Tuesday, September 13, 2011

The Power of Six by Pittacus Lore

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Description from the book:

"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 the 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 left. 

And I’m ready to fight."



The Power of Six is ripe with action and brings it to you from two sides of the continent as the book pivots back and forth. 

First off we meet Marina and her Cêpan, Adelina, who have found refuge in a convent in a small town is Spain.  They’ve lived there for a number of years and unlike Henri, Adelina seems to have abandoned their mission having taken up living in the cloisters and even adopting their religion as that of her own.  Without Adelina’s guidance and focus on training, Marina has been left to her own devices to figure out who she is and where the others are.  One of the means she adopts to maintain a connection to her heritage is by scouring the Internet for any news of John Smith who she’s convinced is a Lorien.  It’s her ultimate dream to leave this stifling life she has quietly and unhappily endured to go to America and find him.  She’s also desperate to find her Chest that Adelina has hidden from her to prevent her from discovering her inheritance.  In this isolated environment, Marina's Legacies are slowly revealing themselves. However, due to Adelina’s defiance about their true nature, Marina has to learn how to cope on her own. And unfortunately, danger is slowly creeping up on them.  Even all the years of Adelina’s blissful ignorance can’t prevent the awful reality that the Mogadorians have eventually caught up to them.

In the meantime, while attempting to keep a low profile on the run, John, Six and Sam spend their days focused on training, honing their powers and strategizing about how they can retrieve Six’s Chest and learn more about Sam’s dad.  Things also start to get a bit interesting between Six and John as he starts to develop feelings for her.  Confused with guilt he wonders how this can be since he believes as Henri had told him that Loriens have only one true love and his is Sarah.   Plus, Sam has the hots for Six too so that can’t be good especially when you’re living in close quarters. As Six begins to reveal more about her past, she also finds herself in the position of rallying the boys to stay focused on their goal and keep them from straying too far off course.  In a way, she kind of becomes the surrogate Cêpan.

Action is never far off and reading this made me want to watch I Am Number Four again.  Even if it deviated significantly from the book, it was still fun.  And we have to admit how very, very hot Alex Pettyfer is.  BiblioJunkies Nat and I have a massive crush on him but I digress… 

I was slightly annoyed with John’s constant pining for Sarah - may be because I was more interested in the dynamics between John, Six and Sam.  I get it.  He’s in love and misses her but for a guy who should understand the importance of remaining on the down low, he makes some stupid choices.  I know it's not fair to expect our heroes to be infallible but thank god for Six and her bluntness and Sam for his good-natured sweetness and dedication to his friends.  The Power of Six is a quick, enjoyable read that moves at a steady pace.  Now the excruciating wait for what happens next.




I Am Number Four: The Lost Files: Six's Legacy by Pittacus Lore

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If you have the chance, I highly recommend this.  It fills in the gaps before Six met up with John and has plenty of action to boot.  You learn more about her life with her Cêpan, Katarina and see how she gained her impressive discipline and survival skills.  It makes for a nice comparison too of how each of the Numbers was raised.  Aside from Six, you also get a better glimpse of the creepy Mogadorians and their secret lair.  It's not pretty.

In case you’re wondering, it’s not necessary to read this before Power of Six. You’ll still be able to enjoy it either way.  Once you're finished with both books, you'll be excited about the possibilities that lie ahead once all the members of the Garde finally come together. And you’ll absolutely love how Six becomes the bad ass we know and admire!

~ Bel




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