In which Ems reviews books...: Review: The Power of Six by Pittacus Lore

29 June 2012

Review: The Power of Six by Pittacus Lore

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Source: Library
Published: August 2011
HarperCollins

From Goodreads: I've seen him on the news. Followed the stories about what happened in Ohio. John Smith, out there, on the run. To the world, he's a mystery. But to me . . . he's one of us.

Nine of us came here, but sometimes I wonder if time has changed us—if we all still believe in our mission. How can I know? There are six of us left. We're hiding, blending in, avoiding contact with one another . . . but our Legacies are developing, and soon we'll be equipped to fight. Is John Number Four, and is his appearance the sign I've been waiting for? And what about Number Five and Six? Could one of them be the raven-haired girl with the stormy eyes from my dreams? The girl with powers that are beyond anything I could ever imagine? The girl who may be strong enough to bring the six of us together?

They caught Number One in Malaysia.
Number Two in England.
And Number Three in Kenya.
They tried to catch Number Four in Ohio—and failed.

I am Number Seven. One of six still alive.

And I'm ready to fight.

Here's a case where the story saved the day. I very nearly put this book down, because it's told from a dual first person POV. That type of thing drives me insane when it's not done well, and sadly, I don't think this one was done well. From the synopsis, you'd think that this is the story of Number Seven, and you'd be partially right. However, we mustn't forget Number Four and Number Six, who will also play a huge role. In fact, half the book is told from Four's POV.

Here's where it got dicey for me: at first I got into the rhythm of having the narrator change every couple of chapters. It threw me at the beginning of each change, because there was nothing to indicate that our narrator had changed. I'd have been grateful for a chapter heading or something to let me know. Instead, it took me several paragraphs to figure out who was talking. But that was okay. I got the hang of the changes, and after awhile, it wasn't jarring anymore.

Then it changed. Now it was every other chapter changing. It threw me again, but I got used to it. I was starting to hear the characters' voices and was used to them.

And then it changed AGAIN. This time, every couple of PARAGRAPHS. I'm sorry, but what the heck?! Now they were just messing with me. This is the very reason that I DNFd a book not long ago, and that particular book at least said who was speaking at the beginning of each change. This seriously almost killed what was an awesome story.

Luckily, the story was awesome enough for me to stick with it. Phew. I didn't want to quit because not knowing what happened would have driven me crazy too. So I persevered. I'm telling you, it wasn't pleasant at times, but it ended up being worth it. The story is killer if you can get past the crazy POV shifts.

I still really like Six. She's wicked-strong and fiercely loyal. Still trying to figure some things out about her. Still like Four, though I feel like he's still got quite a lot of growing up to do. He will though. He's just that type of character. Love Sam and still adore Bernie Kosar.

In the end, because I had such a hard time figuring out who was speaking half the time, it ends up being a 'hmmm' for me. Alas for multiple POVs bringing down the rating!