Some Rantings and a Review of I am Number Four

Hi everyone! After a 2 month+ span of silence, I'm back...again. I realise that since I started writing this blog, I've been pretty much a "now you see her, now you don't" kind of blogger and I would really like to apologise for that. Time is a luxury that I just don't have and I know although this is probably the case for most people, I have to say that the past 12 months have been an extraordinarily busy period for me. New job and exams has occupied the most part of my time. Despite this temporary setback in blogging, I do try to keep up with the latest around the blogosphere and I have been busy enjoying alot of interesting books. Now I'm hoping I can squeeze in the time to review all of them as well!

Anyway, below is a review of one of the latest books I've read and surprisingly quite a good one too.

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Title: I am Number Four (Lorien Legacies #1)   

 
Author: Pittacus Lore

Genre: Science Fiction / Young Adult

Edition: Penguin Books, 2011 (374 pages)

From the Cover:
There were nine of us who escaped...
Number One was killed in Malaysia.
Number Two was murdered in England.
Number Three was hunted down in Kenya.
Before they come for the others, they'll come for me... I AM NUMBER FOUR

John Smith is not your average teenager. He regularly moves from small town to small town. he changes his name and identity. He does not put down roots. He cannot tell anyone who or what he really is. If he stops moving those who hunt him will find and kill him. So when he stops in Paradise, Ohio, John decides to try and settle down. To fit in. And for the first time he makes some real friends. People he cares about - and who care about him. Never in John's short life has there been space for friendship, or even love. But it's just a matter of time before John's secret is revealed. He was once one of nine. Three of them have been killed. John is Number Four. He knows that he is next...

My Thoughts:

For a book based on the alien race, a genre I'm not very fond of, I have to say that I actually enjoyed this one. The story centres around John Smith, a fourteen year old alien boy who descends from a planet similar to earth. He is one of the chosen ones. One with extraordinary powers - powers which have yet to develop in his young body and hence making him the target of a relentless and vicious alien race, the Mogadorians. As John grapples with the woes of living an inconspicuous life, and dealing with his unmastered developing powers, he meets a girl and suddenly everything changes. Although there were a few cheesy and dubious scenes, the storyline was intense and I couldn't help flicking through the pages on fast-forward mode. There was also a very strong message in relation to earth preservation which I really liked. I even developed a strong attachment towards Bernie Kosar, the stray but faithful little dog. Overall, I think this is a great book for teens, with just the right balance of entertainment value and moral conscience threaded in - 2 thumbs up! Can't wait to get my hands on the second book; The Power of Six!

p/s: Just watched the movie too and although I think Alex Pettyfer is too much of 'man' to play a fourteen year old, he is so irresistably hawtttt :)