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myriadreads's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 up to 4. Fascinating premise, and definitely kept my interest, but the end felt rushed, and charterers could have been more developed.
shhchar's review against another edition
4.0
Adaptation was a marvelous sci-fi/conspiracy novel. While the action was light at times, it still managed to keep me turning pages and wanting more. The addition of an unorthodox love triangle that was written with so much ease and normality really set the book apart from others.
The exposition opened wonderfully up into some mild action. The action only sped up more as the book went on, but I do think the majority of it was in the first half of the book. The second half of the book was more focused on figuring things out and wrapping up ends. While there was a climax, I think the beginning's action was more dramatic. The second half could have used more action.
Even though I have a love-hate relationship with more than one of the characters, I still related to all of them and felt for them during their plights. Reese was a good protagonist, not great, but still likable. I admired that she still stood up for herself even when put in dangerous and scary situations. I loved David, but I still don't feel like the reader knows much about him. Amber was very interesting, and I LOVED her relationship with Reese. This book did what seems almost unthinkable in YA lit: it had a normal, (well mostly, ignoring the obvious sci-fi stuff) sexually-flexible character. (Reese herself doesn't label it, so neither will I.) For once, I LOVED the love triangle!
Other things I loved: the articles and lab reports, all the conspiracy and political stuff, and Julian. I definitely recommend this book to any fan of YA sci-fi!
The exposition opened wonderfully up into some mild action. The action only sped up more as the book went on, but I do think the majority of it was in the first half of the book. The second half of the book was more focused on figuring things out and wrapping up ends. While there was a climax, I think the beginning's action was more dramatic. The second half could have used more action.
Even though I have a love-hate relationship with more than one of the characters, I still related to all of them and felt for them during their plights. Reese was a good protagonist, not great, but still likable. I admired that she still stood up for herself even when put in dangerous and scary situations. I loved David, but I still don't feel like the reader knows much about him. Amber was very interesting, and I LOVED her relationship with Reese. This book did what seems almost unthinkable in YA lit: it had a normal, (well mostly, ignoring the obvious sci-fi stuff) sexually-flexible character. (Reese herself doesn't label it, so neither will I.) For once, I LOVED the love triangle!
Other things I loved: the articles and lab reports, all the conspiracy and political stuff, and Julian. I definitely recommend this book to any fan of YA sci-fi!
stephxsu's review against another edition
3.0
Malinda Lo takes her readers way outside her previous fantasy genre with her third novel, ADAPTATION, which I suppose I would describe as “sci-fi lite.” While the events of ADAPTATION were at times hard for me to immerse myself in, Lo adds a refreshing LGBTQ element to her story that may encourage readers typically reluctant to pick up sci-fi to give this a try.
Part 1 was mind-blowingly awesome. Scary events—bird strikes downing planes, people forgetting their humanity in the face of their impending mortality, Reese and David struggling to make it home as transportation unravels around them—unfolded in an ominously quick fashion reminiscent of apocalyptic movies. I hardly breathed as I followed Reese and David through a “road trip” fraught with danger, one that led them right up to the accident that changed their lives forever.
…And then the rest of the book becomes…weird, and awkwardly paced. Obviously there’s a speculative element to the story, as the story hints of weird things occurring to Reese and David’s bodies and minds—though nothing is confirmed until the end of the book, in a manner that seemed rather far-fetched despite all the hints that were dropped throughout. In Part 2 and beyond, ADAPTATION loses the steam it had been so excellently accumulating, and becomes a plodding and seemingly endless period of rising action where little happens and the characters run into more and more questions but don’t get any answers. Why is this so often a symptom of YA novels, for which I thought good pacing was key? Little (with the exception of one thing, which I will discuss next) happens in the middle third or so of this book, and the effect of cramming all the information-revealing actions into the last few chapters of the book was that I was left unpleasantly disoriented and unprepared for the shocking curves the story threw us at the end.
I have mixed feelings about Reese’s romantic conflicts in ADAPTATION. On the one hand, what Lo always does well in her stories is give lesbian interactions and relationships the full consideration and respect they deserve. This is especially significant in a current publishing world where heterosexual romances often seem written into a story for the sake of having a romance, not because the MC actually learns anything through the experience of a romantic relationship. It adds some well-appreciated novelty to the typical YA love triangle trope. On the other hand, the balance between ADAPTATION’s romantic and sci-fi plotlines felt uneven—most especially in the nothing-happens-sci-fi-wise section of Part 2—and the two seemed to come too easily together in the end for me to believe that these characters and their predicaments could exist outside the realm of fiction.
