull me into the story in a way that I understood the main character's fascination with the aliens, especially her boyfriend to be.

Worst of all were the inconsistencies in world- and character building. The aliens were supposed to be a hive, meaning they should have had a hive mind, which means: no individuality. I understood that due to being hybrid human/aliens, they did have some personality, but it just didn't work. Rules to the magic-like abilities were non-existent, and it bugged me that in some places, the aliens simply downloaded their knowledge into the main character and in other places she had to learn like humans. If you ask me, that's inconsistent and only done to tell the reader "look what we can do". Last but not least, there was no real character growth. The main character's motivation jumped from one extreme to the other just as the plot demanded. She didn't feel real for a moment. The sidekicks were so unimportant to the plot that (although I liked them) I can't even remember their names, and I only finished the book 10hrs ago.

So, why didn't I give a one star review? Near the end, the author mixes religion into the alien story which gave the totally clichéd book an ounce of originality that I liked. It's not enough to redeem the novel, but it was better than nothing. I'm very sorry that this book wasn't better because I liked the premise. It could have been a very good book but fell totally flat.

[Roxie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book through the Read it and Reap Program in exchange for a review.

This book is getting quite a few mixed reviews, and it is completely understandable. Funky cover aside, the book has some things going for it that work very well, and other aspects that take away from it being as enjoyable as it could be. One reviewer said something along the lines that the ideas were strong, but the execution was poor, and that is probably the best description, although I would put lacking at times in place of poor.
So what is the book about? A high school student that has been sheltered from the outside world, Kaila lives with her family (grandmother, grandfather, mom, stepdad)that keep her close, home school her, and make her hats lined with a special material, but will not tell her why. Fed up with her sheltered life and lack of friends, she rebels and finally is able to go to school, although she is self-conscious about her four fingered hand, which her mother tells her is the result of a car accident during her birth. She wants a real life, though, and braves school, where she makes a couple friends and meets a strange group of kids that are said to be rescues from cult. She is drawn to them, especially Jordyn, inexplicably. Through her interactions with them, she learns more about herself, and the strange things that are going on in town.
First off, let's start with the positive. Kaila is a fairly likeable character the majority of the time, and I particularly enjoyed the relationship she had with her grandfather. The two true friends she makes are a good balance to the weirdness of the cult group, and I like the way they interact with each other mostly. There were some good scenes and the ideas that the author has are presented in an interesting way.
But. Everything is this book seems to move so fast, and without a lot of explanation or follow up. People accept things that I feel that more people might struggle with a bit, realistically. There are good scenes, but they don't always connect well, and the romance between Jordyn and Kaila isn't as strong as it could be because a lot is riding on the inexplicable connection they feel without a lot there to build that connection for the reader.
All in all, it still is a fairly enjoyable read, and the ending leaves no doubt there will be a second book, where hopefully the issues that this book has will be resolved.

[Desert Rose Reviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

In all honesty, sci-fi is a genre I enjoy, but haven't gotten into much, and space-y books are always a question mark for me. The synopsis of this book caught my attention though, so I thought I'd give it a try.

The beginning was interesting, taking a look at Kaila's family and life, and she seemed pretty relatable. With the exception, of course, of her tin foil head-covering and blonde wig...

Her first few meetings with the aliens, masquerading as High School students, was quite humorous, and had me laughing at several points. The descriptions of them fit most of the sci-fi standards for humanoid-looking aliens, which was nice. As Kaila finds out more about herself, her family, and her past, things become much more complicated, and less humorous. Ominous and scary events and plans unfold, and take the story on an exciting ride.

I liked this book overall. The characters were really different, and I enjoyed all the plot turns in the story. The story was well written and easy to follow. The author did a wonderful job of describing the surreal elements of the story, carrying the reader though an exciting adventure.

