by Christopher Lewis

Although Christopher is not one of our teen contributors, KRL felt it would be appropriate to post this in our Teen Talk section as well since it is Young Adult fiction.

Angel, by James Patterson, is the latest installment in his youth series about Maximum Ride and her flock of genetically altered bird-kids, regular children who have wings and various super-human abilities. Max and the other kids were experimented on by evil scientists in a place called “The School.” Since their escape, they have been involved in various adventures as they are hurled toward a coming Apocalypse in which they keep being told Max is destined to save the world.

In this story, one of the flock, Fang, has gone off on his own to create a band of other genetically altered kids in order to help him discover who is behind the plot to destroy the earth. Fang has also broken off from the flock because he believes his romance with Max has compromised the flock’s ability to focus on its mission. His leaving, however, does not simplify things for Max because now she is starting to discover some unexpected feelings for Dylan, the newest member of the flock. More confused than ever, she tries to concentrate on saving the world while also dealing with the complications of being a teenage girl who can’t decide between two love interests.

A mysterious movement has arisen around the world to get kids to join “the Doomsday Group” in its vision to “kill the humans” and save the world from humankind’s raping and pillaging of the earth. Max and Fang are racing against time as they try to discover who is behind the Doomsday Group and stop it from achieving it’s goal. As the story unfolds, it becomes increasingly clear that Angel, the youngest member of the flock, is going to emerge as a key figure in this story, but what kind of “key figure” will she prove to be? In the past, she has shown a desire to take over the leadership of the flock. Will the mind-reading bird-kid emerge in the end as a villain or a hero? And will she live through the experience? The answer to those questions may surprise you.

Angel is a good story that keeps moving and seldom allows the reader to stop for breath. The book is a fun read and is sure to keep the reader guessing from beginning to end. For fans of the Maximum Ride series, this book will prove to be good fun. For those new to the series, however, I would recommend going back to the earlier books to learn the characters first as this book is the most complicated and also introduces several new characters in addition to the original flock.

Christopher Lewis is an ongoing contributor to our Helping Hands section, and currently serving as interim pastor at Mountain Valley Community Church in Squaw Valley.