Reviews

The Arrival by K.A. Applegate

Only show reviews with written explanations

alternbruno's review

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3.0

This was a great way to grasp again the core story. I loved the plot twist when they were trapped in the ship.

kstericker's review

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Content Warnings

I wish I had liked this one more. Despite the supposedly significant development of Andalites appearing on Earth, it still felt so bloodless. The kiss between Ax and Estrid is like a perfect metaphor for the book as a whole. Seeming important, but passionless and then, well, I guess that happened.

I’m also, sorry, very frustrated by the Animorphs’ fake-out in which the team pretends to be falling apart, only to appear at the end because they were keeping tabs on Ax the whole time and it was all *part of the plan*. The fake fracturing of the group was bad enough, but what was the plan exactly? There were numerous times Ax was in mortal peril, the rest of the group was apparently present, but they didn’t do anything.

rebelrider's review against another edition

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4.0

As a teen, I read all of the Animorphs books that the library had. Reading one now, there's some stuff that didn't age well, but a lot did. The biggest flaw, to the modern eye, is how episodic the books are, keeping pretty much the same status quo at the end as the start, which lessens the tension because I know that things will be about the same at the end as the start. (More modern MG and YA series like Warrior Cats allow for things to change drastically from book to book.)
The thing that really ages well is the character diversity. These characters have a wide range of moral views, something that is often lacking in modern media, or at least not as apparent. They are each a unique part of the team, not a bunch of cardboard cutouts that look pretty much the same when you dig, and the aliens do feel alien, while still being relatable.

sizrobe's review

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5.0

I would argue that this isn't just a good Animorphs book, it's a good book in general, YA or not. The setup is that a single ship of Andalites with a skeleton crew shows up in response to their SOS message. The Andalite fleet isn't coming, and they're only on Earth to assassinate Visser 3. The Animorphs completely give up hope and decide to just do whatever they feel like, knowing that the fleet is never coming for backup and that they can't take out the Yeerks alone. I won't spoil what happens from there.

I think my favorite part was the comic relief bits where Ax teaches the female cadet the wonders of human food, as well as kissing, which allegedly isn't quite as good as food.