Maximum Ride Forever

This was not my kind of book. All of the characters were beyond fictional in that they existed in a world that has not yet come and individuals who were have bird and half human just goes beyond my imagination. While I do read a lot of fiction, but believable fiction, science fiction and books like this are just not my cup of tea. Had I known the history behind the character, and the root of the evaluation I had read, I would not have purchased this book.

This was not my kind of book. All of the characters were beyond fictional in that they existed in a world that has not yet come and individuals who were have bird and half human just goes beyond my imagination. While I do read a lot of fiction, but believable fiction, science fiction and books like this are just not my cup of tea. Had I known the history behind the character, and the root of the evaluation I had read, I would not have purchased this book.

I love all the books, but this one has to be my favorite! To me it's raw and engaging, that there is multiple climaxes. I swear I cried like 30 times in this book and I love the mystery of Dylan and how he took his life to save Fang for Maximum. I cried a lot on that part, but it is one of my favorites. I wished that they would have added more about Phoenix and a description of her. I have love and hate for this book and would read it over and over again forever??????

A surprisingly emotional journey with Max and her flock through the end of the world. Definitely worth cruising the whole slew of books associated with this series. Knuckle down dear reader, it's the end of the world as you knew it

I've been part of this fandom for a long time, let me tell you. I was up at 4 in the morning to read Nevermore. And it was dissapointing.

Despite every precaution I got, I went ahead and bought this book. I was surely in for more ugh-ness and groans at every predicatble and melodramatic plot twist.

And yet, at the end of the day, I'm glad I read it.

There were some ridiculous plot twists. Some characters brought back unnecessarily. Some jokes that have been made far too many times.

But some twists still shocked me. I still got hit in the feels. And in the end, all was as it should be.

Give this a chance. It's worth it. It's worth the closure. The right closure.

We all thought Nevermore: The Final Maximum Ride Adventure was the final book. It was not the strongest of the series, but it was alright. Not a great ending, but not a bad one.

Maximum Ride Forever is the ending and the closure to the series we all wanted to see. It is Max at her most vulnerable, her weakest moments and yet, at the same time, her strongest. Here is the Flock at the end of the world, and for the first time, you have the feeling that not everyone is going to by flying away from this. Not everyone is making it out.

There is are so many twists, so many emtions in this one. If you were disappointed in Nevermore, this is the one you have been waiting for.

After the ending of the LAST LAST Maximum Ride book I had to read this LAST LAST one…I really didn’t like the ending of the last last one at all so I wanted a better ending. I was surprised (and still am) that there are no reviews for this book. I thought more people would have read it and reviewed it without just giving it 5 or 1 star because it is James Patterson/Maximum Ride. I really wanted to hear other peoples point of views when it came to this, but I couldn’t really find any reviews at all!
Was the ending good? Did I enjoy Maximum Ride Forever? Hmm…well stay tuned to find out!

What I Liked:
Wowzas this (somewhat spoiler) apocalyptic world (end mini spoiler) Max and her flock are stuck in is absolutely terrible! I’ve read A LOT of apocalyptic/dystopian novels but none of them seemed as horrifying as this possibility. I’m not sure how Max can live with this, how she can deal with her new world. But then again she’s Max and can take about anything that hits her. Right….Right?
There were quite a bit of ‘feels’ in Maximum Ride Forever. I’m not gonna spoil anything but man oh man does it get you right in those ‘feels’.
This ending was WAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY more satisfying than the last Maximum Ride book. I really hated the last ending and I thought Maximum Ride Forever had a better one.

What I Did NOT Like:
I don’t know what I was hoping for but I was wishing for a bit more to happen.
This isn’t a problem I have with the story it’s just a problem I had with the characters. One certain character KNOWS how to irritate me xP

Overall:
Maximum Ride Forever was good ? I’m glad I read it for the better ending and even if I was expecting a bit more I still, overall enjoyed it!

4 Stars, Completed May 22, 2015

In Maximum Ride Forever, Max and the flock are facing the struggles of the post-apocalyptic world. Every part of the planet seems to have met it's eventual Armageddon with floods and fires made from crashing comets. Max and the flock have saved the world many times before from evil scientists, genetically modified specimens gone wrong like themselves, global warming, robots, and other villains, but they were unable to prevent this apocalypse in Nevermore. Now, with billions of lives lost and planet Earth a mess, the flock begins to see differences and decides to split up and approach saving what's left of the world each on their own. On their separate ways, they soon discover that a man that sickly refers himself to the Remedy is behind the mass destruction of the world and isn't done until each of them are dead. They learn that this is the final battle they'll have to face together, if the Remedy doesn't find and kill each of them first.

This book literally made me speechless the moment I closed it. I came into reading this not knowing what to expect and thinking I'd give it anywhere on the rating spectrum from 2 to 4 stars (read my long explanation here: https://xingsings.wordpress.com/2015/05/23/maximum-ride-forever-by-james-patterson-entire-series-recap ). And this book ended up being an absolute rollercoaster. There were parts I was certain I'd rate it a 2 but then other moments that hit my emotional core making me want to rate it 4 stars.

The well done twists and cliffhangers made this an incredibly fast and fun read. It also helped make the plot unpredictable, which I really appreciated. I often found myself taking pauses throughout the book to regain my composure. Ugh, the feels. I was also pleasantly surprised that characters that were inconsistent in books 4 through 8 like Max, Nudge, and Dylan, finally returned to their originally likable characters in Maximum Ride Forever. The action scenes were also thrilling and what helped me finish polishing this book in a few hours.

However, the main reason why I was conflicted with the rating for this book was the slow beginning, the excessive use of plot twists, and, admittedly, my original skepticism after the disappointing "finale" with Nevermore. The beginning mostly focused with filling in readers where Nevermore left off and the new background information on the Remedy and the new race of Horsemen. Readers would be confused without these fillers but I couldn't help but want to skip it (I didn't though). The pace didn't pick up until about page 60. So I think the beginning could've been executed shorter and achieved the same purpose. And as much as I raved about plot twists in Maximum Ride Forever, there were too many and it became a little unbelievable by the end. There are so many times you can use "it was all a dream," the resurrection of the dead, and cloned characters. So star deductions stemmed from those reasons.

I also have to admit that this is a series I don't think I'd enjoy as much if I reread it. There's certainly a younger audience appeal to these despite them being categorized in the young adult genre. The characters are almost all roughly under 15, so seeing 7 year old Angel as a tiny tyrant was a little disturbing for me (as it did in previous books, you'll know why if you've read them). The weird Angel moments and the predicted immaturity of the characters due to their young ages stunned me for a few moments and made me realize that I'm slightly outgrowing this series.

So to be honest, Maximum Ride Forever probably deserved around 3 or 3.5 stars according to my rating guide. But I'm giving this 4 stars solely because I do believe this was the best and perfect conclusion that loyal readers of Maximum Ride will enjoy. Maximum Ride Forever proved that the long wait was worth it and that it'll leave fans bittersweet.

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the store Prime isn't all it's supposed to be. Okay, I know that has nothing to do with the book at hand, but it affects how I felt as I went into it. You see, when you have the store Prime, you can have a family account. How exciting is that? That means we shouldn't have to replicate purchases. My husband has a normal amount of books in his Kindle collection. The Maximum Ride Forever was a part of it. I tried to borrow it.

Okay, let me back up here. I have a full public library's amount of Kindle books and I get more every day. With Prime, my poor husband was getting all my books onto his Fire carousel. So he called the store and they worked him through a couple fixes (two phone calls). He thought he had it fixed. But as of that moment, his copy of Maximum Ride Forever disappeared from my carousel with only 15% read. After much hassle, we decided to sign him into my Audible so I could listen to it on my tablet. Phooey with the book. So I spent my day listening to the story while I sewed. Not a bad way to read, huh?

