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Keep Your Enemies Close
First, the probes arrived. Then the mother ship landed. Then Lia’s world changed forever.
With the alien invaders� arrival, Lia and her best friend, Bryn, sign up for military duty to protect their town. When the aliens attack, however, Lia and her comrades are helpless to stop them. Worse, after the attack, she discovers that several of the townspeople, including her family, were abducted. Despite Lia’s pleading, no one wants to save those taken by the aliens.
Desperate to rescue her parents and her little sister, Lia turns to the only source of help she can find� a captured alien invader.
With the alien invaders� arrival, Lia and her best friend, Bryn, sign up for military duty to protect their town. When the aliens attack, however, Lia and her comrades are helpless to stop them. Worse, after the attack, she discovers that several of the townspeople, including her family, were abducted. Despite Lia’s pleading, no one wants to save those taken by the aliens.
Desperate to rescue her parents and her little sister, Lia turns to the only source of help she can find� a captured alien invader.
282 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2014
1 person is currently reading
20 people want to read
About the author
H.S. Stone
25Ìýbooks22ÌýfollowersEven before he could read, H.S. Stone wanted to write a book. Fascinated by the stories that seemed to leap from his kindergarten teacher's books, he went home and wrote his own book, with illustrations and bound by staples. Of course, since he didn't know how to read or write yet, the book was full of gibberish.
Undaunted, H.S. eventually mastered the ABC's and continued to write throughout his grade school years, adolescence, and into adulthood. Despite earning a degree and working in a field not related to writing, he continued to pursue his writing passion.
H.S. Stone's publications include novels aimed at Young Adult and Middle Grade readers as well as several short stories. He currently lives with his family in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Undaunted, H.S. eventually mastered the ABC's and continued to write throughout his grade school years, adolescence, and into adulthood. Despite earning a degree and working in a field not related to writing, he continued to pursue his writing passion.
H.S. Stone's publications include novels aimed at Young Adult and Middle Grade readers as well as several short stories. He currently lives with his family in the San Francisco Bay Area.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
February 10, 2015
What a surprise!
I’ll try not to spoil your fun but it was really unexpected. I’m still delighted by the trick the author played.
I expected romance with an alien and I got…friendship between alien races. Not insta-friendship but better, a road trip to friendship.
I expected earth being invaded by big bad aliens but it was not exactly like that either. And the villains of the story are not always who you might think they are�
The plot: Several ships have been launched to find another world to inhabit. Unfortunately for Lia and Bryn, our heroes, these people don’t come in peace. Their strategy: destroy, wreak havoc and abduct locals to experiment and torture them. Then, decide to eradicate the race or enslave it.
Lia and Bryn try to fight the invader when they learn their families have been abducted. Their only hope to free them: a captured alien. They kidnap the alien, Jonathan and intend to force him to lead the way. Their goal: the mother ship, where their beloved ones are held hostages.
What I loved in this book was the reverse perspective. I can’t say more without disclosing some of the surprise but it’s ingenious and one of the most interesting quality of the story.
I also enjoyed the growing friendship between Lia/Bryn and the invader, Jonathan. Lia’s warmth, kindness and mercy changed Jonathan. He breathed and lived by The Protocol, thought his race was all and mighty, the others were lesser race. Lia and Bryn shattered his beliefs and restored his true nature.
I loved the description of their surroundings, the road trip vibe, the spiritual journey, the twists and turns�
And I loved/hated the end. It’s a beautiful, right but also sad ending. It keeps the door open, not a real cliffhanger but we have room to imagine our own personal ending.
4 stars for the creativity, the surprise factor and the journey.
I’ll try not to spoil your fun but it was really unexpected. I’m still delighted by the trick the author played.
I expected romance with an alien and I got…friendship between alien races. Not insta-friendship but better, a road trip to friendship.
I expected earth being invaded by big bad aliens but it was not exactly like that either. And the villains of the story are not always who you might think they are�
The plot: Several ships have been launched to find another world to inhabit. Unfortunately for Lia and Bryn, our heroes, these people don’t come in peace. Their strategy: destroy, wreak havoc and abduct locals to experiment and torture them. Then, decide to eradicate the race or enslave it.
