Review: The Power of Six by Pittacus Lore

Publisher: HarperCollins

Publication Date: August 23rd, 2011

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.

(Courtesy of Goodreads)

I was really disappointed with this book... I don't know if it's because the book actually sucked (which I suspect is the case), or if it's because I had such high expectations based on the first book, but I felt seriously let down after reading it.  I almost gave up on it several times, but I couldn't because I paid good money for it.  I typically read four books per week, and this book took me over a week to get through.  I just could not get into it enough to care.

I loved I Am Number Four, the first book in The Lorien Legacies series.  I thought it was paced well, had likable characters, and enough action to fill three books.  I read it quickly and waited, holding my breath, for the launch of book #2.  I really liked Number Six and was looking forward to reading her story.  Except that The Power of Six was not Six's story at all, it was the story of a girl named Marina, also known as Number Seven, and I just didn't find her all that interesting.  The "adventures" of Four, Six, and Sam seemed like filler, and I didn't feel an attachment to any of them like I did in the first book.  The first half of the book dragged horribly.  After that, it picked up some, but it was not until the final 100 pages that it really got good.  I will actually give it one more star than I would have for it's ending; because of it, I actually have hope the the third book will be worth reading.  I will give it a shot because I liked book #1 so much, but if it's as disappointing as this one was, it will be my last of this series.  Oh, and I will definitely get it from the library...

I cannot, for the life of me, understand why this book has a 4+ star rating on Goodreads. I usually find Goodreads so reliable, but in this case, I wholeheartedly disagree.  If you still want to read this book after reading my review, please go into it with LOW expectations...

If you want to read a really funny and creative review that pretty much sums up this book, click HERE, but be forewarned, it has spoilers.

My Rating: ★ ★  

Grade Level Recommendation:  Well, difficulty-wise, I would put this book at 3rd grade (maybe).  Content-wise, 5th grade and up (ages 10+).  There's no real objectionable content other than the whole video-game-like violence thing.

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