I Am Number Four (Lorien Legacies, #1)

Feb 15, 2011 Jillian -always aspiring- rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Anyone who wants to read about boring aliens doing boring things

Shelves: disappointing-books, 2011-reads, dropped-series

Don't be fooled by the name Pittacus Lore. There is no Pittacus Lore -- if you were wondering -- but there is an evil mastermind behind the creation of this book. . .

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No, not THAT evil mastermind -- though I wouldn't be surprised if Mr. Burns had taken the man I'm talking about as a protégée in the past. I am talking about James Frey.

. . . . . .

You don't know who James Frey is?! Come ON, p...more

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May 15, 2013 Haleema rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: This is a joke, right?

Shelves: characters-are-half-troll, thats-not-writing, cheese-pizza, oh-not-again, need-my-nutella, snape-disapproves, bull-shawarma, what-a-joke, brain-cells-went-bye-bye, just-begging-for-snark

It scorches my skin!

This book... this utterly pure disgrace of a book makes me want to throw up on an innocent baby. Thank God it didn't live up to its hype like Twilight did.

I couldn't get past chapter nine. I decided to give it time for me to find that little "spark." But, no.

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I couldn't find it. The spark!

Now here are the problems:

1. Lore can't use the word "and" in the proper way.
2. The characters are all bland and pathetic. John seems to have a ridiculous bravado towards nothing. He show...more

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Feb 27, 2011 Joyzi rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Peeps who don't mind reading ridiculous alien stories

Recommended to Joyzi by: my boyfriend duh!

Shelves: sci-fi, books-to-movies, ya-books, e-book, disappointing-books, fiction, reviewed, author-was-possessed, don-t-judge-me, book-series, watched-it, author-american, paranormal-romance

Movie Update
I already watched the movie and it was better than the book. The romance was still gushy and mushy but at least the dialogues were a lot better in the movie. Also the movie was more fast paced and was action-packed at the end of the show. I think the dog was really cute and Number Six was really cool in the movie. Sam was also likable in the film. After watching Alex Pettyfer act on the screen for the first time I got to say he deserve and he's fitted for the Peeta Mellark and Jace W...more

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Dec 09, 2010 Lucy rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi, wasn-t-for-me, young-adult, disappearing-parent-syndrome, aliens, coming-of-age, how-did-this-get-published, make-room-for-that-sequel, milking-a-money-cow, oh-the-hype, open-ended-book

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. The language and phrasing is really simplistic, which wasn't bad, but the story itself makes no sense whatsoever. It blends genres and not delicately. I feel like the concept of the novel was born before the characters and logic wasn't worked out around it.

I Am Number Four is about John Smith, a teenage boy who is actually an alien from another planet. I'm going to give a breakdown of some of the flaws with the story.

1. John has a guardian from his planet, but the guardian has no special abiliti...more The language and phrasing is really simplistic, which wasn't bad, but the story itself makes no sense whatsoever. It blends genres and not delicately. I feel like the concept of the novel was born before the characters and logic wasn't worked out around it.

I Am Number Four is about John Smith, a teenage boy who is actually an alien from another planet. I'm going to give a breakdown of some of the flaws with the story.

1. John has a guardian from his planet, but the guardian has no special abilities. It's like the author realized a bunch of little kids couldn't crash land on the planet and run amok so he gave them each a single adult -- but the kids have to be the special ones. So the adult alien is another species of humanoid alien from the planet, but a sort of servant species.

2. The servant species of aliens are powerless, but their life goals are to train the powerful mutants. Um... why? Why would you put the power training in the hands of the un-powered species? The powered species seems to be just as numerous, if not more so, then the un-powered species. So really -- why. I know! Ao that the adults accompanying the children have a purpose!! Also, the author doesn't seem to want to refer to them as slaves or servants, which waters down the whole situation and makes it even more convoluted.

3. The aliens got their powers as a gift from the planet for protecting it and reversing the damage they did to it. Of course, the servant species works just as hard but they get no 'magic.' Evolution does /not/ work that way and it is never explained why only one humanoid race developed powers.

4. The children are protected by a 'charm' that means they can only be killed in order. Why a charm? This is what I mean about mixing genres. First it's science fiction, but instead of using any understanding of science to explain the situation the author leaps to magic because that doesn't need to be explained!! After all, he's writing a children's book so who gives a frig? There are a thousand more creative ways to say why they must be killed in order. Or even that the race hunting them is methodical and hunting them in age order since age dictates when they get their powers. Or that they are impossible to identify before they manifest their powers. It was just like he reached the fastest conclusion possible and then stopped thinking, job done.

5. There's absolutely /no/ visible reason for the aggressive alien race to hunt the nine children into extinction. They wiped out a planet, an entire PLANET, filled with older, trained aliens without breaking a sweat. The children represent no threat.

