The Power of Six by Pittacus Lore [Review]

Now, I will say from the off, that I am going to try and keep this as spoiler free as possible, but there may be a few little slips here and there. If you really do not want ANY single detail in the book to be revealed, then do not read on! I'd hate to spoil the experience for you! 

Written by: Pittacus Lore.

Published by: Penguin (UK), HarperCollins (US)

Format: Hardback.

Released: 23rd August 2011.

Rating: 5/5.

Official synopsis: "We are the last defence.

I've seen him on the news. Followed the stories about what happened to John Smith. To the world he's a mystery, but to me ... he's one of us. Nine of us came here, but sometimes I wonder if time has changed us, if we all still believe in our mission.

There are six of us left. We're hiding, blending in, avoiding contact with one another, but our Legacies are developing and soon we'll be ready to fight. Is John Number Four - and is his appearance the sign I've been waiting for? And what about Number Five and Six? Could one of them be the raven-haired girl with the stormy eyes from my dreams? The girl with powers that are beyond anything I could ever imagine? The girl who might be strong enough to bring the six of us together?

They caught Number One in Malaysia. Number Two in England. And Number Three in Kenya. They tried to catch Number Four in Ohio ... and failed. I am Number Seven. And I'm ready to fight."

When I reviewed I Am Number Four last Summer, just prior to it's publication, I said: "What we have here ladies and gentlemen, is what is sure to become the next global phenomenon of the literary world. Do not miss out!", and I have to say that The Power of Six only furthers that statement for me! When reading it, you just get the sense that this is something special.

Taking off pretty much where the first book left of, John Smith, aka Number Four, is on the run with his friend Sam, his dog/transformer/chimea, Bernie Kossar, and Number Six who joined them towards the end of I Am Number Four. The book also heavily features a brand new Loric, Number Seven who is living with her Cepan in Spain. I know that some were unhappy at finding out that there'd be a new Loric child in this book as many thought from the synopsis that it'd just be about Number Seven and we'd see nothing of Numbers Four and Six, but that is not the case. There's just about the right balance between both of the scenarios: Number Four and Number Six on the run from the FBI in America, believed to be terrorists after the destruction of the High School in Paradise, Ohio, and Number Seven in the convent trying to persuade her Cepan that they need to move, to train, that the Mogodorian's are coming and there isn't time to waste.

And boy those Mogadorian's don't let up do they? After the high profile events in America making International news, the Mogs are even more hellbent on destroying the Loric children before they can unite when they will become invincible. In this book we learn a bit more about the background of why they were chosen as the ones destined to return to Lorien and return it to its former glory, and also we learn just who or what exactly was on that second ship that left Lorien on that fateful day. As well as that some other surprises which spring up every now and again - some I'll be honest I would never of thought of! And while we're on the subject of the Mogodorian's, we also get a few glimpses of their leader and let me tell you, he is one scary, scary alien. Looking forward to seeing more of what he has to offer as the series progresses.

Again, I will say what I said last year for I Am Number Four, I love the whole idea that this is being told by a Loric elder, Pittacus Lore, but the fact that it's written in first person really detracts from this for me. I do have a little theory that perhaps all of the Nine Garde are actually one, and that one is actually Pittacus Lore chronicling the story from the future, but then I realised thinking about this actually hurt my head so I stopped. The writting is however just as addictive and captivating as that of the first.

The climax of this book is just as dramatic as that for the first, I want to say so much but am forced to say so little as it would spoil it completely. And the fact that really, we're getting two climaxes (one in America, one in Spain - which might I just say is just as dramatic if not more so!) for the price of one is brilliant! Just believe me when I say that it's nail bitting, fast paced and taut with suspense! It left me unbelievable gagging for Book Three which I'm praying is out next year! 

Overall I think this book will please the legions of fans that banded together after reading Book One. It's got suspense, action, fight scenes, a teeny bit of romance is chucked in the mix too - but not enough to make boys turn away, put the book down and run a mile, it's subtle and handled really well. A great read that deserves to be a bestseller. My only hope is that the film for I Am Number Four did well enough for the makers to actually adapt this one too because the film is a brilliant adaptation (one of my favourite book to films adaptations ever...) and one only hopes that Dreamworks can work some magic on this one to!

