Review: The Power of Six by Pittacus Lore

The Power of Six by Pittacus Lore
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars


Synopsis from Goodreads:
We are the last defence. I've seen him on the news. Followed the stories about what happened to John Smith. 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. 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 ready 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 might 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. And I'm ready to fight. 

Book 2 in the Lorien Legacies series
I loved The Power of Six way more than I Am Number Four and I'm annoyed at myself that it's taken me so long to get around to reading it. This book dives straight into the action without needing the preamble of the explanations about Lorien and the Nine.

What I loved most about it was the switching between the two parallel storylines of number four John and and the new narrative of number seven Marina. With John on the run in America and Marina hiding in a convent in Spain suspecting she has been discovered by the Mogadorians, there was always something happening, and it felt like each chapter ended on a cliff-hanger and there was a wait to find out what had happened while the narrative switched back to the other story. Their lives are so vastly different that it felt like two novels rolled into one. The story is a wonderful mixture of these alien powers and technology, then the drama of John living and hiding on the road in America, and then this remote old-world mediterrainean nunnery.

I also enjoyed the relationships between all the characters. John, Sam and Six have a complex bond between them, looking out for each other and living in each other's pockets. Sam has a massive crush on Six, but John and Six have so much more in common and banter with each other and make plans so easily, causing a little friction between John and Sam. And Marina has grown up in such an isolated community on the other side of the world, with just a few close friends and a very conflicted relationship with her Cepan Adelina.

The other thing that was interesting was seeing how different the relationships were between the Nine and each of their Cepan's (guardians). John and Henri had a relationship like father and son, and Henri was always desperate to keep running, keep hidden and stay safe and under the radar. In comparison, Six and her Cepan trained constantly in defense, were always trying to find the other Nine and trying to fight back against the Mogadorians. Their relationship was like a soldier and a general. Marina and her Cepan in Spain seem to have had the hardest time adapting to living on Earth, and we learn that after starving on the streets, Marina and Adelina eventually set themselves up to live in a convent school, with Adelina saying that their old life was a fairystory and denying that Lorien even existed.

Marina, John and Six are all developing their powers and discovering new ones, and the focus is turning not just on trying to hide away and keep hidden, but to start to make contact with each other again, and to start to fight back. The story feels like it is building up and gaining momentum right up to the end. They are having to involve more humans in their war, and develop alliances, all under the radar of the Mogadorians. There are a few new twists and surprises, tons of action and not a dull moment.

At all times it was an intense fast-paced ride, but also heartfelt, and dramatic, and there is always something going on. Even readers who are not traditionally fans of sci-fi will like this, for it's emotion, it's focus on the characters, and the action of the story. There is the constant fear of being hunted, and the emotion of falling in love. I loved this. I was completely addicted reading this book- always wanting to read just a little bit more, when I was supposed to be getting ready for work! This is a great story that had me utterly hooked.


Rest of the series:

Book 1- I Am Number Four (My rating- 4 of 5 stars)
Book 3- The Rise of the Nine (Due to be published August 2012)