The Power of Six by Pittacus Lore

Friday I got an email saying my library loan was about to run out, but someone had it wait-listed so I couldn't renew. Despite being in the middle of the amazing Starsight, I took it as a personal challenge to finish The Power of Six before Monday.

Expecting to take the entire weekend of total isolation to finish this, I was really surprised to close the book before lunch on Sunday. 

The title references a line John says about gathering the power of six (as only six of the Garde remain alive) and is not actually a reference to Number Six.

Though Six is a character in the story, novel number two in the "Lorien Legacies" is actually the continued story of Number Four, John Smith, and an introduction of Number Seven, Marina.

Reflecting back to come up with this review, I realize I was able to read this novel so fast because there was no meat to the story. There was certainly plenty of action and an increased exposure to some very cool legacies, but there was nothing underlying to really grip the mind. 

Number Seven's angsty life in a convent and Number Four's love triangle are such forced young adult cliches I think my mind blacked out. The super awesome alien race have zero character development. When learn surprisingly little about any of the actual legacies. Instead we get the most development from the lone human teenager--the side character. It was disappointing.

But, we are also exposed to Number Nine and Ten in what I am hoping is a ramp to the next novel, The Rise of Nine. Though the title may be another trick, and it will end up being some kind of history lesson on the Nine Elders.  We shall see.