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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
adventurous
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
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-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:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
fast-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:
Complicated
Cassie & Tobias realise they have been having the same dream, a cry for help coming from the depths of the ocean. Soon, a plan is hatched - and new animal forms acquired - seagulls, dolphins - in order to hopefully pull off a rescue mission. The stakes are raised when they realise that Visser Three is also searching. Cassie really struggles with the ethics of morphing into more sentient creatures (dolphins) and feeling responsible for putting the others in dangerous situations. The sound effects in the audiobook really add to the experience.
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
tense
fast-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:
No
New morphs, new character, and a little more movement in the galaxy-wide plot. Higher stakes in the water, and higher stakes with more info about the Yeerks.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
fast-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:
Complicated
Probably my favourite of the series yet. Cassie was always my favourite as a child, and her POV reads really refreshingly differently than the others we’ve seen - she is noticeably more empathetic, able to read the rest of the team and understand their emotions and motivations in a way the other narrators dwell on much less often, and her central conflicts are touching and relatable. She’s worried about the morals of morphing an intelligent creature, wondering explicitly if it’s that different to what the Yeerks do, and in a really compelling character-based plot line, she’s afraid to take responsibility for any decisions that might put her friends in danger. All of this makes her POV a joy to read. Plus the plot of this story is really great, the pacing is excellent, there are loads of different and really fun morphs, and we get to meet Ax for the first time ! The underwater fighting is also a great novelty, if even more violent than is usual for this series.
It’s funny that these kids’ books from nearly 30 years ago contain scenes more mature than lots of “adult” literature; in this case the scene that really struck me wasthe disappointment the team feel when they realise the Andalite they’ve saved is just a child, like them, and not someone who can relieve them of their responsibilities or tell them what to do . In some ways the whole book revolves around this scene, amid broader themes of responsibility and duty.
The only thing I disliked about this book wasthe vaguely mystic communication with the whale . One of the things I love about this series is its very loving but realistic portrayal of animals, and repeated statements that animals don’t think like humans - for example, the story of the hawk from the previous book. So I thought this was a little bit over that line into something less realistic. I almost took a quarter of a star off for that, but honestly, it’s only a very minor gripe and the rest of the book was pretty much flawlessly done, including the final scene where Cassie realises she feels guilt over something the dolphins neither understand nor care about , so I decided it could keep all its stars. A fantastic book.
It’s funny that these kids’ books from nearly 30 years ago contain scenes more mature than lots of “adult” literature; in this case the scene that really struck me was
The only thing I disliked about this book was
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror
Minor: Death of parent