The Revenge of Seven (Lorien Legacies #5) by Pittacus Lore

Summary:

The worst was supposed to be over. We were reunited after a decade apart. We were discovering the truth of our past. We were training and getting stronger every day. We were even happy...

We never imagined the Mogodorians could turn one of our own against us. We were fools for trusting Five. And now Eight is lost forever. I would do anything to bring him back, but that's impossible. Instead, I will do whatever it takes to destroy every last one of them.

I've spent my entire life hiding from them, and they've stolen everything away from me. But that stops now. We're going to take the battle to them. We have a new ally who knows their weaknesses. And I finally have the power to fight back.

They caught Number One in Malaysia.

Number Two in England.

Number Three in Kenya.

And Number Eight in Florida.

They killed them all.

I am Number Seven.

I will make them pay. (Via Goodreads.com)

Pages: 371

Release Date: August 26th, 2014

My Rating: 5 stars out of 5 stars

Review:

     The Revenge of Seven is the fifth book in the Lorien Legacies. The first book is I am Number Four (my spoiler review: http://littleredsreviews.blogspot.com/2013/02/i-am-number-four-by-pittacus-lore.html) which was also adapted to a movie. I also have a spoiler review for the fourth book, The Fall of Five: http://littleredsreviews.blogspot.com/2013/09/the-fall-of-five-lorien-legacies-4-by_4670.html. This is one of my favorite series and for the past two years I have been so excited for the first day of school because the next book in the Lorien Legacies was released the day before school started.
     I loved The Revenge of Seven and I am so excited for the next book. I read on Goodreads that the next book will also be the finale book in the series so the release day will be bitter sweet. I like that this series will be six books instead of the normal three or four books, but I wish there would be more than one left. Of course I do not want to say goodbye to the series, but I also think that everything will be squeezed into the last book. I do not know how Pittacus Lore is going to fit everything in but I still have some faith in him.
     I would recommend the Lorien Legacies to anyone. Most books tend to lean toward a certain gender, but the Lorien Legacies is for both girls and guys. If I had to say it leaned towards a gender it would definitely be for guys. The Lorien Legacies is perfect if you are into aliens, science fiction, action, and a little romance (it slightly increase as the series progresses). The book-to-movie adaptation for I Am Number Four is really good and I would recommend watching that as well. I loved the casting, special effects, and the movie was a close adaptation to the book. I really wish they would have made The Power of Six and the rest of the books into movies as well.

*Spoiler Section*

     After finishing The Fall of Five, I was emotionally scared. I loved Eight and, under no circumstance, did I accept that he died. Even with the scar on the other Garde members, I should have accepted that he was dead. I didn't. There was no way I was letting him go. He was an amazing character and Marina and Eight were my OTP (One True Pair) of the series. But, sometimes you have to let them go. I still love Eight but, at the end of The Revenge of Seven, I was at peace with him being dead, like Marina is. We saw that he was now in peace and we were able to say goodbye.
    I was shocked when Sam suddenly could use telekinesis. I flipped the page in excitement to see what happened next, and there was nothing. That is a really good example of a cliffhanger. Anyways, I believe Sam got those powers from Lorien or whatever happened when Eight's body disintegrated. Marina had said on pages 365-366, "It's spreading, Six. Through the Earth. It's spreading that she the power spreading everywhere." then she also said in response to Adam at the end of page 366 "It means. That we aren't alone anymore." My theory is that these 'powers' from Lorien are spreading all over the Earth and humans are forming Legacies so the Garde are not fighting the Mogs alone, they have humans to help them.  
     I have no idea how we are going to deal with Ella being stuck with Setrákus Ra by the charm and just in general. In my The Fall of Five review I predicted that he was her father, I was really close, he is her Grandfather. I was really wrong when I predicted that Pittacus Ra was really Setrákus Ra (I don't understand why I thought that). But, in a tiny way I was right because Setrákus Ra was a former Elder of Lorien until Pittacus Lore and the other Elders kicked him out. Then Setrákus Ra became ruler of Moradore. 
     I was so happy when Sam and Six finally kissed. I have been waiting four books for this to happen, and I am almost positive I squealed when it happened. Since Eight died, Sam and Six are my new OTP. I love them together and Six has finally admitted that she has feelings for him. She does not want a relationship with Sam until the war and everything else is over and I really respect her for that. She wants to fix everything and restart their lives before anything major happens between them, unlike most relationships in books. I really love Six because she does smart things that other characters don't think about.
     Now, this pair is not even a couple or anything like that. But, I like the idea of Marina and Adam being together. Maybe not even as a couple but as close friends. In no way is Marina the type of girl to automatically get over Eight and jump into another relationship, but I want them to be friends. Out of all the characters, Marina and Adam are the most alone. They need someone to look out and to support them. 
     Since the beginning of the series, I have been fine with John and Sarah's relationship but I never felt overly excited about it. They are the one relationship that I know will always be there.
     It is so interesting that the Mogs first contacted Earth ten years ago and that the Mogs wanted to search for 'fugitives' and wanted to use the U.S. law-enforcement and freely move about the country in exchange for weapons and technology. It was also interesting about genetic augmentation. Instead of the Mogs saving them, they are turning people into something inhuman. The Mog are such a repulsive and horrible species.  
     With the title of The Revenge of Seven I assumed Marina would be seeking revenge. That is what the title tells you. But, after reading it I don't feel like the title fit the book. Don't get me wrong Marina was mad and depressed about Eight's death and badly wanted to get Eight's body away from the Mogs. I figured she would be attacking Mogs and fueled on revenge but to me that didn't happen. I don't feel that she was seeking that much revenge. Do you think the title fit the book?
     Overall, I loved The Revenge of Seven. It was filled with action, suspense, kick butt characters, some romance, and I am so excited for the final book in the Lorien Legacies! In the next book I hope the Garde and humans defeat the Mogs for good and that no main characters die!
~Casey