Lia and Bryn try to fight the invader when they learn their families have been abducted. Their only hope to free them: a captured alien. They kidnap the alien, Jonathan and intend to force him to lead the way. Their goal: the mother ship, where their beloved ones are held hostages.
What I loved in this book was the reverse perspective. I can’t say more without disclosing some of the surprise but it’s ingenious and one of the most interesting quality of the story.
I also enjoyed the growing friendship between Lia/Bryn and the invader, Jonathan. Lia’s warmth, kindness and mercy changed Jonathan. He breathed and lived by The Protocol, thought his race was all and mighty, the others were lesser race. Lia and Bryn shattered his beliefs and restored his true nature.
I loved the description of their surroundings, the road trip vibe, the spiritual journey, the twists and turns�
And I loved/hated the end. It’s a beautiful, right but also sad ending. It keeps the door open, not a real cliffhanger but we have room to imagine our own personal ending.
4 stars for the creativity, the surprise factor and the journey.
January 16, 2015
Check out the giveaway starting on January 23rd on my blog!
Thank you to the author, H.S. Stone, for gifting me with a copy of Keep Your Enemies Close in exchange for an honest review!
I really, really liked this concept. I mean, it’s not every day you read a book where the humans are the bad guys. Or where humans are the invaders. It was really interesting to read what had become of our society and what they did to survive. This book was definitely unique in more ways than one although that's the big one.
When I started reading at the beginning, I almost thought they were humans. I hadn’t reread the blurb before I started it and I just thought it was the 1980s or something. I’m not sure how I feel about that. On one hand, isn’t that kind of lack of originality? However, that also shows how alike we are to other species in the universe (theoretically of course).
I really liked the dual POV between Lia and Jonathan. That really helps you see both sides of the story and really how much brainwashing and conformity through Standard Protocol the humans went through during their time on the spaceship searching for a new planet. I’ve been learning about sociology as of late and how people accept conformity and what the circumstances have to be so I found Standard Protocol particularly interesting. The thing is, it’s so plausible that we would invoke the military’s ‘no questions� policy while searching for a new planet because it is such an important matter.
Another thing I found extremely interesting was Jonathan’s past. I loved hearing about how he grew up on the different spaceships and how they organized everything. Lia’s past was also extremely interesting. I mean, they are from a different planet and all.
The title is entirely appropriate considering the plot. That was basically the first half of the book - Keeping Your Enemies Close. Neither Lia and Bryn or Jonathan wanted to let each other out of their sight (oh and side note real quick - Lia and Bryn’s romance was both totally predictable (so much so that I can share it with you and feel confident that I haven’t spoiled) and so adorable). The last half of the book was really awesome too, especially when the plan it revealed.
The ending was so heart-wrenching! I simply couldn’t believe it!
One other thing - I’m extremely glad Lia and Jonathan don’t ever have a romance. I've about had my fill of ‘forbidden� romances!
The Final Verdict:
A very interesting book with an old concept turned on it’s head. I loved reading about both Jonathan and Lia’s pasts and was quite happy when they didn’t immediately have a ‘connection�. I also loved learning about the different lifestyles and Standard Protocol. I am a bit shifty on how similar both races seemed although not having little green people for aliens is definitely a good thing in my book.
4.5 stars
Thank you to the author, H.S. Stone, for gifting me with a copy of Keep Your Enemies Close in exchange for an honest review!
I really, really liked this concept. I mean, it’s not every day you read a book where the humans are the bad guys. Or where humans are the invaders. It was really interesting to read what had become of our society and what they did to survive. This book was definitely unique in more ways than one although that's the big one.
When I started reading at the beginning, I almost thought they were humans. I hadn’t reread the blurb before I started it and I just thought it was the 1980s or something. I’m not sure how I feel about that. On one hand, isn’t that kind of lack of originality? However, that also shows how alike we are to other species in the universe (theoretically of course).
I really liked the dual POV between Lia and Jonathan. That really helps you see both sides of the story and really how much brainwashing and conformity through Standard Protocol the humans went through during their time on the spaceship searching for a new planet. I’ve been learning about sociology as of late and how people accept conformity and what the circumstances have to be so I found Standard Protocol particularly interesting. The thing is, it’s so plausible that we would invoke the military’s ‘no questions� policy while searching for a new planet because it is such an important matter.
