Review: I Am Number Four

Title: I Am Number Four
Author: Pittacus Lore
Publisher: Harper Collins
Pages: 440
Series: Lorien Legacies #1
Rating: 4.5 stars
From the book jacket:
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.

Our plan was to grow, and train, and become strong, and become one, and fight them. But they found us and started hunting us first. Now all of us are running. Spending our lives in shadows, in places where no one would look, blending in. We have lived among you without you knowing.

But they know.

They caught Number One in Malaysia. Number Two in England. And Number Three in Kenya.

I am Number Four.

I am next.

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When I first picked up this book at Barnes & Noble and read the jacket cover, I thought it looked fascinating. Now that I've read it, I can say that I was absolutely right.

The author, using the pseudonym Pittacus Lore, wastes no time in plunging readers into the story of the Loric people and the Mogadorians. Lorien and Mogadore are two of the eighteen life-sustaining planets in the universe. The closest one to them is Earth. Nine Loric children and their guardians (called Cêpan) traveled to Earth after the Mogadorians destroyed their planet. These nine children are the future of Lorien, its only hope of someday being restored to what it once was. They are protected by a charm, so they can only be killed in order. One, Two, and Three are dead. Four - alias John Smith - knows he is next on the list.

There's one problem. John and his Cêpan, Henri, are living comfortably in Paradise, Ohio, and John has started fitting in for the first time ever. He's also come closer than ever to revealing who he really is, because he's receiving his Legacies - the "superpowers" that come naturally to Loric Garde (the ones who aren't Cêpan). He has a girlfriend, Sarah, a best friend, Sam, and a life that he actually doesn't want to leave. Enter the Mogadorians.

The action in this book was incredibly intense. Once I started, I did not want to stop - I had to keep going and find out what happened next. I'm not sure when Book 2 comes out (although according to the website, it will be called The Power of Six), but as soon as it does, I want to read it. I Am Number Four is coming out as a movie (starring Alex Pettyfer and Dianna Agron) on February 18, and I want to see it so I can see what they did with it, although rumor is it's quite different from the book. At any rate, the insane action in the book should translate really well to film.

But I digress. The plot was amazing, sure, but the characters were great. I love Henri, and Sarah, and Sam, and Six (S, S, S, haha), and of course John is the star of the show. I wish a couple of them had been developed a little more, but the cast is still amazing and they just came to life in my mind. Love, love, love.

Long story short: READ THIS BOOK. My one complaint is that the writing got to be a little more tell than show in one or two places and I wanted more of the characters, but aside from that, this is the best sci-fi action novel I've read in a long time and among the best novels overall that I've read recently, too. It's so awesome!

Links: 
Official Lorien Legacies website

Happy Halloween!

Hey guys! In case anybody missed it, it's October 31 - Happy Halloween!


Yeah, look at me being all colorful. Fun fun. :D

If you haven't been keeping up with Book Spooks at WORD for Teens, today would be a good day to go catch up on Nicole's awesome posts about authors, books, and Halloween. I know there are a lot of other book bloggers doing Halloween events as well, so you won't have to look too hard to find stuff going on.

I'm celebrating Halloween by eating too much candy, handing out candy to little kids, and preparing for the onset of November (where are my fellow NaNo-ers? Leave me a comment or add "chameleon_bex" to your writing buddies!)(If you missed it, I'm super excited about NaNoWriMo). Also finally starting Beautiful Darkness! And, okay, yeah, a little bit of homework.

But anyway, here's wishing all of you a wonderful holiday with entirely too much sugar and lots and lots of fun! What have you got planned?

Ooh, Ahh (New Cover!)

On Thursday, Maureen Johnson revealed the cover of The Last Little Blue Envelope. Yes, this is the sequel to Thirteen Little Blue Envelopes, which I read a while back and really enjoyed. Here's the cover - isn't it pretty?

And she has a face! As those of you who read MJ books often will know, faces are a rare thing on her covers. She also revealed the title of her new paranormal murder mystery/thriller series, coming October 2011. The first book will be called The Name of the Star and it's the first book of the Shades of London trilogy.

They sound kind of awesome. I can't wait to read The Last Little Blue Envelope and The Name of the Star!

Waiting on Wednesday: Red Glove

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine.

This week, my pick is Red Glove by Holly Black. It's the second book in the Curse Workers series, the sequel to White Cat. I read and loved White Cat over the summer so I absolutely cannot wait to read Red Glove!

