A review by giannidamaia
The Visitor by K.A. Applegate

adventurous fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.25

Another day, another Animorphs book. Whereas the first in the series features a much more sprawling epic that favored a quick pace over character development, this one seems to lean deeper into the procedural elements. Here, we don’t have as many set pieces, as many ‘morph’ sequences, or as many consequences that will reverberate through the remainder of the series. Instead, The Visitor focuses more on getting to know a character who was massively shortchanged in the previous installment, building out the chemistry of the protagonists, and mainly focusing on a solo adventure with some espionage-lite elements involving a major member of the school board. Ultimately, The Visitor feels relatively inert. It’s the type of book in a series that doesn’t quite justify itself as a full story. But if it’s important for the reader to know these characters a bit more, then The Visitor may actually prove more enjoyable than the first installment for its measured approach in dialing back the action.