By: Cynthia Ayala

The Mogadorians are here. After years apart, the orphan Loriens have finally found each other, only to discover a traitor in their midst and lose another. Four are dead from the Nine sent to Earth and even though another was discovered, their numbers are still few. Four, known also as John Smith, is the leader of the ragtag team and with the Mogadorians on the move and one of their own taken, Four has decided to take the fight to them and win by all means possible.

The Revenge of Seven is the fifth novel in the Lorien Legacies series, also known as the I Am Number Four Series, by Pittacus Lore. Published on August 26, 2014. The novel is a young adult science fiction adventure about a group of orphan teens on a mission to save the world.

Shifting from several point of views, The Revenge of Seven builds a strong and wonderful story packed with adventure and story as the moves forward and follows these various characters as they move on from the tragic events of the last book. The team, separated with no way of contacting one another, each chapter shows events across the globe as they happen, tying the characters together as well as the story.

There is a lot going on in the novel giving it a lot of detail to follow. Yet it’s easy to follow because the scene specifics are incredibly detailed. Lore delves into each of the characters psyche to build the narrative and give the audience characters to care about. One character in particular, Seven, has gone through a remarkable change. Once a sweet girl who was eager to fight and save those around her, such a docile character with a kind heart, events of the previous novel hardened her heart. However, her kindness is still there, every facet of her personality that made her a beautiful character inside and out remains untarnished. Seven is a remarkable character, and while readers do not get to see her own personal point of view, through Six readers can grab onto her. That right there just shows are strong the characterization and scene specifics are.

Nevertheless, the story was missing something. It wasn’t a bad story by no means but the problem is, compared to the previous novels it lacked some substance. The story was so rushed and the events were so quick that it lacked story, it felt as though it was missing some story. Now, two authors wrote the previous novels, but since one of them left, there is a lack of story, as though pages were cut out for time. This novel needed to slow down, it needed to capture the events and build towards them because there is so much that has happened, so much that needs to be captured and developed, especially after some of those jaw-dropping moments that launch more jaw-dropping moments, depriving readers of the time they need to recover. Honestly, it seems like Lore is rushing towards the end, eager to finish and see the final product. While that leaves the readers wanting more, it also leaves them unsatisfied, no matter good a science fiction adventure is. ★★★☆☆ | C+