Kasey Lee Huizinga does an amazing job as narrator for the story. She encompasses Max's attitude. She does all the characters with the acting skills that should be on Broadway. BUT...

I just wasn't thrilled with yet another Maximum Ride book that seemed the same as the last few. Boring! Even in the height of adventure, even with bad things happening left and right, it seemed the same story as last time and the time before. Sure, it was a distraction I was glad to put my non-sewing mind to. Still, I found myself calling out to the room, "Again?" I know. What do I want for a post-apocalyptic world that still had mutants in it? There were a couple surprises but I shall not place a spoiler here if you can read it and be as surprised as I was with each... bad or good surprises.

By the way, I think that listening to Maximum Ride is far better than reading it. Get the Audible version if you can. Just an FYI: the Kindle version is $9.99. Too high for me. But it does have text-to-speech. It may not be as much fun as with Kasey Lee Huizinga, but it could help the story go faster as you drive and listen.

In "Maximum Ride Forever" the angel kids' adventures conclude with a challenge that has Max trying to make sense of a post-apocalyptic world devastated by natural disasters, an atomic bomb, famine and a deadly virus. In a wild ride that has the flock scattered and hunted by a genetically enhanced "Horseman" bent on killing them, Max searches for the scientist determined to eradicate and replace humanity with his own creations.

In a plot filled with shocking twists and non-stop action, the intensity and suspense ignites when Max, fearing her flock has been decimated soars across the world's ravaged landscape fighting Cryenas, brainwashed kids and vicious lampreys to get to Russia to fight a brilliant but egomaniac doctor and his horde of mutated soldiers. The novel is a page turner from beginning to end as Max meets new friends like the Aquatics and a delightfully charming bird-boy who she calls Harry, as well as an African brother and sisterwho are hungry enough to eat her.

Like the other eight books the characters are unforgettable and well-developed, maturing in complexity with each adventure. With all her faults and haunted by tragic loss Max is still the feisty, stubborn bird-kid who has to face her destiny as a savior of humanity while Angel takes a leading role as the tough, bossy mind-reader who can predict the future. Max's soul mate Fang rarely smiles and continues to worry knowing his fate will bring heartbreak. Even though Max loves him, he constantly infuriates and drives her crazy in his desperation to keep her safe. In contrast Dylan is dependable, honest, sweet and selfless. Although Max loves him as a friend, it's Fang who continues to hold her heart. I loved Harry the bird-boy who's resourceful, strong and an exceptional flier . Unlike Max and her flock he hasn't been trained in fighting techniques which makes him vulnerable to the extremists and Horsemen. But it's the manipulation and genetic engineering of a rich and powerful scientist with a god- complex and his deluded assistant, once thought to be a friend that adds chilling excitement to the final chapter in this mesmerizing series.

I enjoyed "Maximum Ride Forever" which left me surprised but satisfied with the ending. For all those that followed Maximum and her flock's adventures, this story should not be missed.

I borrowed Maximum Ride Forever by James Patterson from Barnes & Noble and this is my honest review.

After finishing what I thought was the last book this series, Nevermore I was sad. I have read this series non-stop until I finished from 7th grade, and I was not ready for this world to end. As you can imagine, when it was announced that this book was coming out I was ecstatic!

This story was different from all of the others because it was finally the end of the world, and everyone was pretty much going crazy. The flock had problems left and right starting from the very first page. Even though the problems stabbed me in the heart over and over again it is one of the reason why I love these books. The non-stop action, and adventure thrilled me until the last page. Another thing I love about Patterson books is that the chapters are only a few pages so it makes it almost easier to fly through it. For me, when I read I do not like to stop in the middle of chapters so reading is books is a breeze because the chapters start and end within two or three pages.

Half way through the book I was convinced that this book was going to be the worst ending out of all 9 books. The reason I say this is because many many people were dying and I just could not see there being a good turn out. But then Patterson showed his skills and took everything I was thinking at the moment and threw it completely out the window. I was dumbfounded, but I also felt so much better!

There was so much heartbreak here that at times I did have to put it down because I did not want to believe what was happening. But I have to say, I like this in books because it shows that us as readers are connecting with the characters, and I would imagine this is a goal writers have in general. I believe though, that by the ending this is finally the last book in the Maximum Ride series, and that for me is really hard. This series is one of the book series that really got me into reading when I was younger and I am not ready to let it go. But I have to say that the way Patterson ended everything pleased me greatly, and I have no hard feelings towards these books at all. I would recommend these to anyone, and everyone!

t took me a while to decided to read this book. I was a huge fan of Maximum Ride Series, but after some point, the books were different. The characters’ personalities changed. Book 8 didn’t make me very happy and I was really mad at the end. Somehow, I’m not that upset because there is one more book, it kinda of makes sense to know what happened after the end of the world on the previous book.
What upsets me in this novel is that I feel like I am reading a book written by someone else. All the connection I used to have with the characters are gone. This time the author couldn’t get through me. All those stubbornness from the flock became old on my opinion: and here we go again, the flock gets separated and blah blah blah. I didn’t see much in the story, nothing really new, nothing that made me want to turn the page, like it used to. However, I have to admit that there is one scene at the end of this book that made me cry. I spent the whole book feeling nothing. But at that moment, with a selfless action by Dylan, my heart ached. I wasn’t expecting that at all. And I liked the very end too. So, here it is, a simple review of how a feel about this book.

James Patterson, I both love and hate you. When I was 6, I started reading this series after I got it. IT WAS INCREDIBLE. I read all nine books in this series and if I rate them 1-9 it would be 1. Saving the world and other extreme sports, Fang,Max, Schools out forever, Forever, Angel, the angel experiment, the final warning and nevermor. JP really let me down on those last two. I honestly think this book is only four and a half stars but I had to give this to him.

What I did not like:
Dylan. This guy is like a really bad dog: he keeps coming back and biting you in the butt. I think this whole series could have been so much better if Max just pushed of a cliff. Then maybe we could have averted the nevermore crisis.
The deaths. This is the reason for the title: I grew up with these kids. I have stayed with them for over five years of my life. And then, to hear they all died. Part of me died with them. I had to stop reading and cry in my pillow for a bit. Thank you so much for reviving them and killing of Jeb, Dylan, and dr. gh.
The whole Harry kiss max thing. I feel like harry could have been a really great character and you ruined it.
What I liked:
The epilouge. It was adorable. No more said.
Dylan death. Killing dylan is great. Killing dylan to bring back fang is awesome.
No more split personlities. in books 4-8, Nudge max and gazzy were ruined. Thank you for changing that. I suppose there is nothing you can do bout angel.
All things considered, This book gets 96 out of 100 for me, and was certainly much better than nevermore. Maximum Ride Forever.

When I found out James Patterson would be coming out with a ninth installment in the Maximum Ride series, I actually laughed out loud. Max Ride: Forever was to be the third so-called “last installment” in a series I’ve kept up with since I was in elementary school, through every godawful plot twist and badly written kissing scene, through negative character development and quite possibly the least enjoyable love triangle in print. I read it all. When Max Ride Forever was released, I headed to the the store Reviews first to see how badly it flopped. Only a handful of people had stated their thoughts at that point, but they were all five-star. I was genuinely confused. I honestly hadn’t considered the possibility that this third final installment in the series would be coherent, let alone enjoyable. I thought one of two things was going on here: there had been some nominal improvement over the utter garbage that was Nevermore and people were giving James Patterson pity points, or the reviewers had been brainwashed. However, almost a month after its release, I got up the guts to read Maximum Ride Forever, and I discovered that the author had taken a third option:

James Patterson had written a book that was actually good.

I’ll be honest, this book really only deserves three or four stars. I’m still giving it five because JP managed to salvage a series that was so far gone its title alone can set me laughing. Yes, there were plot holes. Yes, there were unnecessary deaths and entire unnecessary characters. Did I care? Not a heck of a lot, although I was a bit concerned.

