Maximum Ride: Angel Experiment (Review)
Book: Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment
Plot: The first book in the series by ‘James Patterson’ gives an overview of the Flock: Maximum (the leader), Fang, Iggy, Nudge, the Gasman, and Angel. These children, ages 6 through 14, are far from normal. They are only 98% human, while the other 2% is avian, giving them wings and special powers. They were created in test tubes, as the infusion of the avian (bird) DNA was introduced, their structures changed.
This book covers some of the back story of the flock, explaining how they ended up on their own in their remote mountain home. It also covered the antagonistic half-wolf, half-human creatures known as Erasers.
The youngest flock member, Angel, is abducted by the Erasers as the flock was picking strawberries, and taken back to “The School”, the lab where they were genetically altered and raised in cages. Max and the remaining Flock leave their home to rescue Angel, but are also captured, and placed in dog crates similar to the ones they were raised in. While captured, Angel learns about ‘The Institute’, a place in New York that may hold some secrets to their past. After the flock escapes to New York, Max begins hearing a strange voice inside her head. Unsure of whether the voice is a friend or foe, Max decides to follow its instruction. The voice leads Max and the flock to The Institute, where they find a lab similar to The School, and information on their unknown parents. The book ends with the flock beginning their journey to Washington D.C., in search of their parents.
My Review: Honestly, this book was so hard for me to put down when I was younger. I must’ve read it back in middle school, so I was roughly 12 years old. It has its violent moments of course considering the Erasers, but it also has its sentimental build up between characters, and the development of the plots for the other books.
There is enough action in this book to keep readers entertained and enough angst to keep those who love seeing people be miserable, interested in this book. There isn’t a lot of romance in this first book which is refreshing. I highly recommend it for anyone of any age.
The chapters are short and sweet so you don’t need to be worried much about putting the book down to do your daily things (unless you get caught up in the chapters action scenes that drag you in like I have oops.)
You can find this book on his website, Amazon, eBooks, and various other places as well.
How many stars?: I give it a solid ★★★★.