Adaptation by Malinda Lo
Release Date: September 18, 2012
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Genre: Young Adult Sci-fi
ISBN: 978-0316197960
Source: NetGalley
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Reese can’t remember anything from the time between the accident and the day she woke up almost a month later. She only knows one thing: She’s different now.

Across North America, flocks of birds hurl themselves into airplanes, causing at least a dozen to crash. Thousands of people die. Fearing terrorism, the United States government grounds all flights, and millions of travelers are stranded.

Reese and her debate team partner and longtime crush David are in Arizona when it happens. Everyone knows the world will never be the same. On their drive home to San Francisco, along a stretch of empty highway at night in the middle of Nevada, a bird flies into their headlights. The car flips over. When they wake up in a military hospital, the doctor won’t tell them what happened, where they are—or how they’ve been miraculously healed.

Things become even stranger when Reese returns home. San Francisco feels like a different place with police enforcing curfew, hazmat teams collecting dead birds, and a strange presence that seems to be following her. When Reese unexpectedly collides with the beautiful Amber Gray, her search for the truth is forced in an entirely new direction—and threatens to expose a vast global conspiracy that the government has worked for decades to keep secret.

Birds. Airplane crashes. Government secrecy. Conspiracy theories swirling after waking up from a coma and feeling…different. Yep. This is my kind of book. I absolutely love the story at hand and love that the story doesn’t lose momentum. It’s quite a ride all of the way through and that’s not easy to do. Whether action or romance, Adaptation engages the reader the entire time. The danger and eeriness is established right away and settles for just enough time make you think that Reese and David can handle their new predicament on their own before BAM something else gets in their way. I was completely on board for the story and it did not disappoint. I don’t want to share too much so as not to spoil anything but it was such a thrill following Reese and David from the airport when the birds fell from the sky to the hospital where they became government guinea pigs to home and everywhere else the story takes them shortly after.

“People are always going to think something about you that isn’t real. It doesn’t matter what they think. Nobody ever knows what to think of me. I’m not black enough for some folks, and I’m not Jewish enough for others. I mean, my favorite food is bacon. And then you throw in the gay thing, and it messes it up even more.” – Julian

Not just the places these characters are taken make for the interesting story though. These characters and their reactions to the situations, their relationships to other characters, and their perspectives on the world and the people within it are equally important, very well crafted, and very much appreciated. These characters are diverse in more ways than one and they’re all in different stages of exploring and accepting their individuality. What’s so important about this is that exploration is shown. The emotions of this everyday blessing and struggle are on the page and how many books this year have you read that execute this? And execute it well? I am so grateful for this book for this reason alone but what makes this even better is that the story and these characters rock too!

I especially love that the lines are blurred when it comes to figuring out who Reese and David can trust. Often times we don’t know who’s been on our side the entire time and it takes awhile for Reese to see who that person is for her. And still, in the end, Reese has to decide whether or not she will take Amber’s word for it before making a big decision, which leads us into the sequel, which I can’t wait to read! Will Reese let her feelings for Amber (before and after the truth comes out about Amber) overshadow the bigger picture? Who is good and who is bad in the bigger picture? But this is not only a story about uncovering secrets and betrayal and escaping the enemy to find a way to find the truth and get that truth out there. It’s a story about perseverance and what people are willing to do to help one another and help the greater good. It’s a story that reminds us that our lives are so much bigger than ourselves. It’s a story about so much more than I can say right here, just know that you’ll definitely come out of this being entertained but also being left with much to think about and I love books that do both so this was right up my alley.

Adaptation is fast paced, thrilling, thought provoking, and every bit of awesome you could want from a sci-fi tale tangled in secrets and conspiracies. The title of this book is fitting in more ways than one which I absolutely love, love, love. Also, please tell me I wasn’t the only one who had Katy Perry’s “E.T.” pop up in my head while reading certain parts of this book.

Simply put, if you want a smart, mysterious sci-fi with a romance that’s out of this world, read Adaptation.

Adaptation by Malinda Lo is available today.