In James Patterson’s blockbuster series, Maximum Ride soars above the world. But when that fantasy becomes a nightmare, Max and her friends take an unforgettable adventure and fight for their lives.
Maximum Ride and her “flock”-Fang, Iggy, Nudge, Gasman
Angel, the youngest member of the flock, is kidnapped and taken back to the “School” where she and the others were experimented on by a crew of whack jobs. Her friends brave a journey to blazing hot Death Valley, CA, to save Angel, but soon enough, they find themselves in yet another nightmare: fighting off the half-human, half-wolf “Erasers” in New York City. Whether in the treetops of Central Park or in the bowels of the Manhattan subway system, Max and her adopted family take the ride of their lives.
Along the way, Max discovers that her purpose is
Maximum Ride isn’t a normal girl. She’s not a normal human. Nope, she has wings, a killer survival instinct, and an attitude– and she’s only 14! Not only that, but she takes care of five other people who make up “the Flock” (human-bird hybrids with wings like her) and is burdened with the responsibility of saving the world. I think she takes it very well. Her family isn’t exactly perfect what with a blind Iggy, enigmatic Fang, loquacious Nudge, and the mischievous twins Gazzy and Angel.
Opening with an immediate action sequence is a great way to get into my good graces, and James Patterson delivers a doozy right off the bat.
In this novel, Angel is abducted. Angel is the youngest Flock member who has the ability to read and manipulate minds. When the Flock are ambushed by a new hybrid-species created by the School called Erasers (an uglier version of werewolves if you will, but in no means supernatural– more like genetically engineered), the Erasers take Angel hostage back to the terrible School for more testing. And from there, the story kicks into high-action-gear and I’m turning the pages as fast as I can to find out what happens.
When Max decides the Flock needs to go save her, she establishes herself as a strong, fearless, female leader who earns her position. Her drive and loyalty to protecting the flock inspired me and her ability to fly, heal quickly, and kick some serious ass made me want to be her.Maximum is definitely my top idol female fictional character!
Now, while action is the main focus (which is why I read it in the first place, I’ll add and therefore break the stereotype: “girls only read love stories”) there is romance sprinkled throughout between Max and Fang. The dialogue (banter, arguments, heart to hearts, etc) and the descriptions draw me in. This is just the start of the 9 book series of terrifying, and awesome, adventures. I just love this series. Definitely a favorite of mine! Go read Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment and get ready to be taken on one hell of a ride!
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