So my Korra reviews kind of failed... At least, they didn't go according to plan.
That being said, I am looking to come back to this far more frequently (I really need to improve my writing ability over this year, if nothing else, and this seems as good a way as any to go about that). So, I decided to look at a series that is aimed at a similar market to Legend of Korra, but is very different in many respects. This, my friends (or enemies, since I'm sure you're reading too and - well, I don't want you to feel left out is all), are the Lorien Legacies.
Now, when I say 'Lorien', I do not mean Lothlorien, the forest where Lady Galadriel lives in Lord of the Rings (for maybe the 0.001% of the population who are nerdy enough to know they share a name and were getting confused by that - and I was one of them, in fairness, which is why I bothered to mention it in the first place). Lorien is the planet where the majority of the characters in this series are from, a much smaller, more beautiful planet than ours that was inhabited by beings called Lorics, who are basically like humans, but way more advanced. And some of them have superpowers. These would be the Garde, protectors of the Loric race. They do one heck of a job of that, of course, because when the book begins the planet of Lorien has been destroyed by an alien race called the Mogadorians, and the few survivors are young Garde and their carers who have been sent to Earth to train and become kickass fighters who will one day return and take back their home planet. Isn't that just the way?
That's the general point where we meet our protagonist, John Smith - the Fourth member of the Garde children sent to Earth. Yeah, there was a charm put on them saying they could only be killed in a certain order, One through to Nine - and with three of them dead by Chapter One, John is the next on the alien hit-list. So what do we get to see through this book? Well, he's a teenage alien who has superpowers, ends up living on a rural town in America somewhere (I'm British, alright? American geography means very little to me), and he spends a lot of time at high school... This is sounding like the early seasons of Smallville, isn't it? And to go with that, there's a stupid romance sub-plot in this book that seems to be the main focus of the book half the time - yeah, still sounds like Smallville. Although in fairness, the town is actually called Paradise, and is apparently situated in Ohio. I think. It's not set in the town of Smallville.
Not that I have a problem with Smallville. From what I've seen, it's a pretty good take on the character Superman. This book, though, kind of falls apart in a number of the areas it resembles that show. The romance and high school stuff in particular are a complete drag. I'll fill you in, if you don't know. John meets the most amazing girl in the high school, Sarah - and she seems to be the Edward Cullen of females. That is, she seems to be everything a guy should want; she's pretty, she's smart and she's kind. The problem is, guys don't tend to fall in love with fictional characters in quite the same way girls do, and girls for the most part seem to find her irritating. So I don't think the romance actually ended up pleasing anyone, but at least they tried. Actually, no. They shouldn't have tried, they should have kept the focus on the interesting stuff.
Because there is a lot of interesting stuff to find in this book. John being taught by his protector, Henri, to use the powers he learns and being filled in on the history of Lorien, namely. This stuff tends to be much more interesting, because the alien stuff and the powers is far more unique and creative (if a little indulgent on the writers' parts), and just holds my attention much more than the attempt at romance. It also features some pretty cool action sequences towards the end, when the Mogadorians find John and kill Henri in an explosive battle featuring John's pet chimaera Bernie Kosar (which think is a bit of a dumb name for a dog - seriously, why give a pet two names?), who he finds early in the book and thinks he's just a stray beagle; Sarah, John's aforementioned love interest; Sam, John's best friends who is really into aliens and probably one of the best characters in the series; Mark James, the resident bully and John's rival of sorts who hasn't made another appearance since this book; John and Henri, naturally, and number Six, who appears in all her badass glory outdoing John in terms of cool powers and fighting Mogadorians at just about every turn. They all go up against the Mogadorians, and a bunch of their crazy pet monsters. Wow, that was a long list.
The book ends with them cremating the fallen Henri; Sarah being told to stay in Paradise; John, Six, Sam and Bernie Kosar leaving to... Find the others, I think, and us wondering what on Earth might happen next in this gripping series.
I say 'gripping'. In fairness, it actually is. The book suffers from a lot of stereotypical, bland characterisations, poor dialogue between them and a few moments which make you feel like you're reading a fanfiction of a bunch of superheroes and sci-fi scenarios rolled into one, but in all honesty, I still really enjoy it. I suppose it's something of a guilty pleasure, because I am fully aware that this is not a well-written book, yet at the same time the plot is very intriguing and the concepts are still really cool. And there is a definite feeling of suspense at the end, of wanting to know what will happen to the characters and finding out what is happening to the rest of the Garde, of whom we only get glimpses of.
Overall, I'd say that this book - while not on the level of such series as Harry Potter, or Percy Jackson and the Olympians - is still fairly enjoyable, if you can get over the fact that the writing will occasionally make you cringe so much your face will end up permanently looking like you're sucking on a lemon. If you can, and you enjoy a fair bit of action and alien craziness mashed with superhero powers, give it a go. If not, don't waste money on it, and if you're somewhat intrigued but are sat on the fence as to whether it's worth the money, borrow it from a friend, or from a library. If you have one of them nearby and it stocks the book.
But don't watch the movie. It's stupid.
I'm Smith in the Attic, and this is one of my stories.
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