ExtraNormal (Book 1) [Kindle Edition]

Suze Reese (Author), Eve Ventrue (Illustrator)

Book Description

An extraordinary tale of an ExtraNormal girl.

Mira Johns is pretty much like any other teenage girl. Except that she knows how to harness electro-magnetic energy to communicate without words.

And she's really, really far from home.

Her assignment as an emissary to Earth sounds fairly simple: blend in, observe, and stay away from the planet's primitive males.

But after she finds one boy too irresistible for stupid rules, she realizes the real reason she's supposed to keep her distance: mates from her world can die if separated.

Mira's only hope is to uncover the truth to why she, the most mediocre of candidates, was actually chosen for this assignment--before the agency discovers her secret and sends her back home.

ExtraNormal has characters you'll love, and a story you'll never expect.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"To say it was awesome would be an understatement...The pace was perfect and the world building took me on a ride and left me breathless. The concept behind ExtraNormal is extremely innovative and highly interesting to read about. Suze Reese is a genius for creating the world of Mira and Jesse. In other words, I simply loved ExtraNormal." - Artsy Musings 

From the Author

The author will pay all of her proceeds from sales in June and July "Friends of Tiffany", a fund that will benefit a wonderful 17-year-old girl in her fight against a rare cancer. Tiffany needs $22,000 for medicine to keep her alive until she is old enough to enroll in a promising study. See: friendsoftiffany.blogspot.com to offer further support. And thank you!

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• File Size: 509 KB
• Print Length: 332 pages
• Publisher: Valarian Press; 1 edition (April 2, 2012)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B007R6ORY0
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #335,222 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Breath of fresh air. April 4, 2012

By Jenny S. Morris

Format:Kindle Edition

This book was such a breath of fresh air. I grew up watching Star Trek and I have always been a sucker for aliens and space travel. It's not straight out sci-fi, but there are many cool concepts. I thought the love story was super sweet and the ideas that are introduced with the aliens and how they have linkmates was really cool!

Another thing that was quite interesting about this book is that the alien planet thinks of itself as a Utopian society, but from an earthlings perspective they look more like a Dystopian society. This is explored a little in this first installment and I'll be interested to see how that plays out through the rest of the books. Some of the cutest scenes come from when Mira experiences new things: cheeseburgers, the ocean, riding on a Ferris wheel. All of these things have been denied to people from her world.

The ending is rapped up nicely, but gives way to one of the reasons I gave this book 5 stars. There is SO much potential for this to be an awesome series full of all the things I love about space, spies and anything that is geeky.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Book Whales: I really had fun reading this and I just couldn't put it down. April 30, 2012

By Book Whales

Format:Kindle Edition

This book is different for me, in a good way that is. I've read a lot of YA books about vampires, werewolves, fairies, ghosts, you name it! But I've only come across very few novels about aliens. (And no, I haven't read Obsidian yet) Yep! This is one of them. Usually, the "aliens" are the "love interests" of our dear heroine, but this time, it's the other way around, which is pretty cool for me.
We follow Mira, our "alien" heroine who was given a special mission to Earth. It was really hard for her at first because she had to adapt and pass as being "human" and had to deal with a lot of new things (like cheeseburgers!), plus she has to avoid all the "males" as she always call them. She thought it was easy, until she met Jesse. No matter how hard Mira tries to avoid him, her attraction for him was enough for her to break the rules.

I really had fun reading this and I just couldn't put it down. Mira is a great character. I love her reactions whenever she comes across some things/foods on Earth, especially when she eats the foods. She's a strong heroine who's independent and will do anything for the greater good. Her best friend Geery is also a great character and I can easily say she's my favorite. One of the exciting parts of the book is when Mira is communicating with Geery. She's funny and a very loyal friend and I can't wait to see more of her in the second book. Jesse is a sweet guy who'll do anything for Mira, while Everett, well, let's just say that I don't like him at all. He's pretty much annoying throughout the whole book.

