Book Review: How To Date An Alien by Magan Vernon

Book: HOW TO DATE AN ALIEN
Author: MAGAN VERNON
Genre: YA PARANORMAL ROMANCE/SCIENCE-FICTION
Published: December 2011, DARKSIDE PUBLISHING

Series: My Alien Romance #1 (upcoming series)
Source: Author, no other compensation given for an honest review

From Good Reads:
High school senior Alex Bianchi's estranged father gets her an internship at Circe Operations Center to pad her college applications. But Circe isn't your typical military base. It's an alien-run operation center and not all of the aliens are friendly, especially the one that tries to kill Alex on her first day. When Ace, a dark-eyed Caltian, enters and saves the day, she can't help but be drawn to him. Can these star-crossed lovers survive when they're on the brink of intergalactic war?



My Review:
The cover for HOW TO DATE AN ALIEN hints at a quirky YA science-fiction romance, but there is so much more to this novel than I originally thought. The star-crossed lovers theme is there, but science-fiction lovers that have been looking for a YA in the genre, will not be disappointed by Magan Vernon's debut. Alex Bianchi discovers the existence of aliens when she asks to intern at the Air Force Base where her father is stationed. Little did she know how much meeting Caltian, Ace, would change her future.

This book has a great pace because, while it never dragged, there was a real sense of time passing. As Alex learns the in and outs of being an intern at an alien base, her relationship with Ace also develops. Though the attraction is evident when they first meet, Vernon does a great of having regular teen-age flirting involved. Neither one is a perfect partner; Alex has doubts, and Ace sometimes personifies the arrogance it is said that his alien race holds over the whole universe.

Magan incorporates romance and adventure into HOW TO DATE AN ALIEN, as well as some danger (mostly to Alex) and the threat of intergalactic war (from Ace's home planet). Even with the different strings that she has dangling, the plot doesn't neglect any of the parts. There are some great scenes between Alex and Ace while they are alone together in the security room monitoring aliens around earth. But, there are also some great scenes when Alex interacts with the other interns, who she becomes close with, and some fantastic scenes where Alex has to face the very powerful leader of Ace's homeworld (who's also his mother).

This book would appeal to science-fiction fans, YA fans, and romance fans. There's a little bit of everything, and it's a pretty fast read because I wanted to stay in Alex's world from the beginning to the final confrontation. Snappy dialog abounds. Ultimately, HOW TO DATE AN ALIEN is a humorous and engaging novel that had me enjoying every page and looking forward to the future adventures of Alex, Ace, and the other inhabitants of the base.



4.5/5 for plot
4/5 for characters
4.5/5 for language

My Rating: 13/15 (4 stars) Highly Recommended

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Available formats: E-Book

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