The Rise of Nine (Lorien Legacies, Book 3)
Four, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, and Ten&#x2014;these aren&#x2019;t the winning lottery numbers but rather the known surviving members of an alien race who continue to battle the dastardly Mogadorians in the series that began with I Am Number Four (2010). The sequel, The Power of Six (2011), divided itself into two first-person POVs, and this one continues the trend by chopping the perspective into thirds, resulting in ever more opportunities to cinematically cross-cut between the snowballing action, whether the characters are together or continents apart. This is also the book&#x2019;s weakness, as Lore haphazardly inserts surprise attacks by the Mogs whenever the story needs a kick or a cliff-hanger. Thankfully, two characters emerge as especially interesting: Nine, the arrogant but capable rich kid traveling alongside stalwart Four; and Eight, who is tracked down in India, where locals believe him to be a reincarnated Vishnu. Increasingly, the teens&#x2019; exhausting amount of superpowers and weapons drains tension from their battles with the comparatively lackluster Mogs, but the pages do turn. And lest you think this is a trilogy, buck up&#x2014;there&#x2019;s more on the way. Grades 8-11. --Daniel Kraus