My thanks go to the lovely Sarah at Puffin for sending out my copy after the first one sent out when walkies in the post! Cannot thank you enough for sending me this and must apologise for bombarding you with tweets while reading it!

Pre-order from Amazon UK (YA EDITION)

Pre-order from Amazon UK (ADULT EDITION)

Pre-order from Amazon US

In My Postbox #40

In My Mailbox idea from Kristi @ The Story Siren, and all links take you to Amazon UK.

Hey guys! I did intend to do an In My Postbox last week, but it was works Summer Party and lets just say, that I was not feeling well enough to do anything on Sunday and had to work on the Saturday so couldn't get the post ready! Ha! Well, the less said about last Sunday, the better, I hope to forget it in a hurry! Anyway, hope everyone has had a good week, and without further ado, In My Postbox #40.

FOR REVIEW:

Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs.

First heard about this a little while ago, that cover is so freaking creepy! Looking forward to having a read! My thanks to the publisher for sending me a copy! 

The Devil Walks by Anne Fine.

Another lovely cover! How cool does it look? Thanks to Rosi at Random House for this!

Girl Parts by John M. Cusick.

This book sounds very interesting! Looking forward to having a ganders! Thanks to Walker UK for this!

Money Run by Jack Heath.

A teen thriller with assasins, double-crossers, con-artists and more... what is not to love? Cannot wait! Thanks to Usborne and Liz for this!

Texas Gothic by Rosemary Clement-Moore.

This sounds very good and I love the look of it! Again, thanks to Rosi for this at Random House!

Liesl & Po by Lauren Oliver.

By the author of Delirium which I quite enjoyed. This was a complete surprise and it sounds brilliant. Very excited to read it. Thanks Hodder! :D And with it came a very cool little extra! A cut out, Liesl & Po theatre set! Amazing!

Passion by Lauren Kate.

Now I haven't read any of these books but they do sound good and now this is the incentive I need to get the first two books. Again, thanks to the lovely Rosi for this! :)

MISCELLANEOUS:

Now, this week, myself and several other bloggers recived a mystery postcard the other day. It's plain but has a black moustach on it, and on the back, a link to www.daughterofsmokeandbone.co.uk... Now, this was a bit weird. I opened it and didn't see the link as I was on my way home from work... I was like... um, who sent this. It wasn't till I got home I saw the Hodder & Stoughton logo. Only Hodder! And then I went to the link! It's all part of a little campaign for a book called The Daughter of Smoke and Bone by a lady called Lani Taylor. It's out in September and sounds very intriguing and mysterious. And then this morning (it's Saturday as I write this...) a second one turns up. Only it's black, and with a tooth! Hmm! Will keep you updated if any more arrive, but for now, check em out!

And finally...

GIFT:

Now, picture this, I was out in front of our house, on a day off sick, helping my mum try and stop ants coming in our house (which might I add we have done successfully...) and the postman in the van stops in front of our house. Now, our normal postie had already been on his bike in the morning and brought me a lovely package from Random House. So what could it be? The man in the van only comes if it's something that was missed or was too big. He handed me this package and I recognised the handwriting instantly from previous packages/scribbles in books... and this is what I got!

A card! And a little gift! Gift is a little skull and cross bones badge and it came from the ever lovely, Mr. Justin Somper! Now, me and Justin go way back. I've been a supporter since Demons in the Ocean came out in 2005 and this was a little thank you (which I know at least one other Nocturnal got and it was rightly deserved!)! I cannot thank you enough Justin! Something so little but means so much to me! I count Justin as a very good friend, although one I have yet to meet in person! It will happen, and hopefully this year! I was very touched and it was just what I needed when I felt as crap as I did! So thank you!!! :D You amazing man!

So yep, that's it folks! I had a great week overall and am one very happy blogger! I also sorted out all the press releases I've got since I started blogging into a folder. I'd previously kept them in a cardboard box but this is much better and more space efficient!

Have a great week folks! Happy reading!

Cover Art News: Final cover for Darren Shan's PALACE OF THE DAMNED!

If you remember a few weeks back, I posted the official artwork for Darren Shan's third book in the Saga of Larten Crepsley series! It had no title work or Darren's name on it, just the pure image which Darren released as it was so beautiful he wanted everyone to see it before the writing obscured the image! Well now, here is the real deal which you'll be seeing on that hardback come October!

