The Rise of Nine - Pittacus Lore

[This is the third book in the Lorien Legacies, so there may be minor spoilers. Please feel free to check out my review of the first book, I Am Number Four, or the second book, The Power of Six, if you have not read them yet.]

The Rise of Nine by Pittacus Lore
Series: Lorien Legacies #3
Publisher: Harper Collins
Publication Date: August 21, 2012
Source/Format: Borrowed from Mel || Paperback

The Mogadorians who destroyed the planet Lorien continue to hunt down the Garde, the small group of Loric survivors who have taken refuge on Earth. The Garde must come together. They are Lorien and Earth’s only hope.

During the dangerous mission at the Mogadorian base in West Virginia, John found and rescued Nine. But even with their combined powers, special abilities known as Legacies, the pair barely escaped with their lives—and they lost Sam in the process.

In order to save our world and their own, John and Nine must join forces with Six and Seven who have been battling the Mogadorians in Spain, and who are now trying to locate Number Eight in India. (from Goodreads)

Even though I loved I Am Number Four, it took me a while to pick up The Rise of Nine. This was mostly because while I liked The Power of Six, I didn't fall in love with it. I'm pleased to say that this novel has enticed me back into loving the series! It's got the surprises and action that I loved so much in the first book. Additionally, most of the Garde are finally together in this one, a development that I feel I've been waiting a while for. Even with that ending, it was really easy to enjoy this book.

Clearly, I really love the Garde, as it was probably the main thing that this installment had going for it. We're introduced to Eight, who is basically a kick-ass guard hiding out in India. And we learn more about Six, Seven, Nine and Ten, including the abilities that they're developing and bits and pieces of their history. While John/Four continues to have a strong presence, the rest of the Garde are also becoming essential narrators in this story, and I love it!

And the second best thing about this book is the fact that there is so much more action. Everything going on has a sense of immediacy, as time is ticking away and there is so very much at stake. The plot of this one really takes off early on, and it was easy to appreciate the continuous forward movement of this story. Honestly, there were a lot of things I didn't expect in this book - and that was a good thing!

If you read The Power of Six and felt discouraged from continuing the series as I did, fear not - The Rise of Nine is a powerful third installment. The lore of Lorien, the coming together of the Garde, and the fact that there's so much action will definitely allow you to reacquaint yourself with why you were so fascinated with the series in the first place. It definitely had that effect on me, and I am eagerly anticipating diving into The Fall of Five.