I Am Number Four

I saw the trailer for the movie around a month ago and decided to read the book before the movie came out. I had very high hopes that this book would be nothing less of amazing but I was saddened to learn that it was just mediocre. I really enjoyed the first half of the book. During the second half of the book I found that I kept getting more and more frustrated with each chapter.

Four and his guardian, Henri, are constantly moving around the US to keep from being found by their enemies, the Mogadorians. The Lorien childrien that came to earth had a spell placed upon them that meant that the Mogadorians had to kill each child in order unless 2 of the Lorien children come near each other, then the spell is broken and the Mogadorians can kill them in any order they please. Each time a Lorien child is murdered all the remaining Lorien children receive a scar that forms around their ankle. Each Lorien child lives in a different part of the world to keep the Mogadorians from finding them so easily.


Four and Henri decide to move to a small town in Ohio this time around. He is supposed to lay low and to blend in. You would think that Four would take this serious considering he carries 3 scars around his ankle as a reminder of the 3 Loriens that have already died, but it seems as if he could care less. On the first day of school he gets into an altercation with the school bull and accidentally shows people his first legacy. Even after that he still remains to be careless throughout the entire book. He gets a beautiful (Surpise!) girlfriend and a best friend. Several times his guardian wanted to leave town because not only were the Mogadorians we're close, but also because Four has messed up time after time, leading the Magadorians towards them. Four uses his new powers to his advantage and forces Henri to stay against his better judgement. Even when he knew the Mogadorians had found him he still refused to leave, endangering everyone he cares about.

On the front of the book there is a blurb from Michael Bay that says “Number Four is the hero of our generation” I'm actually baffled at that statement. Four lies through his teeth and puts his own selfish needs before the safety of anyone else, and in the end, it backfires getting people hurt and killed.... But yet we're supposed to sympathize with him? NOT A CHANCE. At one point in the book there is a war going on, a war that he knew was coming if he didn't leave town, and he tells Henri he “didn't know this was going to happen” even though through the whole book Henri is telling him this is exactly what would happen if he wasn't careful.

I also couldn't get past all the holes in the book that left me with lingering questions. For example, If the Loriens sent the kids to earth so that they could come back one day and repopulate their planet, why did they only send 9 kids? Shouldn't they have sent an even number of people? 5 boys and 5 girls? It was made clear that Loriens are monogamous. They find their love and stay with them until they die. So, assuming that they would hope for the best and none of the kids died, why would they send an odd number?

I didn't hate the book, but I didn't like the book either. I still want to see the movie and I honestly think it's going to be better then the book which is a bid deal for me because the book is always better.