Book Review | The Rise of Nine by Pittacus Lore

The Lorien Legacies series from "Pittacus Lore" is one of my favorite book series. It's a lot of fun with a lot of action, and there is an awesome dog character in it to boot. The Rise of Nine is the third book in Lorien Legacies series.

I loved the first two books - I Am Number Four and The Power of Six - hard core. The Rise of Nine, however, I didn't like near as much. Don't get me wrong, if you read and loved the first two, I highly recommend you read The Rise of Nine as well.

My main complaint is I didn't feel like I got a complete story. The Rise of Nine reads very much like a middle of the series book. It is a middle of the series book, but I firmly believe you should be able to walk into a library, pluck any book off the shelf, and get a complete story whether it is part of a series or just a stand alone novel. A random reader wouldn't understand anything that is happening in The Rise of Nine without having read the first two and the ending was less than a satisfying ending (whether you've read the series or not).

I also had some issues with the characters. The characters in the previous books were all very likeable. In The Rise of Nine, the characters we already know are split up and are never given the same chance to shine as in the previous books. We are now getting to know new characters who just aren't as likeable as the original cast. I also require a much larger dose of Bernie Kosar, the aforementioned awesome dog.

I'm griping about this book a lot more than I would like to be because I'm still a huge fan of this series. The Rise of Nine gave me more of the super power coolness and good guy vs bad guy action I have grown to really love. Even though I didn't love it as much as the previous releases, I'm just as anxious for the next book as I was for this one. I'm also anxious for my boys to be old enough to read or be read this series. I know they are going to dig it just as much as I do.

Despite the flaws in The Rise of Nine, I highly recommend the Lorien Legacies series as a whole.

6/10: Good read

Have you read any of the Lorien Legacies series? I'm curious if anyone has read the Lorien Legacies Lost Files that have been released between books? I got the first one and still have not read it. I'd love to hear what you think of those.