I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore

I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore

Released: AU 3 August, 2010
Series: Lorien Legacies [Book One]
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pages: 440
Source: Purchased
Rating: 4/5

We were nine, three are dead, I am number four.

Nine teenagers and their guardians are hiding on Earth. Protected by a charm that means they can only be killed in numerical order, three are already dead. John Smith is Number Four. And his mortal enemies are hunting him down. The only way to keep off-radar is to keep moving, never staying in one place for long.

Finally in the firing line, all he can do is adopt the guise of a student and pray his unusual gifts - his legacies - stay hidden long enough for him to settle into this new community. But others seem to sense his otherness and when small-town life sucks him into its intrigues, it's only a matter of time before his true nature is revealed. And that means there's no space for love, friendship or a future if it means protecting not only himself, but the other five. - goodreads

My Review:
I found this great website called Page to Premiere; it reports on books that are being adapted into movies. Film and books, 2 of my favourite things, and it is here where I first found out about ‘I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore’. It must have been newly released, because even the assistant at the store where I purchased it from asked how I found out about it. Anyway, onto my review.

While I was super interested in the plot of this book, I was a little apprehensive about reading it as the main character in the story was male. Now don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against male leads in stories or anything, but I sometimes find it hard to connect with a character if I can not relate, and in this instance it happened to be his gender. However, this is Not the case with ‘I Am Number Four’. It had me wanting to read more each and every night! I found myself telling anybody who would listen about this book, and inviting them to see the movie adaptation when it was released (which I saw and think that the book was better, but i usually do).

The mystery surrounding who John is, how he came to Earth, why he was forced to leave his home, and what was trying to track him down and kill him had my full attention on every page. Without giving to much away, I found the history of Johns origins, and the origins of his planet, just as fascinating as what his future had in store. This story had a bit of everything, action, mystery, suspense, romance, comedy. Being a slightly larger book than I usual read, I found it one of my quickest books to read this year, and that must be a good sign!

Rating:
What do I think? I thought this book was Great. The characters are practically lovable (i challenge you to read this book and Not connect with at least 1 of them), the story is slightly mysterious, and it packs a punch at the end! I was excited to find out this is one in a Series of books, called the Lorien Legacies, and will definitely be going to the bookstore in August, 2011 when the second book, ‘the Power of Six’, is released!

Have you read the book? Did you see the movie? What Legacy would you hope for if you were from Lorien? Talk about it in the comments.
-Alisa