Another thing I found extremely interesting was Jonathan’s past. I loved hearing about how he grew up on the different spaceships and how they organized everything. Lia’s past was also extremely interesting. I mean, they are from a different planet and all.
The title is entirely appropriate considering the plot. That was basically the first half of the book - Keeping Your Enemies Close. Neither Lia and Bryn or Jonathan wanted to let each other out of their sight (oh and side note real quick - Lia and Bryn’s romance was both totally predictable (so much so that I can share it with you and feel confident that I haven’t spoiled) and so adorable). The last half of the book was really awesome too, especially when the plan it revealed.
The ending was so heart-wrenching! I simply couldn’t believe it!
One other thing - I’m extremely glad Lia and Jonathan don’t ever have a romance. I've about had my fill of ‘forbidden� romances!
The Final Verdict:
A very interesting book with an old concept turned on it’s head. I loved reading about both Jonathan and Lia’s pasts and was quite happy when they didn’t immediately have a ‘connection�. I also loved learning about the different lifestyles and Standard Protocol. I am a bit shifty on how similar both races seemed although not having little green people for aliens is definitely a good thing in my book.
4.5 stars
February 18, 2016
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I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
This…this book was a total and pleasant surprise.
The twist was so early on, it was perfect. It kept me coming back for more. But I am going to remain as vague as possible because I want you, reader, to find out the twist yourself!
Lia joined the military to protect her family from the alien invaders. Her best friend Bryn has done the same. Together with their people, they try to push back the alien invaders. When one of their squads captures an alien and brings it to their base, the alien’s fate is sure to be horrible. Except, this alien knows where Lia’s family is being kept on the mothership, which makes the alien very valuable to her. Lia and Bryn go on a rescue mission with an alien who wants nothing more than to be rid of his “alien’s�.
H.S. Stone has managed to take a science fiction topic and make it his own. He draws you in with the terrifying world of alien invasions. I would liken it to the television shows: V, Defiance and Falling Skies. For me, that’s a massive plus because I love those shows. It’s not as dark as the content of the shows, but it’s still very much a good read.
I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
This…this book was a total and pleasant surprise.
The twist was so early on, it was perfect. It kept me coming back for more. But I am going to remain as vague as possible because I want you, reader, to find out the twist yourself!
Lia joined the military to protect her family from the alien invaders. Her best friend Bryn has done the same. Together with their people, they try to push back the alien invaders. When one of their squads captures an alien and brings it to their base, the alien’s fate is sure to be horrible. Except, this alien knows where Lia’s family is being kept on the mothership, which makes the alien very valuable to her. Lia and Bryn go on a rescue mission with an alien who wants nothing more than to be rid of his “alien’s�.
H.S. Stone has managed to take a science fiction topic and make it his own. He draws you in with the terrifying world of alien invasions. I would liken it to the television shows: V, Defiance and Falling Skies. For me, that’s a massive plus because I love those shows. It’s not as dark as the content of the shows, but it’s still very much a good read.
February 19, 2015
*I have received the book from the author for an honest review.*
This was a nice read, fast and full of surprises.
I loved the characters. Lia, Bryn and Jonathan work so well together. That's such an unlikely friendship.
This whole book is unlikely. I mean, what are the odds?
And I loved that it surprised me with its new take on the planetary invasion.
I was quite tricked the first chapters :)
So that's a plus.
But there were also parts that were underdeveloped and really not believable, that's why I would give this book a real rating of 3.5*.
This was a nice read, fast and full of surprises.
I loved the characters. Lia, Bryn and Jonathan work so well together. That's such an unlikely friendship.
This whole book is unlikely. I mean, what are the odds?
And I loved that it surprised me with its new take on the planetary invasion.
I was quite tricked the first chapters :)
So that's a plus.
But there were also parts that were underdeveloped and really not believable, that's why I would give this book a real rating of 3.5*.
