Natural Selection (Adaptation, #1.5) by Malinda Lo

Natural Selection (Adaptation, #1.5) Reviews

• 
  Vee_Bookish

  
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  Natural Selection is set in two places, Earth and Kurra. It jumps between worlds each chapter and I definitely found Amber's time in Kurra more memorable. Amber doesn't really fit in in her home planet and feels more at home on earth, where she isn't treated differently. On Kurra, she's the only one of her classmates that has visited Earth and naturally they're pretty curious about it, but still treat her with suspicion as her Earth ways and clothes are different to theirs.
  
  I fell in love with Amber when I first met her in Adaptation, and I was really disappointed when she barely appeared in Inheritance. Natural Selection isn't as bad as Inheritance, but it wasn't as good as Adaptation either. I also dropped a star because there was a little too much rehashing of stuff I've read in previous books, a trend that I've never appreciated.
  
  Something I didn't know about the traditions on Kurra was something called kibila, a tradition where every fifteen years they, well, walk a lot, switch off their telepathic ability and if they want to, select a new name. It's supposed to be a pretty spiritual experience and the person or people you go on this journey with on your fifteenth birthday is the person/people you'll go with on every journey.
  
  If you read Adaptation, I'd say that Natural Selection is a must read. You get a lot of new information about Amber and Kurra that isn't mentioned in the books, plus it's all from Amber's point of view so you get a new perspective.
• 
  Taschima

  
  *If Dean Winchester approves who are we to say otherwise? ;)
  
  This is why novellas are taking the world by storm and have become such an expected thing nowadays. In Natural Selection we get to see the world through Amber's eyes. While sometimes the format of the novella itself led to some headache (for some example when Amber was going from telling things from her past and then to the present) the story is one you don't want to miss, not if you plan to read Adaptation's sequel Inheritance.
  
  "It was horrible at first. I missed my parents and my Imrian friends, and after four years on Kurra, Earth felt like an alien planet. The food was weird, the clothes were strange, and I had to speak English all the time, which meant I had to remember to call my parents mom and dad rather than ama, aba, and ada."
  
  While Natural Selection isn't a bridge between novels it is still very much a must read. In Adaptation we didn't get to know Amber as much as I would have liked, something I made note of in my review. But with Natural Selection I feel like now I can properly root for Amber, I've come to care about her. We get to read about her past, how she was born on Earth and raised half here and half in her home planet, how she is kind of a celebrity but doesn't act like it, who she is and what she wants out of life. We also get to learn more about the planet Kurra. I now find myself appreciating more the kind of story Malinda Lo is trying to tell with these aliens who are not that different from us. Why do we always assume that if it's an alien story they must be extremely different from us (ala Futurama), why can't they be alike us but different at the same time?
  
  "Humans were just so incredibly different from the Imria. Their emotions were so volatile that even though I tried to close myself off to them, sometimes they still broke through unexpectedly. At the beginning, it felt like I was trapped in an unending game of dogde ball, and I couldn't keep my defenses up 24/7."
  
  Natural Selection is also really good in that it gives us a lot of information on the planet Kurra and the Imrians. It tells us about their traditions, their way of life, their interactions and their overall stand on visiting Earth. It shows us the kind of society they are. The only annoying thing I found was in the language- how they call their parents is ama, aba, and ada. Confusing? Definitely. Their family structure is also very interesting—Amber has two dads and a mother—but never fully explained. Has it always been this always? How does it exactly work? They seem to all live together happily, so I am just curious.
  
  Now I am dying to read Inheritance. I want to re-evaluate the relationship between Amber and Reese, and I want to read more about Amber. It's a shame the book won't be written with her POV, I like her now more than I like Reese >.< I also want to see what is going to happen, will the humans embrace or retaliate against the aliens? Will Reese and David tell the press the truth? And yes I don't want to be that girl BUT, will Reese choose Amber or David at the end of the day? DYING TO KNOW!
• 
  F. William Davis

  I really liked this short story. It's about figuring oneself out and features an alien coming of age ceremony and has a good blend of human and alien cultures. There are a few clues that give away the ending but whether you see it coming or not I think it's a nice moment.
• 
  Jaylee

  Wow wow wow! Malinda Lo's writing tends to be kind of EH, but this was spectacular. This novella tells two different stories in alternating chapters, which was a little bit hard to follow, but both stories are amazing. In one we feel the pain of rejection and an untrue friend, and in the other the discovery of a new friend and finding acceptance. Both are told in the context of a sort of "coming of age" trip - one from earth, and one from her planet. All the parallels and symmetry were fantastic. The pain of the rejection story was emotional but it wasn't too painful because we were hearing it alongside the much more positive story.
  