6. The aggressive alien race is interested in earth, but they're still dedicating most of their time to hunting these nine stranglers. When you wipe out earth you're going to get them anyway, guys. What's with the obsession?

7. The charm breaks if any of the children come together. They go through pains to stay scattered. One of them deliberately breaks this so they can gather together to make a stand. Your /entire/ race made a stand and they died, you fucking tool.

The characters are charmless. The male lead is stupid and pigheaded and clearly the author's suave wish-I-was in high school. He's very I can kick your ass puny mortals, but I won't. The lead makes many stupid, stupid choices that endanger everyone around him and break all the rules set up in the beginning of the book.

The female lead is a hot ex-cheerleader who choose to be 'good and kind' to everyone instead of being popular. The author wants you to know that the male lead could screw a blonde head cheerleader, but he has depth and intensity and soul. So he's going to bang the one who wants to rescue strays and take beautiful black and white photos of flowers. It's CONTRIVED. I didn't like either of them, nor did their romance ever feel even slightly real.

In essence, this book was lazily written, barely edited (there's several typos in the book) and pure crap. It's a money making scheme and a waste of time for any semi-intelligent reader.(less)

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Feb 12, 2012 Sabrina rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: peeves-lame-bad-guys

Nothing I'll say is going to convey adequately the utter nothingness of this book. The characters are unbearable in their stupidity. To say nothing of the dog.
So, I'm just going to quote some of the dumbest parts.

“All the doors are blocked. How else can we get out?”
I think about it, figuring that one of the unbarred windows in a different classroom is our best bet.

You stupid idiot, do you forget that until yesterday you've been able to unlock every kind of lock by working the inner mechanism wit...more

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Feb 11, 2011 Arlene rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: dystopic, paranormal, read-2011, ya-paranormal, sci-fi, reviews-with-music, young-adult

Rating Clarification: 4.5 Stars

There is always hope… Don’t give up hope just yet. It’s the last thing to go. When you have lost hope, you have lost everything. So when you think all is lost, when all is dire and bleak, there is always hope.

Wow! Just wow!! Have I ever loved an alien invasion!?! This book was (no pun intended) OUT.OF.THIS.WORLD!

Okay, it’s official… I’m an alien fan and all this business about invasions, them possibly living among us, alternate life forms out there, other planets…...more

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Feb 09, 2011 Amy or "Ames" rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, sci-fi, male-authors, 1st-in-series, stage-and-screen, read-in-2011, aliens, libricide, series-abandoned

You must turn off your brain and ask no questions when reading this book. It’s a requirement to enjoy it. I failed miserably. It may be readable but I Am Number Four is predictable and clichéd with inaccurate and vague descriptions and explanations.

For the most part I Am Number Four is an easy read although the language at times struck me as amateurish and clunky. Perhaps I expected too much after all this is YA but Lorien, it’s inhabitants and culture were too simple or too similar to that of...more

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Dec 04, 2011 Anila rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Full review still in progress, but here's approximately the first half... pre-reading comments at the end.

EDIT: Okay, I'm never going to finish this thing. Frankly, I don't care. But I added a list of things I was planning to put into it at the end.

EDIT 2: Everyone who is even THINKING about reading this book should read this article: http://nymag.com/arts/books/features/... and find out exactly what you're dealing with and what you're supporting.

Introduction: I Am The Fourth Matrix

There is a th...more

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Oct 14, 2010 Phoebe added it · review of another edition

Shelves: dubious-genre-works, fantastic-kiddy-lit

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Bland. Banal. Inoffensive. Simplistic.

Any of these words would be a completely fitting descriptor for I Am Number Four, penned by lit villain/superstar James Frey and relative unknown Jobie Hughes* under the ARG-worthy pen name of Pittacus Lore. Of course, you won't find any vocabulary as advanced as this within the novel's pages. It's written at what I can only guess is approximately a third-grade reading level. This stylistic simplicity is surely part of I Am Number Four's draw for many reluct...more

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Aug 08, 2010 ~Tina~ rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi, own, young-adult, read-2010, beam-me-up-scotty

(4.5stars)

The planet Lorien had been destroyed, leaving only nine young Garde and there guardians/keepers a chance to escape, survive, in hopes that they can fight again and save there race, flee to Earth.
They secretly weave among us as they slowly learn how to develop there powers, there Legacies. The Mogadorians, the ones responsible for destroying there home hunts them by order of there numbers.
It started out as a group of nine. Three killed. Six left. They wont stop till all are destroyed....more

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Jul 15, 2010 Newengland rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: finished-in-2010, ya

I AM NUMBER FOUR is actually number four million if you consider the predecessors it is based upon. Meaning? We've been here before. About a bazillion times.