James Patterson, after really, really biting off more than he could chew with promising to turn out more Max Ride books than we really needed, kept falling back on the wrong things. The series was originally inspired by When the Wind Blows/The Lake House, a two-part story for adults that was actually very entertaining. When JP ran out of material, he relied on what worked for other stories: love triangles, bringing people back from the dead, and literally hundreds of pages of filler romance scenes. With this installment, James Patterson decided to fall back on The Lake House. This was a very intelligent move. The Lake House worked, and the plot here worked very well, along with other subplots that Patterson produced for this book alone.

“Hold on,” you say. “The Lake House was written for adults, and this is a kids’ series. What is going on?” Well, Patterson is at his best an adult writer, and this book is meant for much more mature audiences, although it couldn’t be reasonably placed in the adult section of the library. If you’re a parent evaluating whether your kid should read this, I’ll clue you in on something. There’s a sex scene. It’s not terribly explicit, but this is no Kate Chopin either. (I didn’t spoil anything, this happens early on) I’m pretty sure Patterson chose this route because at this point, the only people reading this series are those of us who started reading this when we were eleven and just want closure. Most of us still around are just about adults by now, if not already there. And I really appreciated the respect for his readers Patterson finally put back into the story, as opposed to the insult to my intelligence everything from books four to eight were.

So I’ll move on to the things I liked about Maximum Ride Forever. I won’t spoil anything.

I liked that Nudge, Iggy, and Gazzy were brought back into three dimensions, instead of the immature, moronic caricatures of themselves we’ve seen for the last three thousand pages.

I liked that there was exactly one kiss in the whole book(barring one that isn’t relevant to my point, or the plot). We haven’t had that since The Final Warning, and every other element of The Final Warning straight-up sucked. I have no problem with romance in the plot, but I do have a problem when romance completely takes over and strangles the plot.

I liked the fact that James Patterson took every element he could from the last five terrible installments and tried to make them work in a story that actually made sense. We brought back the “Max Saving the World” thing and she actually got to do something about it this time. We made use of the “Fang being immortal” subplot. JP even made use of the giant, stupid romance plot.

I liked the fact that James Patterson took ownership for all the utter crap that he’d produced. Characters call out other characters for things they did while under the influence of an author with poor judgment. Elements JP didn’t like weren’t just thrown away for no reason, they were faced with dignity. Characters who were too far gone were cut from the story, and I have no problem now with characters dying when we had a severe lack of permanent deaths in this series as a whole.

I liked the Henchman plot. If you haven’t read it, look forward to it.

I liked the fact that Ari didn’t come back this time. That poor kid finally got to stay dead.

I liked that you can see the final plot twist coming if you pay attention, but it isn’t cliche.

I liked the fact that we saw Max function for the majority of the book with neither of her boyfriends, when I was seriously beginning to doubt her ability to function period, let alone without a hot birdman at her beck and call.

I liked that the Fang’s immortal DNA plot actually was important, instead of being just a twist for the sake of a twist like it has been.

I liked the fact that we saw Fang actually care about Dylan, who actually got some pretty great characterization here. I’ve never thought a petty love triangle should separate two people who would otherwise be friends, and I personally thought they both could have dumped Max in favor of some sanity over the past arc.

I had a few issues with this book, though, but I’m going to finish some things here first. If you’re a parent of anyone under fifteen or so, read this book before your kid does because there’s a big lesson kids might learn here that really requires some parental guidance. Read this book if you’ve read the previous eight- it’s not super long, but it ties things up nicely. It was better than I thought Patterson was capable of, although I had next to zero faith in his abilities going in.

So, from this point on, I’m going to talk about some of the things I had issues with. Everything below is ridden with spoilers.

I thought Fang should have stayed dead. If we’re looking at how Max “saved the world,” it would have made a heck of a lot more sense if she was carrying the last bundle of immortal DNA that could save the human race in her womb, instead of the bundle’s father coming back as if nothing had happened. Doesn’t that invalidate… everything? Was there any point in killing Fang in the first place? What did it accomplish, other than killing Dylan? Don’t get me wrong, Fang is the only character I’ve liked consistently through these books, and he’s undoubtedly my favorite in this series, but it probably would have been better storytelling if he’d stayed dead and there had been a point to these two poor teenagers being stuck with a baby in the middle of the apocalypse. JP was probably trying to differentiate this from the ending of The Lake House, but really leaving him dead made more sense, and would have let the entire book have a point.

Is it just me, or did Dylan know Max was pregnant the whole time? I knew where the plot was heading, and I thought he was in on it. He and Kate had to keep her from fighting during the final battle, and he even mentioned she shouldn’t be fighting in her current state, although he corrected himself in what was clearly a disguise of his true thoughts.. Kate even kills Jeb, who should really have been killed by Max. Clearly she knew something was going on, and Dylan tries to be the one to kill Dr. Gunther-Hagen(although as he was his father, that was also his right), but Max has to actually force herself into the position to be the one to do it. How did he not know, especially since he and Angel seemed to be so chummy? I was pretty confused when he seemed to not know she was pregnant. Maybe it was written that he knew, but Patterson wanted to put a scene with her telling him in there for drama and forgot to change it later.

Jeb. Oh, Jeb. I thought it was actually pretty funny, that he ordered Fang’s execution, kindof in a “you slept with my daughter, I’ll kill you” way that all of our dads joke about. Except here was none of that sentimentality crap. Jeb, who appeared to care about both Max and Fang in books previous, killed Fang without batting an eye or mentioning that he had, um, you know, RAISED the poor boy. And he’s about to do the same thing to Max, his daughter, who appears to have apparently forgotten that Jeb is her dad. As in, she describes him as “the closest thing she’d ever had to a dad,” which is funny because he actually did in fact sire her. Am I the only one who forgot they were related?

What fifteen-year-old boy is that excited to learn that his girlfriend is pregnant? That’s right, no one, especially one who has been dead for months and is trying to acclimate to bionic limbs after being murdered on orders by his own father figure. I mean, Fang was always the team dad, but I was a bit thrown off guard by him being described as… “ecstatic”? I don’t remember the exact word. I guess it’s ok, because this poor kid has gone through hell several times over and finding out he has to be responsible for one other person when he’s been changing diapers his whole life seems like the least challenging thing in his life compared to having a near-death or actual-death experience in almost if not every book.

I was a bit irritated that Fang… forgot he could turn invisible halfway through the book. Having only one special ability different from the others should make it pretty easy to remember that you have it. But when people are walking around with guns looking for you, you would probably use your… invisibility powers if you have them. Unless you’re Fang, apparently.

The only other thing I was really disappointed in was that Max and Fang were fifteen. I’m sure had Patterson known he was writing this book he would have put in more timeskips and aged them more rapidly earlier on in the series, but the fact that the happy ending to a children’s book is two teenagers teaching their daughter to survive after the apocalypse was a little disturbing to me. It didn’t really send the right message to the younger readers, but as I said, I doubt any kids are actually reading this now.

Any way, that was it. Thanks for reading. Overall, I liked it, but I guess no book is perfect.

​When I heard that James Patterson was making another Maximum Ride book after he said that Nevermore was the last book, I was furious. I mean that's completely cheating. Needless to say, I was not super excited about this book, I didn't buy it as soon as it came out. But then I got to thinking..... I HATED Nevermore, by far my least favorite book in the series. It didn't make ANY sense and left you with more questions than when you started. Soooo this book couldn't be any worse, right? And there's a good chance it could be better. Also I hate not reading the end of the series, so I finally purchased it and read it. Let me just say, I am SO glad I did. This was the ending we deserved. If you just want to know IF you should read it, not WHY, then my answer is yes. YES SHOULD DEFINITELY READ THIS BOOK!

