Author: Pittacus Lore
Publisher: Penguin
Released: August 23rd 2011
Pages: 380 (Hardback)
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US
Add on 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.
You know, nowadays I'm usually quite apprehensive when it comes to sequels, especially if their prequel was amazing. I Am Number Four blew me away - it was from a male point of view, yet I could relate to him perfectly and found myself sucked into his crazy reality. Luckily, The Power of Six held exactly the same grip as its predecessor, and I found myself skipping revision in order to read more. If you haven't read the first book, then beware spoilers.
For those who aren't familiar with the series, the story is set when an alien planet known as Lorien is attacked by its rivals, the Mogadorians. Knowing that there is no hope at winning just yet, a spacecraft containing nine Garde and nine Cêpan is sent to Earth. There, these eighteen aliens split off and hide around the world, biding their time and avoiding detection until the nine Garde are ready - ready to fight and win back their planet. In I Am Number Four, the reader follows the fourth Garde, John Smith, as he and his Cêpan Henri flee to the quiet town of Paradise. However, the Mogadorians are closer than they believe, and John finds himself and his new friends fighting hopelessly impossible creatures as they try to keep him alive. By the end of the novel, Number Six has found John, and the two of them plus Sam Goode and Bernie Kosar - a chimæra from Lorien - go on a hunt to find the other four remaining Garde so they can combine together to defeat the enemy once and for all. The Power of Six follows them on this journey as well as introducing the POV of Number Seven, Marina.
It's needless to say that the character development was flawless. Each character was distinct by how they were written, and despite the sci-fi elements they are incredibly relatable - halfway through the book, and it feels like these aliens with amazing superpowers are friends you have known since forever. I loved that we got to have a closer look at Six (I adore her badass personality!), but I loved even more how we started to hear from another one of the Garde - John is great, but throughout the novels you are dying for more of the Garde to show themselves, so when they do you kind of can't help but celebrate. I thought Marina was a fantastic balance against Six and John, as each of the Garde we have met so far have very different personalities, which I think helps with the relatability. I also thought it was pretty cool how these male authors managed to get inside a teenage girl's head - alien or not, the way she spoke and the things she thought about mimicked my own traits, and I'm sure many others felt the same way.
As I said in my I Am Number Four review, the entire backstory for this series is amazing. It is so carefully thought out, and the depth and precision that has gone into it is evident. I Am Number Four was the first alien book that I had ever read, and it completely got me hooked on the sci-fi genre...or more hooked than I already was. It's a commonly asked question, whether aliens are out there or not, and I think the two authors played on beliefs surrounding the issue and brought it to life in the most fantastic way. The writing was flawless - not to complicated, but advanced enough to grip the reader; the pace was excellent, as the reader was fed just the right amount of information to keep them placated, but not so much so that the plot was obvious; the structure was balanced, and the two POV's paces rose and fell together which helped to build the tension. At the end, the cliffhanger was ever so slightly torturous, but all the questions reader's had carried over from the previous book were answered, and I'm sure the same thing will happen in The Rise of Nine, the third instalment to the Lorien Legacies.
Overall, I really did enjoy this book. I wouldn't say I liked it more or less than the other book, as I think the plots were just as thick and just as gripping - this series has so far showed to be balanced, and I've got my fingers crossed that the next book will not disappoint. However, I'm not sure it could. I know there is a bit of controversy over one of the real co-authors, James Frey, but I have to say that despite any doubts you may harbour, I really recommend trying out this series. The Lorien Legacies are unlike any other series out there, and so far seem to contain all the factors that make up a brilliant series.
Rating: 5/5
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