Review: The Power of Six by Pittacus Lore (Lorien Legacies #2)

Goodreads summary:
I've seen him on the news. Followed the stories about what happened in Ohio. John Smith, out there, on the run. To the world, he's a mystery. But to me . . . he's one of us.

Nine of us came here, but sometimes I wonder if time has changed us—if we all still believe in our mission. How can I know? There are six of us left. We're hiding, blending in, avoiding contact with one another . . . but our Legacies are developing, and soon we'll be equipped to fight. Is John Number Four, and is his appearance the sign I've been waiting for? And what about Number Five and Six? Could one of them be the raven-haired girl with the stormy eyes from my dreams? The girl with powers that are beyond anything I could ever imagine? The girl who may be strong enough to bring the six of us together?

They caught Number One in Malaysia.
Number Two in England.
And Number Three in Kenya.
They tried to catch Number Four in Ohio—and failed.

I am Number Seven. One of six still alive.

And I'm ready to fight.

Wow Power of Six was fantastic. Better than I am Number Four! I can't believe it took me this long to pick it up but I'm glad I did. The book follows John Smith along with Number Six and Sam, who are on the run from Mogadorains and the authorities (who label them as a terrorists) after destroying a school in Ohio. Meanwhile Number Seven is hiding in a Convent in Spain, bidding the time when she leaves and joins the other members in the Garde. She suspects John Smith is a member of the Garde after reading about the Ohio school incident.

This book was exciting from start to finish! The author does an excellent job in recapping the events in the previous book and the Lorien Legacies at the beginning without it seeming like an information dump. Throughout this installment, we discover about what is contained in the Loric Chest and the trails and tribulations faced by Number Six before she joined up with John, Sam and Bernie Kosar. Number Six easily became my favourite character. She was such a cool and kick-ass female character who took no shit from anyone. It was interesting that the book was split into the POVs of Number Four/John and Number Seven/Marina rather than being in Number Six's POV. Number Seven was also a likable character. I loved the female power in this book! Packed full of action, I can't remember the last time I was this hooked on a book.

Review: Dreamland by Sarah Dessen

Dreamland follows Caitlin who's life in spirals into darkness after her sister runs away from home. Pressure is put on Caitlin to fill in the shoes her sister left behind after her parents are devastated to find her sister gone. Caitlin finds herself wanting to make her own path even if that means joining in cheerleading (something she hates, getting into a relationship with a dangerous guy and participating in drugs.

This book was a compelling and emotional read. I couldn't keep my tears in because of the Caitlin's terrible situation and anger at the person who caused her emotional and physical pain time and time again. I liked how Sarah wrote the last few chapters to show how the character dealt with what had happened to her. Often times, books skim over the recovery period and leave us with a few hopeful sentences but that wasn't the case for Dreamland.

Review: Better off Friends by Elizabeth Eulberg

Goodreads summary:
WHEN HARRY MET SALLY . . . for teens, from romantic comedy star Elizabeth Eulberg.

For Macallan and Levi, it was friends at first sight. Everyone says guys and girls can't be just friends, but these two are. They hang out after school, share tons of inside jokes, their families are super close, and Levi even starts dating one of Macallan's friends. They are platonic and happy that way.

Eventually they realize they're best friends -- which wouldn't be so bad if they didn't keep getting in each other's way. Guys won't ask Macallan out because they think she's with Levi, and Levi spends too much time joking around with Macallan, and maybe not enough time with his date. They can't help but wonder . . . are they more than friends or are they better off without making it even more complicated?

Levi and Macallan had negligible impressions of each other when they meet in the first day of school but hit it off unexpectedly through discussing their common interest the TV show Buggy and Floyd. The story follows the pair over a span of five years. They remain best friends while each go through a number of romantic relationships.

The most exasperating thing about this book was that whenever Levi or Macallan formed a romantic relationship with a girl/boy respectively, the writing skims over those parts, highlighting the incompatibility of the match. There was a lot of telling (along the lines of 'She was great. I had fun with her' etc) rather than showing. Most of the time, Levi/Macallan were comparing the guy/girl to their best friend! It got a bit repetitive and boring. I would have liked it if their relationships with others were a tad less shallow and more developed cause it made me angry why they were even in that relationship to begin with...

The book could be summed up really as: Boy meets Girl. Girl meets Boy. They become best friends. They go through numerous relationships until they discover they actually belong the best together. It was what I was expecting and the book did deliver it. It was quite cliche but sometimes you just feel like reading one!