I Am Number Four - Pittacus Lore

Blurb

There were NINE of us who escaped . . . 

Number ONE was killed in Malaysia.

Number TWO was murdered in England.

Number THREE was hunted down in Kenya.

Before they come for the others, they'll come for me . . . 

I AM NUMBER FOUR.

(There's more but that's all I needed to pick this book up!)

My Review

I Am Number Four, if you want to be simple about it, is an easy read. But that doesn't mean it's an easy read emotionally. Gosh, I cried at the end. I couldn't stop turning pages. I was so tense I had to clutch the book tighter and tighter. Yes, there are no drawn out sentences and big words. Just punchy short ones and blunt statements. But this just added to the intensity of the story. Lore didn't need poetic beautiful paragraphs to make his point. He made it as simply as possible and that's why I fell in love with this book.

However there were few too many adverbs for my liking - because there was more than one per 100 pages - but they were spaced out so I could stomach it. This isn't really a negative because I say this to everyone on Movellas all the time and I always criticise people for using adverbs. But really, there was nothing else for me to criticise.

I loved the characters. They were lovable and realistic and I wanted to hang out with them. John's relationship with Sarah was written in the perfect way. It's not often a book has two teenagers fall madly in love and that's it. There's no tension no drama. Just love. And that was just right for this book which is chiefly about the sci-fi action.

Like I said before, I couldn't stop reading this book. I was just waiting for a spare moment to pick it up again. It was brilliant.

You might be wondering about the I Am Number Four film and well . . . I watched it a few years ago and enjoyed it. I'm glad I left it so long before picking up the book though because I could only remember a few pieces of the plot and I'd forgotten which actors played who so I was free to create my own images in my head. And yes, of COURSE the book is better! John and Henri are much more fun to read than watch and I feel the film didn't get their relationship quite right.

So now I'm proud to sit just before Lore on my bookshelf.

Evaluation

Overall 9/10

Would I recommend it? Yes! I couldn't put this book down.

Would I look up the author? Yes. Have picked up the second book straight away, The Power of Six.

I Am Number Four was an incredible sci-fi journey I didn't want to end.

Molly Looby

Author / Ghostwriter / Editor / Blogger / Reviewer / Wrimo / Movellian / ZA Ready

molly.looby@hotmail.com