Maximum Ride #4 - The Final Warning

The Final Warning: Maximum Ride Series #4 - James Patterson

Let me first start by saying that, no, I did not read all of these books in one day.  I have, however, read about four or so since my post on the 2nd book in this series.  Like I've said in previous posts, the Maximum Ride Series is written for the teenage audience and is a fairly easy read.

This book starts out with Max and "The Flock" attending Ari's funeral, Max's half brother.  Also in attendance are Jeb, her "father", and Dr. Valencia Martinez her "mother".    The story takes us to Washington where a bunch of government types try to persuade The Flock into letting them study the strange kids with wings.  It didn't go well.

As they are trying to figure out where to go and what to do next, they discover that they are still spontaneously mutating and acquiring new powers.  Nudge is magnetic and Angel can now talk to fish.  Max's mom hooks them up with a research vessel that takes them down to Antarctica to help with the Global Warming epidemic  But, even on an island of ice and snow, they are still tracked down and kidnapped to be auctioned off by someone named the Uber Director.

Now the next sections I have several problems with; during the auction a massive hurricane just happens to swoop down on the office building they are being held in in Florida. They escape, yet again, and take off for parts unknown to save the world some more.

This was where I really started losing interest in the series.  I enjoy the adventure and all, but the constant, getting captured and then escaping only to run into another trap is wearing a little thin.  I am still going to try and get through the next book - Max, but I'm not all that optimistic.  3 out of 5 on this one.  It just seemed thrown together somehow, and I like a little more depth in my reading.

Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports - Maximum Ride #3

Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports: Maximum Ride Series 3 - James Patterson

Okay, here we go, the third book in the series of "The Flock".  I have to say I liked this book, but the series is beginning to wear on me.  What kept my attention through this book was that the action never stopped.  I'm serious, there is SO much going on in this one, that I could barely keep up.  From the very beginning we are introduced to a message on a laptop, which they stole at the end of the last book, that warns of a traitor in their midst.  Fang's blog plays heavily in this story as we find out towards the end.  I enjoy the trickery involved in the middle and without giving too much away, I have to say I completely bought it and was slightly disappointed by the writing of how the betrayal was not actually true.  I think it could have been done better. 

The flock actually splits up in this book, which surprised me but was believable because of the addition of Ari, Max's supposed half brother who has tried to kill all of them on numerous occasions.  Fang doesn't take kindly to Ari joining their family so he decides to go his own way, learning how difficult being a leader actually is.  Ari seems to have had a change of heart and is now a kinder, gentler Ari.  Having an expiration date tends to do that.  Before the split, Fang and Max's relationship is progressing, but Max keeps running away. 

Max's little group, which consists of Ari, Nudge, Angel and Total (the talking dog) try to take out the entire corporation that was the reason for their existence and most likely the cause of the constant death threats.  During the process, they manage to get themselves captured, again; Max learns who her mother is (or does she) as well as her father, and a whole bunch of kids from around the world help them take down an evil dictator.

I have no idea what surprises The Final Warning Maximum Ride Series #4 will have and I must say I'm not too sure I'm looking forward to finding out.  This book left me spent from all of the excitement so I don't know how much more I can take. This book gets a 4 out of 5 from me.

Prom Nights from Hell

Prom Nights from Hell - Stephenie Meyer, Kim Harrison, Meg Cabot, Lauren Myracle, Michele Jaffee

The first story in Prom Nights from Hell is The Exterminator's Daughter by Meg Cabot.  It's a cute story about a teenage girl who is seeking revenge on the son of Dracula (Sebastian), who has put a spell on her best friend.  The reason the girl, Mary, seeks revenge on Sebastian is because his father turned her mother into a vampire. 
It's told from the first person perspective of two characters, Mary the heroine, and Adam, the hero who eventually becomes Marys boyfriend.  This story is easy to follow, having been written for a young audience and (of course) the major action happens at prom.
It's a budding romance story and was interesting but not one of my favorite writers.  I give it a 2 out of 5.

The next story is The Corsage written by Lauren Myracle. In this story we have a new telling of an old campfire tale.  Frankie, the main character in this tale, goes to a fortune teller to see if the boy she loves, Will - who just happens to be there too, is going to ask her to the prom.  During their session, they happen across a corsage that is suppose to grant three wishes.  Will dies in the process of asking Frankie to prom under extreme circumstances and probably the influence of the corsage as well..  Frankie goes a little mad and decides to bring Will back to life, after he's been buried for several days.  The ending was a bit surprising for me and somewhat of a let down.  This one gets a 2.5 out of 5, and maybe that's just because it was too short of a story and felt a little rushed for me.