I took away two stars because of some plot points I personally didn't care for (no spoilers here, folks), and through part of the book, it did get somewhat confusing. I would still recommend this book though, especially if you're a fan of alien stories, and, even if you're usually not, this one may surprise you :)

*I was given a complimentary ebook copy of this book, by the author, to read in exchange for an honest review.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

*I received this book free from the author in exchange for an honest review*
First of all I want to comment on the cover it just kinda threw me a bit, although I am one who can sometimes judge a book but its cover I must be honest and say that I dont think I would have picked this up on my own but I read the summary before seeing the cover and it pulled me in, I did enjoy the book and I just put the cover out of my mind and carried on.
I found this story to be a nice look into human nature, how we have the ability to love so fiercely and even the power of feeling sadness and lose and how it helps us see beauty in life. I liked that the process of Kaila being "awakened" she taught the aliens what being human is all about.
Kaila was very relate able to me, she loved her family but longed to know a sense of normalcy. Her bond with her paw paw really hit home for me as he reminded me of my grandpa and his undying love for his family, trying to put Kaila first even as he struggled with cancer brought tears to my eyes on several occasions and it was also through his love and battle that Kaila found meaning in being human.
Now confession time I dont usually read Alien books they just sort of unsettle me they have so much power and control and this one is a prime example, so much evil and darkness but when they finally opened up to emotion a few were what I would call saved and I was glad a few of the characters found some sort of happiness.
Overall I enjoyed this book and I would recommend this to sci-fi and Alien lovers.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kaila Guidry has always known she is different. When she meets Jordyn Stryker at school, she finds out just how different.

Jordyn was born and raised far from Earth, a star seed, one of six new students sent to Louisiana’s Bush High to learn human ways. But Jordan did not count on meeting a girl like Kaila.

When Kaila is pushed to her limit by high school bullying and cruelty, Jordan awakens her to a new reality—and to love. But to prove herself, Kaila must look the other way as the real purposes of the starseed unfold.

As the horrific plan behind the starseed visit to Earth moves inexorably forward, Kaila and Jordan, caught in an impossible love, must determine where their true loyalties lie.
I found the start a little slow, I like a strong start, it feels like its wasting pages and this could have an effect on keeping readers enthralled to carry on reading. However once the story started to really unwind I enjoyed it. Half human and half Alien, and at a school with others like her, the conflicts between Kaila and Jordan, he raised by aliens her by humans with their very different viewpoints. Yes overall an interesting read

[Annabelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wow. When I read the synopsis of this, it seemed great. It's an intriguing idea that isn't present all that much in newer novels nowadays, so when I was able to read it for the Read it and Reap Program, I was pretty happy.

But then I actually started reading it. I truly didn't care for this at all. The main character, Kaila, isn't half bad. She's relatable, as she just wants to fit in and live a normal life. Her parents have kept her at home, but she doesn't understand why until she goes to school and realizes how different she is: four fingers, glowing hair... But then she meets others like her. (Might I add, in a totally strange way...)

Anyway, the main reason I didn't like this was because Gruder simply... she can't write very well. The ideas were good, but the execution lacked thoroughly. It didn't flow, and the events were very much so "this happened, this happened, then this" without a whole lot of connection. Also, Kaila didn't seem to do a whole lot, events seemed to happen *to* her.

Overall, I just didn't like Starseed. Kaila is likeable, but in truth... the synopsis is better than the actual work.

[Johnnyimagen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Starseed was a fun read. It was a little slow in the beginning, but then picked up and held my interest. I wasn't sure how it was going to turn out and kept reading. A different sci-fi teen book, but all taking place on Earth so I could relate. A unique young adult read with aliens in high school and not sure who the good guys or bad guys are. Some of it reminded me of Roswell, but totally takes a different path. The bullying theme was good because high school can be rough with people picking on each other for looks, clothes, being different--been there. Liked that the romance part had them connected from the beginning which is cool instead of arguing or sarcasm, etc. seen in a lot of books which usually turns me off. The theme is what I liked best-- finding oneself, tolerance & love. Really liked the ending, not what I expected.

[Brandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Starseed is a well written book on teenagers and bullying. The bullying is on several levels with well defined lessons. Asking for help when needed, being able to define and correct a bad situation, to help others even when circumstances are difficult, and to rebuke all negative energy are just a few. Actually the lessons in this book can go on and on. Family, Friends, Animals, Earth, and Universe!!
As a parent, the situations, science fiction or not, brought forth in Starseed are issues I think most of our teens are missing in these times. It is a YA Science Fiction that is great for our youths to sit back and see what could possibly happen next. Allow the imagination to stretch more!

