Happy Monday!

I hope you’re ready for a short week. I sure am! I’m still on the fence on whether or not I will be joining my family for Christmas. It’s an impossibly tough decision that I know everyone is grappling with, but please make a safe and informed decision with your health in mind people.

Anywho, back to the post!

I’m continuing my read through of the final Animorphs books and am reviewing #53, The Answer.

I haven’t read this before, but I knew it was going to be painful regardless. TV shows make their second to last episodes on seasons extremely monumental, and I expected the same here. On to the review!

Blurb:

The war is raging on, and the Yeerks are everywhere. Jake tries to convince the government to help him and the Animorphs destroy the Yeerk pool. But when that plan fails, they try to do the job themselves. In an effort to deter new arrivals and finish off the ones still around, the Animorphs and Ax blow holes throughout the Yeerks pool. In these gallant efforts, some innocent bystanders are hurt, but that is the way of the world they live in. But the plans go awry, and Jake and the Animorphs find themselves trapped in the new Yeerk Pool. They have lost all hope, when they find unexpected comfort and comradeship from the disgusting Taxxons — who have always been associated with Yeerks and have their own problems with the destroyers. They might just be able to save planet Earth — but has the end already begun? 

GoodReads

The Review:

I gave this book four and a half stars, but I take no pleasure in it.

This was easily the most heart-wrenching Animorphs book to date. It hurt to read it at times, and many times I simply wanted to throw my Kindle against the wall or break it into a million pieces. Good job, Applegate.

This is the final single-POV installment of the series, and it makes sense that it’s in Jake’s perspective. The Animorphs destroyed the Yeerk pool and the war is in full swing, but the Yeerks are moving quickly to create a new Yeerk pool on ground while a Yeerk pool ship hovers nearby. The Animorphs have time for one final attack, and if they fail, death is guaranteed. Can they pull this off, or will Earth finally succumb to the Yeerks?

Jake, Jake, Jake. What is happening to you? It was hard to read this book, one of the reasons being that the war is beginning to get to Jake. Similar to Rachel’s inner darkness, he has to make horrible decisions in an effort to save the human race. No teen should have that kind of weight on their shoulders. However, unlike Rachel’s emotional struggle, Jake’s feel cold, emotionless. Though it’s not really said, you can tell he’s given up on ever being reunited with his family. Can you even imagine?

Minor quip with her perspective. I know what Applegate was going for with his personality shift, but I think we should’ve seen a bit more warmth to Jake. Even the sensitive bits felt a little icy for him, but then again, I’ve never been in a terrible war against alien invaders.

The others were portrayed well, but it’s all very tense the whole way through give the situation.

The plot was riveting but definitely gave me some mental scar tissue. If you’ve been reading up until this point, I suggest putting up your best mental wall to get through this one. Obviously I can’t say much without spoiling it, but my heart hurt reading some of these scenes. Sacrifices are needed to make this plan work, and I prayed it wouldn’t happen, but Applegate is not sugar-coating anymore. No more easy wins. Everything is on the line, and things are getting dark, very dark. Regardless, this one was action-packed, so if you love that, then you’ll love what happens in this one.

Just thinking about this read gives me the chills, but it was a great continuation for our beloved Animorphs and I can’t wait to read the final book.

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 the book review section of my blog 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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