March 9, 2015
What intrigued me was the spin on alien invasion. I read about it in a couple of other reviews before I signed up to review this but since its not in the blurb I won't spoil it but you do find out pretty early in the book.
I had thought this would be a romance between an alien and human but its a friendship.
In the far future spaceships appear. It becomes clear they're not friendly when they wipe out most of the military. Then teenage volunteer soldiers Lia and Byrn find out their families have been taken so they break out Jonathan, the only known POW, to take them to the mothership.
What develops is an unlikely friendship. I like that it wasn't instant. Neither species trust the other and it takes some incidents for it to start.
What really surprised me was the invaders cruelty. But Jonathan begans to realize how wrong they are and does his best to fix it.
I'm not sure if there's going to be a second book but I wish the ending had been resolved. We basically know what happened but then I was given doubt.
I really liked the characters and the story is great. The writing is good but somethings happen that just seemed a little too farfetched.
I was given an ebook by the author in exchange for a honest review. Thank you
I had thought this would be a romance between an alien and human but its a friendship.
In the far future spaceships appear. It becomes clear they're not friendly when they wipe out most of the military. Then teenage volunteer soldiers Lia and Byrn find out their families have been taken so they break out Jonathan, the only known POW, to take them to the mothership.
What develops is an unlikely friendship. I like that it wasn't instant. Neither species trust the other and it takes some incidents for it to start.
What really surprised me was the invaders cruelty. But Jonathan begans to realize how wrong they are and does his best to fix it.
I'm not sure if there's going to be a second book but I wish the ending had been resolved. We basically know what happened but then I was given doubt.
I really liked the characters and the story is great. The writing is good but somethings happen that just seemed a little too farfetched.
I was given an ebook by the author in exchange for a honest review. Thank you
May 1, 2015
*I received a copy of the book for an honest review.*
I liked the characters and I loved how unique this stories plot was. It's was full of surprises.
Description of alien invaders: The creature was stranger than Lia expected. Instead of looking like one of them, the alien’s skin was a pale shade of pink. It reminded her of sand, and she wondered if it came from a desert planet where its skin offered camouflage. However, the skin looked too soft to withstand desert climates. Perhaps an ocean world, Lia thought, with sandy beaches.
The alien also had small eyes for the size of its head. The center of the eye contained a green circle tinted by light brown with white filling the rest of the eye’s oval, a color combination unlike any she’d seen. Equally unusual was the patch of hair on top of its head, in a shade between red and amber.
I thought: "what a big ugly creature" (The biggest soldier came up only to the alien’s shoulders).
Then I realized:"shit that's us". I like this side of the story. Humans are actually aliens. Great idea.
Read this you're not regret it.
I liked the characters and I loved how unique this stories plot was. It's was full of surprises.
Description of alien invaders: The creature was stranger than Lia expected. Instead of looking like one of them, the alien’s skin was a pale shade of pink. It reminded her of sand, and she wondered if it came from a desert planet where its skin offered camouflage. However, the skin looked too soft to withstand desert climates. Perhaps an ocean world, Lia thought, with sandy beaches.
The alien also had small eyes for the size of its head. The center of the eye contained a green circle tinted by light brown with white filling the rest of the eye’s oval, a color combination unlike any she’d seen. Equally unusual was the patch of hair on top of its head, in a shade between red and amber.
I thought: "what a big ugly creature" (The biggest soldier came up only to the alien’s shoulders).
Then I realized:"shit that's us". I like this side of the story. Humans are actually aliens. Great idea.
Read this you're not regret it.
April 16, 2015
This was a tricky one for me to rate and review. In the end I went for 3 stars because I did like it - just not quite as much as I was hoping to.
The concept is what intrigued me. I don't want to give too much away, but it's certainly a twist on the usual sci-fi alien invasion kind of book. And for that I did enjoy it.
However it did have a few things that kept it from being a 4 or a 5 star book. For a start it was very short - or it seemed so to me. I finished it in just over 2 hours. Now I read fast, but even for me that's a bit of a record. I would have liked it to be a bit longer. That extra length would have helped the other problem, it felt a little lacking in depth. I wanted more 'meat' to the story. I wanted to know more about this world, and the people and I didn't really get any of that.
