The Rise of Nine by Pittacus Lore

The Rise of Nine by Pittacus Lore
HarperCollins, 352 pages
Purchased

"It all began with nine. Nine aliens who left their home planet of Lorien when it fell under attack by the evil Mogadorians - who scattered on Earth and went into hiding. They look like ordinary teenagers, but they have extraordinary skills. The Mogadorians killed Number One, Number Two, and Number Three. They tried to kill Number Four ... and failed. Number Four (aka John Smith) has now teamed up with Number Nine, while Six has gone off to find the others. With the Mogadorians hot on their trail and time running out, they must find a way to come together, before it's too late. Power in numbers will save them all."

Let me start off by saying that The Rise of Nine certainly exceeded my expectations. I really enjoyed I Am Number Four, the first book in the series, but I felt that the second, The Power of Six, was definitely a slump. It was boring, and to be honest, not much happened. I still wanted to read the third book, though. When I start a series, I simply have to finish it. As such, The Rise of Nine reminded why I liked this series so much to begin with.

We finally get to meet almost every single member of the Garde (with the exception of Number 5)! The action seemed to always be going, and it was actually equally spread out between each character this time. Four and Nine were hilarious to read about. Their brotherly interactions with each other made me laugh almost every time at some point. Reading about Six and the other Garde members is always exhilarating because 1. Six is completely badass and 2. Finding out all the different legacies is an adventure in its own.

The author certainly knows how to end novels with plenty of action! The endings of every single one of his books, including The Power Six, are simple fun and thrilling to read. The entire series is one rip-roaring adventure that is a blast to read. It's a fun way to take a break from books that have heavier content so you can just sit back and relax while you enjoy it. That is, IF you can relax during the action scenes....

Rating: 5 stars - I loved it! Buy a copy!