A review by magicalghoul
The Stranger by K.A. Applegate

adventurous dark emotional sad 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? Yes

4.5


You know what? At that moment of surrender, I felt good. I wish I could say I didn’t. But I felt a wave of relief wash over me. No more hard decisions. No more danger. No more having to be brave.

♢ 7/62 OF THE ANIMORPHS REREAD
 ⚠ tws for the entire series: war, death, child soldiers, child death, descriptions of gore, body horror, discussions of parental death, slugs, parasites, loss of free will, depictions of PTSD and trauma, ableism, imperialism. 

Forgot any thought I was forming after the contrast between the humor and how brutal and raw the description of the battle at the end of the book was, and how looking back on it Rachel's commentary is that she wasn't being brave like everyone thought she was being or even how she consciously behaved in that moment because that was the role the group needed for her to play. She simply couldn't see well and didn't know what she was walking into.

Interesting to note that The Ellimist was introduced on a Rachel book and that we can see a sort of bond between them already—what with Rachel being the one to fully decipher The Ellimist's true intentions, and what with The Ellimist showing her her adult form. Since, you know.

About the audiobook: Emily Ellet continues to do a wonderful job, her voice shines on the most somber moments of the narrative and if I haven't said I love her Marco voice then I'm saying it now.

Highlight: The fact that the "I want to go see that new Keanu Reeves movie" line hasn't aged one bit. 
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