I started reading this series because I thought the movie, I Am Number Four, was pretty cool. Actually, the movie was just okay. What really excited me about the premise was the promise it held for the rest of the story. Unfortunately for movie fans everywhere, it kind of tanked, and all plans for sequels were buried. Fortunately for me, the books were already written and published, and the whole story was available to me.
If you’ve never heard about this series, it’s about a group of aliens from the planet Lorien. They’re known as The Guard and they are the last hope of salvation for their destroyed home planet.
As the series began, the guard are scattered to the far edges of Earth, hunted by another race of aliens called the Mogadorians. The same race of aliens that destroyed Lorien. An ancient charm protects them from being killed unless they’re killed in order. Which is kind of cool. When they get together, the charm is broken. That might seem foolish, and a cool premise spoiled, but once they get together that’s when the story really picks up.
I won’t go into any spoilers because I really think it’s an excellent series.
The first book feels very juvenile. It reads like it was written by a high school kid who wasn’t very popular, but dreamed of being with the prettiest girl in school. That girl, by the way, says things and acted the way that every love-sick pup dreamed about, but no girl ever did. But keep going.
The second book feels like there isn’t much happening at all. You meet a new character or two, but things start to feel a bit aimless. Though the juvenile aspect begins to disappear. But keep going.
By the third book, it’s full speed ahead. And it stays that way through the rest of the series, ending with a fantastic, explosive ride in the seventh, and final, book, United as One.
With this many books, the characters had a long time to really stretch and become very real. By the end, each one feels like family. You know them, inside and out. When they get angry, you’re mad as hell. When their heart breaks, yours shatters.
The only thing I thought this was missing was an overall direction. It’s a long series, so there has to be a short-term goal that’s going to be settled within one book, but there should’ve still been a sense of something bigger the series was heading toward. There’s a very vague ‘we have to kill the main bad guy’ thing, but that’s about it.
Warts and all, this series was incredibly enjoyable. Absolutely worth the read.
Sounds like it’s a good thing you stuck around to finish the series, even though the first two had little things about them that you didn’t love. I hadn’t heard of the books or the movie before, but the story is interesting.
Worth it, Elizabeth. If you’re library uses Hoopla, you can get the whole series through audiobook. The narrator is terrible at female voices in the first book, but he does get better, plus they start adding other narrators.
My library uses cloudLibrary, which is probably the same idea. I just looked and all of them are there on audio 🙂
I completely agree. Each book just gets better and better, so I’m glad you felt the same way. 🙂 I’m glad you ended up enjoying the series and, as always, fabulous review! <3