I Am Number Four – SPOILERS AHEAD!
After being disappointed by Mockingjay this summer (Last quarter felt rushed) I picked up I Am Number Four. It was beyond pleasantly surprised. Now, for the sake of the people in the feed-reader who have not read it, I’m going to included a handy “Read More” link so that they won’t see my discussion unless they click the link. Is this mildly annoying for those of us wanting to discuss? Yes. But I don’t want to be part of ruining the story for anyone. So, without further ado…
Okay, so evidently that “MORE” thing doesn’t work for ALL feed-readers. SO, DON’T READ THIS IF YOU DON’T WANT TO BE SPOILED
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Let me tell you my favorite thing about John Smith. He’s more than just a reluctant hero. He’s wanting nothing more than a boring existence. He hopes his legacies never come and that he can just settle into Everytown, USA and live like all of the kids he has watched from afar. I love that about him. It makes him so much more likable. And then, when his legacies start to come? He faces them with excitement, recognizing that his hope for normal is gone, but embracing the future he was born into. I just think it makes him a very realistic hero. Someone that we all feel like we could relate to.
And his love story with Sarah? Irresistible. I like that she has already has her “Come to Jesus” moment before she met John. She already had a moment in her life where she saw who she wanted to be compared to who she was, and she changed to be the better person. I think that makes her a good strong partner for the reluctant hero. I hate that it ended with a goodbye for the two of them.
I adored Henri. And when he died? OH MY GOD. I cried. Just sobbed. But not as much as I would have cried had Bernie Kosar died. I loved Henri, but I loved Bernie more, I must admit.
But my favorite thing about the book – by far – was the transformation of Mark. I like how unpredictable that turn was. I didn’t see it coming and think that Mark being key in John’s survival was a great twist to the relationships in the story.
I think the book ended on a great note, setting up an interesting team for the next book: Sam, Bernie, Six and John.
So…what did you think?
Did you like Mark’s transformation? Do you think he’ll be in the rest of the books? What about Six? The next book title (Power of Six) seems to indicate we’re going to get more of a focus on her. How do you feel about that? How did you feel about her showing up in the first place? I hope she acts as a good big sister for John as he harnesses his legacies. What about Bernie Kosar? Did you love him as much as I did? What are your theories? What’s in the letter? What about that other ship John kept seeing in his visions – what’s that about?
Feel free to chat! I’ll pop in and reply in the comments to join in. I’m much better at responding to OTHER comments than coming up with my own.
I could see the whole thing in my feed reader. And the other day, I didn’t have to click through to see the Jesus picture. I think my feed reader (Google Reader) is showing signs of using its powers for evil.
GRRR. I have no idea what that didn’t work for you, but I added a WARNING this time. Just in case. Sorry!
I really enjoyed this book – I had just come off a string of YA, including most recently The Maze Runner.
I appreciated the realistic dialogue in this – it wasn’t stunted, puerile or catchy. It really felt like teenagers talking. I also liked the relationship with Sarah – the author did an excellent job letting it build into a true friendship with respect (i.e. I liked that they talked for hours at night), it was better for me that they weren’t all gushy and starry-eyed.
While yes, I agree that John was enchanted with the idea of a plain life, I also got the sense that he was frustrated with hiding his abilities, that he actually wanted to pop them out. I think he wanted either plain or superhero, but that being the middle of nothing was driving him crazy. Meaning, he wanted to be a plain guy OR be the superhero. One or the other.
Bernie Kosar – LOVE. Henri? Dude, I think they killed him off too early – we barely got to know him! They should held that one off until next book. I wasn’t done with him. Sniff. I am really excited about Number Six. I think that will be the perfect addition to propel the plot forward – she will provide more perspective and additional information. Really, anything can happen in the next book – not all of the “rules” of Lorien have been settled.
The main problem I had with Mark is that he was played too broadly in the beginning for him to turn about face at the end.