There are so many things I like about this book. For one thing, the characters are back to normal, no more split personalities. And the flock FINALLY has a huge argument about their character flaws in the last books. I agreed with everything every single one of them said, no matter how mean, it needed to be said. And as sad as I was to see the flock splitting up, I was happy that we got to see Max on her own, not dependent on Fang or Dylan. Finally invincible Max is back! The first 3/4ths of the book is really sad, but I mean the world ended, what do you expect? As I was reading, I was thinking that there was no possible way that this book could have a happy ending. I was very please to be proved wrong. ****************************************************SPOILER ALERT*****************************************************************************

At first I was upset that Dylan was not dead, let me say it: I HATE DYLAN! Not because he's 'not Fang' but because he's weird, and creepy (I mean he's like 3 years old!), and too 'perfect'. But then I thought it was pretty genius that he had been 'evolved' and was the bad guy but actually the good guy. I knew in my gut all along that James Patterson wouldn't kill off his whole flock except Max and Angel. I was extremely relieved to be proven correct. I still don't 'like' Angle after this book, I can't forgive her for being such a bossy, betraying, deceptive bird kid with a God-complex for every book but the first three. But while I'm kinda mad she didn't really have to pay for what she's done to the flock, (and the fact that she STILL got to be the leader) I was fairly happy that she made peace with Max. And I'm no longer crazy mad at her. I'm glad Jeb finally died, he deserved it. And while I'm obviously very sad about Ella and Max's mom dying, I think it was needed. I mean not EVERYONE Max loves can survive! I do sort of think it was cheating of James Patterson to bring Fang back, but I'm very glad he did. And I was also thrilled that Dylan sacrificed himself. 1) Dylan died. 2) Fang pretty much sacrificed himself for Dylan, so it was was like his way of saying thank you. and 3) I thought it went with Dylan's character, and I respect him for it. (it's not like it was possible in real life, but this is most certainly science fiction) I kind of knew max was pregnant the whole time, I mean everything pointed to it. But I was still surprised when she confirmed it. ​ I don't approve of teenagers having children together, but maturity-wise, Max and Fang are basically adults. Also, it's not really like they could get married, pretty much anyone who could marry them was dead. Other than that, I was really really happy that Max finally had her own child. And I really love little Phoenix. I think this is finally the ending this fandom deserved, MAXIMUM RIDE FOREVER!!!!!

A long time fan of the Maximum Ride series, I balked at the idea of yet another book. The last 3 were unimpressive and I doubted this one would be better. That being said, I still read it as soon as my local library got it. I'm so glad I did.
It's actiony, a bit cliche, but it doesn't take itself too seriously. If I'm being completely honest, it seemed a bit like a fan-fiction, albeit a well written one. Some parts are a bit confusing when you take the rest of the series into account, but only if you think about it. A few things could be expected though there was a major part that I didn't see coming. Overall, a good finish to a good series. (At least, better than the ending of Nevermore.)

SPOILERS!!! If Remedy nuked the whole planet how does anything survive? All these small children who have to survive on their own are able to do so through what, Magic? Another thing, at the end of the book how do Angel's forces (again a bunch of kids who, lets just say through some sort of bs they were resistant to radiation from nuclear bombardment) which consists of a bunch of children who have never fought a battle in their lives and have also been subjected to extreme starvation are able to stand their ground against an army of supermutants who have been well fed and engineered for war? Angel's prophetic powers make no sense. The Flock shouldn't be able to survive as they require large amounts of calories that would not be accessible in a post-apocalyptic environment (which also contains vast quantities of radiation). I know this review has no structure to it but whatever. The point is, this book makes NO SENSE!!! I used to love Maximum Ride but this was just a complete crap fest that had me rolling my eyes every 2 seconds at the sheer stupidity of it all. The only reason this title has a 2 star instead of a 1 star rating is because I liked the first few books but this...this is just GARBAGE!!!

We all thought Nevermore: The Final Maximum Ride Adventure was the final book. It was not the strongest of the series, but it was alright. Not a great ending, but not a bad one.

Maximum Ride Forever is the ending and the closure to the series we all wanted to see. It is Max at her most vulnerable, her weakest moments and yet, at the same time, her strongest. Here is the Flock at the end of the world, and for the first time, you have the feeling that not everyone is going to by flying away from this. Not everyone is making it out.

There is are so many twists, so many emtions in this one. If you were disappointed in Nevermore, this is the one you have been waiting for.

After the ending of the LAST LAST Maximum Ride book I had to read this LAST LAST one…I really didn’t like the ending of the last last one at all so I wanted a better ending. I was surprised (and still am) that there are no reviews for this book. I thought more people would have read it and reviewed it without just giving it 5 or 1 star because it is James Patterson/Maximum Ride. I really wanted to hear other peoples point of views when it came to this, but I couldn’t really find any reviews at all!
Was the ending good? Did I enjoy Maximum Ride Forever? Hmm…well stay tuned to find out!

What I Liked:
Wowzas this (somewhat spoiler) apocalyptic world (end mini spoiler) Max and her flock are stuck in is absolutely terrible! I’ve read A LOT of apocalyptic/dystopian novels but none of them seemed as horrifying as this possibility. I’m not sure how Max can live with this, how she can deal with her new world. But then again she’s Max and can take about anything that hits her. Right….Right?
There were quite a bit of ‘feels’ in Maximum Ride Forever. I’m not gonna spoil anything but man oh man does it get you right in those ‘feels’.
This ending was WAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY more satisfying than the last Maximum Ride book. I really hated the last ending and I thought Maximum Ride Forever had a better one.

What I Did NOT Like:
I don’t know what I was hoping for but I was wishing for a bit more to happen.
This isn’t a problem I have with the story it’s just a problem I had with the characters. One certain character KNOWS how to irritate me xP

Overall:
Maximum Ride Forever was good ? I’m glad I read it for the better ending and even if I was expecting a bit more I still, overall enjoyed it!

4 Stars, Completed May 22, 2015

In Maximum Ride Forever, Max and the flock are facing the struggles of the post-apocalyptic world. Every part of the planet seems to have met it's eventual Armageddon with floods and fires made from crashing comets. Max and the flock have saved the world many times before from evil scientists, genetically modified specimens gone wrong like themselves, global warming, robots, and other villains, but they were unable to prevent this apocalypse in Nevermore. Now, with billions of lives lost and planet Earth a mess, the flock begins to see differences and decides to split up and approach saving what's left of the world each on their own. On their separate ways, they soon discover that a man that sickly refers himself to the Remedy is behind the mass destruction of the world and isn't done until each of them are dead. They learn that this is the final battle they'll have to face together, if the Remedy doesn't find and kill each of them first.

This book literally made me speechless the moment I closed it. I came into reading this not knowing what to expect and thinking I'd give it anywhere on the rating spectrum from 2 to 4 stars (read my long explanation here: https://xingsings.wordpress.com/2015/05/23/maximum-ride-forever-by-james-patterson-entire-series-recap ). And this book ended up being an absolute rollercoaster. There were parts I was certain I'd rate it a 2 but then other moments that hit my emotional core making me want to rate it 4 stars.

The well done twists and cliffhangers made this an incredibly fast and fun read. It also helped make the plot unpredictable, which I really appreciated. I often found myself taking pauses throughout the book to regain my composure. Ugh, the feels. I was also pleasantly surprised that characters that were inconsistent in books 4 through 8 like Max, Nudge, and Dylan, finally returned to their originally likable characters in Maximum Ride Forever. The action scenes were also thrilling and what helped me finish polishing this book in a few hours.

