Fang by James Patterson

Title: Fang

Author: James Patterson

Published: March 2010

Synopsis from goodreads:

Being a kid with wings--constantly on the run--has never been easy, and Max and her flock are getting tenser than ever. First, on a trip to Africa, they meet a mysterious billionaire whose intense scrutiny of the Flock makes her fear the worst. Then, a cryptic message from a young girl arrives, warning them "The sky will fall." And as if an impending apocalypse weren't bad enough, canny birdkid Angel makes a dire prophecy about Max's soul mate: Fang will be the first to die. Max's desperate desire to protect Fang brings the two closer than ever. But can the team weather the storm, or will the turmoil rip them apart for the last time?

This book was a HUGE disappointment. I'm a really big fan of the series, especially the first three, but this book just didn't cut it. I really didn't feel connected to the characters, which I usually do. I mean, I still love them from previous books, and I want to know what happens to them, but I didn't feel the connection.

I thought that there were some pretty drastic character changes too. Fang certainly said more in this book than probably all of the other books combined. Max didn't seem so...Max-like. I don't really know how to describe it. I guess she was more bossy, less motherly, and way more concerned with herself. Angel was just...whoa, where did THAT come from? The other three main characters, Iggy, Gazzy, and Nudge, weren't as central to the story as they usually are either, which bothered me.

I thought that Patterson was making them way too adult. I understand that they've gone through a lot and that's made them grow up, but this was too much. There were a couple parts where I was like, "Really? You're only 7/9/12/15!" Some things just didn't add up.

Also, something that's been bothering me for a while. In the fourth book, The Final Warning, Patterson introduced something new: We knew that Max had to save the world, but did we know that she also had to...help the environment! Yeah, you read right. Part of the most recent books has dealt with the environment. Not really something every kid wants in their action packed bird kid adventures. I feel like Patterson was just like, "Hey! I really want to help the environment! How about I have Max help the environment too, so then a bunch of kids will help also!" I really don't think that it's going as planned.

Well, this review is getting long enough. Basically: I love the series, didn't love this book.

Characters: 6/10

Plot: 7/10

Originality: 8/10

Writing: 7/10

Ending: 9/10 (some will probably disagree)

Overall: 37/50 C

Cover/Title: 3/5 The title fits, but I'm not a big fan of the guy on the cover. The colors are good though.

Recommend to: fans of the series

Hooked: immediately.