Book 9: Inside the Illusion
Narrator: Senna
My rating:
This is Senna’s story. From the unloved love-child to the powerful witch-key of Everworld, Senna’s hunger for power and control is evident in everything she does. An outsider, she’s wary of betrayal at every moment – because she is the ultimate betrayer.
Senna’s story is one I’ve always loved. I love seeing the world from her twisted point of view. I’d like to note that Senna’s voice in this book is very similar to Mean Rachel from Animorphs #32: The Separation, which is one of the only Animorphs books Applegate wrote during the ghost-writer phase after #26 – except that of course, Senna’s not dangerously out of control and wildly reckless, but the voice is still similar. It’s still got that massive sense of entitlement, with completely no shame at anything she does and an incessant hatred towards those she might not be able to control.
Senna and the others are on their way to find Senna’s mother, the only person Senna says can open the door for the Coo-Hatch into a different universe. I’m still not sure if this is true, or if Senna was just saying so to a) meet her mother again or b) make sure she wasn’t the one to be used as the key. Basically Senna will say or do anything to keep people off-balance, and I can never tell if she’s lying or not. Betrayal runs in her veins, but at least we get to see more of her backstory – how she ended up as April’s illegitimate sister, how her entitlement twisted her soul into something terrifying, how her aloofness was more than a defence mechanism, and born out of sheer jealousy. Her home life was no piece of cake, to be sure, but it’s the age-old nature vs nurture debate – was it the way April’s mother treated Senna, or was it Senna herself that was the problem?
I believe it was Senna herself, because after all, when she does find her mother in EverWorld she can’t help but fuck everything up by betraying her.
This is why I love reading the point of view of the so-called villain… she’s not simply a lost little girl, she’s a very powerful witch, and she has plans that extend beyond what we’ve seen of the series so far. She’s strong and capable and she will fuck you up if you mess with her.
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About Nemo
A lover of kittens and all things sparkly, Nemo has a degree in English Literature and specialises in reviewing contemporary, paranormal, mystery/thriller, historical, sci-fi and fantasy Young Adult fiction. She is especially drawn to novels about princesses, strong female friendships, magical powers, and assassins.
