I Am Number Four
Lorien Legacies #1
by Pittacus Lore

My rating: 5 / 5
Genre: YA sci-fi

John Smith (not his real name) has been on the run move of his life, hiding on Earth from a race of beings that destroyed his home planet, Lorien, and killed almost everyone on it. He and others escaped and came to Earth to bide their time, waiting until they could fight back and try to reclaim their planet. But the Mogadorians are also on Earth and are tracking down John and the other Legacies, whose developing powers will allow them to fight back. They can only kill the Legacies in order. The first three are dead, and John is Number Four.

This is one of those kinds of books that I can understand why some people think it’s trite, but I enjoyed it anyway. Though the book is long, I read it fairly quickly, due to it being action-packed and easy to read. I think what I appreciated most about this story is that the characters are overall pretty well developed, and I really liked the different relationships. “John” and Henri, his non-Legacy protector from Lorien, have a father-son-type bond. They don’t always get along, but they respect and care about each other. Though John moves often enough that he doesn’t generally form lasting relationships, the connections he makes with other teens at his new school adds to the story. I personally didn’t care about the romance, but I figure that’s because I’m an adult, whereas teenagers might enjoy it more.

The world-building in this novel is also intriguing and easy to follow. Though some information is clearly left unexplained, it just left me wanting to continue the series to learn more. And one particular clue that’s given at a few points in the book has a great culmination that I can’t explain without spoiling the moment. I was absorbed in the book all the way through and have already recommended it to my 14-year-old daughter. If you enjoy sci-fi without a lot of complex world-building, especially in the YA range, you should consider reading this book.

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