However, the main reason why I was conflicted with the rating for this book was the slow beginning, the excessive use of plot twists, and, admittedly, my original skepticism after the disappointing "finale" with Nevermore. The beginning mostly focused with filling in readers where Nevermore left off and the new background information on the Remedy and the new race of Horsemen. Readers would be confused without these fillers but I couldn't help but want to skip it (I didn't though). The pace didn't pick up until about page 60. So I think the beginning could've been executed shorter and achieved the same purpose. And as much as I raved about plot twists in Maximum Ride Forever, there were too many and it became a little unbelievable by the end. There are so many times you can use "it was all a dream," the resurrection of the dead, and cloned characters. So star deductions stemmed from those reasons.

I also have to admit that this is a series I don't think I'd enjoy as much if I reread it. There's certainly a younger audience appeal to these despite them being categorized in the young adult genre. The characters are almost all roughly under 15, so seeing 7 year old Angel as a tiny tyrant was a little disturbing for me (as it did in previous books, you'll know why if you've read them). The weird Angel moments and the predicted immaturity of the characters due to their young ages stunned me for a few moments and made me realize that I'm slightly outgrowing this series.

So to be honest, Maximum Ride Forever probably deserved around 3 or 3.5 stars according to my rating guide. But I'm giving this 4 stars solely because I do believe this was the best and perfect conclusion that loyal readers of Maximum Ride will enjoy. Maximum Ride Forever proved that the long wait was worth it and that it'll leave fans bittersweet.

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the store Prime isn't all it's supposed to be. Okay, I know that has nothing to do with the book at hand, but it affects how I felt as I went into it. You see, when you have the store Prime, you can have a family account. How exciting is that? That means we shouldn't have to replicate purchases. My husband has a normal amount of books in his Kindle collection. The Maximum Ride Forever was a part of it. I tried to borrow it.

Okay, let me back up here. I have a full public library's amount of Kindle books and I get more every day. With Prime, my poor husband was getting all my books onto his Fire carousel. So he called the store and they worked him through a couple fixes (two phone calls). He thought he had it fixed. But as of that moment, his copy of Maximum Ride Forever disappeared from my carousel with only 15% read. After much hassle, we decided to sign him into my Audible so I could listen to it on my tablet. Phooey with the book. So I spent my day listening to the story while I sewed. Not a bad way to read, huh?

Kasey Lee Huizinga does an amazing job as narrator for the story. She encompasses Max's attitude. She does all the characters with the acting skills that should be on Broadway. BUT...

I just wasn't thrilled with yet another Maximum Ride book that seemed the same as the last few. Boring! Even in the height of adventure, even with bad things happening left and right, it seemed the same story as last time and the time before. Sure, it was a distraction I was glad to put my non-sewing mind to. Still, I found myself calling out to the room, "Again?" I know. What do I want for a post-apocalyptic world that still had mutants in it? There were a couple surprises but I shall not place a spoiler here if you can read it and be as surprised as I was with each... bad or good surprises.

By the way, I think that listening to Maximum Ride is far better than reading it. Get the Audible version if you can. Just an FYI: the Kindle version is $9.99. Too high for me. But it does have text-to-speech. It may not be as much fun as with Kasey Lee Huizinga, but it could help the story go faster as you drive and listen.

In "Maximum Ride Forever" the angel kids' adventures conclude with a challenge that has Max trying to make sense of a post-apocalyptic world devastated by natural disasters, an atomic bomb, famine and a deadly virus. In a wild ride that has the flock scattered and hunted by a genetically enhanced "Horseman" bent on killing them, Max searches for the scientist determined to eradicate and replace humanity with his own creations.

In a plot filled with shocking twists and non-stop action, the intensity and suspense ignites when Max, fearing her flock has been decimated soars across the world's ravaged landscape fighting Cryenas, brainwashed kids and vicious lampreys to get to Russia to fight a brilliant but egomaniac doctor and his horde of mutated soldiers. The novel is a page turner from beginning to end as Max meets new friends like the Aquatics and a delightfully charming bird-boy who she calls Harry, as well as an African brother and sisterwho are hungry enough to eat her.

Like the other eight books the characters are unforgettable and well-developed, maturing in complexity with each adventure. With all her faults and haunted by tragic loss Max is still the feisty, stubborn bird-kid who has to face her destiny as a savior of humanity while Angel takes a leading role as the tough, bossy mind-reader who can predict the future. Max's soul mate Fang rarely smiles and continues to worry knowing his fate will bring heartbreak. Even though Max loves him, he constantly infuriates and drives her crazy in his desperation to keep her safe. In contrast Dylan is dependable, honest, sweet and selfless. Although Max loves him as a friend, it's Fang who continues to hold her heart. I loved Harry the bird-boy who's resourceful, strong and an exceptional flier . Unlike Max and her flock he hasn't been trained in fighting techniques which makes him vulnerable to the extremists and Horsemen. But it's the manipulation and genetic engineering of a rich and powerful scientist with a god- complex and his deluded assistant, once thought to be a friend that adds chilling excitement to the final chapter in this mesmerizing series.

I enjoyed "Maximum Ride Forever" which left me surprised but satisfied with the ending. For all those that followed Maximum and her flock's adventures, this story should not be missed.

I borrowed Maximum Ride Forever by James Patterson from Barnes & Noble and this is my honest review.

After finishing what I thought was the last book this series, Nevermore I was sad. I have read this series non-stop until I finished from 7th grade, and I was not ready for this world to end. As you can imagine, when it was announced that this book was coming out I was ecstatic!

This story was different from all of the others because it was finally the end of the world, and everyone was pretty much going crazy. The flock had problems left and right starting from the very first page. Even though the problems stabbed me in the heart over and over again it is one of the reason why I love these books. The non-stop action, and adventure thrilled me until the last page. Another thing I love about Patterson books is that the chapters are only a few pages so it makes it almost easier to fly through it. For me, when I read I do not like to stop in the middle of chapters so reading is books is a breeze because the chapters start and end within two or three pages.

Half way through the book I was convinced that this book was going to be the worst ending out of all 9 books. The reason I say this is because many many people were dying and I just could not see there being a good turn out. But then Patterson showed his skills and took everything I was thinking at the moment and threw it completely out the window. I was dumbfounded, but I also felt so much better!

There was so much heartbreak here that at times I did have to put it down because I did not want to believe what was happening. But I have to say, I like this in books because it shows that us as readers are connecting with the characters, and I would imagine this is a goal writers have in general. I believe though, that by the ending this is finally the last book in the Maximum Ride series, and that for me is really hard. This series is one of the book series that really got me into reading when I was younger and I am not ready to let it go. But I have to say that the way Patterson ended everything pleased me greatly, and I have no hard feelings towards these books at all. I would recommend these to anyone, and everyone!

t took me a while to decided to read this book. I was a huge fan of Maximum Ride Series, but after some point, the books were different. The characters’ personalities changed. Book 8 didn’t make me very happy and I was really mad at the end. Somehow, I’m not that upset because there is one more book, it kinda of makes sense to know what happened after the end of the world on the previous book.
What upsets me in this novel is that I feel like I am reading a book written by someone else. All the connection I used to have with the characters are gone. This time the author couldn’t get through me. All those stubbornness from the flock became old on my opinion: and here we go again, the flock gets separated and blah blah blah. I didn’t see much in the story, nothing really new, nothing that made me want to turn the page, like it used to. However, I have to admit that there is one scene at the end of this book that made me cry. I spent the whole book feeling nothing. But at that moment, with a selfless action by Dylan, my heart ached. I wasn’t expecting that at all. And I liked the very end too. So, here it is, a simple review of how a feel about this book.

James Patterson, I both love and hate you. When I was 6, I started reading this series after I got it. IT WAS INCREDIBLE. I read all nine books in this series and if I rate them 1-9 it would be 1. Saving the world and other extreme sports, Fang,Max, Schools out forever, Forever, Angel, the angel experiment, the final warning and nevermor. JP really let me down on those last two. I honestly think this book is only four and a half stars but I had to give this to him.