Extranormal is a really great read and I definitely recommend it to YA lovers, especially those who like books that involve Aliens. I really can't wait for the next book, especially with that cliffhanger ending!... I hope there will be more Geery! *crosses fingers* Read more ›

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars unique, unearthly, and surprising May 2, 2012

By the haunted rose

Format:Kindle Edition

Cover Thoughts-I love it! It's so unearthly and magnetic just like the book. I pictures Mira just like that!

First Thought-

Aliens? Umm well this is different. I have never read anything about alien romance.

What I liked-ExtraNormal is completely unique. I wasn't sure how much I would like reading about aliens and science stuff but this was not what I expected. It was awesome. This girl gets an opportunity of a lifetime and the first day is already breaking rules like eating Earth food, talking to males, and well falling in love. I love the effects Suze Reese added to Mira's race of people. They can stream which is like talking through mind. They can sense emotions and do basically everything better. So it only makes it harder for Mira to stay on the down-low to keep her mission a secret. She must get evidence that 2 suspecting teachers changed their beliefs in exchange for the Earth ones. She runs into a million different distractions and pieces of information she must put together before she leaves and leaves the love of her life behind as well.

What I disliked-I thought the ending was too happy for my tastes. I wanted a bit of a let down or a cliffhanger or something to get me all riled up for the next in the series. If there is a next one of course I still want to read it but ExtraNormal almost felt like it could be a book without a series. That's about it. I loved it.

Overall Readability-It was unearthly and dream shattering. I was so excited to get to the end because I did not want Mira's love story to end. Uniqueness it what I look most to in books because I hate reading the same thing and this book was totally unique and it was good!

My Final Thought-nanananananaaaaaaaaaaaaannanananaaaaaaaaaaa <-Spy music.... Awww what a cute happy ending!

4 out of 5 Haunted Roses Read more ›

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A KindleObsessed Review August 3, 2012

By Misty Baker VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

One of the most magical things about literature is its ability to create the impossible.

J.K. Rowling brought us collapsible buildings and cloaked train stations. C.S. Lewis introduced us to a wardrobe that opened into a unknown world filled with Ice Queens and talking lions. J.M. Barrie, a land where boys never grew up and pirates fight crocodiles.

Imagination is what books are made of, and an author's ability to create new and stunning worlds is what draws us to them.

Aliens make up a fairly large portion of fantastical literature. "They" ARE the unknown, so they are free to interpretation. Some write them as little green men; some as elaborate machines that morph into cars at the first sign of trouble. Suze Reese? She chose to make her aliens human.

Not exactly what you were expecting to hear right? Me either, which is why "ExtraNormal" called to me like a Greek Siren.

"Mira Johns is pretty much like any other teenage girl. Except that she knows how to harness electro-magnetic energy to communicate without words.

And she's really, really far from home.

Her assignment as an emissary to Earth sounds fairly simple: blend in, observe, and stay away from the planet's primitive males.

But after she finds one boy too irresistible for stupid rules, she realizes the real reason she's supposed to keep her distance: mates from her world can die if separated.

Mira's only hope is to uncover the truth to why she, the most mediocre of candidates, was actually chosen for this assignment-before the agency discovers her secret and sends her back home...."

I'm not going to say this is the best "YA Alien" book I have read to date (that title goes to Obsidian) but I will say it was one of the more interesting ones.

How so?

Well, for starters it read more like a murder mystery (with a little voodoo juju) than an "aliens-are-taking-over-the-planet-tuck-and-roll-people" leap into sci-fi land. (Dang that was a mouth full.) There was a down to Earth (no pun intended) quality about this book (and it's incredibly engrossing cast of characters) that made me second guess my natural need to dismiss erratic behavior as "crazy."

I know, I know..."What the Sam-hell are you talking about!?"

First of all, don't get your panties in a wad. I may be slow, but I'll get to the point.

