The Power of Six by Pitticus Lore

Goodreads:  The Power of Six
Series: Lorien Legacies #2

SPOILERS FOR I AM NUMBER FOUR

Summary:  John Smith is on the run, since he was almost captured in Ohio.  Number Seven is searching for news of him from Spain, desperate to find the other five Garde, as her Cepan has all but abandoned her.  Six is trying to bring them all together.  The Mogodorians will do anything to stop them, but John’s own feelings might be more dangerous than all his enemies’ plots.

Review:  The Power of Six does not seem quite as urgent as I Am Number Four, perhaps because the characters are now stronger and more prepared to take on threats, but it has more than its fair share of action.  With the narration alternating between John’s point of view and Marina’s (Number Seven), there is a lot going on, and a lot of it is dangerous.  The Mogodorians are clearly preparing for something big, just as the Garde are preparing for their own fight.  (How exactly six people are going to take on an entire planet and win remains unexplained, but for the sake of the plot, readers will just have to go with it.  And the plot is worth going with it.)

Beyond the expected battles, now featuring more Legacies and more technology from the chests, there is still romance.  Between Sam and Six.  Between John and Six.  Another thing readers just have to go with.  Six vaguely explains at some point that it is fine to like more than one person.  And it is, but eventually someone is going to have to make a decision here.  Lore seems like the only one eager to make such a decision, however, and his efforts are a little…obvious, to say the least.  He essentially takes one scene to portray Sarah as a jerk, which will probably open the way to a stronger Six/John romance in the next book.  Unfortunately, the scene seems contrived and completely out of character for Sarah.  Maybe pairing Sam and Six would be a little too neat, in a “oh, look, everyone has someone to date” way, but it would have worked if Lore just wished to throw some romance in the book to keep readers hooked.  It appears clear who everyone is going to end up dating, from the clue thrown around in the book, but only The Rise of Nine will confirm things.

The Power of Six is a nice middle book to a series.  It keeps things moving along.  It introduces new vital characters.  It keeps people reading with crazy battles and revealed secrets.  But The Rise of Nine had better more a little more mind-blowing; it must be, to convince readers six Garde can actually win the battle they were sent to win.

Published: 2011

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