Gravity Blog Tour: Review

304 pages
Release date (paperback): November 20th, 2012

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.

Review (ARC):
Gravity is the kind of story that will cause you to lose track of time because you are so caught up in the world built here. This is a mix of dystopian and sci-fi and (I hope) a little mythology. I love Ari! She's smart, strong and the kind of heroine who takes action. Jackson is completely sweet and strong and you can't help but to love him. The world created in this novel is one where humans continuously do things to destroy themselves and they are heading in that direction again here. Aliens exist and while humans know of them they have been made out as something to be feared rather than appreciated for helping to heal the world countless times. Ari is conflicted with what her side on this should be especially after learning the truth about Jackson. Of course, there is a lot Ari doesn't know, despite being the Commander's daughter. There is quite a bit of action and danger, especially in the last part of this book, that bring things to one heck of a cliffhanger! I'm definitely excited to see what happens next to Ari and can't wait to see where her journey with Jackson takes her next. I absolutely recommend this novel especially to fans of aliens and science fiction novels. 

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Gravity Blog Tour: Interview With Melissa West

As part of her blog tour for Gravity, we interviewed the author Melissa West!

What made you think of such a unique idea for the story in Gravity?:

I’ve always been fascinated by aliens. Of all the paranormal creatures out there, aliens are the only one that many scientists truly believe exists. I think that adds a lot to the story. As for the plot, I think my story is a pretty true depiction of how we, as humans, would handle an alien race trying to come to Earth. We are not necessarily known for our open-mindedness.

Are the characters influenced by anyone you know in real life?

Yes, though they may kill me if I told. :) Oddly enough, Jackson is a lot like my husband was in college. He also has blond hair, blue eyes, and golden skin. He has a very easy style and never gets rattled. Those elements of Jackson were all pulled from my husband.

What was the most difficult challenge in writing this novel?

Getting the alien theory down so it felt logical was tricky. We, as readers, are willing to dive into fiction and accept the unknown, but when you throw in something like aliens, there has to be enough foundation there to support the story. What made it even harder was that book 2 focuses a lot on the Ancients, so I didn’t want to ruin that story by giving it all away in GRAVITY. I had to walk a fine line.

What book have you read lately that you absolutely loved?

That’s a hard question because as a writer I like lots of books, but love very few. But I am reading THE DIVINERS by Libba Bray right now and so far I love it. Then again, I’m a huge Libba Bray fan. :)

Are there any hints you can give us about what may be coming for Ari and Jackson in the next novel?

It’s tricky to give hints without giving away the end of GRAVITY, but I will tell you book 2 is intense, both in what they face and how they handle their relationship. Ari is too smart to go openly into the unknown. She wants Jackson to work for her trust, so it’s been fun watching the relationship unfold and change in book 2. I will say they are older in book 2, and consequently, there is a lot of…chemistry. I’ll leave the rest to your imagination. :)

If Gravity was made into a movie who would you want to play Ari and Jackson?

I like Megan Fox for Ari, if you give her a gun and tone down the sex appeal. Ari is too tough to care about being sexy. And Taylor Kitsch for Jackson. 

Thanks for joining us today Melissa! You can learn more about Melissa West and her books on her website http://www.melissawestauthor.com/Home_Page.php. Her book is currently for sale in Nook and Kindle format on Barnes and Noble and Amazon! Check out the site tomorrow for a review of her debut novel Gravity!

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