TAC: Week #11

Quick Note: I am following the chronological order instead of the publishing order. For more info about this challenge and a complete list of books please click here.

What is it about?: This episode of Animorphs is narrated by Cassie and it brings a very specific point of conversation: the difference between what we consider to be animals and us humans. Who gets to live and who gets to be prey, why are humans out of the “animal equation”, the way we think of nature as something we observe instead of being part of, as it’s supposed to be. Important things. We also see a Yeerk operation being performed at a national park and how the Animorphs try to stop it. There is also an important development! Visser Three is not an Andalite anymore (thanks to what happened in the last episode) and now has a human morph. Exciting!

Did I like it?: Yes and no. The plot itself was good enough, it brought some interesting development and conversations as I have mentioned, but there was one aspect that took me by surprise and tained briefly my enjoyment of the book. Cassie tends to kneecap her sentences too much. By that I mean the overuse of phrases as “sort of”, “kinda”, “like”, and other similars. I understand that a big part of her characterization is being opposite of Rachel, not being an assertive person and giving off an aura of peace while hiding an inner turmoil. Bonus points for averting the “angry and dominant black girl” trope, for sure, but she ends up coming off as meek and docile, especially in situations in which Jake ends up bossing her around. I am not a huge fan of where that is going so I hope her character develops further to see her blossom past this very impractical mold.

Read only if: …. if the sort of valley girl talk doesn’t totally like, kinda throw you off.

My rating: It was okay. I had expected better from Cassie though.

Coming up next:

TAC: Week #10

Quick Note: I am following the chronological order instead of the publishing order. For more info about this challenge and a complete list of books please click here.

What is it about?: This episode is narrated by Ax, who is an Andalite who has crashed into Earth and has to help the Animorphs with their resistance against the Yeerks, the slugs who wish to conquer the galaxy. He tries his best to learn about the humans and hilarity ensues. In fact, actually, a lot of things happen and the plot is affected greatly by his presence. So yay.

Did I like it?: Yes I did enjoy this one. The perspective change shakes things up a bit, instead of going by their now formuleic “trouble of the week” format, there are a series of different circumstances that happen one because of the other. A chain of plot points, if you will. There is a bit of loss of the charm that Ax had in the beginning, as we get to be in his head and see his reasoning, but there is a huge piece of information gained as a result, which gives more dimension to the conflict itself.

Read only if: If the repetition of certain sounds and seeing the humans through an alien lens does not bother you. Cuz it does happen, both, all the time.

My rating: I’ll give this one an A for Alien. Or a B for Boi did the Andalites fuck up. xD

Coming up next:

TAC: Week #9

Quick Note: I am following the chronological order instead of the publishing order. For more info about this challenge and a complete list of books please click here.

What is it about?: This new adventure of the Animorphs brings us a slightly different story, or at least one that is told differently. Instead of having one character narrating the whole story, every chapter is told by a different character, giving us their point of view of what is going on. And what is going on is a rather complex story in which things start by going awfully wrong. Rachel is supposed to go to a gymnastics camp that she signed up for a long time ago, but instead of going there, she tells her friends and family that she is going and instead morphs into a bird and flies away. Things don’t go as she planned, though, and immediately after she morphs, a bunch of smaller birds attack her, driving her into a tree. She hits it head first and falls unconscious, losing her memory in the accident. In the meantime, a new threat emerges. A strange sort of cloud of dust is chasing after them, dissolving everything it touches. Where does it come from? How can they escape from it? Intriguing things!

Did I like it?: I liked the plot, but I am not a fan of the way they went about the multiple POV format in this book. Every chapter ended up being a two pages or less, full of sometimes confusing action. The narrative becomes messy from all the head-hopping but it ends up not being a deal breaker. As for the rest, I think it was a good episode, except from the fact that I have a hard time understanding why did it have to be a different story from the main plot. It was a bit longer than usual, but that is it. I hope I get answers at some point.

Read only if: If switching POVs doesn’t bother you, of course.

My rating: It was okay. Almost good. Almost.

Coming up next:

TAC: Week #8

Quick Note: I am following the chronological order instead of the publishing order. For more info about this challenge and a complete list of books please click here.

What is it about?: This is a different episode in the series, in my opinion, focused on the character of Rachel, her situation in life and her inner turmoil, rather than on the action. She begins using her morph as a way of dealing with her problems, which becomes evident when her father receives a new job offer that he accepts. This not only means that he will be moving away from her and her sisters, but since he has been divorced from Rachel’s mother for a while, he asks Rachel to also move with him. This sends her down a complicated mental process that she has to deal with through the whole book, even when facing the situation of having found exactly the dimensions of the Yeerk pool. In the midst of dire circumstances, the Ellimist appears, bearing the possibility of changing the future forever. Stay or bail? This is the main question Rachel tries to answer, both in her personal life and in her mission to save humanity as an Animorph.