What I did not like:
Dylan. This guy is like a really bad dog: he keeps coming back and biting you in the butt. I think this whole series could have been so much better if Max just pushed of a cliff. Then maybe we could have averted the nevermore crisis.
The deaths. This is the reason for the title: I grew up with these kids. I have stayed with them for over five years of my life. And then, to hear they all died. Part of me died with them. I had to stop reading and cry in my pillow for a bit. Thank you so much for reviving them and killing of Jeb, Dylan, and dr. gh.
The whole Harry kiss max thing. I feel like harry could have been a really great character and you ruined it.
What I liked:
The epilouge. It was adorable. No more said.
Dylan death. Killing dylan is great. Killing dylan to bring back fang is awesome.
No more split personlities. in books 4-8, Nudge max and gazzy were ruined. Thank you for changing that. I suppose there is nothing you can do bout angel.
All things considered, This book gets 96 out of 100 for me, and was certainly much better than nevermore. Maximum Ride Forever.

When I found out James Patterson would be coming out with a ninth installment in the Maximum Ride series, I actually laughed out loud. Max Ride: Forever was to be the third so-called “last installment” in a series I’ve kept up with since I was in elementary school, through every godawful plot twist and badly written kissing scene, through negative character development and quite possibly the least enjoyable love triangle in print. I read it all. When Max Ride Forever was released, I headed to the the store Reviews first to see how badly it flopped. Only a handful of people had stated their thoughts at that point, but they were all five-star. I was genuinely confused. I honestly hadn’t considered the possibility that this third final installment in the series would be coherent, let alone enjoyable. I thought one of two things was going on here: there had been some nominal improvement over the utter garbage that was Nevermore and people were giving James Patterson pity points, or the reviewers had been brainwashed. However, almost a month after its release, I got up the guts to read Maximum Ride Forever, and I discovered that the author had taken a third option:

James Patterson had written a book that was actually good.

I’ll be honest, this book really only deserves three or four stars. I’m still giving it five because JP managed to salvage a series that was so far gone its title alone can set me laughing. Yes, there were plot holes. Yes, there were unnecessary deaths and entire unnecessary characters. Did I care? Not a heck of a lot, although I was a bit concerned.

James Patterson, after really, really biting off more than he could chew with promising to turn out more Max Ride books than we really needed, kept falling back on the wrong things. The series was originally inspired by When the Wind Blows/The Lake House, a two-part story for adults that was actually very entertaining. When JP ran out of material, he relied on what worked for other stories: love triangles, bringing people back from the dead, and literally hundreds of pages of filler romance scenes. With this installment, James Patterson decided to fall back on The Lake House. This was a very intelligent move. The Lake House worked, and the plot here worked very well, along with other subplots that Patterson produced for this book alone.

“Hold on,” you say. “The Lake House was written for adults, and this is a kids’ series. What is going on?” Well, Patterson is at his best an adult writer, and this book is meant for much more mature audiences, although it couldn’t be reasonably placed in the adult section of the library. If you’re a parent evaluating whether your kid should read this, I’ll clue you in on something. There’s a sex scene. It’s not terribly explicit, but this is no Kate Chopin either. (I didn’t spoil anything, this happens early on) I’m pretty sure Patterson chose this route because at this point, the only people reading this series are those of us who started reading this when we were eleven and just want closure. Most of us still around are just about adults by now, if not already there. And I really appreciated the respect for his readers Patterson finally put back into the story, as opposed to the insult to my intelligence everything from books four to eight were.

So I’ll move on to the things I liked about Maximum Ride Forever. I won’t spoil anything.

I liked that Nudge, Iggy, and Gazzy were brought back into three dimensions, instead of the immature, moronic caricatures of themselves we’ve seen for the last three thousand pages.

I liked that there was exactly one kiss in the whole book(barring one that isn’t relevant to my point, or the plot). We haven’t had that since The Final Warning, and every other element of The Final Warning straight-up sucked. I have no problem with romance in the plot, but I do have a problem when romance completely takes over and strangles the plot.

I liked the fact that James Patterson took every element he could from the last five terrible installments and tried to make them work in a story that actually made sense. We brought back the “Max Saving the World” thing and she actually got to do something about it this time. We made use of the “Fang being immortal” subplot. JP even made use of the giant, stupid romance plot.

I liked the fact that James Patterson took ownership for all the utter crap that he’d produced. Characters call out other characters for things they did while under the influence of an author with poor judgment. Elements JP didn’t like weren’t just thrown away for no reason, they were faced with dignity. Characters who were too far gone were cut from the story, and I have no problem now with characters dying when we had a severe lack of permanent deaths in this series as a whole.

I liked the Henchman plot. If you haven’t read it, look forward to it.

I liked the fact that Ari didn’t come back this time. That poor kid finally got to stay dead.

I liked that you can see the final plot twist coming if you pay attention, but it isn’t cliche.

I liked the fact that we saw Max function for the majority of the book with neither of her boyfriends, when I was seriously beginning to doubt her ability to function period, let alone without a hot birdman at her beck and call.

I liked that the Fang’s immortal DNA plot actually was important, instead of being just a twist for the sake of a twist like it has been.

I liked the fact that we saw Fang actually care about Dylan, who actually got some pretty great characterization here. I’ve never thought a petty love triangle should separate two people who would otherwise be friends, and I personally thought they both could have dumped Max in favor of some sanity over the past arc.

I had a few issues with this book, though, but I’m going to finish some things here first. If you’re a parent of anyone under fifteen or so, read this book before your kid does because there’s a big lesson kids might learn here that really requires some parental guidance. Read this book if you’ve read the previous eight- it’s not super long, but it ties things up nicely. It was better than I thought Patterson was capable of, although I had next to zero faith in his abilities going in.

So, from this point on, I’m going to talk about some of the things I had issues with. Everything below is ridden with spoilers.

I thought Fang should have stayed dead. If we’re looking at how Max “saved the world,” it would have made a heck of a lot more sense if she was carrying the last bundle of immortal DNA that could save the human race in her womb, instead of the bundle’s father coming back as if nothing had happened. Doesn’t that invalidate… everything? Was there any point in killing Fang in the first place? What did it accomplish, other than killing Dylan? Don’t get me wrong, Fang is the only character I’ve liked consistently through these books, and he’s undoubtedly my favorite in this series, but it probably would have been better storytelling if he’d stayed dead and there had been a point to these two poor teenagers being stuck with a baby in the middle of the apocalypse. JP was probably trying to differentiate this from the ending of The Lake House, but really leaving him dead made more sense, and would have let the entire book have a point.

Is it just me, or did Dylan know Max was pregnant the whole time? I knew where the plot was heading, and I thought he was in on it. He and Kate had to keep her from fighting during the final battle, and he even mentioned she shouldn’t be fighting in her current state, although he corrected himself in what was clearly a disguise of his true thoughts.. Kate even kills Jeb, who should really have been killed by Max. Clearly she knew something was going on, and Dylan tries to be the one to kill Dr. Gunther-Hagen(although as he was his father, that was also his right), but Max has to actually force herself into the position to be the one to do it. How did he not know, especially since he and Angel seemed to be so chummy? I was pretty confused when he seemed to not know she was pregnant. Maybe it was written that he knew, but Patterson wanted to put a scene with her telling him in there for drama and forgot to change it later.

Jeb. Oh, Jeb. I thought it was actually pretty funny, that he ordered Fang’s execution, kindof in a “you slept with my daughter, I’ll kill you” way that all of our dads joke about. Except here was none of that sentimentality crap. Jeb, who appeared to care about both Max and Fang in books previous, killed Fang without batting an eye or mentioning that he had, um, you know, RAISED the poor boy. And he’s about to do the same thing to Max, his daughter, who appears to have apparently forgotten that Jeb is her dad. As in, she describes him as “the closest thing she’d ever had to a dad,” which is funny because he actually did in fact sire her. Am I the only one who forgot they were related?

