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

A Peek in the Biblio-Bin - #1

We have been wanting to take part in The Story Siren's In My Mailbox for a while now but have been stumped on a very important requirement.  The name of our weekly post.  We wanted to switch it up a little.  After a fun evening of meeting Sophie Jordan and Tera Lynn Childs, (who by the way were totally AWESOME!!!) Bibliojunkie Bel blurt out in the car "Biblio-Bin!"  And there it was.  The stroke of genius we were waiting for.  

This week Bel is giving you a peek into her section of the Biblio-Bin.  

Libby Kelting had always felt herself born out of time. No wonder the historical romance-reading, Jane Austen-adaptation-watching, all-around history nerd jumped at the chance to intern at Camden Harbor, Maine’s Oldest Living History Museum.

But at Camden Harbor Libby’s just plain out of place, no matter how cute she looks in a corset. Her cat-loving coworker hates her, the geeky local reporter keeps pushing her buttons, the sailor she's dating is more shipwreck than dreamboat, and Camden Harbor might be haunted.

Over the course of one unforgettable summer, Libby learns that boys, like ghosts, aren’t always what they seem.

If she’d waited less than two weeks, she’d be June who died in June. But I guess my sister didn’t consider that.

When Harper Scott’s older sister, June, takes her own life a week before her high school graduation, sixteen-year-old Harper is devastated. Everyone’s sorry, but no one can explain why.

When her divorcing parents decide to split up her sister’s ashes, Harper takes matters into her own hands. She'll steal the urn and drive cross-country with her best friend, Laney, to the one place June always dreamed of going—California.

Enter Jake Tolan. He's a boy with a bad attitude, a classic-rock obsession…and an unknown connection to June. So when he insists on joining them, Harper's just desperate enough to let him. With his alternately charming and infuriating demeanor and his belief that music can see you through anything, he might be exactly what she needs. Except...Jake's keeping a secret that has the power to turn Harper's life upside down—again.

To save the life of the boy she loves, Jacinda did the unthinkable: She betrayed the most closely-guarded secret of her kind. Now she must return to the protection of her pride knowing she might never see Will again—and worse, that because his mind has been shaded, Will's memories of that fateful night and why she had to flee are gone.

Back home, Jacinda is greeted with hostility and must work to prove her loyalty for both her sake and her family's. Among the few who will even talk to her are Cassian, the pride's heir apparent who has always wanted her, and her sister, Tamra, who has been forever changed by a twist of fate. Jacinda knows that she should forget Will and move on—that if he managed to remember and keep his promise to find her, it would only endanger them both. Yet she clings to the hope that someday they will be together again. When the chance arrives to follow her heart, will she risk everything for love?

In bestselling author Sophie Jordan's dramatic follow-up to Firelight, forbidden love burns brighter than ever.

Number Six—when John meets her in I Am Number Four she’s strong, powerful, and ready to fight. But who is she? Where has she been living? How has she been training? When did she develop her legacies? And how does she know so much about the Mogadorians?

In I Am Number Four: The Lost Files: Six’s Legacy, discover the story behind Six. Before Paradise, Ohio, before John Smith, Six was traveling through West Texas with her CÊpan, Katarina. What happened there would change Six forever….

How about you?  What books did you acquire this week?