Review: The Angel Experiment by James Patterson

Fourteen-year-old Maximum Ride, better known as Max, knows what it's like to soar above the world. She and all the members of the "Flock"--Fang, Iggy, Nudge, Gasman and Angel--are just like ordinary kids--only they have wings and can fly. It may seem like a dream come true to some, but their lives can morph into a living nightmare at any time--like when Angel, the youngest member of the "Flock," is kidnapped and taken back to the "School" where she and the others were genetically engineered by sinister scientists. Her friends brave a journey to Death Valley, CA, to save Angel, but soon enough, they find themselves in yet another nightmare--this one involving fighting off the half-human, half-wolf "Erasers" in New York City. Whether in the treetops of Central Park or in the bowels of the Manhattan subway system, Max and her adopted family take the ride of their lives. Along the way Max discovers from her old friend and father-figure Jeb--now her betrayed and greatest enemy--that her purpose is save the world--but can she?

Title: The Angel Experiment
Series: Maximum Ride #1
Published: May 1st 2006 by Warner Vision Books
ISBN: 0446617792 (ISBN13: 9780446617796)
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Warning

Do not put this book down. I'm dead serious. Your life could depend on it. I'm risking everything by telling you- but you need to know. If you dare to read this story, you become part of the Experiment. I know that sounds a little mysterious- but it's all I can say right now.

Max 

Though I have not read this book recently, I'm fairly confident in my ability to review this novel considering the fact I have read it no less than five times! Ever since the beginning of middle school, this has been one of my favorite series, however, I do not plan to review the rest of the series since I've been doing a lot of re-reading lately, and it can become tiresome...The only reason this review is given four stars instead of five is because in a way, I'm rating the series as a whole. Yes, there is a few books in between the series that don't capture my attention quite as well as the others, but it is definitely well worth the read. 

Max, the leader of the Flock, is my favorite combination of brave and witty in a heroine. While she is only fourteen years old in "The Angel Experiment" she acts well beyond her years, caring for other the other members in her group like a nurturing mother. Gazzy, otherwise known as the Gasman (for more obvious reasons), and Angel (the youngest) are the only actual siblings among the group, but from the way the others act, they all seem like a big family...with their own share of problems. Nudge is the little fashionista of the group, and Iggy, who is blind because of a failed experiment, is a genius in both the kitchen and with explosives (with the help of Gazzy). Fang is the most reserved and mysterious out of the group, but that doesn't keep Max's complicated feelings about him away. 

Like Max, they are all 98% human and 2% bird, but that small percentage makes the biggest difference. They have wings. Most of us dream about such things...the freedom of being able to fly, and while this is a bonus for the Flock, not everything is fun and games. The White Coats are a group of scientists who created these genetically modified humans to begin with, but most of their experiments don't usually have the best of outcomes. However, the avian-human hybrids were one of the few successes, and they want to run more tests. Hoping to never have to face the poking and prodding of needles, the kids hide and run. The Flock may be able to remain unseen from your average human, but the scientists have created the "Erasers" which are a race half human and half wolf hybrids designed to hunt the Flock down. 

From the first page, this book keeps you on the edge of your seat. It takes the simple path of  good vs evil, but takes a few turns on the way. The novel was fast-paced and exciting, and keeps you wanting more...

“There is no friend as loyal as a book.” - Ernest Hemingway
Book Nerd and Proud,
C.J.