My 14 yr old is reading it now.
Brandy

[Rhonda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished Starseed and really enjoyed it. It features Kaila, who is half extraterrestrial but born and raised in Louisiana. When she goes to school, she meets these students who are half human, half extraterrestrial and they are kind of out there, but fun! Starseed is a love story as well and I enjoyed the romance element. Kaila falls in love with Jordyn, who doesn't have emotion because he was raised as an alien, but since he's half human, so develops emotion. Kaila gets bullied at school because she's obviously different. But then I like the way the aliens are not all good and not all bad either. There's more but I don't want to spoil the really cool ending. Different book, I recommend!
(I received an advanced ebook copy in exchange for an honest review).

[Kerri Cuevas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everyone wants to be different, and Kaila really is.

Kaila finds out she’s a Starseed—half- alien and half- human. Now the once home-schooled Kaila, is struggling to fit into her new high school. She quickly makes a couple of friends, and falls in love with Jordyn, another Starseed. But Jordyn wasn’t raised by human parents, and his view of humans and their emotions, is very different than Kaila’s. As the book progresses, Kaila struggles with bullies in school. As she uses her alien power, she realizes there are more to the kids than the “cliques” they are classified into. She also learns the alien’s secret agenda. Kaila must learn who she really is, and entangle the web of lies and deceit if she wants to save the ones she loves.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really fun sci fi read that had me enchanted from the first page. I like Kaila, like her family and friends, really loved her two dogs and how she talks to them and they talk back. And although I don't usually care for high school drama in YA novels, it was the aliens and their strange "mother" who kept this one hopping. The aliens cracked me up. I thought their robotic ways -- we don't like humans but we are trying to be like them anyway-- were hilarious.

[Vee]

Wha- Dafuq did I just see?



This cover is hideous. A full-on, bloody disaster. And from what I've been reading, the story follows suit.

Welcome to my will-never-read shelf, book.

[Mrs A.E. Carter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good 👍👍👍

Three thumbs up for this read. I enjoyed it very very much. I hope other readers will like to. Some young adult reads are hard to get started it this one was good from the starter.😀😁😀😁😀😁😀😁😀😁😀😁😀😁

[Martina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un libro imperdibile per gli appassionati di ufologia e starseed! L'autrice, infatti, è ella stessa appassionata di questa materia e nel romanzo vi si trovano tutti i temi cardine, dai rapimenti alieni al progetto di ibridazione, dalla teoria degli antichi astronauti ai conflitti interplanetari. Il tutto inserito in una un po' stereotipata ambientazione liceale tipicamente YA, ma che comunque ha un suo perché. Ho adorato la protagonista e mi sono immedesimata molto in lei. Anche se non sono di madrelingua inglese sono riuscita a comprendere molto bene il testo, grazie al suo linguaggio semplice e diretto. Consigliatissimo!

[Crystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Rant:
Starseed was riveting. I completely loved this story for several reasons. The first reason would be that I now have another book to add to my YA list that I can share with my niece, that is an advent reader. She loves to read the same book I do, and I try to encourage her reading. The story was so fast pace that I could not believe how quickly I was reading the story. But what I loved about this book was the underlying lesson that is being taught by this story.

We are all born with the choice to elect the paths that we choose whether you choose to be positive or negative person is completely your chose. We are all born with free will and the write to choose makes life priceless because there are no do over’s. It is important that we live for today. In realization we must be held accountable for the paths we choose and we should not let someone influence our decisions of choice because in the end you are the one that has to live with the repercussion in life. I am a firm believer of treat everyone like you would want to be treated and karma exist so what goes around comes around.

Starseed displayed the constant issues children face today in schools. Bulling and trying to fit into the social norm and how it weighed on children because everyone wants some form of acceptance. But in lieu of acceptance the author also displayed how important it is to work through your issues and have the courage to just be your self and not easily persuaded by others because that could land you, if you are with the wrong crowd of people in a heap of trouble.