  I LOVED getting to learn more about her homeworld. She is my favorite character from Adapatation. I loved the naming ritual, the descriptions of her planet, and SHE HAS THREE PARENTS. *weeps with joy* You never see that in books, let alone YA. omgggggg.
  
  I did feel the "It's okay to be gay" was a little heavy-handed and preachy, but that was only a blip in an overall amazing story.
  
  I can't wait for the sequel. :D
• 
  Sherwood Smith

  This novella fits between Adaptation and Inheritance (which I have not yet read), giving us Amber as a first person narrator. Readers who haven't tried the first book would not be confused, but certain discoveries would be spoiled.
  
  It's a tightly written story, the structure underscoring Amber's dual nature, as a supposed human from Earth, and as an Imrian. The story steps between Amber's preparation for, and her undergoing, the every-fifteen-years ritual expected of her people, while she reflects on her experiences the previous summer. Amber comes to terms with several important realizations, making a friend as she does. I really enjoyed it.
• 
  Debra

  For a more detailed review, please check out my review below:
  
  
  Debra's Book Cafe
  
  
  Debs :-)
  
  
  
• 
  C.B. Lee

  A lovely addition to the Adaptation universe, Natural Selection is told in Amber's point of view in two concurrent stories, one of an overnight field trip when she lived on Earth, dealing with her first crush; and of her coming-of-age ceremony on her home planet Kurra, where she has to choose her first name and decide who she is.
  
  An evocative and telling look at the incredible worldbuilding in this universe.
• 
  Alya Atiera

  3.7 stars
  OMG IT'S FROM AMBER'S POV! Though I'm still a bit wary with her for lying.

  It's nice to know a bit about her planet, Kurra. It's very different from Earth. I thought they might be more or less the same since they look the same like human.

  I'm a bit disappointed honestly. I thought I might be able to read about Amber's thoughts on Reese when they first met.
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  Erisel

  Brilliant! I thought I loved Amber before, but this just solidified it for me. And learning more about the Imria was a nice plus as well because obviously Adaptation left us hanging on a delightful cliffhanger without much to know about anything. This way, at least, we're a little ahead of Reese in the information game.
• 
  Beth Mitchell

  This is Amber's coming of age (on Kurra) and coming out (on Earth) story. There are hints as to where the larger Adaptation/Inheritance story will go. Excellent writing. I already adored Amber, and now I do even more. Can't wait for the last book!
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  Gina

  This was such a great look at how the different worlds interact. This also added another layer to Amber and made me love her all the more. This insight in Imrien culture was a great way to explain Ambers background and how she functions. 
• 
  Caroline

  This was a good companion piece to Adaptation & Inheritance. It was an interesting short story although it didn't really address the aspects of Imrian society that I was most intrigued by after reading the two full length novels. I would have enjoyed a much further exploration of things like Imrian schooling, food, sports, etc. Basically all the things that make up Earth society, what do their counterparts look like for Imrians? The ritual was interesting but I would have preferred more of that and less of Amber's time on Earth with some shitty teenagers.
• 
  ZaqLovesBooks

  Wow.....I read this automatically after finishing ‘Adaption’. Let me tell you...it’s so nice to see Amber’s side and how life was for her. I now get the title and I love way of Imrians. They change every 15 years. I also like the forward thinking there. I’m sad that she had to lie to everyone else around her . But apparently there’s people, who don’t like strange things or not understanding. I’m so pumped to read ‘Inheritance’ but I’ll be 1000% sad when I’m finished with the duology.
• 
  Stefanie

  A wonderful companion book to Adaptation, this book is set between two worlds, Earth and Kurra. The story follows Amber, who we meet in Adaptation, as she sets off on a journey to find herself in more ways than one.
  
  Natural Selection shows that sometimes the path we are destined to be on may not make sense but can ultimately be for the greater good of our own personal growth.
  
  I give this book 4.5 stars
• 
  Lena

  Life transactions...gender identification.
  
