Book Review: Animorphs #12 – The Reaction
Hello animal enthusiasts and crocodile hunters,
Man am I on a roll with reading lately! I don’t know what’s going on, but I’m not questioning a thing.
This post is all about my book review of Animorphs #12, The Reaction.
I accidentally read The Andalite Chronicles before this one (slightly out of order) and was pretty desperate to get back on track after finishing Station Eleven. I started reading this last night and finished it in two goes, something I don’t usually do. One book down in twelve hours? Shoot, I’ll take it!
All right, let’s get into this review!
Blurb:
Rachel’s got some pretty strange stuff happening. She can’t control her morphing. One minute, she’s doing homework. The next, she’s morphing a full-grown crocodile, and — without returning to human form — she becomes an elephant. That’s when the floor gives way and Rachel finds herself looking up at what used to be the kitchen ceiling.
What’s going on? No one’s sure, but Rachel and the other Animorphs have to figure it out — quickly. Because if someone sees Rachel’s out-of-control morphing, the other Animorphs and Ax are in some serious trouble…
The Review:
I gave this book four crocodile-hunting stars!
It was really hard for me to give a book in the Animorphs series this kind of rating, but there were several big reasons why I did so.
In a nutshell, this book is told in Rachel’s POV. The Animorphs are on a school field trip to the zoo when a kid falls into the exhibit of crocodiles. Being the brave warrior Rachel is, she jumps into action and is forced to acquire a crocodile’s DNA in the process.
She is able to rescue the kid, but soon things get bizarre. Rachel can’t quite control her morphs anymore. They happen at the most inopportune times without warning. To make matters worse, a celebrity of sorts is being recruited by the Yeerk group The Sharing, a celebrity that Rachel and Cassie are gaga over.
Can Rachel figure out what’s going on with her while keeping up appearances, or will this turn out to be another Animorph catastrophe?
As always, the premise of this book’s plot intrigued me. The revelation that our Animorphs could have allergic reactions to their morphs is a scary possibility, and the stakes seemed really high with the celebrity being reached out to by the Yeerks.
However, I think the main plot fell somewhat flat for a couple reasons.
Personally, I feel like the main plot ended up being more about Rachel’s morphing problems than the celebrity and his interaction with the Yeerks. Yes, it was an interesting concept, but it took our attention away from the main plot a bit too much for my taste.
I also feel like Rachel got way too lucky with her situation. Multiple times she avoided anyone noticing her odd mid-morph appearance, and it just seemed too fortunate, you know? No one gets that lucky.
Lastly, I just didn’t quite feel that same level of satisfaction I usually feel at the end of an Animorphs book. Yes it was a fun journey, but it kind of felt like a big filler if you ask me.
Not all books in a series can be winners, and while this one doesn’t make the most memorable of Animorphs adventures, it’s still a solid continuation of the series filled with action, comedy, and some light thrills. I look forward to reading more!
That’s a Wrap!
Thanks for stopping by, and happy reading!
Have you read this book before? What did you think? Do you have a book recommendation similar to this one? Feel free to share in the comments!
If you’d like to see other reviews of mine, feel free to check out my blog homepage or my GoodReads. You can also follow my GoodReads reviews here. There are some great binge-worthy books on there!
Have a great day!
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