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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
adventurous
dark
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
Loveable characters:
Yes
I wish I could give this book more than 5 stars. What a twist. OH MY GOD!
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The Pretender is told from Tobias’ perspective, where he’s finding it increasingly difficult to balance his human and hawk identities. Another hawk is moving in on his territory, stealing his prey and making Tobias go hungry. Tobias is too ashamed to share his struggles with the Animorphs, who still haven’t accepted that he slaughters baby bunnies to survive.
Tobias receives a notice that his father’s last will and testament has been found and will be read on his next birthday. This coincides with the discovery of a long lost cousin who wants to adopt Tobias, having returned to the USA from a 10-year photojournalism project in Africa.
Unfortunately it all turns out to be a charade by the Yeerks, who hope to expose Tobias as one of the Animorphs. The long lost cousin is Visser Three in disguise, and they read Elfangor’s last will and testament in the hopes that Tobias will crack. Fortunately Tobias’ time spent as a hawk has hardened him, and he manages to fool the Visser and Controller into believing he knows nothing about aliens. Secretly, Tobias is dying on the inside over the discovery that he met his father that night in the construction site.
In the background, the Animorphs work to rescue a baby Hork Bajir that escaped from the valley and was put on display in a “freakshow”.
---
I can’t decide which is more heartbreaking: Tobias’ hopes of adoption being shattered when he discovers his cousin is the Visser, or learning that he will never see his father Elfangor again. All the same, I’m shocked and stoked that the author had Tobias discover his true heritage so early on, I thought it would remain a secret until the war had been won.
I feel for Tobias as he struggles to reconcile his human and hawk identities. It’s upsetting that Rachel is pressuring him to become a human nothlit, but at the same time Tobias is being a bit thick. Why wouldn’t he take his friends’ suggestions and eat human food during his 2 hour morphing window as a human? Or why not hunt in the valley of the free Hork Bajir? Is the other hawk’s territory so large that he’d be overstepping his bounds there too? Or why not morph into an Andalite and eat grass like Ax?
As this book was an emotional journey for Tobias rather than a physical one, I don’t have a lot of other thoughts to share. Great story though!
Tobias receives a notice that his father’s last will and testament has been found and will be read on his next birthday. This coincides with the discovery of a long lost cousin who wants to adopt Tobias, having returned to the USA from a 10-year photojournalism project in Africa.
Unfortunately it all turns out to be a charade by the Yeerks, who hope to expose Tobias as one of the Animorphs. The long lost cousin is Visser Three in disguise, and they read Elfangor’s last will and testament in the hopes that Tobias will crack. Fortunately Tobias’ time spent as a hawk has hardened him, and he manages to fool the Visser and Controller into believing he knows nothing about aliens. Secretly, Tobias is dying on the inside over the discovery that he met his father that night in the construction site.
In the background, the Animorphs work to rescue a baby Hork Bajir that escaped from the valley and was put on display in a “freakshow”.
---
I can’t decide which is more heartbreaking: Tobias’ hopes of adoption being shattered when he discovers his cousin is the Visser, or learning that he will never see his father Elfangor again. All the same, I’m shocked and stoked that the author had Tobias discover his true heritage so early on, I thought it would remain a secret until the war had been won.
I feel for Tobias as he struggles to reconcile his human and hawk identities. It’s upsetting that Rachel is pressuring him to become a human nothlit, but at the same time Tobias is being a bit thick. Why wouldn’t he take his friends’ suggestions and eat human food during his 2 hour morphing window as a human? Or why not hunt in the valley of the free Hork Bajir? Is the other hawk’s territory so large that he’d be overstepping his bounds there too? Or why not morph into an Andalite and eat grass like Ax?
As this book was an emotional journey for Tobias rather than a physical one, I don’t have a lot of other thoughts to share. Great story though!
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Here's Tobias, coming around with some existential crisis content for you. I love that it specifically references the Hork-Bajir Chronicles (if you haven't read that one, read that before this), and the Andalite Chronicles (also read that one before this if you haven't already).
A moment of hope and peace at the end for our hard knocks kid Tobias. It's good to see him get a little bit of inner resolution to the questions and challenges he faces every day.
A moment of hope and peace at the end for our hard knocks kid Tobias. It's good to see him get a little bit of inner resolution to the questions and challenges he faces every day.
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
sad