[YA/Science Fiction Review] The Power of Six by Pittacus Lore

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.

Yes!  This is what I wanted I Am Number Four to be – action-packed, quick with a great story and…better writing.

Warning: this review will contain some spoilers from the first book.

So John, Sam and Six are on the run from the Mogs after destroying the high school, leaving behind loved ones, friends, and everything they (well, Sam) know.  Henri has died in battle, and John has left Sarah behind with the promise of his return.  The three are meandering through the eastern part of the country, trying to heal, develop their legacies and not get caught.  Meanwhile, in Spain…

Marina has been at Santa Theresa for years, having sought refuge there with her Cepan when they had no other place to go.  But she’s tired of pretending, and she furiously follows the coverage of John’s whereabouts on news websites whenever she can.  Her Cepan has forgotten their mission, and Marina feels like all has been left to her…she feels desperate and alone.  Alone can mean disaster when your Cepan doesn’t teach you enough about caution…

I can’t express my disappointment enough in I Am Number Four.  I told you that I really liked the story, but I really disliked the writing, and compared it to that of a grade school child.  I still maintain that it was pretty terrible writing over a really great story.

But somewhere, somehow, the Pittacus Lore writing team found an editor.  And with that editor, they polished up and pushed out a follow-up that kicks and punches right along with its characters to the point where I had a hard time putting it down.  Such a big change from the last one.

Pittacus Lore really grows the characters in The Power of Six.  John, Sam and Six become inseparable in my mind, although they do form an awkward little triangle that I’m not sure I’m comfortable with…or that makes a whole lot of sense to me.  Is John fickle or just a terrible friend?  I’ll leave that for you to decide.

I also mentioned in my first review that I wanted to see the disappearance of Sam’s father explored further.   Lore gave me a total delight and tie-in I never saw coming!  To find out exactly how Mr. Goode is involved in everything tickled me, and I am absolutely dying to read the last book now to find out more about that storyline (I stupidly gave it to my co-reviewer to read & review, so now I have to wait!).

The inclusion of Marina has a narrator was interesting, albeit confusing.  There was no real reference to narration changes throughout chapters, other than a very slight font change that was hard to notice, and I would sometimes be several paragraphs in to a “Marina” chapter before I realized the POV had changed.  Dual-narration has annoyed me in the past, especially when it isn’t done well, and I can’t say it was done well this time.  A call-out would have helped ground me to which character I was “in” but in the end, I did figure it out.

The action is super-packed throughout The Power of Six, it is definitely not lacking in action!  I felt like every time I turned the page, someone was fighting off a Mog, or the police were throwing people around and the general tone of the story was very frenetic and urgent.  In fact, I feel frantic just thinking that I have to wait to read it.  Hurry up, Amanda!  :)

Quote

This is my curse, that every time I dream of Henri I’m forced to watch him die.  Over and over again.

Other posts with a 4 star rating

• ARC: Abandon (Possession #3) by Elana Johnson
• [Young Adult/Paranormal Review] Reaper by L.S. Murphy
• The Devil’s Heart (Chattan Curse #3) by Cathy Maxwell

About Jennifer @ The Bawdy Book Blog

Jennifer became addicted to books when she randomly picked up a Sweet Valley High book in grade school. She never looked back. After blowing through the SVH and SVU series faster than her parents could put them in her hands, she began perusing her stepfather's bookshelves and reading fantasy like Piers Anthony's Incarnations of Immortality series, which she still maintains is some of the best fantasy ever. She collects books like the Duggar family collects kids.

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