There were scenes in the book were I completely had a melt down. I had to work through many emotions in reading this story. The interesting part to reading this book was that all the characters held a special place in my heart. They all had different strengths and weaknesses but they all commanded their scene. You couldn’t help but respect and admire their courage. I hate to say this but I felt sorry for the ones who decided to continue to walk on the dark side. I had to feel sorry for them because they were puppets and have not come to grips that someone else was pulling their strings. I mean how can you think your doing evil when your made to think your doing good. In the end you hope that all the hybrids would turn around and realize the truth and decided to choose good over evil but in this story it just does not work that way.The love story was dreamy but there where a lot of bumps in the plot that caused mixed emotions for me. It was hard to see Kaila and Jordyn apart because they had to work through their own issues but your ecstatic when they realize they are meant for each other because they cannot live with out one another ( dabbing my eyes, Jordyn was so romantic). Their love for each other made the story worth while. But the strongest love in this story was the love that was displayed with Kayla and her Paw Paw. Grand-Parents are awesome, and Paw Paw made Kayla feel special and their love for each other was breathtaking throughout the story.

This is the first book that I have read by Liz Gruder and I can honestly say that this will not be the last. The story was full suspense and a cast of amazing characters that I fell in love with a majority of them. I was amazed to see that the plot could stand on it’s own and capture the audience through the author’s storytelling style. When I first read the excerpt to the book I thought it was going to be like so many other books I have read before but what surprised me the most was how the book was so different, and through the authors imagination that difference made for such an amazing story.

My Recommendation:

I rated this book 5 out of 5 purple rant hearts. I would recommend this book to all YA readers that enjoy a good story with a sci-fi flair.

FTC Disclaimer: I received this book for free from the author, editor, publisher, or Promo Host. This is my honest opinion about this book and I did not receive any monetary compensation for writing this review nor was I obligated to write a positive one.

[Jennifer Madero (Boricuan Bookworms) · Rating 2 out of 5]

eBook copy provided by author via We ♥ YA Books! in exchange of honest review

Rating: 1.5 stars


After pounding almost a week on what I disliked of the book, I got to various conclusions.

While I was reading the story, I got a bit interested in the beginning. It made me want to know more. But then things went downward/ The story was boring and had a lot of clichés, like the popular people of the High School and labels on all people. I don't go to a school in the USA but come on! Certainly not all places are like that, and just because you are the new kid does it mean you're gonna get bullied that first day and so on. It's all stereotypes, which I hate dislike

When I reached the middle I was still thinking "So... When are the good things or really bad ones starting?". Further on I got my request in a way. I still disliked the story. But what makes me not give it one lone star and 1.5 are the science/alien related things, what got me to read this story in the first place. I've watched a lot of videos of professors and read articles about the whole alien phenomenon and actually liked what the author included in the book.

The ending was crappy. It didn't reach to my expectations. Not that I had much by then anyways...

The other thing I disliked were Kaila and Jordyn. I liked a little the other characters, but these two... not so much. Kaila's way of seeing the world and description from her point made me also not like the book. She left herself be toyed with what people thought here and there. And I know that she's been home-schooled her whole life and that she was different form everyone. But hey, at least she could be a like-able character. But she wasn't. And the thing with Jordyn. It felt like a crappy version of Twilight's Bella and Edward. And the latter, I prefer them a hundred times (I don't care what the world thinks if they're gay vampires). The moment Kaila saw him it was love at first sight. She loved him instantly and blah blah blah pink everywhere I love him blah blah blah. It made me sick really. It was okay that they loved each other, but if it was made a bit slower then it would have been more realistic and like-able. But no. First sight, Oh hey there's a boy that's like me, oh he's so handsome....

What mostly motivated me the whole journey of reading this book was that I needed to end it in order to make this review. I was 20% in it and already wanted to drop it.

The adults were meh. The Physics teacher was extremely weird and unpredictable, in a non-good way.

But I still liked the whole alien idea, I'll give the author credit for that.

Also, the cover. I know it's bad to judge a book by it's cover, but this one makes me... dunno freaked out? If I only see the letters and the person being abducted then okay. but Jordyn there... just no. It looks like the top was the hair of a doll like Ken, the jaw, shoulders and nose from someone else, and the eyes from those stickers you give kids, being expanded. Put it all together and you have Jordyn! Not to be bad only, the rest of the cover it's good, and some times indie authors can't always afford some things when it comes to cover. But maybe we could have evaded the eyes thingy...

