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eleanorjmca's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
One of my favourite books as a child. It was a joy to revisit this. A fast-paced sci-fi action story that is surprisingly dark given its intended audience. Even this first book grapples with very complex material considering it is basically 100 pages on the theme of “wouldn’t it be cool to turn into a tiger and fight evil aliens”. Never a dull moment.
I was never able to read the whole series as a child due to the unavailability (and price) of the books, so I’m excited to see how this series develops!
I was never able to read the whole series as a child due to the unavailability (and price) of the books, so I’m excited to see how this series develops!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Slavery and Cannibalism
Minor: Bullying, Confinement, Gore, and Death of parent
booksthatburn's review
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Gore, Slavery, Violence, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Death of parent
c_dmckinney's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Slavery, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Grief, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
A named character is eaten alive fairly early, also a boy eats a spider against his will while he is a lizardkaaaaaaaa's review
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Slavery
Moderate: Gore, Violence, Blood, and War
Minor: Bullying, Death, and Vomit
ramiel's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
A stellar starter in the series, as I've said in my other reviews: making a solid foundation for the series as a whole to build from. The kids are all so young and unaware of the world around them, just as any first time reader would be jumping in without any spoilers. It's a children's book, it's middle school kids who can turn into animals and fight the forces of evil, Saturday cartoon style. Comic book style, as Marco wishes later ("because the good guys don't die in comic books").
This book carries you along, and while it's a quick read it slowly and carefully reveals the story at hand. While Elfangor's death was an incredible tragedy that shook the kids to the point of being something that they carried with them constantly, while the story starts out with his anguished cries, while detailed and despairing it still doesn't completely reveal everything about to come. That's saved for the yeerk pool.
When the kids get to the yeerk pool, that's when things become clear. "We were so few, and so weak". The kids lost the fight, Tom was recaptured, but one woman went free and the children escaped with their lives, escaped to live and fight another day. The fight at the end turns out to be what the entire series felt to me in the end: a strange juxtaposition of futility and hope both existing in the same place at the same time. This is not an insult, nor is it saying it's "better" than any other story - what it does is make the story it's own, it fits because it was created to fit. Very little feels forced in the first few books, and, again, they serve as a good starting point for the anti-war themes the story seems to convey.
No glory in battle, only tragedy and hope for a day when all is well.
This book carries you along, and while it's a quick read it slowly and carefully reveals the story at hand. While Elfangor's death was an incredible tragedy that shook the kids to the point of being something that they carried with them constantly, while the story starts out with his anguished cries, while detailed and despairing it still doesn't completely reveal everything about to come. That's saved for the yeerk pool.
No glory in battle, only tragedy and hope for a day when all is well.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Gore, Slavery, and Violence
Moderate: Bullying, Child death, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Child abuse
This is a series about war, and this is a series about child soldiers. It doesn't pull any punches on those themes or anything related to them. This will go for all 62 books in the series.