The plot was good, but again could have been a little more intricate, a bit more complex.
The writing was good.
Overall I enjoyed it.
*I received a free copy of this book as part of a read&review
September 21, 2014
Lia and Bryn’s whole world is shattering around them. After an alien invasion of their planet, they join the army in the hopes of protecting their loved ones.
Unfortunately, while out on patrol, the aliens take their families. With a burning passion to get them back, they do the unthinkable � team up with one of them in order to rescue their people.
The unlikely trio embark on a journey that will have startling revelations for them all. Needing to build trust in a hopeless situation, the stakes are continually raised until their bond is fully tested.
With a brilliant twist that you will not see coming, Keep Your Enemies Close, is a science fiction thriller that will keep you guessing until the end. Definitely one to read for anyone that loves aliens.
Unfortunately, while out on patrol, the aliens take their families. With a burning passion to get them back, they do the unthinkable � team up with one of them in order to rescue their people.
The unlikely trio embark on a journey that will have startling revelations for them all. Needing to build trust in a hopeless situation, the stakes are continually raised until their bond is fully tested.
With a brilliant twist that you will not see coming, Keep Your Enemies Close, is a science fiction thriller that will keep you guessing until the end. Definitely one to read for anyone that loves aliens.
February 9, 2015
This is a new twist on the alien stories you have read before. This story starts out with the probing of the Tolus planet where Lia and Bryn live. The planet is the closest thing that humans have seen in several years that even resembles their home planet, Earth. What happens when the humans are the aliens? What will other life forms do when the humans try to take over and do it heartlessly? The ruthless humans are destroying their planet and killing anyone that stands in the way or refuses to be captured as slaves. This is a great story and a great change from the norm of alien vs. stories. This story has plenty of action and turns to keep you wondering. I cant wait to see what happens next!!
April 16, 2015
I received this book for free for my honest review. I really enjoyed this book and all the characters in it. I loved how unique this stories plot was with Alien, Human and Invasion and then the friendship thru the story. I loved all the twist and turns that made me have to know what happens. If you are looking for a great read go check this book out! Thanks again for letting me read & review it. Sorry it took me so long to review I haven't had Internet for a while...
April 5, 2015
I recieved this book from the author for an honest review. I really enjoyed the premise of this book. Humans being the aliens attacking the planet. What I thought was off was that for almost a third of the book I thought the aliens were the aliens. I just felt like the descriptives for thier appearances lacked some. Or, maybe I'm just slow. I dunno. Other than that a really good book.
May 6, 2015
I received a complimentary copy of this book as part of the Read it and Reap event in exchange for an honest review.
The concept of Keep Your Enemies Close is really interesting and from reading other reviews I had a fair idea about what might happen. I was also excited about the cover which called to me. I was full of anticipation that this would be a gritty exploration using a sci-fi to explore themes of racism, conformity and stereotyping.
So yes, I freely admit I fell into the trap of judging the book by the cover - I expected adult themes, and instead found the content much more suited to a (very) young adult market.
I would have thought the style to be suitable for children aged around eleven to thirteen or so. I know I have a penchant for books that are dark and angst ridden, but somehow I completely misjudged this and spent much of the read with a dissonance expecting the book to become deeper and darker which never happened.
So if like me you're looking for something dark then this isn't where you'll find it. I liked the characters well enough, but I never actually engaged with them and their actions seemed to be reactionary and superficial without regard for consequence. So, I felt opportunities for character development were missed, and resolution seemed to come too readily. That is why I think the book would work so much better for a younger market who would enjoy a yarn about humans and aliens and provides some room to think about ethical dilemmas such as, sharing limited resources, integrity and overcoming prejudice.
With perhaps a more cynical and world weary approach, I was not fully satisfied, and unusually for me, not a tear was shed from start to finish. That said, I enjoyed the story and was sufficiently intrigued to know what the conclusion might be.
For those readers who like a lighter read, this has an interesting concept and a plot that keeps the action rolling not to mention a little bit of love interest for the romantics amongst us (but not too much to cause discomfort for younger readers with a more sensitive nature).