Let's take stock: aliens on Earth disguised as Earthlings. In fact, your neighbor may be a Lorien (the "good guy" planet of concern here) and the haberdasher (way to blend in!) may be a Mogadarian (the "bad guy" aliens who are hunting Lorien-types to the death). Novel idea, eh?

So our protagonist is on his 5,398th alias. It's (steady now) "Jo...more I AM NUMBER FOUR is actually number four million if you consider the predecessors it is based upon. Meaning? We've been here before. About a bazillion times.

Let's take stock: aliens on Earth disguised as Earthlings. In fact, your neighbor may be a Lorien (the "good guy" planet of concern here) and the haberdasher (way to blend in!) may be a Mogadarian (the "bad guy" aliens who are hunting Lorien-types to the death). Novel idea, eh?

So our protagonist is on his 5,398th alias. It's (steady now) "John Smith" ("John Doe" must have been taken). He is what's called a "Garde" and will get special powers when he hits puberty (I got a cheap Timex). These powers are called "Legacies." Special powers are quite the thing in fantasy YA these days. They go by different names, they borrow shamelessly from Marvel Comics, and they're viral.

Speaking of viral, at 440 pages and at Gate #1 of a projected 6, this book is both too long and too predictable to be extended into a series. Do we blame Harry Potter for this pernicious YA fad? The conceit, you see, is that Mogadarians can only kill the Lorien-types in order. Conveniently enough, Numbers 1, 2, and 3 have been killed before chapter the first. This means (gasp) hold on to your seats action from the get-go as John Smith and his protector (called "Cepans" here) move to a small Ohio town to blend in.

Blending in defined: fall in love with a gorgeous (surprise!) girl named Sarah. Draw the attention and ire of a (surprise!) bully named Mark who happens to also be the captain (surprise!) of the football (surprise!) team and Sarah's ex-boyfriend (surprise!). Get in a fight with Mark and accidentally display your super powers which are supposed to be kept under wraps for fear of attracting Mogadarian attention (remember, one of them could be the janitor, the principal, or even the candlestick maker!).

That's the sort of goings-on you'll get in this book. Characterization? You might as well hunt polar bear in the Everglades. Description and mood? Try finding fine china at Walmart. But oddly, the book will be a big hit with many young readers (especially of the "reluctant" variety) because it's all about plot. Period.

As is often the case with genre reads in YA, I'm torn here. The book's style is choppy and the author's ability to write action scenes filled with inconsistencies and gaps. It's predictable. It's one-dimensional. But it is what it is, and I know a lot of kids will be snapping it up in my classroom this fall -- and liking it, too. Does that mean they have bad taste? Not at all. It means they like action. It means they like plot. It means they are Pittacus Lore's target audience and I should be sure to get this book in their hands.(less)

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Apr 07, 2013 Eric Allen rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I Am Number Four
Book 1 of the Lorien Legacies
By Pittacus Lore

A Review by Eric Allen

Once upon a time, Michael Bay made a horrible movie. Okay, he's made quite a few horrible movies, but I Am Number Four stands out amongst them as having the absolute worst acting I have EVER seen put to film in my life, and keep in mind I've been through college film-making courses where I had to watch quite a few awful student films. It is REALLY saying something when this large budgeted flop of a movie takes the...more

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Feb 04, 2011 Clare Cannon rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 13-15yrs

The trailer looks exciting - if you're into that sort of thing. So is the book it's based on any good?

It really depends what you mean by ‘good'. It's readable, and the New York Times bestseller list shows it has a wide following (particularly among teen boys... and girls who like Alex Pettyfer).

The basic storyline: nine young people came to earth from the planet Lorien to escape the evil aliens who attacked their planet. The Lorienites are super humans who look like us but have special powers....more

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Mar 14, 2011 Kristy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: i-think-you-should-read-this, on-the-road-again

Okay, class. here is your quiz!

Did I enjoy this book??? Yes

Was it fast-paced? Yes
Did it include enough action? Yes
Was there a love story? Yes
Did I have strong emotions in certain scenes? Yes
Do I want to read the next book? YES!!!
Will I watch the Movie? YES!!!
Were the character's likeable? Yes
Were the well developed? Yes
Did I enjoy the unvieling of the Legacies? Yes
Did I love Henri? Yes
Was I completely in the dark and suprised by the ending? Yes
Did I like the appearance of #6 at the end? Yes
Did i...more

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Dec 19, 2010 Annalisa rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, sci-fi, mystery-thriller, guy-lit, book-club, movies

