Book Thoughts: Angel

Title: Angel
Author: James Patterson
Series: Maximum Ride #7

I have mixed feelings about this one. I liked that it had some semblance of an actual plot and wasn't all just gushy-gushy. I adored the first three books in this series because there was a real story, and I feel like beginning with book four the series has slowly declined. The quality of the writing is a lot lower; the stories are less interesting; and Max, rather than being kick-butt, snarky, and totally independent, is whiny and lovestruck.

Angel basically fits into the same category because (MAJOR FANG SPOILER) Max spends almost the entire book moping about how Fang left her. I like Fang...I also like Dylan. I don't care which one she ends up with, not anymore, as long as she stops complaining about it! (END SPOILER.) And yet...

In this one, there's plot again. The scientists are back to telling Max she has to save the world... except now there's some sort of cult called the Doomsday Group that seems to be able to hypnotize people. Their motto: "Save the world. Kill the humans." In Angel, Max and the flock are investigating the DG, as are Fang and his own new group of genetically enhanced kids. The romance (which I thought was cute in Max and then blatantly overdone in Fang) is still drippy and overdone, BUT there's other stuff going on, too. Angel, who is apparently no longer interested in taking over the flock or betraying them to evil scientists, seems to know more about what is going on than anyone else because of her ability to read minds. She speaks and acts as if she were way older than seven.

I don't know. I like the snarky comments, I like the action, it was a fun read - but it's not the same quality as the first three books, and there's some stuff in here that's starting to seriously get on my nerves. I do think it's a step up from Fang and The Final Warning, and I think if you've enjoyed the others in the series you should definitely read it. I know I'll be reading Book 8 whenever it comes out, if only because despite all my frustrations, I do love these characters a lot.