And that, I think, is my ultimate feeling toward ADAPTATION. It’s a technically precise YA thriller with LGBTQ aspects, but its uneven pacing never let me forget that I was reading a YA novel that would probably better enthrall a younger audience that may not yet appreciate the shockingly possible dystopian worlds of books like [b:1984|5470|1984|George Orwell|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1348990566s/5470.jpg|153313] or [b:The Hunger Games|2767052|The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1)|Suzanne Collins|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1337857402s/2767052.jpg|2792775]. It fits the current trend of YA sci-fi-ish thrillers with more-or-less plausible premises that nevertheless rely on their assumption of your investment in the book’s “mystery” to keep reading.
Part 1 was mind-blowingly awesome. Scary events—bird strikes downing planes, people forgetting their humanity in the face of their impending mortality, Reese and David struggling to make it home as transportation unravels around them—unfolded in an ominously quick fashion reminiscent of apocalyptic movies. I hardly breathed as I followed Reese and David through a “road trip” fraught with danger, one that led them right up to the accident that changed their lives forever.
…And then the rest of the book becomes…weird, and awkwardly paced. Obviously there’s a speculative element to the story, as the story hints of weird things occurring to Reese and David’s bodies and minds—though nothing is confirmed until the end of the book, in a manner that seemed rather far-fetched despite all the hints that were dropped throughout. In Part 2 and beyond, ADAPTATION loses the steam it had been so excellently accumulating, and becomes a plodding and seemingly endless period of rising action where little happens and the characters run into more and more questions but don’t get any answers. Why is this so often a symptom of YA novels, for which I thought good pacing was key? Little (with the exception of one thing, which I will discuss next) happens in the middle third or so of this book, and the effect of cramming all the information-revealing actions into the last few chapters of the book was that I was left unpleasantly disoriented and unprepared for the shocking curves the story threw us at the end.
I have mixed feelings about Reese’s romantic conflicts in ADAPTATION. On the one hand, what Lo always does well in her stories is give lesbian interactions and relationships the full consideration and respect they deserve. This is especially significant in a current publishing world where heterosexual romances often seem written into a story for the sake of having a romance, not because the MC actually learns anything through the experience of a romantic relationship. It adds some well-appreciated novelty to the typical YA love triangle trope. On the other hand, the balance between ADAPTATION’s romantic and sci-fi plotlines felt uneven—most especially in the nothing-happens-sci-fi-wise section of Part 2—and the two seemed to come too easily together in the end for me to believe that these characters and their predicaments could exist outside the realm of fiction.
And that, I think, is my ultimate feeling toward ADAPTATION. It’s a technically precise YA thriller with LGBTQ aspects, but its uneven pacing never let me forget that I was reading a YA novel that would probably better enthrall a younger audience that may not yet appreciate the shockingly possible dystopian worlds of books like [b:1984|5470|1984|George Orwell|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1348990566s/5470.jpg|153313] or [b:The Hunger Games|2767052|The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1)|Suzanne Collins|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1337857402s/2767052.jpg|2792775]. It fits the current trend of YA sci-fi-ish thrillers with more-or-less plausible premises that nevertheless rely on their assumption of your investment in the book’s “mystery” to keep reading.
dcgingerreads's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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? No
4.0
smytester's review against another edition
3.0
3.25
could have done with a bit less love triangle and a bit more plot, but hey that's kinda the name of the game in YA
could have done with a bit less love triangle and a bit more plot, but hey that's kinda the name of the game in YA
thebookhaze's review against another edition
1.0
It started out pretty good, but then there were way too many chapters about the romance that didn't do anything for the movement of the plot. Hey, I love romance in YA sci-fi, but it served absolutely nothing to the story. Maybe the romance might've served if I'd read further, but I read up to 40% into the book (ebook) and I got bored with it. Too many books, too little time. I'm moving on.
hayleybeale's review against another edition
3.0
A decent scifi thriller with an interesting twist on the love triangle meme. See my full review
sarahfonseca's review against another edition
3.0
I read this at the onset of springtime and was weirded out every time I heard a bird squawk in the middle of the night or ran across a dead sparrow in a parking lot.
Not the biggest sci-fi fan, but I'm definitely looking forward to the sequel. :)
Not the biggest sci-fi fan, but I'm definitely looking forward to the sequel. :)
claire_taylors_version's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
raequigley's review against another edition
4.0
Actual rating: 3.5 stars
Originally posted on Drunk On Pop
PLEASE NOTE: I received a free e-galley version of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions held within this review are my own thoughts and feelings and do not reflect upon anyone else.
