Review: MAX by James Patterson

So, who out there is participating in the Maximum Ride Reading Challenge? 

I'm actually hosting it, along with the delightful Ella from Musings in Ink. Basically, the point of the Challenge is to read (or re-read) all seven of the already-released Max Ride books, in preparation for the release of the LAST ONE, Nevermore! All the details are on the Official MRRC Blog. It's never too late to sign up!


(Don't forget that because this is the fifth book in the series, my review may have slight spoilers for the first four books, but not the fifth! You've been warned! ;D)  

MAX by James Patterson 

Maximum Ride and the other members of the flock have barely recovered from their last Arctic adventure, when they are confronted by the most frightening catastrophe yet. Millions of fish are dying off the coast of Hawaii and someone--or something--is destroying hundreds of ships. Unable to discover the cause, the government enlists the flock to help them get to the bottom of the disaster before it is too late. 

While Max and her team are exploring the depths of the ocean, their every move is being carefully tracked by Mr. Chu--a criminal mastermind with his own plans for the flock. Can they protect themselves from Mr. Chu's army of mercenaries and save the ocean from utter destruction?

------ 

I'm getting to the point where all my Maximum Ride reviews begin to sound the same--Max and the flock are back, heck breaks loose, Max kicks butt, and there's some serious romantic tension with Fang.


Well, you can automatically assume all of that. And because it's Max, you can also assume there will be some heavy backtalking and sarcasm. What else could we expect from our Miss Ride?


Now, once we get past the first three books, the baseline of the series changes--which is why the first three books can be referred to as "The Fugitives" and the later books "The Protectors." It's fitting--the first three books are about the flock escaping the school and SURVIVING, and the later books are about them REALLY trying to SAVE THE WORLD. Last time, it was Antarctica and "global warming". This time they're working with mysteriously dying fish and a strange appearing and disappearing mountain.


Riddled with old and new friends and enemies, humor, action, danger, wings, and yes, FangxMax romantic tension, MAX is another exciting installment in the Maximum Ride series, and definitely worth a read if  you've read and liked the others--even if the first three books might still be the best of the series.


Altogether, MAX gets <*><*><*><*><*>


(:D)
~Mag