Cover picture is a bit small, but it's all I could find. I also don't think there's a jacket flap available yet, but the book is set to be released April 11, 2011. I hope I can wait that long. ;)

What are you waiting on this week? Post your link in the comments and I'll stop by and visit!

General Updates

Sooo I just finished reading Matched and I absolutely LOVED it. The on-sale date is November 30, so look for my review sometime around then! It is such a wonderful book, you guys.

In other news, I finished a major chunk of my senior thesis project this weekend. It meant I had very little time to read or, you know, do anything useful, but it's done and it's decent and I am quite pleased. So yay for that!

In other other news, my brain is currently MIA, because it got eaten by calculus. I spent a very large portion of last night working on calculus homework and studying for today's test...so.much.math.ahhhhhhh. My thoughts: you know you're taking calculus when your math suddenly contains more letters than numbers.

My big break from AP Calculus last night was watching Castle, which is an absolutely awesome show. Check it out - mystery writers + murder mysteries + comedy = ♥♥♥.

That is all for now, but I'll be back tomorrow for WoW!

Review: The Maze Runner

Title: The Maze Runner
Author: James Dashner
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Pages: 374
Series: Maze Runner #1
Rating: 4.5 stars
From the book jacket: 
When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. He has no recollection of his parents, his home, or how he got where he is. His memory is blank.


But he's not alone. When the lift's doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade, a large expanse enclosed by stone walls.


Just like Thomas, the Gladers don't know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning, for as long as anyone can remember, the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night, for just as long, they've closed tight. Ever thirty days a new boy is delivered in the lift. And no one wants to be stuck in the Maze after dark.


The Gladers were expecting Thomas's arrival. But the next day, a girl is sent up - the first girl ever to arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers. The Gladers have always been convinced that if they can solve the maze that surrounds the Glade, they might find their way home...wherever that may be. But it's looking more and more as if the Maze is unsolvable.


And something about the girl's arrival is starting to make Thomas feel different. Something is telling him that he just might have some answers - if he can only find a way to retrieve the dark secrets locked within his own mind.

----------

When Thomas wakes up in the lift and finds himself in a strange place called the Glade, he has no idea what to expect, mostly because he knows nothing about himself - not his name, not who his parents are, not his birthday, nothing. The other boys quickly inform him that one new boy arrives every thirty days, that he will have to work but should be safe, and that he must never, ever enter the Maze. There's one problem with that: Thomas feels drawn to the Maze, and knows right away that he is meant to be a Runner - one of the Gladers who enter the Maze every day, trying to map it out and find some sort of pattern, some sort of escape.

It took me a while to get into this book, although part of that was probably because I have had so much going on with school and college applications and my thesis project that I haven't had much time for reading. Once I did get into it, though, I loved this book. So much. The premise is just fascinating - an unsolvable maze, a mystery girl, a conspicuous lack of memories...plus the plot is not totally focused on romance. AND I didn't completely figure out what was going to happen before the end! Bits and pieces of it, maybe, but I was still totally taken aback by a lot of what happened, which I love.

And Thomas is a great character. I don't find a whole lot of male protagonists that I actually like in YA, so that's cool, but even if male protagonists were the most common thing ever, Thomas is awesome. And I love the other characters as well - mystery girl (whose name I'll not tell you, since you don't find out until probably almost halfway through the book) totally kicks butt, and Chuck and Newt and Minho are all awesome too.

There is so much to love about this book. Thomas, the plot, just the whole thing. The beginning's a little slow, but do not give up! The Maze Runner will totally rock your socks off. Because it's awesome like that.

Links: 
James Dashner's blog

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In other news: oh my gosh you guys this is POST #100! I've been blogging long enough to have 100 posts! Wow. That's so exciting! Thanks so much to all of my awesome readers. You guys rock! ♥

Demonglass Cover!

Yesterday, Rachel Hawkins posted the cover of the sequel to Hex Hall on her blog. So without further ado, here is the Demonglass cover:

Is this cover awesome or what?! I completely adore it. I love that it keeps the same reflection kinda look as the first one, but this one has fire and Sophie's not confused, she's totally kick-butt. If you want to read Rachel's thoughts on her cover, you can see the cover-reveal blog post here.

I cannot wait for this book, you guys. I loved Hex Hall and I am so excited for Demonglass!