Title:
The Power of Six
Author: Pittacus Lore
Rating: 1 star
Summary: 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.
Review: I'm done with this series. If my boredom with the story had been the only issue, it wouldn't have received such a low rating. But it was definitely not the only issue. The book started off with first-person point of view of Marina, number seven. I preferred Marina to John, so all was good until a chapter began with first-person POV of John, without any warning. I was extremely confused because I thought Marina was still talking. I would have been mildly aggravated but okay with this had the situation not become worse. In the middle of a chapter, the POV switched. One paragraph we're prancing around in Spain, the next paragraph we're fighting Mogs in America. There's no indication of any switch, just the start of a new paragraph. I refuse to put up with that kind of stupidity.
Title:
I am Number Four
Author: Pittacus Lore
Rating: 3 stars
Summary: There were nine. Three are dead. I Am Number Four.
Nine teenagers and their guardians are hiding on Earth... protected by a charm that means they can only be killed in numeric order, three are already dead. John Smith is Number Four. And his mortal enemies, the Mogadorian, are hunting him down.
The only way to keep off radar is to keep moving, never staying in one place for long. Finally in the firing line, all he can do is adopt the guise of a student and pray his unusual gifts—his legacies home; Planet Lorien—stay hidden long enough for him to settle into this new community.
But others seem to sense his otherness and when small-town life sucks him into its intrigues, it’s only a matter of time before his true nature is revealed. And that means there’s no space for love, friendship or a future if it means protecting not only himself, but the other five...
Review: I’ve had mediocre experiences with alien books in the past,
and never really expected to find one that I liked. It might have been because
this book is similar to some fantasy fiction books: people with special powers
have to leave their homes and they try to blend into the human world while
being hunted by their enemies. But what is the main character’s real name? He
gets a new name for each location he moves to, and during the book he is John.
That’s not his real name, though Henri calls him that even when they’re alone.
They call the sixth girl “Six”, but the numbers aren’t their names because the
kids had to have had names before they left for Earth. I couldn't help but laugh when I found out that the author named the Great Elder after himself. Sarah was a pointless character: she was just an empty-headed Barbie doll meant to do nothing but be a love interest. I am interested in seeing the movie, but the main character is played by the same guy who played Kyle in the horrible tragedy that is the movie version of Beastly. I would like to, just once, watch the movie interpretation of a book without wanted to scream at everyone involved in the production.
