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amysbookishlife's review against another edition
4.0
Changers Book 2 starts as Ethan/Drew changes into tall, skinny, African-American Oryon who has a lot of swagger, for his Sophmore year and second year as a Changer. We follow Oryon as he tries to cope with being in the minority category at Central High and make friends. We also see him trying to win over the affections of Audrey, whom he was rather close to when he was Drew in his Freshman year. We experience Oryon's highs and lows as he starts to realise how hard it really is to be a second year Changer.
I feel that Changers, Book 2 answers a lot of questions that were unanswered or just not explained well in Changers, Book 1. For example we find out a bit more about the Abiders (Statics or non-changers who are Anti-Changer) and how dangerous they can actually be. We also discover how the RACHA (or radical changers) are getting on. We learn this by being introduced to Chase's (remember Chase from book 1?) new persona. I feel like the RACHA's are quite similar to Hippies which I feel is what they were based on.
I feel like Oryon was a better character than Drew and I felt a lot closer to him whilst reading. It was like I wanted to know what happened to him and I wanted to just be there for him. Whereas Drew was a pretty two dimensional character, in my opinion, Oryon definitley was a lot more drawn out and thought up. Sometimes whilst reading I did forget that they were basically the same person. You would've thought their personalities would be the same, but they certainly weren't.
Like in Book 1 there are a few sensitive issues that are touched on. In this instance Racism, Discrimination, Hate, Prejudice and Sex were mentioned. I felt like they were dealt in a way that wouldn't be triggering to anyone and could actually be helpful in educating people who may not be used to these types of issues.
I feel that Changers, Book 2 answers a lot of questions that were unanswered or just not explained well in Changers, Book 1. For example we find out a bit more about the Abiders (Statics or non-changers who are Anti-Changer) and how dangerous they can actually be. We also discover how the RACHA (or radical changers) are getting on. We learn this by being introduced to Chase's (remember Chase from book 1?) new persona. I feel like the RACHA's are quite similar to Hippies which I feel is what they were based on.
I feel like Oryon was a better character than Drew and I felt a lot closer to him whilst reading. It was like I wanted to know what happened to him and I wanted to just be there for him. Whereas Drew was a pretty two dimensional character, in my opinion, Oryon definitley was a lot more drawn out and thought up. Sometimes whilst reading I did forget that they were basically the same person. You would've thought their personalities would be the same, but they certainly weren't.
Like in Book 1 there are a few sensitive issues that are touched on. In this instance Racism, Discrimination, Hate, Prejudice and Sex were mentioned. I felt like they were dealt in a way that wouldn't be triggering to anyone and could actually be helpful in educating people who may not be used to these types of issues.
decacat's review against another edition
4.0
The Changers series proves that first impressions are not always accurate. My initial reaction to book one was not entirely favorable. The story felt like it was a heavy-handed lesson in tolerance. My skepticism began from pretty much page one. Ethan is a 14 year old boy about to start high school in a new town. On the morning of his first day he wakes up as Drew, a pretty blond girl, and discovers that he is part of an “ancient race of humans” called Changers. Aptly named because they change into a different person during each year of high school. Their mission is to help create a better, more tolerant world but it is not quite clear how that will happen since they hide their existence from the rest of humanity.
I was first bothered by the way Ethan accepted his new life as Drew, which is to say pretty easily. After discovering that she was no longer a boy and part of a secret society Drew gets dressed and goes to school. No major freak out, no disbelief, nothing. Not that I would want to read pages and pages of a fourteen year old complaining about her difficult life, but the breezy acceptance was hard to swallow. I also did not understand how the change coincides with each year of high school. How is that biological? If one student’s school starts later would they change later?
The moral lesson was obvious. Experiencing the world through someone else’s life helps foster a better understanding of the inequality and injustice faced by many people in America. A worthy message in our supposedly “post-racial” society. I just had a suspicion that it would come on too strong. However, as I progressed further into the story I found myself forgetting the message and growing more attached to the characters and their struggles.
The first book focused on the challenges of life as a teenage girl, including bullying, relationships, and sexual assault. As Drew starts high school she meets Audrey, a fellow freshman and a static (Changer speak for someone that is not a Changer) Drew and Audrey begin a highly emotional relationship, part friendship part something more. Audrey has a violent and intolerant brother Jason that disapproves of their relationship and spends his time making both girls miserable. Drew’s attraction to fellow Changer Chase complicates her love life even more as Changer on Changer relationships are forbidden.
In book two Drew wakes up as Oryon, a black skater boy. He attempts to rekindle his relationship with Audrey as this new person and quickly finds himself at odds with Jason who refuses to allow his sister to be part of an interracial relationship. Oryon experiences many of the problems that young black men in America face - discrimination, unwarranted police attention, and hostility. Oryon also begins to learn more about the Abiders, Statics that are anti-Changer, and the Radical Changers who want to out their race to the rest of humanity. The book’s cliffhanger ending will keep readers anxiously awaiting the third book in the series and the main character’s endearing personality will have readers hooked until the end when we find out which incarnation he will choose to remain for the rest of his life.
I was first bothered by the way Ethan accepted his new life as Drew, which is to say pretty easily. After discovering that she was no longer a boy and part of a secret society Drew gets dressed and goes to school. No major freak out, no disbelief, nothing. Not that I would want to read pages and pages of a fourteen year old complaining about her difficult life, but the breezy acceptance was hard to swallow. I also did not understand how the change coincides with each year of high school. How is that biological? If one student’s school starts later would they change later?
The moral lesson was obvious. Experiencing the world through someone else’s life helps foster a better understanding of the inequality and injustice faced by many people in America. A worthy message in our supposedly “post-racial” society. I just had a suspicion that it would come on too strong. However, as I progressed further into the story I found myself forgetting the message and growing more attached to the characters and their struggles.
The first book focused on the challenges of life as a teenage girl, including bullying, relationships, and sexual assault. As Drew starts high school she meets Audrey, a fellow freshman and a static (Changer speak for someone that is not a Changer) Drew and Audrey begin a highly emotional relationship, part friendship part something more. Audrey has a violent and intolerant brother Jason that disapproves of their relationship and spends his time making both girls miserable. Drew’s attraction to fellow Changer Chase complicates her love life even more as Changer on Changer relationships are forbidden.
In book two Drew wakes up as Oryon, a black skater boy. He attempts to rekindle his relationship with Audrey as this new person and quickly finds himself at odds with Jason who refuses to allow his sister to be part of an interracial relationship. Oryon experiences many of the problems that young black men in America face - discrimination, unwarranted police attention, and hostility. Oryon also begins to learn more about the Abiders, Statics that are anti-Changer, and the Radical Changers who want to out their race to the rest of humanity. The book’s cliffhanger ending will keep readers anxiously awaiting the third book in the series and the main character’s endearing personality will have readers hooked until the end when we find out which incarnation he will choose to remain for the rest of his life.
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