Years ago I was watching The X-Files movie and during the climax scene Mulder and Scully need to get out of some remote, creepy warehouse before the building is destroyed (probably by aliens; it was always aliens that messed up Mulder's plans, and the show. Once upon a time X-Files was one of my favorite shows until they fell on the alien crutch every singe episode and gave up on coming up with with cool sci-fi explanations for the unexplained. Aliens ruin another good story, sigh. But I digress...more Years ago I was watching The X-Files movie and during the climax scene Mulder and Scully need to get out of some remote, creepy warehouse before the building is destroyed (probably by aliens; it was always aliens that messed up Mulder's plans, and the show. Once upon a time X-Files was one of my favorite shows until they fell on the alien crutch every singe episode and gave up on coming up with with cool sci-fi explanations for the unexplained. Aliens ruin another good story, sigh. But I digress, back to the movie). Only Mulder and Scully aren't running or scheming or even freaking out. They're talking, without a hint of panic, while in my brain I'm shouting at them "Move! Now! Or you're going to die! Okay, fine, if you're not worried about your predicament, I don't know why I should be."

That's how I felt getting to the climax scene of this book. Big, tense scene coming up, but instead of the characters being proactive or planning or running or doing anything at all, they sit around and wait for the cool action scenes to fall upon them. For all their awesome powers and abilities, they don't do much to fight or consider the obvious strategies that would get them out of their predicaments. I wish the author (more ranting about that later) would have planned the segues and logistics behind those scenes that will look cool on the big screen instead focusing so much on the action so I didn't find myself rolling my eyes so much in the last hundred pages. All the workings were there for a great climax if it had just been crafted a little better.

But let's talk about the rest of the book. The premise is that nine alien children from a destroyed planet are hiding out on earth until they develop their powers and are strong enough to fight back. But their destroyers are on earth tracking and killing the children one by one. The novel begins when the first three have been killed and number four knows he's next. I'm not a huge fan of alien plot stories, but it was a good premise, and I was hooked from the first page. The balance of answering my questions while keeping me intrigued about what I didn't know until I cared enough about number four to find out the rest of his story was perfectly done. That balance of pacing is something that is very hard to get just right in commercial fiction and it's done just right here to keep to you glued to the story. In fact, until the climax read like a choreographed fight, I probably would have given this four stars.

I liked number four (never really came to think of him as John) and was vested in his story, and while I think Sarah could have been better defined, more than just gorgeous and empty, for an action book, the characterization wasn't bad. Sometimes alien was too-convenient answer, there were some holes and mistakes that most people probably wouldn't stop to think about, and the chameleon was way too obvious, but overall I found the description of this other planet and people interesting and well done. Very imaginative and creative. Normally I'd think present tense would be perfect for a fast-paced action story, but something about the dry short, choppy sentences (a guy obviously wrote this) coupled with the present tense rated on my nerves as childish. But all of that is details. The story was good and I can see why people are caught up in it and why it's been optioned as a movie. The bad news comes in the form of the sequel...

Remember James Frey who dealt with a lot of backlash for the untruths he told in A Million Little Pieces? Well, he's back in the news, again with people up in arms for his Frey Fiction Factory (Full Fathom Five). Frey has been offering MFA students a mere $250 for their high-concept blockbusters and a promise of 40% some undisclosed amount the author can never verify. What's worse is that Frey owns the rights to the work and doesn't have to use the author's writing or credit him in anyway. You can read the abysmal contract here.

A guy named Jobie Hughes is one of the authors who took up Frey's offer in hopes of making a name for himself in the publishing industry. I Am Number Four is his creation, thus the pseudonym. He has since parted ways with Frey (good for him), but he doesn't own the rights to his baby. So if there is a sequel, he will not be the one to write it. All of this did nothing to change my opinion of the book (only Frey), but it is disheartening to see a promising series get lost in a war over money.(less)

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Feb 21, 2011 Cara rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-made-into-movies, male-protagonist, science-fiction, series, 2011

Now I did see some buzz for this book when it came out, but found out it was a book about aliens, and I don't tend to lean towards those type of stories. It's not that I won't read them, but at the time there were so many good books out that it didn't really come under my radar. I really perked up when I saw it was being made into a movie. Like most people who read I'm particular about reading the book before I see the movie, thus my urge to read the book.

Here we have Number Four, an alien from...more Now I did see some buzz for this book when it came out, but found out it was a book about aliens, and I don't tend to lean towards those type of stories. It's not that I won't read them, but at the time there were so many good books out that it didn't really come under my radar. I really perked up when I saw it was being made into a movie. Like most people who read I'm particular about reading the book before I see the movie, thus my urge to read the book.

