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3.56 AVERAGE
3.56 AVERAGE
Okay, I bought this book. Was super excited to hop into this book. Flipped through it. Realized one or two chapters were from Max's POV. Okay. Fine. Flipped through it some more, and realized that this isn't a book that centers around Max's daughter. This is a book where her daughter basically shares the spotlight with her. Look, I loved Max in the original series, but after 9 books, I'm burnt out on her all the same. Was it really nessecary to have Max share the spotlight with her daughter in this book? I knew Max would make an appearance, because...well duh. It's Max and this book was supposed to be about her daughter. But having Max just play a role and giving her half of the spotlight are two completely different things. I got this because I wanted to read about Hawk. Not Hawk AND Max. We had NINE books centered around Max. She didn't need to share the limelight in this one.
Idk if I'm even going to read this now. I know I should try to give it a chance, but just...ugh. I'm turned off by how many chapters I saw by just skimming through it that are told from Max's perspective.
Idk if I'm even going to read this now. I know I should try to give it a chance, but just...ugh. I'm turned off by how many chapters I saw by just skimming through it that are told from Max's perspective.
Yikes. I really wanted to rate this higher. I re-read all of the Maximum Ride series to prepare for this book, and it all just feels like a let down. For a return to these characters, or even just a soft sequel series, this book didn’t feel like it had a point to exist.
I enjoyed it at times. Especially the times when The Flock had their banter. Very reminiscent of the earlier Maximum Ride books. I’m still planning on reading the sequel to this book, but I really hope that next time they have more of a plot in mind than this. I don’t think I could even summarize what this was- let alone recommend it to a current Max-fan, or someone new to the series.
Overall Rating: 2.75⭐️
I enjoyed it at times. Especially the times when The Flock had their banter. Very reminiscent of the earlier Maximum Ride books. I’m still planning on reading the sequel to this book, but I really hope that next time they have more of a plot in mind than this. I don’t think I could even summarize what this was- let alone recommend it to a current Max-fan, or someone new to the series.
Overall Rating: 2.75⭐️
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
First off, this book had so. Many. Problems!
With that being said, I still highly enjoyed reading, mostly for the nostalgia factor, but a tiny bit for the setting too! (I love a good post apocalyptic city) Over all this book was a quick and fun read. Not having a deep plot actually made the story fly right by! Fly by? Get it? Because it’s a Maximum Ride book? Okay I’ll stop now.. :P
With that being said, I still highly enjoyed reading, mostly for the nostalgia factor, but a tiny bit for the setting too! (I love a good post apocalyptic city) Over all this book was a quick and fun read. Not having a deep plot actually made the story fly right by! Fly by? Get it? Because it’s a Maximum Ride book? Okay I’ll stop now.. :P
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
In my head this is just someone’s really strange fanfiction that I read once.
I actually haven't read this book, but i've heard bad things about it from close friends.
TLDR: Nothing like the original Maximum Ride novels. Lots more language, violence, and disturbing content. The original characters have not grown at all, except Nudge. Fun new characters are introduced and abandoned in the plot, one of which is a grossly obvious stereotype of autism. World is a cliché dystopia, nothing different than The Hunger Games or Divergent. The Flock doesn't have their special abilities, and they are not even mentioned. Hawk's backstory and personality seem to contradict themselves, and she did not inherit any of her parents quirks. she herself is just a growly, tough girl stereotype, like Katniss. "Plot twists" are trite and predictable, and the ending wraps up the story without satisfying me at all. I get the feeling this author did not even read the original books before writing a story based on the characters. If you're a fan of the originals, be warned, this is not even close to the Maximum Ride you loved.
I have been an avid fan of the Maximum Ride series since I was in middle school. I loved the Flock, their talents, and their story. The villains were great. The characters had just enough depth and lots of weird superpower-like quirks. Secondary characters were added throughout the series, and I fell in love with them, as well. The writing was first person from a teen's perspective, but the language and sexual aspects were never over the top. Constant plot twists had me buying the next book as soon as it came out, every time. I never knew what to expect (even when I was reading the last ones as an adult), and I loved it. Hawk (the book and its main character) is the exact opposite of all that.
Let's start with the main character. The book begins with Max and Fang's daughter able to recognize every person she has ever seen, except her estranged parents. (They never expound on that ability besides that one time at the beginning.) She has a different name than their daughter, she's an angry tough-girl-in-the-world stereotype (think Katniss), and she curses constantly. While the original books almost never used true swear words, Hawk uses all of them except F (substituting a soundalike like "fecking") on nearly every page, even when the situation doesn't warrant it. She talks about her love for the revolutionary Maximum Ride one time, but then she never mentions her fangirl nature again, even after meeting Max herself. There's thankfully no love triangle (yet), but her romantic interest also falls into a classic dystopian stereotype.
The world-building feels lazy, with all the dystopian tropes everyone has seen in every other YA dystopian book. A totalitarian ruler. A self-built mechanism to keep the people in line. A single, dirty city to survive while there seem to be no other cities out there. Gangs, drugs, smog, and more. I felt like I was reading The Hunger Games, not Maximum Ride. Everyone is either rich or addicted to drugs. The fight scenes felt reminiscent of the original series, but the other needless deaths (like a junkie electrocuting on subway tracks) were unnecessarily gruesome.
