Until the day I met John Smith, Number Four, I’d been on the run alone, hiding and fighting to stay alive. Together, we are much more powerful. But it could only last so long before we had to separate to find the others. I went to Spain to find Seven, and I found even more, including a tenth member of the Garde who escaped from Lorien alive. Ella is younger than the rest of us, but just as brave. Now we’re looking for the others–including John. But so are they.
So far in the Lorien Legacies we have met up with some interesting characters. Both alien and human; Lorien and Mogadorian and of course the trusty four-footer, two winged chimaera. The Numbers met include: Four, Six, Seven and Nine. Four being more the main protagonist has met up with his friend from Paradise Ohio, Sam.
Overall I found I am Number Four rather clichéd, with the relations of Four and Sarah and the whole high school scene. But this was turned around by how the story took off in The Power of Six. Featuring great overall development of the plot line and the changes in point of view in storytelling from the different Numbers. Similarly Seven had been given a great development and an interesting personality. In The Rise of Nine this is, to my pleasure, continued. Now the storyline is divided in featuring Four and Nine as a group and Seven, Six and Ten. Now some might say Ten? Well you have to read the book to figure this out! A nice twist given by her introduction. Again this division did great things for the overall pacing and creating interest in the world of The Lorien Legacies. Following Four and Nine, who are determined to free Sam and get their Chests back from the Mogadorians, reveals more about Nine. Although he made a short appearance in The Power of Six, his story in slowly being told. And I was more than pleased that similarly to Seven, Nine also has a unique personality, be it more cocky, later when you get to know him better his personality switches to a more overall guardian true to his Garde Legacy. Nine’s Legacy, like all the other Garde is more than cool, and he doesn’t hesitate from showing them. In their quest Four and Nine have some funny dialogue and scenes in which they are placed and you see that they are quite the opposite in personality, where Four is somewhat more reserved and careful, Nine often faces situation head-on. In the end each character is unique and on one part they complement each other but there is also a polarity between them.
Going to the other side of the world. There are Six and Seven, Ten and Crayton. I mentioned that I had high hopes for Crayton and couldn’t put a finger on him whether his cause was just. Well I found it too bad that Crayton is more or less discarded pretty easily and found that his addition into the Lorien Legacies left something to be desired. Pittacus Lore could have used him to give a nice ring to the story but his premature death adds nothing. Six Seven and Ten, in their own quest searching for other Numbers get placed in their own perils. Six and Seven were already greatly developed and fall into the background. Instead Ten and another Number are focused on. I especially liked the sort of transformation that Ten underwent from a pretty scared girl to a more confident girl.
And then there is finally the introduction of the villain; Setrákus Ra, a powerful Mogadorian. Even with his introduction the powers of the Mogadorians remain pretty much illusive. Revealing only a blue shield, which Four touches and passes out as well as the whip that he utilizes. The motive of the Mogadorians still remains to kill the Numbers but in The Rise of Nine another alliance becomes clear, that of the US government and the Mogadorians. I am very curious on how this alliance will end up. The Mogadorians promised them weaponry and knowledge about other habitable planes. But a quick history lesson reveals that the Mogadrians take over habitable planets and eventually destroy them.. so will this alliance backfire in the end?
Looking back at all three books, the Garde and the Cepans are always on the run and fighting of the Mogadorians. In the beginning this was a nice idea. In being on the run there was a nice character development and it was a cool display of the legacy powers each Number had. But for me as the story progresses I think there is a certain trend developing. Each time the Numbers open a chest or just hideout for a few days they are suddenly discovered by the Mogadorians and this encounter ends up with the death of a Cepan and the escape of the Garde. Always in a flashy manner. I hope that this will change in the books to come. Now that most of the Numbers are found their final plan can come to fruition they only need to find the last one.
The Rise of Nine is great addition, featuring funny and witty dialogue between Four and Nine. Full-tilt action in India with Six, Seven and Ten. And with the revealing of a the Mogadorian Setrákus Ra, there are enough aspects to keep the story lively and enjoyable. I only hope that in the books to come, now with most of the numbers as a team, that Pittacus Lore will steer away from the hiding->fighting->running cycle and shows what the Numbers are truly made off!
Thanks to Penguin Books for providing me with the review copy.