Here we have Number Four, an alien from the planet Lorien. Number Three has just been killed and he must move to yet another new place. He knows the drill though. Get the heck out of dodge and Henri (his Cepan/guardian) develops new identies for them. His new alias is John Smith (Really? I think they could have done better than that) and the next destination is Paradise, Ohio. John is tired of moving around and wants to settle down in one place, but he knows it's dangerous because the Mogadorians (the other aliens who destroyed and took over the planet Lorian) could possibly find out his location. He is the next one on their hit list because they must be killed in order. John has to be extra careful. Well, as you can tell being careful is not on John's agenda this time around.

The action is satisfying, but everything seemed a little too predictable. The arc of the story went along the same lines of many other books, but it didn't put an original twist to it. I did love the dog Bernie Koshar and the character of Henri, and John does come through to you on some level. His feelings of not belonging and the pressure he has does speak to the reader. One of my major peeves is how the dialogue went. I'm all for cheesy, but sometimes it bordered on overload and I'm sorry even if he is an alien I doubt he would voice his feelings so much. He's still technically a guy right?

Though there were some things that irked me I did actually enjoy reading how John built relationships with Sarah and Sam, and how the bully turns out to have an interesting part in the story. I think The Dangerous Days of Daniel X was going for something like this, but didn't know how to get there. I will be reading The Power of Six to see how all the Loriens will interact with each other. Now I can finally go see the movie with a clean conscious:D(less)

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Jan 02, 2011 Adi (Reading in the Windowseat) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011-read-list, movie-tv-adapted, genre-romance, class-young-adult, first-in-series, genre-sci-fi

Loved it – can’t wait for the sequel.

Ok, so I have to admit - I saw the trailer for the movie adaptation of this book when I went to watch Harry Potter 7 Part 1. Aaaaand it caught me, especially the teenage-superhero-awesome-powers and murder-with-more-to-come factors. But also because Four is played by this guy.

description

Yep, it’s Alex Pettyfer.

But onto the book.

If you like the first several Harry Potter’s, then you’d be able to appreciate this one, even if you’re too old to be part of the young-adult ag...more

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Sep 16, 2011 Michelle. Tsunami. rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: loved

OK, I loved this book. LOVED IT.
The characters were great, the plot was great, the events were great, the setting was great, EVERYTHING WAS GREAT!
The whole concept of the book was amazing!

But I got this weird vibe coming from deep within me after I finished reading the book. And it really annoyed me and angered me.
Here I am, just finished reading this amazing book, and i have this weird vibe just radiating from me.
It took me a few days to figure out what it was, so I will explain to you what the...more

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Nov 02, 2011 Sarah M rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Sarah by: My Brother

Shelves: read-own

A very enjoyable read. It was fast paced, and I found that I couldnt put it down!
I liked John and Henri, and wanted to know all about them and their lives on Lorien and on Earth. Sam and Sarah where also quite likable. The battle scenes where pretty intense, and there was just the right amount of romance. Not to much that it took over the story.

I cant wait to read about the other Six and learn more about them! I will definatly be picking up The Power of Six when it comes out this August!

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Jan 14, 2012 Donna added it · review of another edition

Shelves: lulz, dnf

DNF with a big fat woof. I wanted to go Hulk on this thing 10 pages in but what kind of chance would I be giving it if I didn't give it a little more than that? It was really hard for me to get past the terrible writing. It was even harder for me to get past the cliche orgy writhing on the pages. I had nominally higher hopes for this one because a lot of people said it was good, or at least enjoyed it. A bunch of them said the writing left something to be desired but how bad could it be, right?

O...more DNF with a big fat woof. I wanted to go Hulk on this thing 10 pages in but what kind of chance would I be giving it if I didn't give it a little more than that? It was really hard for me to get past the terrible writing. It was even harder for me to get past the cliche orgy writhing on the pages. I had nominally higher hopes for this one because a lot of people said it was good, or at least enjoyed it. A bunch of them said the writing left something to be desired but how bad could it be, right?

O_o

I didn't expect this. I didn't expect to be pounded with the same exact information three times within the first five pages. I didn't expect it to read like a sterile, fluffed up movie script. I didn't expect it to be the basest, mediocre form of writing I've yet to find in a book. SMeyer's work was better than this. Yeah, what does that say? At least she purpled up her prose a little. This? This was a sickened gray.

The story was nominally interesting but slogging through cliche after cliche after cliche proved futile for me. The thing is, I don't have a problem with cliches. Use them to your heart's content. But for god's sake dress them up a little. Make them stand out. Make them different. This one didn't even try. From the Chosen One Syndrome to the Mr. Miagi father figure to the geeky sidekick to the uber-jocks at school to the super awesome popular girl at school that's totally down to earth, I just couldn't take it anymore.