Did I like it?: Yes, I enjoyed this book quite a lot, especially since this one escaped a bit from the now established structure that the books had so far and I think the parallelism between Rachel’s family issues and the choice given by the Ellimist has been well thought out. I had already forgotten that the Ellimist appeared (it had been introduced in the very first book, not Animorphs #1, but The Andalite Chronicles) so that was a pleasant and enigmatic surprise.

Read only if: If you have read The Andalite Chronicles as I have. Otherwise it’s not gonna make sense at all.

My rating: Even though the part of the visions of the future was a bit confusing for me, it was a fascinating episode so I would put it up there with my favorites. This is exactly what I was looking for when getting to read this series.

Coming up next:

TAC: Week #7

Quick Note: I am following the chronological order instead of the publishing order. For more info about this challenge and a complete list of books please click here.

But first and foremost I must begin with an apology. Thanks to my health and a giant reading slump I haven’t been able to keep up the reading pace I was planning on having, so now I am playing catch up! Yay ._.

What is it about?: Narrated by Jake, this book/episode goes down a route I hadn’t seen coming from the beginning. It starts with Jake experimenting with a new cockroach morph. This doesn’t go optimally and he ends up stuck in a Roach Motel ^(*) after which he decides that is enough roachventures for the day and demorphs. Upon referring this to his friends this elicits a certain dose of hilarity on his friends, but also worry. Why would he try to practice a morph on his own? Turns out Jake had a plan to infiltrate the cult group Tom (Jake’s brother) is part of, and after a bit of banter, the other kids decide to follow him to do the risky thing together. With much disgust, they aquire a new roach morph and get on with it. The plan doesn’t go perfectly but they discover a piece of crucial information: that the Yeerks are infesting a hospital and they plan to use it to turn the state governor into a Controller. Of course, the idea would be to try and wreck said hospital, but things go down the drain when Jake accidentally falls into a Yeerk pool.

Did I like it?: I really did! This episode took me by surprise, after the last two I wasn’t expecting much but I had forgotten how much more pleasant the storytelling gets when Jake is the one narrating. The pacing was correct, the suspense creeping up more with each step and overall it was an interesting story.

Read only if: If you wanna get the heebie jeebies. And if you couldn’t sleep after watching The Fly. Either version. Yikes.

My rating: It was pretty amazing, being honest. One of the best so far.

^(*): From Wikipedia: “Roach Motel is a brand of a roach bait device designed to catch cockroaches. Although the term is the subject of a trademark registration by the insect control brand Black Flag, the phrase roach motel has come to be used as a reference to all traps that use a scent or other form of bait to lure cockroaches into a compartment in which a sticky substance causes them to become trapped.” Oh. Okay.

Coming up next:

TAC: Week #6

Quick Note: I am following the chronological order instead of the publishing order. For more info about this challenge and a complete list of books please click here.

What is it about?: After the events of book 4, the Animorphs now confront a new reality: Ax the Andalite is on Earth and he turns out to be a bit harder to hide than they imagined. Narrated by Marco, this book deals with his perspective and his own difficulties in life, we get an insight on who he is and why is he always so reluctant to participate in the others’ adventures, something we had gotten hints of before but now we fully see. After her mother’s disappearance, his father has fallen into a depressive cycle, which has affected Marco deeply and has molded him into someone who uses humor as a coping mechanism and as a way of not having to deal with his psychological turmoil. Now he has the intention of leaving the group to take care of his father, but Ax needs to get back home so he needs everyone’s help, so under the promise to himself that this is going to be the last mission, he finds himself involved in a bigger issue than he’s bargained for.

Did I like it?: Let’s just say that I have some opinions about it. The narrative is not as cohesive as I was hoping, the pacing is rather messy and while it does have its twists and turns the end feels like a cop out.

Read only if: This one is one of those books that one needs absolutely to read because there is a HUGE revelation in it, but the rest… is a hot mess.

My Rating: Could be better for sure.

By Sourcehttps://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7502140

TAC: Week #5

Quick Note: I am following the chronological order instead of the publishing order. For more info about this challenge and a complete list of books please click here.

What is it about?: This episode is narrated by Cassie, the one who appears to know more about animals due to her family history caring for wounded wildlife. In it we are shown that someone on the news had found a piece of debris, the Animorphs immediately reckon that this belongs to an Andalite ship. At the same time, both herself and Tobias begin to experience a sort of vision or dream, which renders them unconscious. The conclusion they come to is that they are receiving some sort of distress signal and they must search for its origin. Things become topsy-turvy, new morphs are acquired and in the end, maybe they find new clues as to what kind of situation they are in. They find both a new friend and a renewed fear of their foe.

Did I like it?: I liked this episode quite a bit. I feel like the fears of Cassie are explored in a realistic manner, the action is not much but one is not in lack of it, and the introduction of a new friend is done in the proper time and manner. Cassie is a curious case for a narrator in my opinion because one does not have the “go get it” attitude that Rachel exudes, Cassie is not a leader and she has shortcomings, as anyone would expect a realistic character to have. However I think the most important part of the book was meeting Ax, and her development was a bit secondary in the grand scheme of things. We’ll see what happens from now on.