Alright, we need to get something off our chests right away. Adaptaion was a good book, and Malinda Lo wrote a compelling story with interesting and unique characters. When I was scrolling through reviews on Goodreads I was overwhelmed with the amount of people that were praising Malinda for writing her main character as a bisexual teenage girl. There was also a male asian side character and a full on gay male side character, so yay for diversity! I also praised Malinda in one of my status updates. It's an upsetting fact that main characters in young adult books tend to be straight white females, and so it is of course refreshing to read some diversity. Unfortunately though, the sexuality of the main character seems to be what everyone is focussing on. Adaptation is far more than the sexuality of one character, and while it is exciting and new, it shouldn't be.
So, now that we've gotten that out of the way, let's talk about the actual book. I was hooked instantly. The first dozen chapters or so were so incredibly well written. I felt like I was watching a (good) horror movie, and I couldn't put the book down. There were birds falling from the sky, riots happening, major cities becoming completely deserted. Malinda had the framework down perfectly, but somewhere in the middle she lost me. The story went from being a gripping sci-fi novel to being an annoying contemporary romance - complete with love triangle (but yay for bisexual main character!!!!) - with just a few paranormal aspects. Actually, I guess it would be more of a paranormal romance... without the intensity that other paranormal romances have. It was maddening, because the sci-fi aspects that did peek through were phenomenal. While I'm glad we have a bisexual main character, I would have preferred if the entire book had put off romance completely. In this case, yes, the relationships had a somewhat integral part of the story, but I felt like far too much time was spent on these relationships and it took away from my reading experience.
The story was also really weird. Which for the most part was actually kind of wonderful. It has a very X-Files feel to it, which is a huge compliment. There were some pretty decent twists and turns, and who doesn't love a good government conspiracy theory? This book had all of the elements to make it a good story, and overall it was a really good story. I felt like the end was quite forced and completely ridiculous, but I feel like this will all make sense in the sequel. Which, by the way, I was really freaking out at around 83% through the book because I didn't know if there would be a sequel and I knew we needed one. There is definitely a lot more to this story for Malinda to tell, and I am hoping that some of the romance issues aren't as prominent in the next installment.
Originally posted on Drunk On Pop
PLEASE NOTE: I received a free e-galley version of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions held within this review are my own thoughts and feelings and do not reflect upon anyone else.
Alright, we need to get something off our chests right away. Adaptaion was a good book, and Malinda Lo wrote a compelling story with interesting and unique characters. When I was scrolling through reviews on Goodreads I was overwhelmed with the amount of people that were praising Malinda for writing her main character as a bisexual teenage girl. There was also a male asian side character and a full on gay male side character, so yay for diversity! I also praised Malinda in one of my status updates. It's an upsetting fact that main characters in young adult books tend to be straight white females, and so it is of course refreshing to read some diversity. Unfortunately though, the sexuality of the main character seems to be what everyone is focussing on. Adaptation is far more than the sexuality of one character, and while it is exciting and new, it shouldn't be.
So, now that we've gotten that out of the way, let's talk about the actual book. I was hooked instantly. The first dozen chapters or so were so incredibly well written. I felt like I was watching a (good) horror movie, and I couldn't put the book down. There were birds falling from the sky, riots happening, major cities becoming completely deserted. Malinda had the framework down perfectly, but somewhere in the middle she lost me. The story went from being a gripping sci-fi novel to being an annoying contemporary romance - complete with love triangle (but yay for bisexual main character!!!!) - with just a few paranormal aspects. Actually, I guess it would be more of a paranormal romance... without the intensity that other paranormal romances have. It was maddening, because the sci-fi aspects that did peek through were phenomenal. While I'm glad we have a bisexual main character, I would have preferred if the entire book had put off romance completely. In this case, yes, the relationships had a somewhat integral part of the story, but I felt like far too much time was spent on these relationships and it took away from my reading experience.
The story was also really weird. Which for the most part was actually kind of wonderful. It has a very X-Files feel to it, which is a huge compliment. There were some pretty decent twists and turns, and who doesn't love a good government conspiracy theory? This book had all of the elements to make it a good story, and overall it was a really good story. I felt like the end was quite forced and completely ridiculous, but I feel like this will all make sense in the sequel. Which, by the way, I was really freaking out at around 83% through the book because I didn't know if there would be a sequel and I knew we needed one. There is definitely a lot more to this story for Malinda to tell, and I am hoping that some of the romance issues aren't as prominent in the next installment.