As a long time Christopher Pike fan (started reading him in Middle school), I had to check out Alosha which I missed when the books originally came out. While classified as YA, it feels more middle grade. Except unlike Riordan, Rowling, or others that do middle grade, Pike seems to be trying to change his writing to how he thinks middle graders read instead of how they actually read. It comes off as choppy, inconsistent, and just utterly dumbed down. It's like a blend of middle grade content told in a children's book type of writing. Which is upsetting because the characters and story are actually interesting. I forced myself to rush through this just so I can move on to something else. I'll eventually read the next two books, but I am in no rush at this point due to fear of them being written similarly. 2.25 out of 5.