  Perhaps relevant for YA searching for gender Identity. The idea of extraterrestrial life is fascinating...doubtful they can travel back and forth between galaxies like air travel. But - it's science fiction. I suppose anything is possible in the world of not realistic - or believable.
• 
  Bella

  I with there was more in this little book. I would love a series just about Amber.
• 
  Jess Pumphrey

  Short and sweet
• 
  Emily

  3.5 stars
  
  A lovely, little novella giving us a little insight into Amber Gray’s backstory. I really liked learning how Amber Gray became known as Amber Gray. :)
• 
  Linda

  Too short. I felt like it was just getting started. Didn't realize that it is part of a series.Now that I know, I'm not sure that it was compelling enough for me to start the series.
• 
  L E

  Liked learning more about their process of becoming one's self. I have a better understanding of this character.
• 
  Ami

  I was born on Earth, not Kurra. I’m not human,even though I try to be. My people, the Imria, think I’m a little unusual because of that. They call me an Earthsider: as if I’ve crossed a line, chosen a side. Gone native. (p. 15)
  
  Disclaimer: I have never read the other books in this series and this review was written for an MSLIS project.
  
  Natural Selection is a companion book to Malinda Lo’s Adaptation and Inheritance, from the perspective of Amber. It tells the story of what happens in Amber’s 15th year, when she undergoes Kibila’sa, a journey during which she will choose her identity and true name. It alternates between her current life on Kurra where she is preparing for and undergoing Kibila’sa and her past on Earth, where her sexuality is revealed to her best friend on Earth.
  
  A coming-out and coming-of-age novella from the perspective of an alien who doesn’t quite fit in in either society and doesn’t understand why humans on Earth have hangups about gender and sex, Natural Selection is a quick read–only 80 pages–from a unique perspective. Amber’s society doesn’t care about gender when it comes to love and she and many others her age have two fathers and a mother. As a companion piece, Natural Selection works best when combined with Adaptation and Inheritance, but is easy enough to read on its own as well.
  
  There is little to no sexual content or profanity and not much to cause offense in any readers. There is kissing, but nothing more explicity. Natural Selection should be suitable for readers 12 and older.
  
  I liked this novella as a stand-alone piece although I have not read the others in the series. Amber is a compelling character and I liked reading from an alien perspective. Overall, it is a short but engaging read and I would like to read Adaptation and Inheritance in the future.
  
  Star rating: 3/5
• 
  Tez

  Been a long time since I read the ADAPTATION novels, but that's OK because this novella is a backstory for the character of Amber. Excellent world-building by the author, with a look at a key moment event in Amber's life about finding identity.
• 
  Blue M.G.

  I’ve fallen in love with both Adaptation and Inheritance and I feel slightly ashamed that I didn’t hear about this novella until after I finished the second book in the series. I’m not complaining, of course. I’ve been craving to learn more about Amber, even more so when I finished the second book. But, most of all, I wanted to learn more about her home called ‘Kurra’ and this would hopefully hold me over until the third book is released.
  
  Natural Selection focuses on Amber before she met Reese- before the events of Adaptation even happened. This focuses on a fifteen year old Imerian of her experiences on the planet Earth and her experience of going through kibila- as explained in the book description on Goodreads, a traditional Imrian coming-of-age ceremony during which Amber will choose her name and identity for the next fifteen years- side by side. It switches back and forth between Earth and Kurra between each chapter, highlighting just how different and how similar these two places really are.
  
  On Earth we concentrate on Amber (who was known under another name at the time) and her adventure, before she returned back to Kurra, on a school field trip camping with her close friend Morgan. She gushes throughout the story how much she likes Zach although Amber thinks otherwise, but she deals with it… if only if it means she gets to stick close to Morgan herself.
  
  It’s a short book but I feel like that I’ve learned a lot about Amber during this short time with her. She finds herself stuck between two worlds and two cultures. I won’t say much about it, since explaining it would spoil the actual book and it’s worth reading about her yourself rather than hearing about it from a reviewer, but it was interesting to see a glimpse on how she tried to handle things and how she tried to remain herself during the trials.
  
  I will admit, however, that I gushed when she left the trip with a particular necklace similar from one of her teachers showed her: a piece of amber with a piece of curled frond inside of it. Although I doubt that it’s a genuine piece (but I doubt many places who sell items that are ‘genuine’), it clicked in my head on how she decided to change her name to Amber and that despite all the bad that happened during the trip the teacher still influenced her positively.
  
  I still wonder if she returned back to that place to see Morgan and many of her classmates again. But, still, it’s a minor thing and I still loved this little ebook and I can’t wait for the third book. If you have read Adaptation and/ or Inheritance and loved it, I would highly recommend this but it’s not necessary to continue the series. If you want a bit of insight on this secondary character, though, this will be more than just a treat.
  
