Reviews

The Beginning by K.A. Applegate

manwithanagenda's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

I did not know what to expect when I picked up this series at a flea market back in October. My memories were vague at best and I had only read a dozen or so of the books back when they were first produced.

This series stands apart from the other youth-market cash-grab book series in its scope and risks, but I don't see this ever catching on again except in isolated pockets where millennial parents put it in their children's way. The books physically are not aging well, either. The set I picked up, even the ones that superficially looked clean and un-creased, were visibly the worse for wear after my reading - and I've always been careful about spines.

Is this series worth the investment as an adult reader with many, many more arguably better options out there? If you're a lover of middle grade and ya fiction, particularly dystopian, it probably is. The series is made up of ridiculous moments, absurd lapses in logic, and continuity errors abound, however, Applegate didn't flinch when writing about the trauma of war and in the end, the characters rang true.

'The Beginning' covers the end of the war against the Yeerks and goes several years into the future covering the careers and the paths the surviving Animorphs took. The end...is a little frustrating, but after thinking and thinking and thinking about it, I like it. Wars don't end, and neither now will these characters.

Animorphs

Previous: 'The Answer'

haraltr's review against another edition

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5.0

wild that i've finally finished reading this series after 4 years....dunno what to do with myself now

sorceress_digi's review against another edition

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And more rage flashbacks...

kkaste's review against another edition

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5.0

This is the end of the Animorphs series. It has been a long strange trip. I have read all the books in the series now, including all the extra novels. I am glad I finally finished. This is a good series. They are short and entertaining. The time jumps in this book were a little jarring at first. However I found enjoyment in how this story ended. The relationships developed and changed after the war. Each of the Animorphs have their story wrapped. I enjoyed the cliffhanger ending, as they would have liked it. The reader gets to decide how the story begins and ends.

megggriffin's review against another edition

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5.0

Me to myself: self, did you just jump from book 12 to 54 of Animorphs in your reading?

Self: look I was trying to place The Ellimist.

Me: Did....did you just want to cry?

Self: Maybe I did need a good cry did you ever think of that

drizzlybear's review against another edition

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4.0

im sobbing lmao what a ride

abilight's review against another edition

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4.0

"Yes," he said. "You were strong. You were brave. You were good. You mattered.”

leia_lynn's review against another edition

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5.0

A great ending to a series I very much enjoyed reading as a teen.

theinfinitebookcase's review against another edition

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3.0

I must have just rewrote the ending to this series in my head when I read it as a kid, because I remember it completely different from what it was.

Anyway, this concludes my 2019 Animorphs reread.

originalnikegirl's review against another edition

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

5.0