The writing was devoid of emotion. I felt nothing for the characters. It had some okay world building but the focus of the story was so off. It couldn't decide if it wanted to focus on the characters, the plot, or the super cool powers and medallions and stuff that they had. Product marketing much? Let me rephrase that - it knew it didn't want to focus on the plot.

And all that's irrespective of Frey taint.

With it? I wanted to light the book on fire. Frey, you disgusting human being, if this is what you think defines "the next big thing" in the book world, if this is how you plan on making your bajillions of dollars all the while raping naive writers of everything they have, dear god I hope you meet Karma face to face with a big, fat, capital FUCK YOU. This is disgusting. This is insulting. What made you think you had it all figured out? What made you think you found something the other publishing houses and agents didn't? What made you think horseshit like this is what's going to bring in the dough? I know you're not looking for prestige or legitimacy. You're looking for money. Plain and simple. You won't deny it. Well, look for it somewhere else. Go insult another medium of buyers. YA is shit on enough without you thinking you can butt fuck it to get it to say uncle.

Atrocious. From what I hear the movie is pretty decent but I sure won't be seeing it. And all I can say is thank god I didn't pay for my copy of I Am Number Four. Remind me to avoid any of Full Fathom Five's future releases as if they were carrying Ebola. The last thing we need to do is encourage trash cans like Frey from spilling their filth over.(less)

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Sep 04, 2011 Glass rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Before I started reading this book, all I knew about it was that there would be a movie. Teen alien with superpowers, popular girl and her ex-boyfriend... Well, sounds like Superman to me! And, suddenly, everyone talks about it. So I think - What the hell, I´ll read it! First thing that was strange - author´s name (like it came from greek myth), and then it´s actually in the book as one of the Elders...Hm... Cheap trick to get attention. By the end of the book I was sure that writer is a female...more

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Jan 30, 2011 Suzanne rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Okay, I've got to go 2.5 on this; but that's probably a funtion of my disappointment in it rather than any intrinsic lack of value in the novel. I did think it rather poorly written: wooden and clumsy, much of the time with some diction here and there that sounded like an editor rather than the author's typical choice and voice. I wanted to love it, but I can see why it's so quickly bound for the screen--it's more of a movie than a novel that works for me.

Gotta love the concept of a handful of t...more Okay, I've got to go 2.5 on this; but that's probably a funtion of my disappointment in it rather than any intrinsic lack of value in the novel. I did think it rather poorly written: wooden and clumsy, much of the time with some diction here and there that sounded like an editor rather than the author's typical choice and voice. I wanted to love it, but I can see why it's so quickly bound for the screen--it's more of a movie than a novel that works for me.

Gotta love the concept of a handful of talented children (Garde) and their keepers (Cepan) from the devastated planet of Lorien, escaping the resource exploiting Mogadorians to Earth, where it is hoped they will grow until their Legacies develop fully allowing them to fight those who killed all their people. But the bad boys of Mogadore followed them to Earth, the next logical planet to destroy, where they can kill off the Loriens who survived, but only in the order the Elders gave them in a charm to bolster the chances for their survival. Now that the first three are dead, John and his pseudo-father Henri change locations and identities once again. Or else, number four goes down next. This time, it's Paradise, Ohio. This place gives John a sense of belonging he hasn't allowed himself before--a friend, a beautiful girl, and a bully to put down.

Plot played out very predictably for me, except for the handful of elements that didn't seem to make any logical sense--even when I was happy to play along. Fight, chase, and action sequences didn't play out for me in any realtime way. How did the bad guys hollow out a mountain, keep nasty monsters that are 30+ feet tall there in secret and then transport them in semis when the big fight comes down? How would a few average teenagers know how to treat a dog's broken limb? How and why would they drag a corpse a mile away from a hotel on a wooden slab in the woods? If you ask too many questions, it's because you're not buying it, right? I didn't buy it. Literally, thankfully: I borrowed this from the library, and that's a good thing. I hope it makes a great movie. For me, not a great book. Middle school boys may be all over this one. Anything that can get them to read, I can recommend, but not so much for demanding grown-up readers.(less)

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Apr 30, 2012 Bill Muldowney rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I greatly enjoyed this SciFi fantasy novel. The characters were well written, the villains suitably evil, and the plot interesting.

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May 01, 2013 Ellie (a.k.a. QE3) rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Let me explain the rating. Three stars seems rather stingy for a rather popular book, yes? For the first three-quarters of the book, I was all set to present Number Four with four stars. Though I am not a fan of the abrupt, concise, first-person writing, the story was very entertaining. So what happened?

