I've decided that I'm going to review an entire series instead of just one book in it. This is probably one of my all-time favorite series, though the end… Well, I'll get to that.
Series: The Maximum Ride Series
Author: James Patterson
Overall Series Rating: 4 1/2 out of 5 stars
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Max's Missions: Protect the rest of her gang – Fang, Iggy, Nudge, the Gasman, and Angel – from a pack of half-wolf, half-humans with a taste for flying humans.
Not necessarily in that order, of course.
I've decided that I'm just going to kind of review the series by chunks of books, detailing my favorites here and there, instead of reviewing in detail each book one by one. So, hang with me.
The first three books are known as The Fugitives books. They are probably the best in the series. Full of fast-paced action, witty teenage banter, and lots of running from the bad guys, I could not stop laughing the entire time it took me to read them, which was about a day and a half. Each of the chapters are only about two pages long, so it really feels like things move, and one can feel stupidly accomplished when saying "I read a hundred-thirty-something chapter book in a day."
I love the characters. Extremely sarcastic, no-rules-apply-to-me-because-I'm-better-than-you attitudes left me dying from lack of air from laughter. Max's thought processes are hilarious, because I can relate to thinking just about everything she thinks, and I would catch myself performing all her eyerolls and sighs as I was reading. They were definitely the most enjoyable to read.
The next books were known as The Protectors. This is where Patterson put more emphasis on the "saving the world" aspect, instead of "run from the bad guys." The chapters are longer and a bit more detailed. He also seems to be advocating for real-life "save the animals, save the forests, save the planet" stuff. All the tasks that the flock performs are to better the environment, and Max even makes some "speeches" about it. Because, she IS supposed to be saving the world and all.
These books were okay, but they were the ones that pushed me to give the "four and a half" star rating. They didn't have quite the same level of humor, and I didn't enjoy them quite as much. Fang, the sixth book, actually made me cry at the end. I was also unamused when Patterson introduced Dylan near the end to make people wonder if Max was really going to end up with Fang or not. Being a FangxMax shipper, I disliked Dylan immediately. I'm all for romance, but love triangles are getting old. Fang and Max belong together, end of story. I realize those are pretty childish feelings, but if the romance isn't going the way I want, then that affects my opinions. Especially since Dylan turned out to be so insignificant.
The other factor that ties into the rating was the last book. All this build up about saving the world, and when the end came, it all just kind of fell flat. It felt like Patterson didn't really know what he wanted to happen, but he was tired of writing, so it just kind of … ended. It was actually quite pathetic, which was sad because I love Patterson's writing.
As much as I disliked the ending, the series is well worth the read. Heck, just read the first three and forget the rest. Though, perhaps you'll like the end better than I did. Give it a glance and decide for yourself.
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That's exactly how I felt about the series. The first three books were definitely the best but it went downhill from then on. I was actually so disappointed with Nevermore that I only gave it three stars.
ReplyDeleteThree stars is my rating for Nevermore as well, though because I enjoyed the series overall, my overall rating is what it is. The ending was not exactly what I was thinking of when they said "you won't see it coming."
DeleteThanks for visiting the blog! :)
You were the other blog featured other than one of my friends, so i thought i would check it out!
ReplyDeleteI totally agree about the first three books. When Dylan was introduced and Fang (spoiler alert!) left, I was ready to punch James Patterson into a wall. At the end when it all just ends flat, its not a cliffhanger, its undetailed.
But overall, the witty and sarcastic remarks, brewing romance, and shocking revelations make this series a read worthwhile!
Yes, I was not overly happy with Patterson when Fang left. And it fell so flat, it's not even funny.
DeleteBut I do agree the rest was worth the read.
Thanks for stopping by!
James Patterson Women's Murder Club Series are best one out of all this collection
ReplyDeleteI have heard of that series, but have not had the pleasure of reading it as of yet. I will have to make a note to check it out.
DeleteThanks for stopping by!