THE FATE OF TEN by Pittacus Lore

“THEY are not hiding any more. THEY have begun their invasion. THEY will take your planet by force. THEY believe they are unstoppable. WE can defeat them. WE have unleashed an ancient power. WE have turned the tide. WE are no longer alone in this fight. THIS IS THE BEGINNING OF THE END.”

What is the book about?

After risking everything to go to the Sanctuary, Marina, Six and Adam think that nothing happened and that they are just as lost as before. However, Marina believes that Lorien has now spread all over Earth and, although she has no clue what it means, she has hope that they have new power that will help them win this battle. On the other hand, John and Sam know that going to the Sanctuary as turned the tide and now they are not alone. Lorien has bestowed its power onto the humans and now the Legacies belong to Earth. An ancient power has now been released and the Garde does no longer have to fight alone. Human teenagers are developing Legacies just like the Loric once did on Lorien. The invasion has finally begun, and the Mogadorians believe that they are winning. They think that they are unstoppable and that the Garde are worthless against them. Little do they know that now the Garde have the power they need to defeat them. This is the beginning of the final battle.

What were your initial thoughts on the book?

The ending of The Revenge of Seven was just shocking and incredible at the same time. I was just completely astounded by what happened when the book finished and knew that I had to read The Fate of Ten. The blurb, although slightly different, was still not what I am used to. It was more like a war speech to rally up the troops and more something for the characters inside rather than the readers. However, I still really liked it because it told me that now the Garde are more confident that the can win the battle and stop the Mogadorians from invading Earth. The first bit of the book was more of an epilogue. It was similar to the start of I am Number Four which I think was showing what happened to Number Three so that the story could continue with Number Four – John. In The Fate of Ten I think that it was showing how Daniela – a human girl who developed telekinesis – escaped the Mogs and discovered her Legacy. It was very interesting as it gave me hope that the Garde was now strong enough if other humans also got Legacies. The first few chapters weren’t really that interesting or intriguing but I was desperate for answers so I continued to read despite that. However after a while I felt exactly as I did with the other books and was soon deep into the story.

Who was your favourite character and why?

It was much harder to choose a favourite character in The Fate of Ten because a lot of characters really shone in the book and many were really interesting. But I think that my favourite character is once again Ella. In The Revenge of Seven, Ella really began to stand out to me but I think that it was more because of how interesting and shocking her part of the story was and about how brave she was when she was dealing with her new messed up life with Setrákus Ra. However, in The Fate of Ten I got to see from John perspective just how getting captured and treated like a Mogadorian princess had affected her. It was shocking to see Ella through John mind and look at how all the new discoveries had toughened e up and made her stronger and wiser. Her telepathy Legacy really developed during her time aboard the Anubis and how all the futures she had seen helped her accept that killing Setrákus Ra would be impossible of she didn’t accept her fate. Thinking about all of this made the title make sense and I realise now the whole book was pretty much based on that. Ella was not just brave and selfless enough to accept it but also to take matters into her own hands. Another character that also stood out to me, and I think it is really important to mention her, is Sarah. She was just a normal human living a completely perfect and normal life when she fell in love with John Smith in the first book – I am Number Four. Even though she could have chosen to forget she had even met John after he left Paradise, she never stopped loving him. When the opportunity came to stay with John she didn’t hesitate to join him in the midst of the battle and help to finish a war started on a whole other planet. She was brave and willing to do anything for John and the other Garde even though she could have chosen a different and much safer path. She risked her life (on multiple occasions) and never stopped fighting. She was an amazing character.

What was your favourite part of the book and why?

I really liked the part near the end when Ella brings in all the people touched by Legacy – the Entity that Six, Marina and Adam released from the Sanctuary – into a dream state. It is really interesting that she can do something that powerful (even if it is with some help from Legacy) and at how she is able to show the other the past. I loved learning about how Setrákus Ra got his scar and why he became such an evil Loric and chose to become part Mogadorian. I learnt a lot from the vision, and not just about Setrákus Ra, but about Pittacus Lore and what role he played in all of it. I got to see his incredibly rare Legacy called Ximic and everything about his past. Ella didn’t just bring in the Gard into the dream state but also all the humans now developing Legacies. I was really interested in how many humans now had incredible powers and had been brought into a fight that they probably wish they could just ignore and leave to the police or army. I can’t wait to read the next book and find out more about them.

What was your overall impression of the book?

Overall the book was really good and every chapter was absolutely marvellous. Each chapter was better than the last interesting me even more and getting me more and more intrigued and excited to discover more. The start was really strange as it had an epilogue that had only been used once in the first book but I like it as it explained more about the humans with Legacies. The first few chapters were just more talk about the invasion and all of that which was good but I just wanted to learn more about the Sanctuary and everything. It was really annoying that John and Sam didn’t know why Sam got Legacies when Six, Marina and Adam had the answer but didn’t know the answer – it was a very frustrating use of dramatic irony. The book was told from 3 perspectives: John’s, Six’s and Ella’s, but we only got to hear about 2 chapters from Ella (which I hated) so it wasn’t as irritating as with all the other books when you have to wait ages to hear from the other character. Once I had started, I got through the rest of the book really quickly and soon reached the end. It was a good but sad ending. It was really annoying not knowing what had happened to Setrákus Ra and to have such a sad ending but it didn’t ruin the book that much and I think that it was quite a good finish to the book.

Which book did you like better: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6?

Every single book was amazing and I love them all almost equally but I am undoubtedly sure that The Fate of Ten is the best book so far. For a long time The Power of Six had been my favourite book because of how it included absolutely everything a book should have and now I know that it has me its match. Although I had chosen The Revenge of Seven as the better book, it was a really close call and now I am more than 100% sure The Fate of Ten is the best book so far. It did not just have everything The Power of Six had but also much more specifically a lot of character development. We get to see the best in pretty much every character in the book, even Five, and it really shows how bravery in a battle can bring out amazing qualities in a character. The book was really interesting especially in the middle of an invasion with lots of new information on Setrákus Ra. However the ending was really sad but I still cannot wait to read the last book and finally see how the final battle ends – though I will be sad to see the series end.

Would you recommend this book?  

I think that the book is amazing and perfect for science fiction, action and adventure fans. I recommend it specifically for readers over 13 but I also advise reading the books in order starting with I am Number Four, the first great book of the series.

Summarise the book in one sentence. (Verdict) 

A magical, adventurous and emotional read I am sure everyone will love.

Reviewed by Jimena Gutierrez Reviriego