Book Review: I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore

"Nine of us came here. We look like you. We talk like you. We live among you. But we are not you. We can do things you dream of doing. We have powers you dream of having. We are stronger and faster than anything you have ever seen. We are the superheroes you worship in movies and comic books—but we are real.

They killed Number One in Malaysia.

Number Two in England.

And Number Three in Kenya.

I am Number Four.

I'm next." (Goodreads)

BOOK SPECS:

Number of pages: 374

Format: Paperback

Genre: YA Fantasy, Science Fiction, Action

Tropes: Aliens, Good vs. Evil

SHORT REVIEW:

While I Am Number Four has an interesting plot, I enjoyed the movie version more than the book. Having said that, I am curious to read the second book in the series: The Power of Six as there were a lot of questions left unanswered. Problem is... I'm not sure I like YA Fantasy enough to make the investment. There are seven books in the Lorien Legacies series, 15 on the Lorien Legacies - The Lost Files spinoff, and another three on the Lorien Legacies Reborn. So I think I might stick to romance, but if you're a big Fantasy fan, go forth and conquer.

HEART RATE:

SMUT SCORE:

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FULL REVIEW:

Plot & Characters

While aliens living on Earth is not a new concept for a storyline, the characters are good and the plot is really interesting.

I loved the fact this book was action packed from the word go. There is nothing worse than having to read 200 pages before the story actually gets going. I can assure you this is not a problem here. With so much action, it is not really surprising this book has a strong male following and made it to the big screen. I also enjoyed how it makes you paranoid. I actually dreamed of aliens while reading it!

What was fundamentally off for me was the lack of emotions. I am one of those annoying people who likes to feel what happens in a story as if it was happening to me. I like to laugh, cheer, cry, get angry and heart-broken, and even though this book has moments where I should have been able to do exactly that, it just did not happen. The way it is written is so straight forward and to the point that I didn't have time to feel upset or happy about anything.

There were also a lot of questions left unanswered: why do the Mogadorians - the evil aliens - care if nine Lorics escaped? Why would they care if they went back to repopulate the planet as it sounds like the Mogadorians themselves are no longer there and the planet is desolate? This, of course, was done on purpose, as this series now has several books and spinoffs.

Smut & Romance Score

While there is a love story brewing in this book, it most definitely takes backseat to the action arc. It's really a subplot rather than the main attraction. If you are a romance fan, you will also notice how quickly John gets his girl. We all know the best part of a relationship is the chase, and in I Am Number Four he not only doesn't chase much, but Sarah, his love interest, is also the one that comes to him. The romance arc is really all wrapped and done by the first quarter of the book. And as the romance is not the main story arc and this is an YA series, you get kisses but no smut.

Writing

It was nice to read the story from a male point of view. However, I found myself drifting and wanting to jump pages. I thought, maybe, it was because I was so taken by the last book I read before this one and still had the story on my mind, but then I realised that I Am Number Four feels more like reading a script than reading prose, and you do wonder if the book was based on the script rather than the other way around.

So all-in-one, an action packed novel that you will enjoy reading if you like fast-paced action, but not really a romance novel.

OUT OF CURIOSITY:

Pittacus Lore is actually a pseudonym for co-authors Jobie Hughes and James Frey. 

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