Book Review: Off Planet by Aileen Erin - Hopelessly Devoted Bibliophile

Title: Off Planet
Author: Aileen Erin
Publisher: Ink Monster LLC
Pages: 350, paperback
Publication date: March 19, 2019
Source: Author/Xpresso Book Tours

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Genres: Dystopian, Young Adult

HDB Rating: 4 Keys to My Heart

Recommended to: Readers who enjoy a strong heroine and are interested in finishing a series.

From USA Today Bestselling Author Aileen Erin

Maite Martinez has always yearned for more than waitressing in a greasy diner on the polluted ruins of planet Earth. Hiding her special abilities is a full-time job on its own, even with the government distracted by the mysterious alien race – the Aunare.

When a SpaceTech officer gets handsy with her, she reacts without thinking. Breaking his nose might not have been her smartest move. Now she’s faced with a choice: serious jail time working in a chain gang on a volcano planet or join the corporate army to fight against the impending war with the Aunare. It’s really no choice at all.

As with everything in her life, Maite quickly realizes that the war with the Aurnare isn’t what it seems. And Lorne, the Aunare prince, keeps popping up everywhere she goes. Being seen with him could get her in even deeper trouble with her commanders, but he’s the first person who sees through the wall she’s built around herself and she can’t bring herself to send him away.

When the situation between SpaceTech and the Aunare escalates, Maite has a way to end the war before it even begins. There’s only one question: Can she stop the total annihilation of humanity without getting herself killed in the process?

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What a wild ride. From start to finish I couldn’t wait to find out more about the mysterious Maite and her alien powers. We meet Maite in hiding on Earth after the humans, namely SpaceTech, turn on the Aunare and attack them relentlessly. Maite and her human mother have been in hiding and on the run and have finally found a routine that feels a bit normal. Maite is constantly worried about being exposed as a halfer and the “lost” heir to the Aunare throne. Then she gets arrested for protecting herself from sexual harassment. Maite gets sent to a work camp on a volcano planet while being assigned work that no human should have to endure. There she meets some new friends, new enemies, and learns what her limits are. There are people rooting for her and she starts to trust the friendships she’s made. A double agent from SpaceTech is trying to prevent the inevitable war. Maite is the key to that process but she doesn’t remember anything about being Aunare.

After a daring escape she meets Lorne who she immediately connects with in a way she doesn’t even understand yet. Slowly Maite must learn what it is to be Aunare and take her place in their society. Will she be able to handle the stress after all she’s been through on Earth? We have to wait till the next book to find out!

I recommend this book to readers who enjoy a good sci-fi thriller with a dystopian background. Strong heroines and eclectic characters make the start of this series a great read, and you will be counting the days until the next book comes out.

Aileen Erin is half-Irish, half-Mexican, and 100% nerd–from Star Wars (prequels don’t count) to Star Trek (TNG FTW), she reads Quenya and some Sindarin, and has a severe fascination with the supernatural. Aileen has a BS in Radio-TV-Film from the University of Texas at Austin, and an MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University. She lives with her husband in Los Angeles, and spends her days doing her favorite things: reading books, creating worlds, and kicking ass.

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