Cover Art News: Torn by Cat Clark!!! ZOMG!

Now anyone that was skulking around EoB towards the end of 2010 will of seen me rave about Cat Clarke's debut novel, Entangled, which was published this January. It had a looovely cover and now Cat has revealed the cover for her next book, Torn, which is due early next year. I saw this on my lunch break earlier today and had a little freak attack. I loved Entangled and have been counting down to this. Cat just has such an amazing voice in her writing that I cannot help but melt! Cannot wait for this book. Check out the beaut below! And be sure to get Entangled now!!! (Review here). Anyway... beautiful cover!!!!

Cover of the Week: Imaginary Girls

Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma.

How beautiful is that cover? It's just so captivating and eye catching. When I first saw it I was like "wow... what... what's she... she's underwater. Wow! This is good."

It's so simple but there's something about it. It just works. But at the same time it looks a little eerie. And then you read the synopsis:

Chloe’s older sister, Ruby, is the girl everyone looks to and longs for, who can’t be captured or caged. When a night with Ruby’s friends goes horribly wrong and Chloe discovers the dead body of her classmate London Hayes left floating in the reservoir, Chloe is sent away from town and away from Ruby.

But Ruby will do anything to get her sister back, and when Chloe returns to town two years later, deadly surprises await. As Chloe flirts with the truth that Ruby has hidden deeply away, the fragile line between life and death is redrawn by the complex bonds of sisterhood.

Well I will definitely be checking this out!!

The Case of the Deadly Desporados by Caroline Lawrence [Reviews]

Written by: Caroline Lawrence.

Published by: Orion Children's Books.

Format: Hardback.

Released: 

Rating: 4/5.

Official synopsis: "When desperados kill a preacher and his wife in a small frontier town, their foster child P.K. is forced to go on the run. P.K. must get a valuable letter to the Recorder’s Office before anyone else can get their hands on it. It’s not easy: Virginia City in 1862 is a glorified mining camp on a barren mountain above a great vein of silver. Seething with miners below ground and hustlers above, it’s a dangerous place, full of gamblers, hurdy girls, saloon-keepers and gunmen, all of them on the make. When twelve year-old P.K. Pinkerton arrives there, homeless, penniless and hunted, things don’t look good. But armed with a Smith & Wesson seven-shooter and a knack for disguises, P.K. takes on the tricksters and desperados who are out to get him and he finds possible allies: Sam Clemens, the new reporter for the paper, a gambler called ‘Poker Face Jace’ who knows how to tell if someone is bluffing, a derringer-packing Soiled Dove, and a Chinese photographer’s apprentice called Ping. 

When this book first arrived through my postbox, I read the synopsis and thought, "Ooh, this sounds good!" It's set in the days of the Cowboys and Indians. How cool." But then I thought, hmmm... it's a kids book, so will it live up the the rapturous and dangerous lifestyle that people had back then? I remembered learning about Western America in that particular time period in GCSE History and instantly worried. Hmm... But then I read it. And I needn't of worried at all! Caroline has obviously done one heck of a lot of research for this book and it really does show. The attention to even the tiniest detail is incredible. From the layout of towns back then, to the clothes they wore, the way they spoke, the way they were towards other people and even the guns they would use - in those days, EVERY body had one... - it's just breathtaking. I found myself remembering things and learning even more than I had done in those stuffy lessons all those years ago.

PK is an interesting young fellow. Half American and half Native Indian, he is fostered by the Reverand and his wife, and when they are scalped by a trio of dastardly desporados for a mystery object somewhere within the house, PK must go on the run. Soon he learns that in the world he lives in, you can never trust anyone. Just when he thinks he's made a friend, he is shocked and knocked down again, on his own he must continue to run.

The whole book is told in the form of a memoir really. It just has that sort of a feel. PK thinks he's going to be caugt, that he's going to die, so is attempting to get the whole story down in the hope that a good man will find it and bring those that killed his Foster Ma and Pa and soon himself, to justice.

I really enjoyed this and it was a great little read! Boys and girls alike will love this little beauty by the author of the Roman Mysteries series (which I loved). Maybe not those that are too young, because there are words/phrases that are quite mature, but still, I think everyone will love it.

My thanks to Nina at Orion for my copy.

Buy from Amazon UK