Well, for most of the book, the plot focused on how the protagonist moved with his guardian to a remote, tiny little town somewhere in Ohio (correct me if I got the state wrong). We got to read...more Let me explain the rating. Three stars seems rather stingy for a rather popular book, yes? For the first three-quarters of the book, I was all set to present Number Four with four stars. Though I am not a fan of the abrupt, concise, first-person writing, the story was very entertaining. So what happened?

Well, for most of the book, the plot focused on how the protagonist moved with his guardian to a remote, tiny little town somewhere in Ohio (correct me if I got the state wrong). We got to read about Four settling into his new town, dealing with the school bully, and getting a girlfriend. He even got a really cute dog named Bernie!

And all of a sudden *spoiler* the evil aliens find him, surround him in his school with his guardian, girlfriend, and dog!! And then there is this huge, action-packed scene with lots of violence and chaos that was really confusing. I'm not entirely sure what happened. And THEN (view spoiler) Too bad.

This was what took away the extra star. The climax was too confusing, too jerky, and poorly written. The whole book was written in a style that irked me, and I can say that there were only three characters (the guardian, another one of the aliens, and the dog) that I really liked. There were two I was okay with (John and another friend), and one that I disliked (the girlfriend, an ex-cheerleader who is described as "shockingly pretty" with blonde hair and blue eyes and seems to be drawn to John without any apparent reason). She used to be a cheerleader but then she went on a vacation to the mountains and decided that she wanted to photograph nature and help build animal shelters. :/

I will definitely read the next book in the series, because they're readily available at the library and I'm interested to see what "Pittacus Lore" (Pittacus Lore is the name of one of the senior, in-charge, alien dudes from Lorien, and I'm not sure why the author chose that for a fake name) does with some of the supporting characters and I want to meet some of the other aliens. But I wasn't blown away by this book, not by any means. And one more thing--Four seems to like describing peoples' clothes a lot. I've never meet a boy (yet) that really takes much notice of what anyone wears, let alone describes it in great detail.(less)

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Feb 15, 2013 ❄ Sophia Lin ❄ rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed

Original Review Posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts

Note: Format is lost due to copy and pasting.

I think I broke a bookworm rule when I watched the movie first before reading the book. Then again, I never knew it was a book until shortly afterwards when I went to Walmart. And I think this book probably gets a personal award for being on my TBR pile the longest (because most books that get turned into a movie are read ASAP... and back then I was a much bigger reader than now - when reading homework wa...more Original Review Posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts

Note: Format is lost due to copy and pasting.

I think I broke a bookworm rule when I watched the movie first before reading the book. Then again, I never knew it was a book until shortly afterwards when I went to Walmart. And I think this book probably gets a personal award for being on my TBR pile the longest (because most books that get turned into a movie are read ASAP... and back then I was a much bigger reader than now - when reading homework was at least a couple hours of day and not a few chapters. Those were good times).

Besides the fact I Am Number Four has probably landed a record for "On TBR List for Longest Time EVER," it has a unique plot, storyline, etc (at least in my humble booky life). If I remember correctly (and let me tell you this fact right then and there. I watched it when it came out. And that was 2 years ago. Please dismiss my mishaps here and there, but feel free to correct me as you please), I liked the movie better than the book. But who doesn't like seeing books coming to life on the big screen? (This is coming from someone who rarely watches movies... besides a handful, which I won't name, unless you want me to).

I was hooked from the very first page, or at least the prologue and a little bit after. Then I kinda went "meh..." for awhile until about 3/4 into the story (wherever the action starts. Must be me and love for action, eh? That's probable). In a few parts throughout the story, it was pretty predictable on what was going to happen next. Hence, something bad is going to happen here, or something good will happen there... according to context clues (at least in my opinion).

The romance between the John and Sarah was not rushed (which is a good thing), however, where's the panic when you find out your --------- is from another planet? I probably would've ran away by then. Or maybe not. But there had to be at least some sort of... er, "HOLY MONKEYS, YOU'RE A WHAT?!?!?! :O :O :O" type of thing going on there that I was hoping to see a bit of, but didn't (explanation on monkeys... I think they're cooler than cows. :p).

Now while I liked the movie better, I think I need to go do some movie hunting on Netflix for awhile for the full confirmation and huge refresher before I make any assumptions. I probably won't give any details though... but feel free to discuss in the comments whether you liked the movie or the book and so on. :)(less)

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Mar 28, 2012 Jord¥n added it · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, aliens, sci-fi, pretty-awesomness

I am number four actually turned out to be a fantastic book. I had bad thoughts about this book right when I started it because : its narrated by a dude, its about aliens, and all my guy friends loved it while my girlfriends hated it. So I'd thought this was a guys book. Boy was I a fool. A fool I tell you!