Oh and one more thing. When the book ended there were A LOT of things left unaswered. And some that totally didn't make sense. WARNING: MIGHT CONTAIN SPOILERS: What did the whole Aphrodite thing had to do with any of this? And Venus? I was waiting to see what it meant but as soon as the story continued, it was left behind and forgotten. Maybe it was part of a draft and was left unedited. Dunno, just theorizing here.

It wasn't really my kind of read. After you read this review, feel free to read it. Since we're all humans, opinions and liking vary from person to person. I feel extremely bad for this review, but as it says above, I'm delivering an honest review in a plate to the table.

[Kacie Bawiec · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book. I did. I didn't love it, it wasn't life changing, but I found it enjoyable. It was a quick read for me.

That cover though. Oh my goodness. Looks great from a distance, but I would always hide it under something when I wasn't reading it because the people would stare at me. If you thought flipping it over would get you away from the disturbing, blown up eyes, you were sadly mistaken. They are on the back too, except their eyes are black. Just as creepy.

But I'm not here to judge the book's cover. I began reading this book very hopefully, and unfortunately very sleepy, and so I was pretty confused once I got into the alien part. That's when I started to feel like I was high on something and I was so entirely confused but I didn't want to go back and reread because of how trippy the info was. I kind of felt like I was on drugs half the time I was reading. Gah. However alien books do that sometimes, so I decided to roll with it and let it go.

The romance wasn't super well-developed, but it was such a relief from the crazy information loads that I didn't particularly mind the simplistic romance and high school troubles.

Honestly the alien powers were pretty amusing. Not realistic, didn't really make sense, but they were definitely amusing. I wasn't sure whether I was supposed to laugh when the aliens were taking away peoples' memory and making them think and say ridiculous things, but I did, and it made it fun, so I see nothing wrong with it.

Plot? The plot can't lose here. Hybrid alien things that are doing terrible things to the world and are disguising themselves as high school kids? That's priceless. The fact that they were in Physics class for most of the high school experience was cool also.

Though the best part was when all the hybrid aliens got crazy drunk from partying all night. I was dying with laughter.

Onto the characters. Okay. Yeah. Not sure about the characters. The mains were okay. I liked Kaila. She was cool. Jordyn was okay at times, sometimes he was annoying. A lot of the other hybrid aliens were pretty underdeveloped though, which was disappointing. But the book was mostly about Kaila and Jordan, so I guess that's kind of okay. Kaila's friends had slightly more development, though by the end of the book their only purpose was... Wait, what was their purpose? Yeah. I'm not sure if they were really necessary.

There were a wonderful, unecpected heartfelt scenes amid the information bombs in this book. My favorite was when Kaila's Paw Paw died. Not heartfelt enough to make me cry or even make me sad, but it was touching.

Last comment now. I didn't particularly like how it ended with a nice neat little bow and random background characters hooking up and being all lovey dovey too - what? Why? Not everyone needs to end up with a lover, come on. Also, I wish Priscilla and her friends that she mentioned would have had more of a part in this book. She was hardly noticed until the end, and her story didn't come out until the VERY end, so by the time you realized, what happened, it was over. ):

All in all, this book was enjoyable. Aliens are always pretty cool, so I liked them. The plot was fun, the alien powers were entertaining. I enjoyed it.

[Pat Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

You know from the opening paragraph that something very strange is going on in the house that Kaila Guidry shares with her loving but overly-protective mother, stepfather, and maternal grandparents. Kaila wants to know what it is, and you, the reader, will very quickly find yourself wanting to know, too. When Kaila's hat falls off, along with the protective garbage bags her mother forces her to wrap around her head every day, the weirdness and indefinable fear that dominate's this family's life ratchet up several quick notches.

Why does Kaila's mother make her wear those garbage bags under a hat at all times, despite the sweltering Louisiana summer heat? Why won't Kaila's family allow her to go to school and make friends with other kids? Why do they live out in the middle of nowhere?

It is very difficult to keep a story moving along when there is a growing cloud of dread hanging over everything the characters do, but somehow, Liz does it and does it well. We see Kaila fight for and win the right to try and live the life of a normal teen, and just as quickly, we see her "otherness" pull her back into an increasingly tangled web of questions, deceit, and hidden intentions. She builds new friendships at the local high school, yet has to deal with near-constant bullying. At the same time, she is trying to untangle clues about her heritage and discover what is really happening in her small town.