Beautiful Disaster (Beautiful #1) & Walking Disaster (Beautiful #2) by Jamie McGuire

Summary:

Abby Abernathy is a good girl. She doesn’t drink or swear, and she has the appropriate number of cardigans in her wardrobe. Abby believes she has enough distance from the darkness of her past, but when she arrives at college with her best friend, her path to a new beginning is quickly challenged by Eastern University’s Walking One-Night Stand.

Travis Maddox, lean, cut, and covered in tattoos, is exactly what Abby wants—and needs—to avoid. He spends his nights winning money in a floating fight ring, and his days as the ultimate college campus charmer. Intrigued by Abby’s resistance to his appeal, Travis tricks her into his daily life with a simple bet. If he loses, he must remain abstinent for a month. If Abby loses, she must live in Travis’s apartment for the same amount of time. Either way, Travis has no idea that he has met his match.

(Via Goodreads.com)

Pages: 416

Release Date: May 26th, 2011

My Rating: 4 stars out of 5 stars

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Summary:

Finally, the highly anticipated follow-up to the New York Times bestseller Beautiful Disaster. 

Can you love someone too much?

Travis Maddox learned two things from his mother before she died: Love hard. Fight harder.

In Walking Disaster, the life of Travis is full of fast women, underground gambling, and violence. But just when he thinks he is invincible, Abby Abernathy brings him to his knees.

Every story has two sides. In Beautiful Disaster, Abby had her say. Now it’s time to see the story through Travis’s eyes. (Via Goodreads.com)

Pages: 433

Release Date: April 2nd, 2013

My Rating: 5 stars out of 5 stars

Reviews:

     Beautiful Disaster and Walking Disaster are two New Adult companion novels. Beautiful Disaster is in Abby's perspective and Walking Disaster is the same story but told in Travis' perspective (you do get an epilogue in Walking Disaster though). You can read the books in either order but I recommend going in order and starting with Beautiful Disaster. 

     One of my friends had praised these books so I had high expectations that were almost met. Out of the two, I loved Walking Disaster more. Walking Disaster was perfect, I loved Travis and his story. He is such an amazing character and I never knew how much he struggled with life until Walking Disaster. Abby wasn't my favorite character but she still was a good character/narrator. I liked that she had a darker past than Travis did, since he is the 'bad boy'. At times, I did get a little annoyed with Abby, but it could have been much worse. 

     Overall, I would recommend these two books for someone who is looking for a rough around the edges contemporary romance. I am excited to hopefully read Beautiful Oblivion soon. Beautiful Oblivion is the story of Cami and Trent (one of Travis' older brothers). I am also excited that I will be meeting Jamie McGuire at ApollyCon next year! For more information on ApollyCon: http://www.tdevents.net/p/apollycon.html.

*Spoiler Section*

     Abby's roommate, Kara, was right when she called Abby and Travis' relationship a disaster. I loved them together but they could have made their relationship a lot less complicated. They tended to have a lack of communication with one another. They could have skipped a long, torturous break up had Abby told Travis that she wanted him back at Thanksgiving. It took me a while to finish Waking Disaster because I refused to pick it up. I did not want to see Travis suffer through their separation. 

     One reason I disliked Abby at times, was because she could be selfish. We all have times when we are self-centered, but I felt Abby had more than usual. I understand she spaced herself from Travis to protect herself because Travis shared many similarities with her father. But, Travis proved so many times that he was a genuinely nice guy. I thought it was interesting in Walking Disaster that Travis pointed out that when he held a door open for Abby she never noticed. Although, when Parker held a door open for her, she noticed. That had never occurred to me, but I thought back to Beautiful Disaster and it was true.

    Abby's horrible past really made the story unique. In most books, the main male character has a dark and mysterious past, rarely does the female. Travis did have struggles growing up, especially with his mother's death when he was three. But, Abby had the worst past out of the two. It was interesting to see the gambling, the mafia (Mob), Vegas, etc. all tied into Beautiful Disaster. 

     I loved that at the end of Walking Disaster we got an epilogue. In a million years I never would have thought that Thomas was a part of the FBI. One we discovered that, I am glad that Travis got to work along side his brother. It was interesting that they ended up killing Benny and are now after Abby's dad, Mick. Not only that but I am glad Abby figured out Travis was a part of the FBI and is supplying him with information to take Mick down. It is so cute that Abby is a math teacher at their children's school. It is amazing how much Jessica is like Travis and how much James is like Abby. I wonder what they are going to name their third baby? I am assuming it will start with a J. 

     Overall I really enjoyed these books and I am excited to read Beautiful Oblivion (Cami and Trent's story) and Beautiful Wedding (a novella that is about Abby and Travis' wedding in Las Vegas). Beautiful Disaster and Walking Disaster were two quick, romantic reads that left me in a puddle of emotions.  

~Casey