Read only if: Well, I think this one is not skippable under any circumstance. Someone very important showed up. Not much of him is shown yet but, it’s still a milestone of sorts.

My rating: Good. Not the best but good.

Coming up next week (or next time, rather):

This month’s TBR: September 2020

For the end of winter and beginning of spring in the southern hemisphere (no I am not australian), I have a probably very depressing TBR, to be completely honest. But after reading so much classic stuff and elaborated writing styles, sometimes I want to read bloody murder. Or maybe that’s just me! 😀

For the month of September I have the following three books planned:

Starship Troopers, by Robert A. Heinlein: I know there is a cult-classic movie based on this book, and a very dear friend of mine is a huge fan of it, so thanks to him this book is in this list. I can’t remember the details, which is going to make my experience reading this even better!
The Harvest of Sorrows, by Robert Conquest: If there is something I never get tired of, is history nonfiction. And if there’s something I never get tired of, is thrash metal. How are they related? Harvester of Sorrow by Metallica is (to some debatably) based upon this true story and I am very intrigued about this part of history in this part of the world. This is a true story of tragedy, dehumanization and famine by the Soviet Communist Party upon the collectivized peasants of Ukraine between 1929 and 1932. This is rather appalling, so I have been mentally preparing myself for it for a long time.
The Coffin Dancer by Jeffrey Deaver: This is the second book in the Lincoln Rhyme series, the first being The Bone Collector (having been made into a famous movie with Angelina Jolie and Denzel Washington). I have read the first one and I liked it well enough to want to continue with the story. I don’t know if I will ever finish the series, it’s 14 books long (with some short stories added) but for now I will try to go step by step. Looking forward to some investigation and thrilling suspense.

Continuing with The Animorphs Challenge, September brings the following four books from this series: book 5, The Predator; book 6, The Capture; book 7, The Stranger; and the first book in the Megamorphs series, The Andalite’s Gift. More info on this challenge, past books and a full list in this link.

Do you keep track of the book series that you have started? I feel like if I don’t read them within a short span of time I tend to forget that I have ever started it and it’s a mess. I don’t even remember how many unfinished series I have!

Happy h*ckin reading, ladies and gentlefolk~

TAC: Week 3

Quick Note: I am following the chronological order instead of the publishing order. For more info about this challenge and a complete list of books please click here.

What is it about?: Now that the Animorphs have received their powers and are aware of the invasion, they are set to try and dismantle the alien operation. For that, they must spy on the principal Chapman, a controller closely connected to Visser-Three whose daughter, Melissa, is Rachel’s now estranged friend. What’s the reason behind Melissa’s behavior? Can their friendship be rekindled? Why and how did Chapman become a controller? Mystery here, mystery there, mystery everywhere…

Did I like it?: I really enjoyed this book! There were some dark turns and topics I did not expect but were very welcome. It delves into people’s motivations and psychological aftermaths, as well as it shows a bit of the alien operation never shown before. I was pretty pleased with the narrator, her level of empathy and motivation. It was an interesting and entertaining ride.

Read only if: We are at book 3 of the whole challenge, at this point either you are in it or not, I think. If you are still on board afer this book which is deeper and more “in the feels”, then it’s just a matter of time until the end. Welcome aboard! 😛

My rating: A fun ride as I said, it had no weak moments. A good example of what I expect to find.

Coming up next week:

TAC: Week 1

Quick Note: I am following the chronological order instead of the publishing order. For more info about this challenge and a complete list of books please click here.

What is it about?: This book (and also this series) is about an alien race who are quite advanced in technology and science, and developed, among other things, the ability to morph (transform into) other living things through copying their DNA. In this volume we follow Elfangor, a young Andalite who gets involved in a very risky mission to retrieve a powerful weapon before their enemy race the Yeerks, acquire it and use it for their evil purposes. This book is short but packed with action, plot corners and a very interesting and satisfactory resolution which honestly, left me surprised.

Did I like it?: Yes! I enjoyed almost every second of it. I have to say that because of the lenght of the book itself, one cannot expect a lot of character development but it compensates for it with interesting moments in which each character has their time to shine and show their true colors. The fact that it’s so action packed and riveting was not in spite of emotionally driven snippets of dialogue and interaction and I think that it vouches for the author’s ability to show and tell when needed.

How would I rate it?: I’d say it earns its four stars easily. The only problem that I find with it is an stylistic choice, which is to insert all caps onomatopoeyas to indicate action and certain instances of the narrator adressing the reader in a fourth wall bending way that did not sit well with me, but these are very forgettable and in the grand scheme of things, this is a matter of personal taste. Some people might find it to be a deal breaker, some might even enjoy it.

Read only if: … you know what you are getting into, depth-wise. I would not say this is a book to read to very young kids but if you are looking for something for a pre-teen child, I’d say go for it. From then onwards, I think this is a fun read for an afternoon, especially if you want a break from bigger, heavier reads.

Coming up next week is the first in the Animorphs series proper:

I am so hyped now! 😀