The concept of Keep Your Enemies Close is really interesting and from reading other reviews I had a fair idea about what might happen. I was also excited about the cover which called to me. I was full of anticipation that this would be a gritty exploration using a sci-fi to explore themes of racism, conformity and stereotyping.
So yes, I freely admit I fell into the trap of judging the book by the cover - I expected adult themes, and instead found the content much more suited to a (very) young adult market.
I would have thought the style to be suitable for children aged around eleven to thirteen or so. I know I have a penchant for books that are dark and angst ridden, but somehow I completely misjudged this and spent much of the read with a dissonance expecting the book to become deeper and darker which never happened.
So if like me you're looking for something dark then this isn't where you'll find it. I liked the characters well enough, but I never actually engaged with them and their actions seemed to be reactionary and superficial without regard for consequence. So, I felt opportunities for character development were missed, and resolution seemed to come too readily. That is why I think the book would work so much better for a younger market who would enjoy a yarn about humans and aliens and provides some room to think about ethical dilemmas such as, sharing limited resources, integrity and overcoming prejudice.
With perhaps a more cynical and world weary approach, I was not fully satisfied, and unusually for me, not a tear was shed from start to finish. That said, I enjoyed the story and was sufficiently intrigued to know what the conclusion might be.
For those readers who like a lighter read, this has an interesting concept and a plot that keeps the action rolling not to mention a little bit of love interest for the romantics amongst us (but not too much to cause discomfort for younger readers with a more sensitive nature).
February 19, 2015
I received a copy for an honest review. This was an o.k read. The writing did not speak to me. It felt juvenile and simple.
Lia and her best friend Bryn have signed up to the military to protect their families from the alien invasion. The aliens are so far advanced that the killing and kidnapping from the humans is unstoppable. That’s how Lia finds herself with an alien whom she helped escaped from her own people.
Lia needs this alien to find her family. The alien is an ass until after some days spend with Lia and Bryn he starts questioning everything that he was taught.
Lia is a very nice girl a little naive but still strong enough to do everything to get to her family.
Bryn is a good friend.
The alien was an ass but redeemed himself.
The book had some confusing parts when the aliens call themselves human to and I thought that maybe I misunderstood the blurb. This book was not for me.
Lia and her best friend Bryn have signed up to the military to protect their families from the alien invasion. The aliens are so far advanced that the killing and kidnapping from the humans is unstoppable. That’s how Lia finds herself with an alien whom she helped escaped from her own people.
Lia needs this alien to find her family. The alien is an ass until after some days spend with Lia and Bryn he starts questioning everything that he was taught.
Lia is a very nice girl a little naive but still strong enough to do everything to get to her family.
Bryn is a good friend.
The alien was an ass but redeemed himself.
The book had some confusing parts when the aliens call themselves human to and I thought that maybe I misunderstood the blurb. This book was not for me.
May 7, 2015
I recieved this novel from the author in exchange for an honest opinion.
Overall, this novel was an average sci-fi action. The plot was okay, there weren't any plot holes, which I loved but it was too fast-paced for my taste. It didn't blow my mind.
I felt like it lacked description, there were not many side stories, but I guess I keep expecting too much from this kind of novels. I don't think that they are even supposed to have side stories, but heck -- the heart wants what it wants.
The characters were developped enough, but nothing too deep or refreshing.
So, anyway, if you want to read a nice sci-fi, this is a book for you. It won't blow your mind or anything, but you won't be disappointed either.
Overall, this novel was an average sci-fi action. The plot was okay, there weren't any plot holes, which I loved but it was too fast-paced for my taste. It didn't blow my mind.
I felt like it lacked description, there were not many side stories, but I guess I keep expecting too much from this kind of novels. I don't think that they are even supposed to have side stories, but heck -- the heart wants what it wants.
The characters were developped enough, but nothing too deep or refreshing.
So, anyway, if you want to read a nice sci-fi, this is a book for you. It won't blow your mind or anything, but you won't be disappointed either.
December 30, 2014
'Keep Your Enemies Close' is an interesting science fiction novel, with a really unique storyline. It had many twists and turns that kept me hooked. It surprised me a couple of times, so I'll definitely check out other books by H.S. Stone.
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