In Reese's "extraterrestrial" world she made the unique decision to create her aliens in the likeness of humans. So much so that "they" are called humans and "we" are called "neohumans." They (as a race) chose to accept the supernatural instead of burn it at the stake (literally...there is even a witchcraft reference.) and because of this they have become a much more advanced planet than Earth. (AKA they can make long distant calls without the use of a phone, and food? Pffft...who needs it! Take this veggie cube and get on with your day.) But with all of their differences (I say that like there is a ton, but from what I understand Mira still needed to use the potty like the rest of us.) the similarities are what draws you into the story.

Mira IS human. She is awed by beauty. She gets nervous and self conscious the same as we do. She loves, and she hurts for the same reasons. These are the reasons to read the book.

The story (in short form) focus on Mira and her quest to find answers. (Think of her as an alien spy.) There are some rogue aliens on Earth and she is there to smoke them out. The only problem? A boy gets in the way. (Darn, I hate it when that happens.) Because she is so "human" (for all of the reasons I listed above.) She makes poor decisions (as far as her "job" is concerned) and it's those decisions that thrust the plot into a mad dash to learn what is right and what is wrong.

The most important thing to understand about this book though?

It's all about sacrifice.

How far would you do to protect your planet? What would you do to protect the ones you love? Could you take a bullet if it meant saving an entire race?

Reese explored all of these questions while at the same time adding a sense of humor. (I'm an alien!! I don't freaking know how to put on a seatbelt!)

Fantastic characters. Amazing, fast past engrossing plot, and enough drama to fill the Rose Bowl. Just what the Neohuman doctor ordered.

Recommended for paranormal lovers, sci-fi lovers, and pretty much anyone that is a fan of YA lit. (Especially fans of Jennifer L. Armentrout)

Happy reading my fellow Kindle-ites and remember: "I don't believe that there are aliens. I believe there are really different people." - Orson Scott Card. Read more ›

More About the Author

Author of YA paranormal romance series ExtraNormal. In real life I fight pirates, travel to outer space and am trained in lethal jiu jitsu. In my imagination I sit in front a computer all day writing and eating peanut m&ms. Or maybe it's the other way around. I get confused.

I have been a writer my entire life. I have a degree in communications and have written various forms of fiction, as well as stories for newspapers and magazines. I run a weekly blog carnival called I Heart YA, with blog prompts every Tuesday.

I've been hesitant to include the next part of my story in anything official. I didn't want to appear to be garnering a "sympathy" vote. But I've found it's such a big part of the story and my life that it leaves a hole in any biography to not include it.

I started ExtraNormal in 2009, after feeling inspired during a college science class. (Yes, I admit I was daydreaming.) I had story complete in draft form when I received news that no one wants to receive - stage III breast cancer.

The manuscript was left unopened on my computer for the next two years while I went through a nightmare that is only survived by taking one day at a time and praying every night that you will wake up the next morning. (But on the upside you should see my hat collection.)

I'm still going through what is called "adjuvent" treatment, basically trying to keep the cancer from coming back. My body is frequently poked, prodded, and operated on; and it is kept nourished daily with things like hemp seeds, chia seeds, coconut oil, green tea, fresh-squeezed lemon and essiac tea (which I affectionately refer to as my 'morning mud'). It's a crazy life, but I'm happy to be living it.

Meanwhile, I had decided that I (literally) lost too many brain cells with poison being poured into my body to continue working on anything as complex as a full-length manuscript.

Fortunately I have an incredible support system of family and friends who convinced me to at least open the file. After that I felt kind of like Rocky in his last movie when he's an old geezer pouncing around the boxing ring doing things his aged body has no business doing. Except it was my brain doing all the pouncing. Working with just a few tired cells. (With inspirational music playing in the background of course.)

ExtraNormal (and the books to come) are nothing short of a miracle to me. Evidence that cancer can be just the beginning to a new and enriched life.

I have learned love, gratitude, perseverance, the power of positive thinking while on this journey. I hope just a little of those messages have seeped into ExtraNormal (though yes, it is a paranormal romance). And I hope that you, the reader, enjoys your journey into my imaginary world.