A solid addition to the Alien universe that is bolstered by the more scientific side of the story. I thought all the discussions about planetary colonization, predators and prey, and just the general xenobiological aspects were neat. My favorite line was the observation Olivia makes about humans always looking for habitable plants, but not thinking about how these planets are already inhabited. It was just a smart little moment that I think really fit into a lot of recurring Alien themes. The writing overall is strong, and this and "Into the Drowning Deep" have convinced me to keep reading books by Grant. Also, I loved the romance! I think it was very sweet, and it was fun to see such badass girls at the forefront of the story.
It's not a very surprising story (especially if you've ever seen an Alien movie), and there is nothing really new offered to the preexisting canon, which was a little bit of a letdown, but it's a fun read! I was craving something sci-fi, and while this wasn't the most original story I've ever read, I'm glad I did. :) ( )

I love Mira Grant and I enjoyed this book but I could have read the phrase "knives that hunt" at least 10 times less. ( )

A bit too heavy on the romance part, but otherwise a quite good YA Alien book. Not as gory as I want it to be, but actually gory enough for you know young adults. ;) There was actually a moment towards the end when I was surprised about how bloody a scene was.

I have just one complaint or something that bothered quite a lot (besides the romance part) and that was Viola having spent all her life "playing" sick. Why keep up with the charade when it was unnecessary? Also, waiting until Olivia is 18 to explain the truth? Seriously. I just got the feeling that Viola was the one that got the short end of the stick. And yeah she's an android, but still...

Anyhow, it's a good book, a great audiobook to listen to and I recommend it to those that like YA scifi books with romance and deadly aliens. ( )

A bit too heavy on the romance part, but otherwise a quite good YA Alien book. Not as gory as I want it to be, but actually gory enough for you know young adults. ;) There was actually a moment towards the end when I was surprised about how bloody a scene was.

I have just one complaint or something that bothered quite a lot (besides the romance part) and that was Viola having spent all her life "playing" sick. Why keep up with the charade when it was unnecessary? Also, waiting until Olivia is 18 to explain the truth? Seriously. I just got the feeling that Viola was the one that got the short end of the stick. And yeah she's an android, but still...

Anyhow, it's a good book, a great audiobook to listen to and I recommend it to those that like YA scifi books with romance and deadly aliens. ( )

Actual Rating: 4.5 stars

Let me preface this by saying that Mira Grant is one of my top five favorite authors so I knew going in that I was going to love this book. But oh man. First of all - it does so much justice to the alien franchise in my opinion. I can’t give too many details without also giving spoilers, but seriously. Second, having read both the newsflesh trilogy and the majority of the Parasitology trilogy, I know that Grant has a pretty educated interest in biology/zoology/all-the-ologies, and having the parents be xenobiologists and Olivia be interested in the subject was an absolutely perfect touch that added that much more to the novel.

It is a shorter book (it is just shy of 300 pages) but the majority of it takes course over the span of a day so it’s a good length.

I do have a *small* complaint, but would I really even call it a complaint? Is it even something anyone else would notice? There’s a twist halfway through the book that, knowing how Mira Grant is as an author and the Alien universe as a topic, I saw coming about a chapter in. It doesn’t lessen the book by any means, so not even sure why I’m mentioning it except to pat myself on the back I guess. ( )