Is the hot guy pursuing her a friend or a foe? Kaila feels an immediate attraction to him; he seems to be just like her, but is he really?

Starseed is an entertaining read, and like the Harry Potter and Hunger Games books, will keep adult readers every bit as hooked as young adult readers. I highly recommend it for people who like their sci-fi with a side of aliens. The book is well-written and downright scary, with the fear factor escalating chapter-by-chapter.

While I really like the sci-fi story, my favorite part of the book is how well Liz portrays Kaila and her family. Kaila is a not-so-typical typical teen, happy and morose by turns. She throws tantrums and pouts, and then becomes the most charming and selfless girl you can imagine. The love Kaila and her family feel for each other is shown in ordinary and yet heartfelt ways. But just when you start to feel all warm and fuzzy about the family, the dread they feel for Kaila practically leaps off the page. This is where Liz really shines as a writer, lining the closets and drawers of everyday life with spine-chilling terror that springs out at you when you least expect it.

Be prepared to sleep with a light on for a few days!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Full disclosure: I've never written a book review before, but Liz Gruder is one of my dearest friends, and not only that, speaking as a fellow writer, we have shared our struggles throughout our writers' journeys over the past 25 years. She has bolstered my confidence when it was sagging, and I've done the same for her. But putting our long friendship aside, I have endeavored to make this as honest and dispassionate a review as this inexpert reviewer can manage.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Okay, first off, let me say: I don't like the cover. Really, if I just came across this book in the book store, I probably wouldn't pick it up. It's kinda....creepy. The description caught my attention, though, so I figured I'd not judge the book by its cover and give it a try.

Starseed is a sci-fi alien abduction/invasion story with an alien/human hybrid twist. Kaila is a reclusive teen who lives with her mother, stepfather, and grandparents. She is homeschooled and not allowed to socialize much, which really grinds her gears. In addition, she always has to wear a weird black plastic wrap thingy on her head. When her mother finally (somewhat) explains why, she does so by transferring images into Kaila's head. The girl does not freak out or ask why or anything a normal person would do. Seriously, if my Mama suddenly started mentally sharing memories with me, I'd flip my shit. Plus, I'd have more than a few questions about the abduction and such. Kaila just seems to be all "Okay, whatever. I still don't wanna wear this stuff on my head. Also, send me to a real high school, cuz if not, I'm gonna tantrum hardcore." Seriously, this girl just throws a tantrum to get what she wants and her family gives in. That just really bothered me.

So anyway, Kaila gets to go to high school, where she pretty much gets a couple of insta-friends. Oh, and an insta-love. Things like that bother me. Too unrealistic. Yeah, it's an alien sci-fi, but make the "normal" parts a little more true to life. The book would be more relatable. So before school starts, Kaila meets the aliens and things get awkward. I was cringing inside at the awkwardness. I assumed the weird kids were the aliens, so I was okay with the weirdness and a little intrigued. Kaila makes it to class and meets her first friend. I thought it was sweet that she decided to be a little extra friendly because the girl had a lazy eye and she could relate because she has four fingers on one hand. Then there's the required introduction to the clique stereotypical lunchtime scene and more interaction with the aliens. The advanced physics class was totally creepy. I'm not saying much because I don't like plot spoilers and try to avoid them in my reviews.

While the plot had a lot of potential, I think it could have been done better. The dialogue seemed a bit forced and for the most part, I didn't find the characters too likeable. I thought Kaila was a brat, and Jordyn - well, he just rubbed me the wrong way. He seemed like the kind of overbearing, controlling, manipulative boyfriend every girl should avoid. The ending seemed just a little too out there for me. Evil aliens vs heavenly aliens. Action without action. Pretty much unresolved conflict. Though it was a bit too cut-and-paste simple, it still seemed messy and unfinished to me.

The premise was interesting, but the storyline did not seem thoroughly thought out. Of course, alien sci-fi like this is not usually my first choice to read. Fans of alien stories, alien abduction, and human/alien hybrid stories might like Starseed a lot more than I did.