Maximum Ride Forever

Warning: Slight Spoilers Below

When I was younger I had to read the Maximum Ride books by James Patterson for summer reading and I was livid. How was I supposed to remember such ridiculous names like Max, Fang, Iggy, Nudge, Angel, and Gazzy? Well, obviously the books hit home because it's simple for me to recite their names and tell you everything about them. I was devastated when the series ended in 2012, so imagine my surprise when three years later I found out there is one final book coming out. I was over excited. I had missed my flock and I felt like this final book would redeem the last one which had left too many open ends. Two days ago I finished Maximum Ride Forever and I was a little disappointed. 

*** Maximum Ride Spoilers Ahead ****

I feel (and I have heard much of the same from other fans) that the characters got lost somewhere along the way. While I love the flock and still enjoyed the twist, turns, and 'what will happen next!?' throughout Maximum Ride Forever, I missed what really drew me in in the first place. 

What happened to the flock? I get families fight and have their problems, but when they split again I was just tired of it. I missed the flock who did everything for each other, who were a tight knit group that had created their own family. I also missed all of the humor. My past five maximum ride books are worn and torn because I have re-read my favorite parts so many times. However, for me, the minute Maximum Ride: Fang ended with Fang leaving something just wasn't right anymore. 

Fang would never leave Max and vice versa. So when he left again in this novel it really tore me up. The humor, the trust, the ride or die family theme that was the flock was just... gone. Everyone was so broken and not overcoming the fact that they all needed to get back to being a family like the first five books. Max was still questioning everything and I felt like she herself was lost in this novel. 

I love the first five Maximum Ride books and while I really thought that Maximum Ride Forever would get back to the roots of the series it didn't. It's a great read and if you're a fan of the series I would say still read it because I did. I had to know how it all ended. However, if you're not a fan, I would say just enjoy the first five. Those are the books and characters I fell in  love with. I feel like the rest just got lost along the way.