Forever by James Patterson (Maximum Ride #9)

In the fallout of a disaster that has set off a chain reaction, wiping out life around the globe, the flock finds themselves survivors, if thanks only through their unique abilities. This is the first time the kids have ever been truly on their own, without resources readily available or people to be around. As they work feverishly to survive in their new, toxic environment, questions begin to be raised. Are there other people left? What really happened? How many of their old friends are alive? Word begins to filter in about the Remedy, something that seems to hold the key to life in the new world. Who, or what, are they? And are they as helpful as they seem? The flock is shaky, everyone wanting to go their separate ways in the new world, but now they have to stick together more than ever. Someone, after all that has happened, is still hunting for the flock. And they want the kids dead.

Forever was stuffed with delicious character developments. Max would do anything to protect her flock, but now, none of the old rules apply. Now, risking your neck for someone is a huge no-no, because the flock needs everyone on board. Max understands what that means when the others are in big trouble, but it's hard for her to accept. She also has a hard time wrapping her mind around the fact that so many people she knew are gone, and she refuses to let go of hope. However, she blames herself for the flock's problems and focusses more on the past than the present, which is a bit heartbreaking, but also just goes to show how determined and hell-bent she is on keeping the people she cares about safe.

Fang. Fang. Remember all that crud Angel went into back in book six? About how he's going to be the first to die and being around Max will put her in danger? He blew it off when everything was fine, but now that this is the apocalypse, he's worried that Angel is right. In order to protect the others, Fang feels like he has to leave. It shows how much he cares about the flock, but I hate to see him go. Because he thinks he might do, he also starts to almost feel like he's invincible and takes crazy risks, fighting battles here he's vastly outnumbered and pulling of dangerous stunts. I want him to stay with the flock, and it was hard to watch him be the first to leave.

Angel is starting to get on my nerves, and my feelings about her are mixed. It's no secret that she believes in the flock, and mainly Max, having to save the world. She embraces the "roles" set up before the apocalypse. (i.e. Fang dies, She leads.) The fact that she thinks the flock needs to split up makes me bristle, and so does her wish to make Fang leave. At this point, she's not an innocent little girl. However, she also is carrying a huge weight. If you could see the future whether you liked it or not, what would you do? It drives Angel crazy, and she doesn’t want images of death and war running through her head. In the end, I can't trust her, no matter how much I pity her. She's proven that she'll do whatever it takes to get what she wants, something I'm reminded of in Forever. It makes me wary of her, and Angel thinks she knows best, and yet, she never bothers to explain herself. Besides, she was Max's voice, pulling strings throughout the entire series. Manipulative, much?

The feels in Forever were off the charts! Towards the middle of the book, I was ticked at Patterson for doing some stuff for the characters, but everything could change in a heartbeat with his famous crazy plot twists, messing with my head and emotions. I was happy, I was angry, I shamelessly cried my eyes out, the whole deal. Were there times when I wanted to throttle Patterson? Yep. Were there times when I wanted to hug him? You bet! And even though it was hard to get through the story as it smashed my heart and put it back together again, I ultimately loved Forever! The plot was fast with plenty of hair-raising turns I couldn't have predicted, and the Patterson does a good job of exploring the flock's new, dangerous world. Forever had the awesome character development I was looking for, and I enjoyed some new additions to the cast. The ending was satisfying and sweet, leaving me tearing up. This is the kind of book that makes me want to write bad fanfiction. I can't wrap my head around the fact that the series is over, and I'm going to sorely miss the flock. 5/5 stars, easy! I'm proud that this is the 200th published post on this website!

One thing I enjoy about the series is that it is more kid-friendly than most YA books. However, Forever breaks that tradition with Maximum Ride and probably isn't a good book for younger reader who may have enjoyed the previous books in the series. It's notably more violent and includes things young readers may find slightly disturbing, including ideas and themes such as suicide.

#theapocalypse #madscientists #friendship #survival #scifi #romance #jamespatterson