Review: The Angel Experiment by James Patterson (Maximum Ride #1)

Mutant kids save the world.
Aug 13, 2014
3 min read

Meet the flock: Maximum "Max" Ride, their fourteen year old mother figure, broody Fang, blind Iggy, sassy Nudge, sweet little Angel, and her brother, Gazzy. The six children grew up in a lab, poked and prodded and tested on my cruel scientists in a place called "The School." Why? Well, it probably had something to do with the fact that they have wings.

The flock managed to escape and have been living in a secret home seemingly out of harm's way. But their life is once again turned upside down when Angel is kidnapped and taken back to The School. Max and the others must find her, but in doing so, they begin a wild chase through the country, from Death Valley, CA, to New York City. But one of the biggest myteries is why the flock is out in the world - because their purpose may be to save it.

Max is fierce and always has a snappy comeback. She acts as the flock's mother, which can understandably make her a little stressed sometimes. Max is responsible, always keeping a watchful eye on the flock's younger members. She's protective of her flock, ready to spring into action at the first sign of trouble. she's only fourteen, but being on the run has forced her to grow up fast. She has trouble saying no to the younger kids because she wants them to be happy. As much of a badass that she is, Max can be a little bit of a creampuff. I just wouldn't say that to her face!

Fang is sort of Max's right-wing man. He's very broody and sulky looking, but underneath, he's a sweetheart. Fang's not afraid to tell Max when she's being stupid, and while Max might treat the others more like little kids, it's Fang who she sees as an equal and looks to for help and advice.

Angel, the youngest, is six, but even though she may look very innocent, she has some devious thoughts. Angel isn't above sometimes controlling people's minds to get the flock out of a tough spot. Sometimes, she says alarming things in a matter-of-fact tone, which is a little scary. Gazzy, her brother, is similar. While he may look innocent, he's far from it and has a slightly concerning love of explosives. Together, he and Iggy get into more than their fair share of trouble.

Nudge, the last of the flock, is outgoing and energetic, always up for something new and exciting. She loves fancy things, clothes in particular. She goes for luxury whenever she can. Nudge loves fashion and makeup, expressing a love for things like MTV and gummy worms. It's really very adorable!

I feel like there's a member of the flock to appeal to everyone, and the book is kid-friendly without being childish. Overall, it was a very fun read with plenty of action, humor, and spunk. This would be a read that any age could enjoy. If anything, I wish I saw more of the characters' personalities, Iggy in particular, and I hope they develop in the second book in the series. The plot was fast without being rushed, which was nice becuase plenty of things happened and the story moved right along. One unusuall thing about the book I thought was interesting was that some of the chapters are really short, some only a page or two long. It wasn't a bad thing, but it stood out because I don't see it very often. 4/5 stars. Not bad. Not bad at all.