Reviews

Adaptation by Malinda Lo

delitealex's review

5.0

I loved this book. It started off with action and kept my attention the whole time. I enjoyed all the conspiracy aspects. I also enjoyed how easy it was for Reese to deal with her feelings for Amber. I can't wait to read book 2.

coldarrow's review

3.0

Entirely enjoyable, easy to read, but I feel like there's so much more this story could have done. I'm looking forward to what comes next so I can see how the story evolves.

sinamile's review against another edition

4.0

TW: ableist slurs, underage drinking, underage smoking, mention of character throwing up (barely described)

I enjoyed it, especially when it got about halfway through. And that open ending punched me in the gut because I was ready for more!

P. S. I'm really glad that the label thing wasn't dismissed so easily like it's done in some books.. Like when Reece said she didn't want to label it yet, Julian didn't just let it past, he explained his point of view about not labeling and... Idk how to explain it

elliereads97's review against another edition

4.0

the first thing you need to know about me is that i am a malinda lo Stan with a capital S.

i think lo's writing style is contentious among reviewers, in that it works for some people, and it really, really doesn't for others. and i am among those in the first camp. malinda lo has been one of the most influential authors in my life, since before i had a goodreads account or even knew about the book community at large. through her many wonderful sapphic characters, especially reese in this series, i not only discovered my own bisexuality, but i learned that there are happy endings for girls like me. and for that i owe malinda lo the world.

i love this duology with a passion. this first installment is just so much fun. i also think it's an excellent "beginner" sci-fi, because it reads fast and easy like a contemporary. the intial premise and the beginning are phenomenal. the middle drags a bit in terms of action, but it picks back up and becomes really exciting. it's overall a solid first book in a series with great exploration of bisexual identity, while not being bogged down with the traditional coming-out narrative.

i'm genuinely upset lo has yet to venture back into sci-fi!! maybe it's nostalgia factor, but i believe this series is her best work so far.

✨✨✨

it was so much fun to revisit my favorite sci-fi series to date. review to come 👽

ms_isaacson's review against another edition

5.0

This book is emotionally satisfying: a great story with just enough romance. Also, there's conspiracy theories. Who doesn't like a good conspiracy theory (that may or may not be true)?

sherwoodreads's review against another edition

Picked this off the giant stack to look at while I was involved in a long, tedious dinner-cooking process, and ended up so absorbed that I nearly burned the food.

Then last night I picked it up again, and read until very late, finishing this morning over breakfast.

First reaction: ARGH! Talk about the cliff-hanger of the century!

Second reaction: a terrific book. I was deeply involved in how Lo managed to blend friendship and relationship conflict within the tense story of seeming apocalypse and governmental coverup and the old snfnal "Are there aliens among us?"

Spoiler

I was, at first, disturbed by the apparent evidence that Reese's sudden attraction for a girl was because she was being manipulated psychically by Amber, who was clearly not all she said she was. This sense of unease spiked after Reese spied on Amber and Dr. Brand. But at the end, when Amber explained that she'd shut herself away from Reese, I thought, oooooh. So it was a real attraction, but Amber, having shut herself away, didn't see how Reese was going brainless in what in effect was a psycho-emotional echo chamber? Cool!

That jives with Reese's other emotional ambivalences, and leaves the door open for more development there, as well as with the outer story.

Really, one of the best YAs I've read this year.

brendalovesbooks's review against another edition

I'm halfway through this book, and I'm just so bored. It's not really what I thought it was going to be. The beginning started off really exciting, with a lot of craziness happening. But then all of a sudden we are almost at a standstill. It has turned into a teenage romance, and that's not what I'm wanting to read right now. It's just not my type of book unless I'm in the mood for it, which I very rarely am.

I'm sure there is going to be more excitement to the story. At least, I'd think there would have to be to explain the beginning portion. But the pacing is so off that I'm just not interested.

cab65's review against another edition

3.0

I enjoyed this story but I have to admit that I almost gave up on it several times in the early few chapters. In part I hung in there because I really like the author. I was about 25% into the book on my e-reader before I started to get into the plot.

makenna_p22's review against another edition

4.0

4.5 stars. WOW! I wasn’t really expecting much going into this book, all I knew about it was that I liked the author but wow this book completely blew me away. I was hooked from the very first chapter which is not something that usually happens to me. There were very few parts of this book where I was bored but the rest was such a fun and interesting read. I cant wait to find out what happens in the next book!

addyisnothere's review against another edition

adventurous challenging funny mysterious

3.0

This book was what I wanted Shatter Me to be, but it wasn’t.

It had all my favorite relationship elements: bisexual and polyamorous. I knew that Amber was bad when Reese found the listening devices in her house. I did not like Amber since that point. I did NOT expect Amber to be a fucking alien though. So many fun things.