The Rise of Nine is the third book in the Lorien Legacies series by Pittacus Lore (the pseudonym of authors Jobie Hughes and James Frey, although only James Frey finished this book). At the end of The Power of Six, Four and Nine escaped from the Mogadorian base but had to leave Sam behind, while Six met up with Seven (Marina), Ten (Ella), Hector (Marina’s friend), and Crayton (Ella’s unofficial Cepan) in Spain. Hector dies during the escape attempt. The Rise of Nine features Six and her group traveling to India to find Number Eight, while Four and Nine travel to Nine’s base in Chicago to regroup and set a course of action.
In general, The Rise of Nine is so much better compared to The Power of Six (thank goodness!). The plot moves faster and more interesting (yay conspiracies!) and the increased focus on the other Garde.
The plot finally picks up. In one book, we get government conspiracies, intercontinental travel using Loric relics, a prophecy that may or may not come true, and a big showdown with Setrákus Ra, the big bad Mogadorian. Hurrah! The faster pace means lots and lots of expository dialogue but I’m willing to forgive just to get the plot moving. The conspiracies were an interesting revelation, one that I hope will be explored more in the next books. I also appreciated the further evidence of the Loric visiting Earth even before the destruction of Lorien.
Another thing I appreciated was the increased prominence of the other Garde in the narrative. The Rise of Nine is told from the point of view of Four, Six, and Seven. It was difficult at times to separate the different voices – it doesn’t help that the sections aren’t labeled with the narrator’s name and the fonts used for the different sections are practically the same – but you get used to it. The three voices made Rise more tolerable to me because it features more Seven in general (she’s turning out to be my favorite), more Six being a badass and less hung up on Four, and less Four whining about Sarah.
What I didn’t like:
- Four is still whining about Sarah. Sarah is never going away, is she?
- Seven is suddenly obsessed with how cute Eight is. I’m giving her a a pass though because she’s a teenage girl who was raised in a convent and was confronted with her first cute guy.
- The general telling and not showing. I forgave this but it needs to be mentioned again.
The verdict: 3/5 stars. It’s on the same level as I am Number Four and definitely better than The Power of Six (which I disliked so much I didn’t bother to write a review). It’s a fun read that’s best enjoyed when you just want to rest your brain.
As an early birthday event of sorts, I decided to host a giveaway for a copy of The Rise of Nine. Join here!