The Flock-like secondary characters were adorable. Like the Flock, they each had quirks that set them apart from the other members. Unfortunately, readers only get to see most of these characters a couple times. The only new secondary character to really stay in the spotlight is a gross stereotype of autism. He doesn't want to be touched, adheres to a strict calendar, stims a lot, and is a genius with computers. I know autism has a set of characteristics that make autistics seem different from neurotypical people, but not every autistic person is the same. Seeing the same stereotype of math-genius autistic is getting tiring.
The Flock also appear in this book, and they feel the same as they did in the original books. That is to say, they've had no character development over the course of 10 years. Max is the same outrageous, angry, soft-with-her family girl, except now she constantly worries about her daughter. Fang is sweet with max but still growly. Everyone, barring Nudge and Angel, could have been 10 years younger and readers would never know the difference. Nudge matured into a loving motherly figure, a natural progression of her personality. On the other hand, Angel (a mischief making troublemaker bordering on villain as a child) is now the one heading a revolution and keeping everyone together. The Flock's special abilities are never mentioned, except that Angel can read minds. Max can't fly faster than sound, which she took whole books to master in the originals, nor can she breathe underwater. In fact, Hawk hasn't inherited any special traits from either of her parents, except for her wings. She even comes close to drowning at some point, when you'd think her water-breathing would take over. It makes me wonder if the author of this book even read the originals!
The plot was predictable and almost boring. Like I said, it feels like every other dystopian book I've read (which is a lot). Overthrow the government. Save the wrongly imprisoned. Stop the experiments. I saw the plot twist coming from the second chapter, and this book is over 100 chapters long. The story wraps up nicely, unlike the Maximum Ride novels, but the ending is so quick, it feels dissatisfying.
I have been an avid fan of the Maximum Ride series since I was in middle school. I loved the Flock, their talents, and their story. The villains were great. The characters had just enough depth and lots of weird superpower-like quirks. Secondary characters were added throughout the series, and I fell in love with them, as well. The writing was first person from a teen's perspective, but the language and sexual aspects were never over the top. Constant plot twists had me buying the next book as soon as it came out, every time. I never knew what to expect (even when I was reading the last ones as an adult), and I loved it. Hawk (the book and its main character) is the exact opposite of all that.
Let's start with the main character. The book begins with Max and Fang's daughter able to recognize every person she has ever seen, except her estranged parents. (They never expound on that ability besides that one time at the beginning.) She has a different name than their daughter, she's an angry tough-girl-in-the-world stereotype (think Katniss), and she curses constantly. While the original books almost never used true swear words, Hawk uses all of them except F (substituting a soundalike like "fecking") on nearly every page, even when the situation doesn't warrant it. She talks about her love for the revolutionary Maximum Ride one time, but then she never mentions her fangirl nature again, even after meeting Max herself. There's thankfully no love triangle (yet), but her romantic interest also falls into a classic dystopian stereotype.
The world-building feels lazy, with all the dystopian tropes everyone has seen in every other YA dystopian book. A totalitarian ruler. A self-built mechanism to keep the people in line. A single, dirty city to survive while there seem to be no other cities out there. Gangs, drugs, smog, and more. I felt like I was reading The Hunger Games, not Maximum Ride. Everyone is either rich or addicted to drugs. The fight scenes felt reminiscent of the original series, but the other needless deaths (like a junkie electrocuting on subway tracks) were unnecessarily gruesome.
The Flock-like secondary characters were adorable. Like the Flock, they each had quirks that set them apart from the other members. Unfortunately, readers only get to see most of these characters a couple times. The only new secondary character to really stay in the spotlight is a gross stereotype of autism. He doesn't want to be touched, adheres to a strict calendar, stims a lot, and is a genius with computers. I know autism has a set of characteristics that make autistics seem different from neurotypical people, but not every autistic person is the same. Seeing the same stereotype of math-genius autistic is getting tiring.
The Flock also appear in this book, and they feel the same as they did in the original books. That is to say, they've had no character development over the course of 10 years. Max is the same outrageous, angry, soft-with-her family girl, except now she constantly worries about her daughter. Fang is sweet with max but still growly. Everyone, barring Nudge and Angel, could have been 10 years younger and readers would never know the difference. Nudge matured into a loving motherly figure, a natural progression of her personality. On the other hand, Angel (a mischief making troublemaker bordering on villain as a child) is now the one heading a revolution and keeping everyone together. The Flock's special abilities are never mentioned, except that Angel can read minds. Max can't fly faster than sound, which she took whole books to master in the originals, nor can she breathe underwater. In fact, Hawk hasn't inherited any special traits from either of her parents, except for her wings. She even comes close to drowning at some point, when you'd think her water-breathing would take over. It makes me wonder if the author of this book even read the originals!
The plot was predictable and almost boring. Like I said, it feels like every other dystopian book I've read (which is a lot). Overthrow the government. Save the wrongly imprisoned. Stop the experiments. I saw the plot twist coming from the second chapter, and this book is over 100 chapters long. The story wraps up nicely, unlike the Maximum Ride novels, but the ending is so quick, it feels dissatisfying.
Full disclosure: I loved the Maximum Ride series years ago but couldn’t remember many details. I was afraid I had just over-inflated the series on my mind and that this would disappoint.
It did not!
It was a bit slow to start, but I think Hawk accurately reflects the Maximum Ride spirit that I remember. There’s lots of kick-butt moments and sarcasm throughout. I think it holds up well for the series.
It did not!
It was a bit slow to start, but I think Hawk accurately reflects the Maximum Ride spirit that I remember. There’s lots of kick-butt moments and sarcasm throughout. I think it holds up well for the series.