Reviews

United as One by Pittacus Lore

theincrediblehallk's review against another edition

adventurous funny sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

dnietoperafan's review against another edition

4.0

To be honest, I really really really enjoyed this series finale. Some friends of mine didn't like it, but I did. It was such a great conclusion to the Lorien Legacies.

kylereads_'s review against another edition

4.0

"United as One" is the epic conclusion to the thrilling "Lorien Legacies" series. Written by Pittacus Lore, it's a rollercoaster ride of action, friendship, and courage.

In this final book, the stakes are higher than ever (for real). The Earth is under attack by the Mogss, and the only hope lies with the Garde – a group of teenagers with extraordinary powers. They must unite and fight together, or humanity will fall.

What makes "this book stand out is its characters. Each one is unique, with their own strengths and weaknesses (and their powers!). From the brave leader John to the fierce warrior Six, you'll find yourself rooting for them every step of the way.

The action scenes are intense and well-written, keeping you on the edge of your seat until the very end. But it's not just about the battles – there are also moments of heart and humor that add depth to the story.

Overall, "it is a satisfying conclusion to an unforgettable series. It's a story of bravery, loyalty, and the power of coming together in the face of adversity. If you love action-packed adventures with a touch of heart, this book is for you.

4 stars!

thepetitepunk's review against another edition

4.0

"I am not Pittacus Lore. I am Number Four."

I've been reading The Lorien Legacies series for a very long time. It was this series that made me fall in love with reading, and I've waited every year for each book to come out. I'm sad to see this series end, but I'm overall satisfied with the last book.

United As One is narrated by John and Six. The world is in chaos as the Loric and their allies fight against the Mogadorians, with endless casualties affecting both sides. As the Garde and humans work together to defeat Setrákus Ra, powers are tested, friends are lost, and limits are pushed.

This book is full of battle scenes that made me feel energetic and alive as I read them at 1:30 in the morning. The burning desire to defeat Setrákus Ra keeps the characters going even during hopeless situations. This ultimate persistence highlights the credibility of the characters and their need for good over evil, which kept me rooting for the Garde. Personally, I think there may have been too many fighting scenes and I sometimes got lost with the battle strategies, but then again the book takes place amidst a war.

In addition, the characters in this series have developed tremendously. Going back to [b: I Am Number Four|7747374|I Am Number Four (Lorien Legacies, #1)|Pittacus Lore|http://images.gr-assets.com/books/1305807140s/7747374.jpg|10576999], John wanted to live a normal human life with a normal human girlfriend who went to a normal human school. Fast forward to the last book, and John is sacrificing himself to save the world as he embraces his Loric identity. Marina went from a girl living under the strict rules of her religious Cêpan to becoming her own strong, independent character who fights for what she thinks is right. My favorite example of character development, though, is Sam. Sam was the awkward boy doodling alien pictures in his notebooks and carrying around his father's glasses in hopes of seeing something beyond human understanding. He was bullied, friendless, and caught up in his own fantasies. As the series progresses, Sam gets to experience all the extraterrestrial things he wanted to find for so long. By the last book, he has his own Legacies and is one of the main contributors to defeating Setrákus Ra.

One problem I have had throughout this series is the multiple POVs. Even though the font for each POV is different, the voices of the characters do not always sound distinctively different. There was a part in United As One where I thought John was naked with Sam, and frankly, it was an awkward image. (I then realized it was Six's POV I was reading.) Although I love both Six and John, their characters out of all of the main characters are most similar in voice and personality. Choosing character point of views that vary in though process, emotions, reactions to situations, relationships with others, character quirks, vocabulary, etc. would help cut down the confusion while reading from multiple point of views. This book was written from two point of views though, instead of the usual three, which did lessen some confusion.

I'm disappointed that Nine never had a POV in any of the main books—his voice was unique and I would have liked to hear more of his inner thoughts and emotions. Even so, Nine's personality was still captured very well, which made his character memorable.

There are also many characters present in this series. Throughout The Lorien Legacies, characters have been introduced constantly. Even though John is the central character of the entire series, many other characters at some point have also been the main character. Usually the characters with POVs are considered main characters, but the POVs in each book are different. A main character in one book may not be the main character in the next book. Marina, for example, was a main character in [b: The Power of Six|8659601|The Power of Six (Lorien Legacies, #2)|Pittacus Lore|http://images.gr-assets.com/books/1345067406s/8659601.jpg|13530989]. She was also a main character around the time

Spoiler

of Eight's death

. In United As One though, Marina has become a secondary character and this part of the story is not heavily focused on her. Although this is understandable—it would be impossible to go in depth with every single character—it washes away some of the aspects I loved about certain characters. In a few of the novellas, the care and determination of Adam's character is shown. We get to see how opposed he is to the ways of the Mogadorians, and how he fights relentlessly for what he thinks his right. Even though Adam obviously is on the Garde's side in the book, we lose the sense of struggle he went through with One and his family. I know that some characters are more important than others, but the secondary characters could have done more feeling rather than just doing. (This doesn't apply to every single secondary character.)

It's difficult to tie all the events and characters together by the end of a series in a satisfying way, especially if the series has many books and many characters, all with their own backgrounds, problems, desires, and struggles. Fortunately, the ending met my expectations. The right amount of suffering and triumph was expressed in the last few scenes of the book. When John visited the characters in the epilogue, how each person decided to live their life after the war was shown. I appreciated the fact that not every character simply left all the previous disastrous events behind and then lived a peaceful and content life. The various responses to life after the war added a realistic element to the story.

I'm glad the series ended on a mostly positive note; I can close my book without feeling like I've been deprived of important details, leaving me with no closure. I'm going to miss the Garde, but this has been a great adventure.

(Oh, and that last line of the book? I absolutely loved it.)

uruseibaka's review against another edition

4.0

I can't believe this series is done. All those years of waiting, of anticipation and excitement. Not the ending I had hoped for but definitely the victory we were all rooting for. Most parts were just so slow, too slow. There was too much build up which made anticipation fade to that "just get it on" feeling. And what I pictured as the most important part, the climax of this series, felt rushed which tarnished it's image of importance in my mind. The epilogue didn't really work for me, I would have loved an earlier account of the aftermath for sure. Nevertheless, this series is still one of the most thrilling ones I have ever read and I'm thankful for a decent ending, at least.

sccrethistory's review against another edition

5.0

Ahora mismo tengo ese sentimiento de vacio por acabar este libro
Como muchos sabreis los legados del lorien es una de mis sagas favoritas y... se ha acabado, es que no puedo ni articular palabra de lo triste que me siento ahora mismo

PROXIMA RESEÑA

rlisaacs's review against another edition

5.0

This entire series has been one of my favorites I've ever read. I usually have one particular character in a book that i like the most and desperately want to have a happy ending. In this series, I fell in love with all of the characters, all their quirks and differences, everything about them. The final book wraps up everything nicely in my opinion, and even as I was nearing the end that I've been waiting for since these books first came out, it was still bittersweet to have finally reached it and to be done with this series. I don't re-read very many books usually, but this series is definitely one that I'll be returning to at some point.

I give this book and the entire series five amazing stars!!!!

swiggitypika's review

adventurous funny tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Injury/Injury detail

vidyasur's review against another edition

medium-paced

4.5

ciaranfitz27's review against another edition

adventurous sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0