Maximum Ride Series #5 - Max

Maximum Ride Series #5 - Max by James Patterson

Max, The fifth book in the flying teenager series.  Let me begin by saying I will continue to read these books, but my attention span is officially on other things.  I wonder if it's just me or it others feel that these plots are feeling more and more thrown together.  Well, luckily i only have 3 books to go, as James Patterson announced that the eighth book will be the last one of this series.

This book started out with "The Flock"  giving an aerial display in support of the CSM (Coalition to Stop the Madness) the group Max's mother started to help save the environment.  During the performance, an assassin tries to take out Max, surprise, and the whole gang mobilizes to kick butt.  That is, before the gunman blows himself to pieces.  There is a pretty funny segment at a modeling agency where we definitely see the teenage romance budding rapidly between Max and Fang. 

I won't mince words, I'm completely bored with this series so I apologize for not being more flattering.  The plot swiftly moves on to Max's mother being kidnapped; the flock befriends the military to help find her, and there's something fishy (pun intended) going on in the Pacific.  After a series of misadventures on a submarine, they discover that Max's mom is being held under water.  Trying to rescue her, they also encounter some weird mutant fish that help them, through Angel's ability to talk to fish.  We discover that Max can also breathe under water which really comes in handy rescuing her mom . . .  and . . .  everybody wins.

I wonder though, what happened to the mutant, slim cover mega fish they discovered?  The story just kinda left them at the bottom of the ocean.  Well, we did discover that Max isn't afraid of kissing Fang in front of anybody any more, and we may have another enemy for the next book.  It ends, typically, with the whole gang flying off into the sunset on search of yet another adventure.

I give it a 2 out of 5, I'm just tired of the worn out plot line I think.  Maybe the next one, Fang, will be better.

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.