From Amazon - John Smith has just arrived in Paradise, Ohio, just another stop in a string of small towns where the 15-year-old has been hiding out from the Mogadorians. Those terrifying aliens are hellbent on destroying him and the other nine Loric children who have sought refuge on Earth. The Mogadorians are picking off the surviving kids in numerical order. The first three are dead and John's number is up. Will his Legacies, his defining super powers, develop in time for him to fight against the enemy? I Am Number Four is a breathless page-turner of a sci-fi novel that will have readers rooting for the teen alien who must unleash his fire power to save himself, his human friends, and the planet. This is the first of a slated multi-book series that, judging by this first book, will help reinvigorate a traditional YA genre that's grown a bit light on strong character development. So, gear-up sci-fi fans, the battle for Earth is on and there's a new kid in town!
This young adult novel has a great concept. An alien race, their planet in the midst of destruction send 9 children to Earth to hide out until they come of age and can return to their planet to reclaim it and begin anew. The fact that there is a movie about it just added to my desire to want to read it.
As I’ve said before, I have pretty high standards for my YA fiction. I expect the characters to be fully fleshed out, and in the case of teenagers, act and sound like teenagers. I expect the dialogue to be snappy, witty and unforced. I expect the action to be intense. I expect the plot to grab me, and not bore me.
I Am Number Four fails on all levels.
The characters are so cliché I could have written them in my sleep. The overly aggressive jock. The beautiful (ex) cheerleader that everyone loves. The dork who reads conspiracy magazines during class. The new guy, just trying to slide under the radar but is Just Too Special.
The dialogue is atrocious. I may have rolled my eyes once or twice (or a thousand times). For example –
“Thank you for saving my life. I don’t care what you are or where you’re from. To me you’re John, the boy I love.”
“What?”
“I love you, John, and you saved my life, and that’s all that’s important.”
“I love you too. And I always will.”
Cue gag reflex.
The action, I do have to admit is fairly interesting. I guess my problem with it lies within the characters involved. I wasn’t at all invested in John or the outcome of the Big Fight because I hadn’t come to care about him, or the fate of his home planet. He was so wooden two dimensional, then did I really care he was smashed to bits? The answer is no.
Finally, the thing I am most disappointed about is the plot. Again, it had so much potential. However, we spend the first half of the book dealing with stupid, unimportant High School drama before the enemy alien race is even mentioned as a true threat. Even then, we spend more time reading about John and Sarah’s make-out sessions than anything else.
Are my expectations too high for YA? Do actual teenagers enjoy this kind of stuff? Again, I just feel so let down when there is such a great premise and yet terrible execution.
Next up, The Hunger Games. YA novels actually worth reading!
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