PENGUIN I Am Number Four: (Lorien Legacies Book 1)

I loved the fact this book was action packed from the word go. There is nothing worse than having to read 200 pages before the story actually gets going and good; I can assure you this is not a problem here.With so much action, it is not really surprising this book has a strong male following and made it to the big screen. I also enjoyed how it makes you paranoid. I actually dreamed of aliens while reading it!!!Is this an original idea? Hardly. But the characters are good and the plot is really interesting. It is also nice to read the story from a male point of view. However, I found myself drifting and wanting to jump pages. I thought, maybe, it was because I was so taken by the last book I read and still had the story on my mind, but then I came across Novel Novice's review in Goodreads and I could not agree more. Reading this book does feel more like reading a script than reading a prose and you do wonder if the book was based on the script rather than the other way around.What was fundamentally off for me was the lack of emotions. I am one of those annoying people who likes to feel what happens in what I am reading as if it was happening to me. I like to laugh, cheer, cry, get angry and heart-broken with a story, and even though this book has moments where I should be able to do exactly that, it just did not happen. The way it is written is so straight forward and to the point that I didn't have time to feel upset or happy about anything.If you are a fan a romance, you will also notice how quickly he gets his girl. We all know the best part of a relationship is the chase and in I'm Number Four he not only does not chase much but Sarah, his love interest, is the one that comes to him. And it also happens within the first quarter of the book.In short, while it is a good plot and I looked forward to seeing it on the big screen, I will not be reading it again. Having said that, I am curious to read the second book of this series: The Power of Six as there were a lot of questions left unanswered such as: why do the Mogadorians - the evil aliens - care if nine Lorics escaped? Why would they care if they went back to repopulate the planet as it sounds as though the Mogadorians themselves are no longer there and the planet is desolate? I will have to wait and see.

I liked John's character and had a lot of sympathy for him - it's hard enough settling into a new school and making new friends without the added complication of being an alien. Despite his powers and background, for much of the book, John comes across as an average teenager with the same concerns about fitting in and relationships as the rest of us and I liked that dimension to the story. I also enjoyed that fact that the book is narrated by a male character - most of the books I read have female leads so this was a refreshing change.Henri acts as John's mentor, protector and guide throughout. On coming into his legacies, Henri is able to share with John the secrets of his past and the truth about their exit from Lorien and the fate of the planet. I found the back story to the book interesting but not particularly original; there is a lot here that reminded me of Roswell and Superman. I haven't read much sci-fi before but I suspect that fans of the genre may think that there is a lot in this book that has been done before.I would have liked a bit more depth and insight into the other supporting characters in the book too. Sam was my favourite - he becomes John's closest friend after they unite to take on the school bullies. Sam is a typical science geek with an obsession with aliens - his reaction when he finds out that there is truth behind his obsession is great but I would have liked to know more about Sam and his life. I felt that the other key characters in the book; Sarah and Mark were quite one dimensional too.I was surprised to find the book had quite a slow pace following the energetic start and although it held my interest, I did find myself wondering where it was all going. The high octane ending comes on quite suddenly and is a full on sci-fi battle! I can see that the story will translate well to the screen and I will watch the film version one day. I think there are elements in I Am Number Four that will appeal to a lot of different readers and as the first in a series it's a promising start. I will certainly read the next book in the series when it comes out to see where the story goes.

My reluctant reader, 13, and I have been reading this together and really enjoying it. This is the story of a teenage alien on Earth having spent the past 10 years with his minder trying to stay ahead of the Mogadorians whose sole aim is to kill him and his kind. As he develops his long promised super powers, or legacies, he makes a friend, falls in love and meets his enemy all for the first time. Not a soppy read and fast paced enough to keep my son reading. What more can you ask?

My favourite book series, great plot, setting and characters. All 7 books in series are equally good as well, which often is not the case.

I watched the movies and love it so I bought this book. The main plot is similar to the movies but with more details to explain how each character's thought. I bought the other book in the series as the story should continue with no doubt.