Why Stacey Kade is out of this World!

Extraterrestrial Extras- Why Aliens Rock My World 

So recently I picked up The Paper Doll series by Stacey Kade, and all I can say is WOW. These books are fast paced, thrilling, and seriously addicting. As far as science fiction YA goes, it's an out of this world win. 

Now, while reading, the series got me thinking- how fantastic is an alien/human hybrid for a main character? YA has seen it all: vampires, werewolves, sirens, robots (all equally captivating, by the way); but this is one of the first books I've picked up where an alien has felt so real, so downright human. Ariane Tucker is not only a powerful extraterrestrial being with mind powers and a thirst for freedom, but a human teenager with a passion for relationships and emotion.

This being said, it's interesting to dive into the wonderful realm of other worldly YA protagonists. I think there's something very intriguing about a nonhuman functioning as a human character, interacting with other teens, and surpassing the spectrum of emotions that human beings can feel. At the same time that Ariane can tap into her human side, she has various conflicting thoughts and feelings emanating from her alien DNA as well, and this makes her not only a very believable character, but oh so relatable. How many of us struggle with differences within ourselves everyday? We may not be alien hybrids, but we sure do feel like that sometimes.

Perhaps this is what makes a half alien half human main character so appealing- she's both alienated and connected to society in so many different ways. We can look at Ariane as a young girl to be respected for her strength, power, and determination, but also as a compassionate and confused teen growing up in a crumbling world. Everything and everyone she knows around her is unstable because of who she is and what she can do, and yet she still has time to fall in love and undergo the stress of human friendships and relationships. This is what makes an alien character so fantastically real: we are all aliens in some way or form to one another, and yet we're all human, making and breaking bonds in our everyday lives. 

So, needless to say, this book rocked my socks off. The sequel is no less exhilarating, delving deeper into Ariane's quest for freedom and humanity, as well as sweeping the reader along a thrilling journey into the realm of a fictional government and evil multi corporation. 

As far as YA fiction goes, Kade has delivered an action packed, other worldly win, and I'm so lucky to have picked the series up on a whim. It was a change in pace when it comes to not entirely human protagonists, and I loved the integration of both alien and human DNA into Ariane's character- it made her a source of strength from a completely unique POV.