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A review by akatrinaschu
Chimera by N.J. Tanger, Rachael Tanger, Joshua Russell, Nathan M. Beauchamp
5.0
I’ve read a lot of YA fiction books. I enjoy them because they’re quick reads and easy to digest—and it wasn’t all that long ago that I was also considered part of the target audience.
I think what I like most about Young Adult literature is the focus on family. The families might not always be traditional and they might have a lot of problems, but that struggle is very real and relatable. Chimera is no exception. Theo, the male protagonist, lives with his parents and much younger sister. We see how he struggles to find his part of the family and his part in the community. Selena, the female protagonist, lived with her dad on a space ship for most of her life after her mother died. Living on a space ship might not be relatable—but living alone with your dad in the middle of nowhere might be.
The trend in the genre is to put teens in physically difficult situations (thank you, Hunger Games) where the possibility of death is high or encouraged. To me it seems like a lot of the books that follow this trend have the societies in their books believing that teenagers are expendable. Chimera is refreshingly different. The society values teens because they are the generation that will get them home. While Theo and Selena do undergo physically challenging and dangerous situations it’s not because a group of old men decided that they should fight to the death.
The protagonists of the story take tests to see if they are worthy of being part of the Selection. I found this to be an interesting commentary on our own society where we put a lot of weight on different standardized tests. I know that teens will relate to this concept—and be amused by Theo’s approach to making the cut.
Chimera plays with the tropes of the genre while still presenting new and exciting material. I highly recommend this book to any young adult (or adult) who enjoys science fiction.
I think what I like most about Young Adult literature is the focus on family. The families might not always be traditional and they might have a lot of problems, but that struggle is very real and relatable. Chimera is no exception. Theo, the male protagonist, lives with his parents and much younger sister. We see how he struggles to find his part of the family and his part in the community. Selena, the female protagonist, lived with her dad on a space ship for most of her life after her mother died. Living on a space ship might not be relatable—but living alone with your dad in the middle of nowhere might be.
The trend in the genre is to put teens in physically difficult situations (thank you, Hunger Games) where the possibility of death is high or encouraged. To me it seems like a lot of the books that follow this trend have the societies in their books believing that teenagers are expendable. Chimera is refreshingly different. The society values teens because they are the generation that will get them home. While Theo and Selena do undergo physically challenging and dangerous situations it’s not because a group of old men decided that they should fight to the death.
The protagonists of the story take tests to see if they are worthy of being part of the Selection. I found this to be an interesting commentary on our own society where we put a lot of weight on different standardized tests. I know that teens will relate to this concept—and be amused by Theo’s approach to making the cut.
Chimera plays with the tropes of the genre while still presenting new and exciting material. I highly recommend this book to any young adult (or adult) who enjoys science fiction.