What fifteen-year-old boy is that excited to learn that his girlfriend is pregnant? That’s right, no one, especially one who has been dead for months and is trying to acclimate to bionic limbs after being murdered on orders by his own father figure. I mean, Fang was always the team dad, but I was a bit thrown off guard by him being described as… “ecstatic”? I don’t remember the exact word. I guess it’s ok, because this poor kid has gone through hell several times over and finding out he has to be responsible for one other person when he’s been changing diapers his whole life seems like the least challenging thing in his life compared to having a near-death or actual-death experience in almost if not every book.

I was a bit irritated that Fang… forgot he could turn invisible halfway through the book. Having only one special ability different from the others should make it pretty easy to remember that you have it. But when people are walking around with guns looking for you, you would probably use your… invisibility powers if you have them. Unless you’re Fang, apparently.

The only other thing I was really disappointed in was that Max and Fang were fifteen. I’m sure had Patterson known he was writing this book he would have put in more timeskips and aged them more rapidly earlier on in the series, but the fact that the happy ending to a children’s book is two teenagers teaching their daughter to survive after the apocalypse was a little disturbing to me. It didn’t really send the right message to the younger readers, but as I said, I doubt any kids are actually reading this now.

Any way, that was it. Thanks for reading. Overall, I liked it, but I guess no book is perfect.

The Maximum ride series is no doubt a great series that will make you angry, cry, happy and sad...each book takes you on a journey and you feel like you're part of the flock but this last book Maximum ride forever is a great book and its a great way for the series to end...the ending will definely make you cry. Thank you James Patterson for writing such a great series and im sad to see it end but it ended the way its suppose to end :)

​When I heard that James Patterson was making another Maximum Ride book after he said that Nevermore was the last book, I was furious. I mean that's completely cheating. Needless to say, I was not super excited about this book, I didn't buy it as soon as it came out. But then I got to thinking..... I HATED Nevermore, by far my least favorite book in the series. It didn't make ANY sense and left you with more questions than when you started. Soooo this book couldn't be any worse, right? And there's a good chance it could be better. Also I hate not reading the end of the series, so I finally purchased it and read it. Let me just say, I am SO glad I did. This was the ending we deserved. If you just want to know IF you should read it, not WHY, then my answer is yes. YES SHOULD DEFINITELY READ THIS BOOK!

There are so many things I like about this book. For one thing, the characters are back to normal, no more split personalities. And the flock FINALLY has a huge argument about their character flaws in the last books. I agreed with everything every single one of them said, no matter how mean, it needed to be said. And as sad as I was to see the flock splitting up, I was happy that we got to see Max on her own, not dependent on Fang or Dylan. Finally invincible Max is back! The first 3/4ths of the book is really sad, but I mean the world ended, what do you expect? As I was reading, I was thinking that there was no possible way that this book could have a happy ending. I was very please to be proved wrong. ****************************************************SPOILER ALERT*****************************************************************************

At first I was upset that Dylan was not dead, let me say it: I HATE DYLAN! Not because he's 'not Fang' but because he's weird, and creepy (I mean he's like 3 years old!), and too 'perfect'. But then I thought it was pretty genius that he had been 'evolved' and was the bad guy but actually the good guy. I knew in my gut all along that James Patterson wouldn't kill off his whole flock except Max and Angel. I was extremely relieved to be proven correct. I still don't 'like' Angle after this book, I can't forgive her for being such a bossy, betraying, deceptive bird kid with a God-complex for every book but the first three. But while I'm kinda mad she didn't really have to pay for what she's done to the flock, (and the fact that she STILL got to be the leader) I was fairly happy that she made peace with Max. And I'm no longer crazy mad at her. I'm glad Jeb finally died, he deserved it. And while I'm obviously very sad about Ella and Max's mom dying, I think it was needed. I mean not EVERYONE Max loves can survive! I do sort of think it was cheating of James Patterson to bring Fang back, but I'm very glad he did. And I was also thrilled that Dylan sacrificed himself. 1) Dylan died. 2) Fang pretty much sacrificed himself for Dylan, so it was was like his way of saying thank you. and 3) I thought it went with Dylan's character, and I respect him for it. (it's not like it was possible in real life, but this is most certainly science fiction) I kind of knew max was pregnant the whole time, I mean everything pointed to it. But I was still surprised when she confirmed it. ​ I don't approve of teenagers having children together, but maturity-wise, Max and Fang are basically adults. Also, it's not really like they could get married, pretty much anyone who could marry them was dead. Other than that, I was really really happy that Max finally had her own child. And I really love little Phoenix. I think this is finally the ending this fandom deserved, MAXIMUM RIDE FOREVER!!!!!

A long time fan of the Maximum Ride series, I balked at the idea of yet another book. The last 3 were unimpressive and I doubted this one would be better. That being said, I still read it as soon as my local library got it. I'm so glad I did.
It's actiony, a bit cliche, but it doesn't take itself too seriously. If I'm being completely honest, it seemed a bit like a fan-fiction, albeit a well written one. Some parts are a bit confusing when you take the rest of the series into account, but only if you think about it. A few things could be expected though there was a major part that I didn't see coming. Overall, a good finish to a good series. (At least, better than the ending of Nevermore.)

SPOILERS!!! If Remedy nuked the whole planet how does anything survive? All these small children who have to survive on their own are able to do so through what, Magic? Another thing, at the end of the book how do Angel's forces (again a bunch of kids who, lets just say through some sort of bs they were resistant to radiation from nuclear bombardment) which consists of a bunch of children who have never fought a battle in their lives and have also been subjected to extreme starvation are able to stand their ground against an army of supermutants who have been well fed and engineered for war? Angel's prophetic powers make no sense. The Flock shouldn't be able to survive as they require large amounts of calories that would not be accessible in a post-apocalyptic environment (which also contains vast quantities of radiation). I know this review has no structure to it but whatever. The point is, this book makes NO SENSE!!! I used to love Maximum Ride but this was just a complete crap fest that had me rolling my eyes every 2 seconds at the sheer stupidity of it all. The only reason this title has a 2 star instead of a 1 star rating is because I liked the first few books but this...this is just GARBAGE!!!

This is not the Maximum Ride that I have come to know, love, and adore since after I first started reading series books. She is not the strong, independent female heroine that I have come to respect, and who has inspired me in numerous unspeakable ways. She crumbles at the slightest turn in events. She fails to stand on her own and becomes less and less the leader figure that the flock had always followed. I don't think I have ever been so disappointed in one I love as I am with Max. All I can say is, "What happened?"

Also a major let-down is Fang's now inevitable disappearing act when things start to get real. I cannot even begin to express my conflicting feelings of absolute fury and utter despair at his leaving Max ONCE AGAIN. I won't say again that leaving is never the answer; that, in order to succeed, you must stick to the one who will help you to do so; that two is ALWAYS better than one; and that life only goes downhill from the moment you leave the one you love. I won't say it again. I can't. It just hurts too dang much to think about. It's the same song-and-dance, and it's gotten old very fast. I am completely over this bullcrap and wanting to put it behind me as soon as possible.

What can I say about Angel? I never noticed it before (or maybe I've just been kidding myself), but she is no longer the sweet little girl that I once adored as wholly as Max did. Now, she is as manipulative and conniving as The School, The Doomsday cult, and the scientists put together. In fact, she has been since we were introduced to my second least favorite person (thought not by much) in this entire f'ed up series; Dylan. Possibly, she has been since even before that. Once, I longed to hold the poor girl close to my heart and never let her go. Now, I just wish she truly had perished during the bombings in "Angel." But then again, maybe I don't. Maybe I can't. Maybe that's just the anger speaking. Despite all she's done and all the pain she has helped to orchestrate, I still can't hate the girl. Not really. She is just as much a daughter to me as she is to Max, and for that I can't hate her.