One criticism, the action scenes at the end were very hard to read and follow. I was SO confused. I think it will make a great book, but I had the sneaking feeling the author wrote those scenes for a book.
Also, the school getting wrecked reminded me of Buffy. But in a good way.
I agree – I wanted to know more about Henri. And with Mark playing broad – I felt like that the first time I read it. But the second time, something about the scene of him showing up at the house the morning the video went viral, eased the transition for me more. Maybe because I knew where it was going…I’m not sure. Maybe because I feel like if Sarah had such potential for good and dated him, it must have been in there deep in him too. Either way – it bothered me less the second time.
I got confused in the action scene too -but that’s typical for me because I tend to read faster in intense parts. HA!
It reminded me of HOGWARTS!
i think Henri needed to die so that John would not hide behind him and that because John’s powers are driven by emotion he would grow more with the loss of his “father”
I really enjoyed this book and I am looking forward to the movie! I want to know more about the second ship that departed Lorien during the war…Also, I agree that Henri was killed off a little too soon. I love Bernie Kosar and I can’t wait to learn more about Number 6!!!
On a completely different note, I’m glad I clicked through to comment…those spicy saltines look awesome and I think I’m going to make some!
Deidra
I envision Number Six as being the tough big sister who won’t take crap from her little brother, Number Four. I’m looking forward to that and HOPE they don’t try to make it romantic.
Thanks for the book suggestion Zoot! I loved this book, LOVED. I agree with all the points made thus far, and want to add…my only frustration with the book was the sense that Henri and Six know a TON more than they let on, about legacies, about their planet’s history, about the other kids that escaped, etc. I was frustrated that John seemed to know so little despite being in the same situation as Six. Ah well, more to be revealed in the next book.
Oh, and I thought Sarah’s reaction to finding out she was dating an alien was a bit far fetched. If she had at least a moment’s hesitation, it would have been more compelling to me.
I did get frustrated with that too. I’m never a fan of the “Holding Out Information From Main Character” plot device that we often see. Even in Harry Potter (what is it with me and the Potter references?) I often got frustrated with Dumbledore holding out information from Harry. I understand it, knowing the big picture, but it always frustrates me.
I’m guessing that, since Six is older, she started learning more earlier when her legacies developed, but without a guide, I’m not sure how the timeline plays out. Didn’t he Cepan (Is that right?) die “3 years ago”? That would mean she had to start developing her legacies more than three years ago if we’re supposed to believe the Cepan’s impart more wisdom as the legacies show as it’s a sign of them being “ready”. I’m not sure, I’ll be glad to get more of her storyline.
Bernie Koser was my favorite. I kept imagining my own dog (Frankie) as him, so I couldn’t bear to see anything happen to him. I really want to know more about #6 and I was suprized that the movie looks like it’s going to focus a lot on her????
Yeah…I noticed that. I’m hoping those were just the good bits they showed in the trailer and doesn’t indicate the movie itself has the same focus!
I was also disappointed by Mockingjay. So glad I’m not the only one.
As for I Am Number Four, I really liked it. I suspected the truth about Bernie Kosar, but since I have a beagle, I was just happy that the story had a heroic beagle in it. And yes, I cried too when Henri died. It will be interesting to see John go on without him, but I do wish we’d gotten more Henri.
It will be interesting to learn more about Six in the next book. She’s had a totally different experience than John. I wonder if she also remembers the second ship.
I didn’t think about that! And she would have been older so she may have a more clear memory of what happened that day. It’s too bad there wasn’t a network of communication between all the pairs after they landed. Seems like it would have saved some trouble if they at least knew the same things the others knew!
I enjoyed the book. I feel the same as others regarding Mark’s turnaround and the final fight scene. I thought John should have figured out both Bernie Kosar and emotions bringing out his powers much earlier. I was annoyed by the naming convention: Hart, Jones, Smith, Miller, Harris. The only slightly nongeneric name was Knapp – aside from combining the 2 author’s names into Jobie Frey for an alias for John Smith.