Review: Gravity

Gravity by Melissa West

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.

 Gravity was such an addicting read! I finished the book in one day, two sittings. When I picked it up at my bookstore I thought it sounded intriguing and noticed it had a gorgeous cover, with a praising quote from Jennifer L. Armentrout I might add. Basically, I had high expectations and they were met.

The beginning started with such a unique bang I couldn't help but be pulled in. The taking is kind of creepy and different enough to make anyone know more. I truly felt sympathy for all the 10 year olds who had to endure knowing that an alien was walking around their room at night, while their eyes were sealed shut. For those who haven't read the book, The Taking is a event happening every night, to every human. Don't. Ever. Peek. I will leave you at that!

Anyway, as the synopsis says, Ari peeks one night and find Jackson standing over her. So, yeah, he's an alien. Let me delve into both the characters. Ari was such a well done character! She is realistic, and definitely has character growth. She is strong, and thoughtful. Finally a dystopian(ish) main character who didn't annoy me! You could tell she had a realistic struggle within herself, but was tough and smart enough to examine ALL the sides! To me, she learned to be open to new possibilities such as aliens... And she loved her family and her friends. She didn't whine, and she learns to "act for herself", as her dad tells her. And she was smart! (did I mention she was smart?) She took her time safely getting info, and doesn't get foolishly caught!

 Jackson was a pretty good character, although I hope we get to see more development in his character for the next book, Hover. There was a twist about him in the end, which I wasn't expecting. Also, I loved how he talked about his (alien/ancient) homeland though. He made me want to go there, and his loyalty to the place gave him an extra layer. Other characters included Law and Gretchen. Both of them were fun and developed characters and I hope they are in the next book!

The plot was unique and different... I do love different takes on Aliens (Obsidian, The Host, The 5th wave etc.) Is it just me or are Aliens getting commoner and commoner? The new vampires perhaps. *sighs* At least this one beat any crowd that might come after the 5th wave, which was really good! Plus, the taking, the fabulous war, and the SMART main character make this stand away from any sort of crowd out there.

Overall, this was a great read. I loved Jackson! I loved the plot and the addictive writing! Gravity is definitely a book I will recommend over and over again...

5/5 bookcases