Review: I Am Number Four (Lorien Legacies #1) by Pittacus Lore

Read from January 6 to
January 8, 2012

Book: I Am Number Four (Lorien Legacies #1) by Pittacus Lore

Publication Date: August 3, 2010

Publisher: HarperCollins

Number of Pages: 480

Genre/s: Young Adult, Science Fiction

Nine of us came here. We look like you. We talk like you. We live among you. But we are not you. We can do things you dream of doing. We have powers you dream of having. We are stronger and faster than anything you have ever seen. We are the superheroes you worship in movies and comic books—but we are real.

Our plan was to grow, and train, and become strong, and become one, and fight them. But they found us and started hunting us first. Now all of us are running. Spending our lives in shadows, in places where no one would look, blending in. we have lived among you without you knowing.

But they know.

They caught Number One in Malaysia.

Number Two in England.

And Number Three in Kenya.

They killed them all.

I am Number Four.

I am next. - From Goodreads

Excerpt: "It's the last thing to go,"Henri says. "When you have lost hope, you have lost everything. And when you think all is lost, when all is dire and bleak, there is always hope."

John and his Cepan(guardian) has always been on the run since they arrived from Earth after their planet, Lorien had been destroyed. They are aliens and they were being hunted by the Mogadorians, the same enemies that destroyed their planet. There are nine of them and they can't be killed out of order. Three are dead and John is next that is why they decided to travel again to another small town. Stakes are even higher this time so John has to do everything to conceal his true identity and protect his secret. But John did the unthinkable. He had drawn attention to himself. He even made a friend, Sam and got himself a girlfriend, Sarah. Also, John is getting stronger and with that comes the bigger risk of exposing his true self. In the inevitable battle between the Mogadorians and the remaining Loriens, John must make his last stand and he will come to know the true meaning of loss and the bittersweet power of sacrifice. 

I Am Number Four has never been high up on my TBR list. I am not fond of alien stories and I've already watched the movie. It was decent but not enough to really get me to pick up the book. But one fateful day, a classmate of mine lend me this book and I found myself highly entertained.

There was something about this book that was enjoyable and it was really interesting to know about 9 Loriens traveling to Earth to regroup and learn all their Legacies so they could defeat the Mogadorians and claim back their planet. One thing that also struck me was, I Am Number Four characters were one of those characters that would have bored me to death. They were not exactly the most flat characters out there but they came close. Maybe it was because I have seen the movie and I know what was about to happen that kept me really gripped by the story but honestly, I never found myself bored. Shocking, right? I even got a little teary eyed on the quite sad turn out in the story. I knew then that the characters had somehow managed to get under my skin and had me invested on them.

I could not really account the entertainment of I Am Number Four to it being exceptionally written either. It was pretty straightforward. He did this, he did that. He reacted, he retaliated. It was simple yet there was magic between those unassuming ventures. I was interested about John discovering his Legacies and how he handled his huge crush on his soon to become girlfriend. He's loyal and brave. He would disregard everything for the people he holds dear. Even for his dog, Bernie Kosar. Sam is a good friend. Sarah is pretty but I was afraid at first that that'd be her only asset. But she redeemed herself on the later half and showed me why John really felt that intense connection with her. Henry for me was a perfect guardian for John as well.  

If there's something that could be taken from I Am Number Four it is the underlying message about war and the devastation it could bring. That the never ending quest for superiority and power would bring destruction to Earth like what happened to the planet of the Mogadorians, what the Mogadorians did to Lorien and what they're trying to do again, this time to Earth. And that there's hope even at our darkest hours. 

I Am Number Four did not really make me shriek my head-off chanting "Best Book Ever" over and over like a raving lunatic. But it was packed-full of adventures, thrill and entertainment. I am certain that if the rest of the books in the series would give the same amount of likeability or even more, Lorien Legacies series would definitely sit on my well-beloved series shelf. And with that I am awarding my first half-rating ever for this book. Something I've never thought of doing. 

Cupid's Verdict:

3 1/2 Cupids

PS. If you have watched the movie and decided to skip this book altogether, I dissuade you to do so. There was a lot of minor and some major discrepancies between the movie and the book. And honestly after much reflecting, I actually liked the book better than the movie.