19 June 2014

Inheritance



Lo, Malinda. Inheritance. Little, Brown BFYR, 2014.

This second installment in the Adaptation series follows Reese and David as they face a media storm and as the American people begin to discover more of the truth behind the Imria's involvement in human history. Reese and David uncover more of their adapted abilities and have to decide whom to trust.

SPOILER ALERT: You have been warned.

I probably would have enjoyed this book more if I had read it directly after finishing Adaptation, as it took me a bit to remember what exactly was happening in the story and to get back into the characters' brains. The story itself was fairly interesting, especially if the reader happens to be a conspiracy theorist or UFO enthusiast. I am neither, but I love Malinda Lo's writing, and I found her details of San Francisco to be accurate, which made them add to, rather than detract from, the story overall. Mainly, though, I read this book for its LGBTQ+ content. And it really is a + in this situation. In the first book Reese falls in love with Amber, one of the Imria who has been sent to watch over her, and then Reese decides that she must be a lesbian. In this book, Reese decides she likes David more than Amber, so then she decides she must be bisexual. This bothers David but doesn't bother Amber at all because the Imria practice polyamory (definition: a grouping of more than two people in a romantic relationship); for example, Amber has one mother and two fathers. In the end, Reese decides to try a polyamorous relationship with David and Amber. David and Amber aren't interested in each other, but they both love Reese, and Reese loves both of them, so they have a lot of communication about their relationship. It isn't without its struggles, but they wouldn't have it any other way.

For this reason alone, I would want to put this book on my shelves. We have three perfectly rational main characters who choose a polyamorous relationship even though it will complicate things and bring them under a certain amount of scrutiny from the community. This book does not promote or discourage polyamorous relationships, but simply presents them as another possible option.

Recommended for: young adults, fans of conspiracy theories or aliens
Red Flags: the aforementioned polyamorous relationship may be difficult for some to accept
Overall Rating: 4/5 stars

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