Review: The Rules by Stacey Kade

The Rules (Project Paper Doll, #1)
by Stacey Kade
Published: April 13, 2013
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Available: Amazon

Synopsis:
1. Never trust anyone.

2. Remember they are always searching.

3. Don’t get involved.

4. Keep your head down.

5. Don’t fall in love.

Five simple rules. Ariane Tucker has followed them since the night she escaped from the genetics lab where she was created, the result of combining human and extraterrestrial DNA. Ariane’s survival—and that of her adoptive father—depends on her ability to blend in among the full-blooded humans in a small Wisconsin town, to hide in plain sight at her high school from those who seek to recover their lost (and expensive) “project.”

But when a cruel prank at school goes awry, it puts her in the path of Zane Bradshaw, the police chief’s son and someone who sees too much. Someone who really sees her. After years of trying to be invisible, Ariane finds the attention frightening—and utterly intoxicating. Suddenly, nothing is simple anymore, especially not the rules…

Review:
I really loved how this story started off. It doesn't try to fool us into thinking the Ariane has a great life among the humans, or that it's easy for her to follow 'the rules' her adoptive father has established for her. She's part alien and there's nothing sexy or glamorous about it. For me that is the best thing about this. Other alien books I've read have managed to make the aliens hiding among us to be highly attractive with superpowers galore.

Ariane definitely has some super powers, but there's also a physical downside to being an alien, such as the mention that her bone break easily due to their lower density levels and the grayish tinge to her skin. It was these little differences that made Ariane believable in her role as E.T. and stops this from being another alien story. Kade manages to keep some of the scary alien stereotypes while mixing it with a more sympathetic alien.

I ended up reading this through in one sitting and enjoyed the story. There were parts were I felt it lagged, but the story would quickly get back on track,  and I'm looking forward to reading more of this series.