I loved most of the characters except number six and mark. Even though mark turns into a good guy at the end, he was still an ass to me. John was such a sweetheart to Sarah. I felt like he re...more

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Feb 23, 2011 Katherine rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: dissapointed, science-fiction-science-experiment, male-pov, aliens

This book was very boring and very very very slow. I kept waiting for something excited to happen but nothing ever did, i was more than half way and still nothing was happening. A guy came up to me and said "hey is that any good?" and i said well nothings happened so far and hes like "and your more than half-way - is it like the movie?" and i said i havnt seen the movie but i hope its better than this. The end is finally when some action occurs - full on action, page after page after page. I was...more

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Aug 21, 2011 Feby rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: non-indonesian, romance, owned-the-indonesian-translation

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Alkisah sembilan anak dari Planet Lorien dikirim ke Bumi karena planet mereka diserang Mogadorian dari planet sebelah. Mereka adalah para Garde muda, alias pelindung planet karena memiliki kekuatan istimewa yang disebut Pusaka (nggak tahu nama aslinya apa). Sesuai tata cara di Lorien, mereka didampingi seorang Cepan, mentor dan pembimbing mereka.

Untuk melindungi mereka dari kejaran Mogadorian, sebelum para Garde muda ini berangkat dari Lorien, oleh tetua mereka, mereka dikenai mantera pelindung...more

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Feb 01, 2011 Jianne rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-own

OH. HOW DO I START THIS? O:

First thing that made me wanna buy this book so badly (I spent the little amount I got on Christmas for this) is when I saw the movie trailer! I was like "OMGGGGGGGG! THIS IS THE BOMB!" and Alex Pettyfer is the main lead, so I was like "I NEED TO BUY AND READ THIS BOOK" cause I usually read first before I buy. You know, the movie trailer was great. Then, strated reading, what I love about the book is the sci-fi concept. And I love sci-fi. And the sci-fi here, its great...more

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Feb 09, 2011 Janus Vielle (The Blair Book Project) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: owned-paperback

I’m a bit sleepy now so pardon me because I’ll probably just be rambling everything out of order on this review but I hope its as clear as I can get it to be.

I’ve seen this book getting raved up on the Internet but didn’t bother to read it since aliens aren’t my cup of tea. But when I saw the movie trailer, I immediately became intrigued.

I Am Number Four was entertaining to read, but was too slow for me. All the action and fighting came at about chapter twenty-eight and this book has thirty-fo...more I’m a bit sleepy now so pardon me because I’ll probably just be rambling everything out of order on this review but I hope its as clear as I can get it to be.

I’ve seen this book getting raved up on the Internet but didn’t bother to read it since aliens aren’t my cup of tea. But when I saw the movie trailer, I immediately became intrigued.

I Am Number Four was entertaining to read, but was too slow for me. All the action and fighting came at about chapter twenty-eight and this book has thirty-four chapters. Yet, I can’t deny that it got me hooked. Notwithstanding the platitude of “aliens coming to earth and living like us”, the concept was interesting enough.

The characters are okay. Four (I like calling him Four rather than John), aka John Smith, doesn’t sound alien. I couldn’t blame him probably because he’s spent more years on Earth rather than on Lorien. Aside from that, there are times he sounded like a girl. He has this oogly-googly feeling whenever he’s around Sarah. Perhaps he’s just too love-struck but the narration of his feelings seems to better fit a girl’s voice. I like Henri and Sam because they seem to be those who are close to being characters with real personalities. But I do question how Sam got his hands on a gun, I mean he’s a geek for goodness sake; it doesn’t seem to fit in. Sarah, Four’s girlfriend, is underdeveloped. She doesn’t have a solid personality. I also still question what the hell was she doing when the fire at Mark’s (her ex) house during a party happened. No one even questioned it, it’s as if the author put her there just to make a superhero act for Four. The only character that I love from among them is Bernie Kosar!!! He’s adorable! I just love dogs!

Well, that’s about all I can think of with this book. Oh! One more thing, I don’t know if it was done on purpose as a major cliffhanger or it was just unfledged but I feel like Four’s Legacies were wimpy compared to Six’s . At first I thought it was because Four is still discovering his other Legacies but up at the end he seemed to have nothing but light, fire-resistance, telekinesis and animal-speaking powers while Six has dominant powers like invisibility and elemental-control. I waited to see what else he could develop but sadly the book ended. I guess since there’s a 2nd book it means I’ll have my questions answered there.

Anyway, I give this book a 3-star rating because in spite of the flaws I saw, I enjoyed reading it and it still got me hooked to it, and by the end, I was almost in tears for knowing that Four and Sarah had to part ways.

For more of my reviews, please visit my blog:
The Blair Book Project @ www.theblairbookproject.blogspot.com (less)

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I Am Number Four (Lorien Legacies #1)

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