The Power of Six by Pittacus Lore Review

Title: The Power of Six (Lorien Legacies #2)

Author: Pittacus Lore, James Frey, Jobie Hughes

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Science Fiction

Page Count: 406 pages

Publish Date: August 23, 2011

Book Type: Library Hardback

Publisher: HarperCollins

ISBN: 9780061974557

From Goodreads: I've seen him on the news. Followed the stories about what happened in Ohio. John Smith, out there, on the run. To the world, he's a mystery. But to me . . . he's one of us.

Nine of us came here, but sometimes I wonder if time has changed us—if we all still believe in our mission. How can I know? There are six of us left. We're hiding, blending in, avoiding contact with one another . . . but our Legacies are developing, and soon we'll be equipped to fight. Is John Number Four, and is his appearance the sign I've been waiting for? And what about Number Five and Six? Could one of them be the raven-haired girl with the stormy eyes from my dreams? The girl with powers that are beyond anything I could ever imagine? The girl who may be strong enough to bring the six of us together?

They caught Number One in Malaysia.

Number Two in England.

And Number Three in Kenya.

They tried to catch Number Four in Ohio—and failed.

I am Number Seven. One of six still alive.

And I'm ready to fight.

My Review: Like I Am Number Four, this one has a pretty cool cover. Very sci-fi. However, it did throw me because I assumed this book would be mainly about Six. I guess I didn’t read the description. Hah. Good one.

I’ll start by saying that I actually enjoyed this a lot more than the first in the series. I didn’t not enjoy the first one... I was just middling on it. This one I was actually pleasantly pleased with. Some of the aspects in the first that were a bit confusing made much more sense in this one and I found that I remembered many more details than I thought I would. I loved how this one had a lot more action and mystery. 

I also loved how the characters were fleshed out more, while we were still introduced to some new ones. I really like Six and I’m glad she was heavily featured. Sam will always be one of my favorite characters. He’s human and basically amazing. Four is such a flawed character, which is nice to see in a main character. He makes some really dumb decisions, but they are decisions I can kind of understand. Four, Six, and Sam make a pretty amazing trio. I’m kind of glad Sarah wasn’t around. Her relationship with Four is kind of mediocre to me. 

The Power of Six is told in alternating points of view--John (Number Four) and Marina (Number Seven). The writing style was very effective for this book. Just when something major would happen, the points of view would shift so the reader is left wondering what is going on with the other character. It kept me reading late into the night!

Overall, this is a pretty action packed book. There are numerous battles, adventures, and even deaths. Now I’m looking forward to the next one!

P.S. Bernie Kosar is still awesome. :)

What do you think of this series?

Top 10 Characters in 2011

Here I am with my Top 10 Characters in 2011! I cheated a little bit and chose some ensembles from books. Oops.

1. The characters from the Jack Daniels series by J.A. Konrath

Jack Daniels, Phineas Troutt, Harry McGlade, Herb Benedict--I love you all. If I remembered all of your names, that means I really loved you all. 

2. The Warden from the Escape from Furnace series 

by Alexander Gordon Smith

You’re a super creep, but it’s awesome.

3. A from the Pretty Little Liars series by Sara Shepard

This series would be nothing without you and your penchant for leaving weird notes.

4. Wendell from the Hero series by Jaime Buckley

Come back into my life! I miss you and your self-deprecating humor.

5. All of the people who submitted to 

Dear Mr. Potter: Letters of Love, Loss, and Magic 

edited by Lily Zalon

You all made my life. I will cherish this book until the end of time.

6. Benny and Tom Imura from the 

Rot & Ruin series by Jonathan Maberry

Such a good team. I never thought I would like zombie books. This is huge.

7. The boys from The Maze Runner series by James Dashner

I need to read the final book... like yesterday.

8. The desk from Cryer’s Cross by Lisa McMann

You are also a super creep.

9. Bernie Kosar from the I Am Number Four series by Pittacus Lore

I love you.

10. Sean Griswold’s Head from 

Sean Griswold’s Head by Lindsey Leavitt

Never has the back of someone’s head inspired so much thought.

There you go! Who were your favorite characters from 2011?

I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore Review

Title: I Am Number Four

Author: Pittacus Lore

Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Fantasy

Page Count: 448 pages/467 KB

Book Type: Kindle ebook

Publisher: HarperCollins

ISBN: 9780061969559

ASIN: B003SE75ZS

Picture from Amazon

From Goodreads: In the beginning they were a group of nine. Nine aliens who left their home planet of Lorien when it fell under attack by the evil Mogadorian. Nine aliens who scattered on Earth. Nine aliens who look like ordinary teenagers living ordinary lives, but who have extraordinary, paranormal skills. Nine aliens who might be sitting next to you now. 

The Nine had to separate and go into hiding. The Mogadorian caught Number One in Malaysia, Number Two in England, and Number Three in Kenya. All of them were killed. John Smith, of Paradise, Ohio, is Number Four. He knows that he is next. 

I AM NUMBER FOUR is the thrilling launch of a series about an exceptional group of teens as they struggle to outrun their past, discover their future—and live a normal life on Earth. 

I AM NUMBER FOUR. 

I AM NEXT.

My Review: The cover for this one is pretty cool. The orange and yellow are really attention getting. I like how it has the tagline, “THREE ARE DEAD.” above the title. It was what really caught my attention first. Then I saw all of the movie trailers and knew I had to check this book out. I haven’t seen the movie yet, but I am sure I will at some point.

Sometimes this book felt predictable and at other times I had no idea what was going on/what was going to happen. The not knowing what was going on part wasn’t necessarily a good thing because at times it left me confused and the plot seemed random. The dog was adorable, but I had him figured out from the start. There were some interesting things with bullies and them not being who you thought at first. It was nice how everyone had some redeeming qualities.

I am eager to see the movie because, honestly, it seems like a story that would work better on the screen than on the pages. Six was my favorite character, so perhaps I will like the next book more?

Now to go on a little rant. I am not too pleased with James Frey’s little fiction factory he has going on. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, you can freshen up here. I really just feel bad for the authors. I’m sure I would have been suckered into a less than satisfactory deal if I desperately wanted to get published and had student loans looming over my head. It seems so silly to me that the authors cannot get credit for their work. If Frey wants to be an agent, then that is fine. I just don’t understand why he would feel the need to take recognition away from these authors. It just kind of sucks for them and makes me feel a bit guilty that I read this book.  

Have any of you seen the movie? Do you prefer the movie or the book? What are your thoughts on James Frey? Let me know in the comments!