Madison Avery and the Dim Reaper by Kim Harrison was one of my favorites in this compilation.  Madison Avery is in a new town she calls Dullsville, USA with her father and at prom.  She is unhappy with her date and decides to leave the prom with a mysterious dark stranger named Seth who turns out to be pretty scary.  Seth and Madison are speeding along in a convertible that promptly looses control, at Seth's direction.  Madison is not yet dead, much to Seth's chagrin, who cuts through her with a knife.  She wakes up in the morgue to hear two people arguing and this is where our story beings.  Through several circumstances, Madison is turned into a Reaper.  Not really dead, but not quite alive either.  The ending in this story is just the beginning to the series of Madison Avery the first book being Once Dead Twice Shy. 
I loved this story, the characters were well written and believable and the story line left me wanting more.  I suppose Kim Harrison felt the same and that's why we now have a series.  I give this story a 4 out of 5 only because it felt unfinished, and now I MUST read Once Dead Twice Shy to find out what happens next!

Michele Jaffe intrigued me with Kiss and Tell.  The story immediately begins with a death and just gets better from there.  We are introduced to Miranda who has some extraordinary capabilities, like being able to hear EVERYTHING with crisp clarity.  Miranda is a student at a boarding school; she has no parents that she can recall and is on a roller derby team to help expel some the "extra" energy she seems to have.  To be on the team, she also has to be a driver for the teams sponsor, a car service.  This is how she meets Sibby, her fare.  When Miranda drops Sibby off at her destination, she notices things aren't exactly what they seem and resorts to rescue her from her captures clutches.

I enjoyed Miranda's kwirky nature in this story and would like to read more about her.  I hope that Michele Jaffe will make this story into a series since there were several loose ends that were not tied up when this tale was finished. It's a 4 out of 5 for me; I just wanted more explanations.

Now, to my favorite in this book - Hell on Earth by Stephanie Meyer.  Gabe, our hero, has asked a girl to prom, Celeste, who instantly wraps herself around every guy in the place, abandoning Gabe.  We hear from several different perspectives, Gabe's, Celeste's, Sheba's (the new girl) and several other minor characters.  Gabe is drawn to Sheba for reasons he can't understand, he just knows that she needs his help.  Sheba, who is dark, mysterious and  a bit devious, has an agenda all her own, which is to wreak havoc throughout the entire prom.  She MUST do this in order to advance among the ranks of the demons.

Sheba tries to regain control over the devastation of the night, sensing there is another calming presence there, but unable to place it.  Little does she know, until it's too late, that Gabe is her own personal guardian angel.
She falls in love with an actual angel, and is instantly enslaved for life, but couldn't care less about her unfortunate situation while she is looking into Gabe's eyes.

I truly loved this story! Of course I did, it's Stephenie Meyer, one of my favorite authors.  It was well done, didn't feel rushed, and the characters were well defined, not hollow or two dimensional.  This story gets a 5 out of 5!

Maximum Ride 2 - School's Out Forever

School's Out - Forever - Maximum Ride Series 2 - James Patterson

Well, I have dove back into the Maximum Ride Series by James Patterson.  With a series like this, I usually get bored around the 3rd or 4th book so I'm trying to force myself to stay focused. 

So far, so good.  The series is written for a teenage audience and is an easy read and right now is keeping my interest with the action and our six winged kids staying on the move.  In this book the flock finds themselves whisked away by a government agent who tries to get them to live like normal kids.  Predictably, she turns out to be one of "them" and the flock is once again on the run.  But before that happens, Max has her first date, which makes Fang jealous.  Fang has a little admirer which makes Max jealous, and we see the introduction of Fang's blog which plays a major part in the plot in later books. 

The teen romance between Fang and Max is blossoming nicely and we have many mysteries introduced, such as, who are their real parents and will Iggy's parents come back in later books to try and exploit him again.  Angel develops more and more talents like being able to breathe under water (I think all these special skills with come handy in the future).  We also discover that Ari (Max's supposed brother) is still alive even though she snapped his neck in the last book.  And Ari has some secrets of his own, like a voice in his head as well.  Who is the voice, or I should say voices, that keep telling Max and Ari what they should do next? 

I can't wait to start reading the next book - Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports .  I give it a 4 out of 5 overall for keeping my attention, but not doing a great job of surprising me.