I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I Am Number Four by Pittacus LoreI Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore
Series: Lorien Legacies #1
Published by HarperCollins on 2011-01-04
Genres: Action & Adventure, Fantasy & Magic, Survival Stories, Young Adult
Pages: 480
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
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three-stars

We may be walking past you right now. We are watching as you read this. We may be in your city, your town. We are living anonymously. We are waiting for the day when We will find each other. We will make our last stand together—if We win, We are saved, and You are saved as well. If we lose, all is lost.

I was one of those children who was not allowed to watch Beavis and Butthead, yet my parents were totally fine with me watching The X Files and Unsolved Mysteries. Clearly, I was one messed up child who actually believed in aliens and all of those conspiracy theories. I could not sleep with my windows open, or with the curtains open because I was terrified the aliens would reach in and steal me, since you know, they are easily fooled by a curtain and a closed window. So, with a ‘fondness’ for aliens, I began I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore.

I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore starts off pretty great. Your adrenaline begins pumping as you see Number Three’s demise. Then we come to Number Four, one of the last few Loriens left. The Loriens are from another planet which was destroyed by a life-sucking race known as Mogadorians. The Loriens however look like humans. They also have these elemental powers called Legacies which manifest during puberty. Anyways, we start to get Number Four’s point of view. Number Four is a boy and the alias he uses is John Smith. He finds himself in Paradise, Ohio. Of course, as with most mass appeal stories, there is a love interest named Sarah aka Quinn Fabray. Or, I guess Quinn Fabray is playing her in the movie.

What I enjoyed was the lore and story behind the Loriens. On the planet, there’s two different groups. One group is made of warriors. The other is made of administrators. Super cool. I liked learning about their planet. I enjoyed seeing what the legacies would be.

I think what also worked well for I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore was the action aspect. It was pretty much non-stopped and helped to carry me through the 400 pages. However, I think that besides action there needs to be some complexity, maybe some deeper characterization. I thought there was a complexity missing in I Am Number Four. Now, don’t get me wrong, I did enjoy this book, but I did not love it. It’s not a favorite. It is a good palette cleanser. It’s a great book to read when you are between books. Also, I think if you don’t often read, this would be a great book to pick up. I think it would be perfect for reluctant readers who aren’t looking for a deeper meaning in the story. It’s perfect for readers who want a whole lot of action and a whole lot of bang.

Other Reviews of I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore:

Tales Of A Teenage Book Lover
Bookalicio.us
Amy Reads

Here’s a link to the I Am Number Four Official Website which is actually pretty cool!

three-stars
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April is in her 30s and created Good Books And Good Wine. She works for a non-profit. April always has a book on hand. In her free time she can be found binge watching The Office with her husband and toddler, spending way too much time on Pinterest or exploring her neighborhood.
About April (Books&Wine)

April is in her 30s and created Good Books And Good Wine. She works for a non-profit. April always has a book on hand. In her free time she can be found binge watching The Office with her husband and toddler, spending way too much time on Pinterest or exploring her neighborhood.

Comments

  1. Just finished reading this myself, and I definitely agree with you. Good book (I think it will make a great movie), but I wanted a little more out of the characters, and actually a bit more action/tension. Great review =)

  2. Hm! Thanks for this review, well done. I have been curious about this because of all the hype, and actually got even more curious when I saw you were reading it. 🙂 Glad to know it was decent, but not great. Maybe I'll give it a shot if I see it at the library.

  3. Anne Royce says

    I saw this book at the bookstore! I really wanted to buy it but I didn't my money with me D:

  4. I've heard great things about this book and was interested in reading your opinion of it. I'm disappointed to hear that it lacked complexity though I'd still like to give it a try myself.

  5. I watched The X Files with my parents as well. Man, did it scare the crap out of me lol. I really love the sound of this book. I've heard the plot is great while the characters are just alright, much like you mentioned. Still really eager to read it though.

    Thanks for the review! 🙂

  6. When I brought this home from BEA, I had no idea it was about aliens. That was a little disappointing for me, and I gave this one away.

  7. Good review! I enjoyed this one a little more than you did, and read it in one sitting! Looking forward to the sequel and seeing what happens with Number Four and the remaining children.

  8. Yep, I’m with you. It lacked something. Also… the action was a bit… unbelievable really given the history, wasn’t it!? That was my main issue.

  9. Yup, I agree with you. The story was exciting and there’s plenty to leave me curious but the characters leave a bit to be desired 🙂