• 
  Rose

  Novellas aren’t really my thing. I find they tend not to add anything of importance to the overall story, and I usually feel like they’re kind of a waste of time. That said, this is an example of everything novellas should be.
  
  Natural Selection takes place a few years before the events of Adaptation, and follows my favourite character Amber through two very important events in her adolescent life – a middle school camping trip on Earth and a coming-of-age ritual on Kurra. The chapters alternate between both parts of Amber’s life and tell the story of how she chose the name Amber. I loved the integration of Amber’s human and Imrian identities. As an Imrian born and primarily raised on Earth, there is a constant conflict with Amber’s struggle to fit in, something she is incapable of in both settings. On Earth she is forced to contain herself, has to learn to keep out of the emotions of the people around her. She isn’t allowed to be who she really is, but she also stands out from her Imrian peers. Amber’s storyline on Earth really hit home for me, though I’ve never really experienced anything quite like that. I could definitely relate to the inevitable best friend crush every queer girl experiences. They suck, and Amber’s is particularly rough. It made me really feel for her and the difficulty of having to navigate two completely different societies with different sets of acceptable behaviours.
  
  
  The Adaptation series is one I think about on a regular basis. It lingers in my mind and is one of the most memorable series I’ve ever read. I loved returning to this universe and learning more about Amber, whose perspective and history we really don’t learn much of in Reese’s books. It was a quick read that was just what I was in the mood for, and it perfectly struck the balance that novellas have to straddle between adding new and important information without being integral to the plot of the primary novels in the series. I’m definitely glad to have read this, if only to extend one of my favourite series. The fact that I’ve been kind of in love with Amber since Adaptation certainly doesn’t hurt it either. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who was craving a bit more from the Adaptation universe.
• 
  Geo (rain)

  Narrated in the first person by Amber Gray, this was a very enjoyable novella exploring her life before she met Reese, alternating between past and present: in the past, we have Amber in Earth, about to go to a camping trip with her classmates and best friend and secret crush Morgan. In the present, Amber is in Kurra, just about to undergo a ritual expected of the Imria every fifteen years, during which they define their identity to reflect their current lives and it's during this time that she chooses her name.
  
  I loved knowing more about Kurra, Imrian's customs and definitely more about Amber and how she feels about being somewhat different among both the humans and her own people (being an Imrian in Earth and an 'Earthsider' in Kurra). I think she's a very interesting character and reading this made me love her even more. I only wish the other books would have focused more on her!
  
  What confused me a little was her parent's relationship, how does the naming work? Mom is ama and her fathers are aba and ada? What would they call a third dad or a second mom and so on? It would have been nice to get more explanation.
  
  Anyway, despite being so short I definitely enjoyed this much more than the last book. This would be more of a 3.5 rating for me, but I'm giving it 4 because it was very entertaining and because of, well, Amber!
• 
  Lothfleur

  Attention, quelques spoilers sur Adaptation.
  
  Natural Selection est un ajout au monde d'Adaptation qui permet d'en savoir beaucoup plus sur un des personnages principaux du roman. Vous le savez tous déjà, Amber est mon personnage préféré des romans, voire de l'année, tous romans confondus. Je me suis donc jetée sur la novella après la semi déception d'Inheritance.
  Amber est vraiment très humaine en comparaison aux autres, on apprend pourquoi en découvrant son enfance sur Terre en parallèle à une des grandes cérémonies de chez elle. Elle est prise entre deux mondes et son chemin est tout tracé en dépit de ce qu'on veut nous faire croire, c'est frustrant pour elle, mais sa voie est tellement unique qu'on va difficilement le regretter.
  On découvre beaucoup de choses sur Imria, ses coutumes et ses mœurs, c'est passionnant. Et c'est tout aussi captivant d'en apprendre plus sur Amber, ce qui la rend unique et fait d'elle un véritable personnage clef. J'aurais vraiment bien aimé lire Adaptation et Inheritance de son point de vue.
• 
  Heidi

  A fun fast read. It is a coming of age story that handles identity and sexuality in a thoughtful way, which is why I would recommend it. The main character is a teenager reflecting on her slightly younger years discovering attraction and rejection. There is no sexual content, only crushes and emotional vulnerability. It is far more contemplative than action, but the flashbacks add to the tension and help drive the reflective parts of the book forward. I also took away that life is a continual coming of age in that over time individuals change and should have the opportunity to redefine who they are and their purpose. This book feels like it wears a sci-fi skin simply because the main character is an alien. While Lo creates an alien culture that has some differences with earth humans, fundamentally they felt similar enough that it could easily not have been about aliens.