And then, there's Dylan. I swear to Heaven on high that everything was just right and dandy in my world until YOU came along. Seriously, what good are you to this book except for f'ing up everything we know to be good and true in this series?? Angel was arguably fine until you came along and no one gave a flying flip about who Max paired up with because we all knew it would be Fang, and that it will ALWAYS BE FANG. Moreover, why is it even still a question as to whether Max wants you or Fang? She wants Fang, END OF STORY! So back the F up dude!! Go screw with someone else's head and stay the flip away from my OTP!!

Book 1-Apocalypse:

The world has fallen to ruins and it seems that the only ones left alive are the mutant kid, few remaining survivors, and the villains who started it all. The bad guys are still alive and kicking, making it seem like the apocalypse may not have been as unintended as we may have believed.

I don't know what to make of this beginning. The last book ended with a world drowned by water and high-rising vegetation teeming with mutant-kid life. It seemed like Max was going to step up to pick up the pieces and lead the new world to prosperity. This book has her and her flock fleeing an active volcano (though half of her flock should be trapped down in the underwater caves with Max's mom and half-sister, which by the way we are uncertain as to whether they are actually still living). How things came to be as they are now, three months after The Event (as Max calls it) we do not know. But somehow we are just supposed to accept that it is what it is. Whatever.

The bond between the flock is falling to pieces and it just might be Splitsville for this feathery family, and I have got to say, I am not the damnedest bit happy about this. Not happy at all. This split may just cost the flock their lives.

Book 2-Evolution Gone Wrong:

If you can't trust your family, then who in the world is left to trust? The gang has officially split up, almost all of the kids flying off in a different direction. They could not have spilt up at a worse time. The Horsemen are coming for them, and they won't stop until every last one of their little flock is dead. Without the full power of the flock together, they will find themselves in for the fight of their lives, and facing beings programmed to be far superior (more enhanced) than themselves, this may be their last battle.

Here we meet characters of new and old; an old member of Fang's Gang, a couple of boy geniuses from the past, and a new feathered companion called Harry (a mutant bird-kid, more bird than human), will find their paths intertwined the flock's. We have yet to see just what kind of impact these unanticipated additions will make.

Harry is a little doll-bird that I just want to take home with me and love with all my heart. I definitely get the matronly feeling that Max has for the feathered boy. He is jut too amazing for words, and super strong to boot! He is just what Max needed to boost her sinking spirits. So glad that he is along for the ride.

Book 3-Witness:

The final battle is upon us and Angel has rallied a troop of thousands in the hopes of defeating the Remedy for good and save the last fragmented prices of the world left. She has finally become the leader that she was always convinced she was and leads her band of misfit survivors in the final battle again humanities greatest evil. This is the end and beginning of a world's era.

Conclusion:

At the end of the day, I can't truly be satisfied with the way things went in this book. The absolute joy and rapture of the epilogue was not enough to make up for the complete and utter despair of the entire rest of the book. This book did not go at all how I had imagined and hoped and prayed that it would, and for that I cannot be very happy with this conclusion. A book is supposed to be a balance of harshness and lightness, but this book left me in a continuous state of beat down and agony. It killed me with each word I read, trying to convince myself that it would get better, or at least that it couldn't get any worse. This book proved me wrong a hundred times over. I wish that the series had left well-enough alone and that the series truly had ended with this book's predecessor "Nevermore."

If you are anything like me, you found the first few maximum ride books an utter delight. But as the series progressed I realized that the plot was increasingly convoluted. Nevermore (which I initially thought would be the final book) was in a word - terrible. Upon finishing it I seriously questioned why I invested my time into the series if this was how it was to end. I can barely recall details of some of the earlier books as there was nothing that made them stand out.

Then along came Maximum Ride - Forever.

I will attempt to refrain from going into massive spoilers (I will comment on the ending slightly).

First off the book starts as all maximum ride books do, straight into the action that never lets up. However with the action comes gloom and doom (guess that is natural following the end of the world) but it is done to an excessive amount.

Some truly heart wrenching pages that I assume some readers went through, I was numb to simply because of the way scenes played out. Didn't even bother to reread some paragraphs to make sure what happened really happened. It was just an "oh- that was unexpected."

Granted the Flock has had a hard life, but after a while their misery becomes almost humorous. You'll find yourself wondering at least once, this can't be happening and laugh.

As for the overall plot, I must come commend James Patterson on finally tying up gaping plot holes (or at least the majority of them). Some background information doesn't add up at times, but enough makes sense to give you a sense of closure. Some characters do not receive the level of character development I would expect in a finale, but at the same time the build up from the previous books never really allowed for it.

However with all of that said, the ending is what truly makes this book shine (or at least the last 10 chapters anyways). In these ~30 pages there are some truly heart wrenching moments, a totally unforeseen curveball, and a satisfying ending. Some material is still unbelievable, but with maximum ride u have to accept a certain level of disbelief (how many times did Ari come back to life in earlier books??)

All in all with this books excessive gloom and doom, unresolved plot holes, questionable continuity, resurrecting long since obsolete characters, and lack of character development I will say the ending is the book's saving grace. 7/10

^_^This is literary one of the best books EVER!!! I literary cried, gasped, laughed, and slammed down this book about 100 times(I bought the hardcover version, I'm just reviewing it) This is ful of suspense, plot twits, heartbreaks and happiness. Prepare to be in 4 a wild ride and remember, if Max seems a little self-centered in tbhe biggining, u can only imagine the situation she's going through. Bro, she's a teenager dealing with people trying to hunt her down and kill her, she's living in the apocalyptic, and her own mother died! Love this book tho^_^

I came across Maximum Ride and Her flock in the original books and I Love that James Patterson made it into a series, I think I skipped a few books, so I will have to go back to find the individual books on Gang and the rest of the flock,
As Always Thank You James Patterson, as a person with a very debilitating pain condition, Thank You for making Me forget the pain if only for a little while, now I am off to read yet another of Your wonderful books
K.Houseman almost and still love the bird kids,
Ride on Max and the rest of the flock !!!

I was super excited to find out that James Patterson was writing a ninth Maximum Ride book instead of ending the series on Nevermore. And overall it was pretty amazing! I was so happy to have another adventure with Max and the flock, but I gave it four stars for a couple of reasons.
One reason was probably not enough Fang and Max moments. Also there were WAY too many shocks throughout the book!!! I probably had a thousand mini heart attcks while reading this book. Still, some surprises were amazing and, okay, I'll hand it to James Patterson, he knows how to write an epilouge. If you are a true Maximum Ride fan, you will fall in love with the last few pages of the book. I still wish there were some more romantic moments and less characters had died (not to mention the unsatisfaction that Angel and Max never really make up) but in the end I'm so glad I read all nine Maximum Ride books and knew for sure the characters had a happy ending.

It was so sad... BUT SO WELL WRITTEN! I can't say why I like some of it because... spoilers. But this book is definitely worth buying. Some of the parts made me cry, some made me smile so wide! The end is the best part! You'll find out how great it is one YOU read it. JUST DO IT!

i thougt that this book wasnt gonna b too good at first, but i bought i anyway for the value of entertainment . when i read the first 4 chapters, i was really glad that i bought it. tji book om has twists and turns tht had me turning page after page , never being able to put the book down. i recommend this book to all maximum ride haters and lovers, overall i am exftremely happy with kth the book!

does ANYONE care? Don't you know what James Patterson is doing. I already wrote James Patterson an angry letter. Why you might ask? It was because I was angry *duh*

In every book of the series I liked then (except for the ending of Nevermore but then again…did anyone like that ending?) I complained about these very things and sent them to James Patterson with the front saying 'write back'over 4 months ago (and I still have no mail.)

Firstly: Max used to be such a tough choracter. Has anyone noticed that in his latest Max books, all Max thinks about is her love life? I feel sorry for Dylan. I never liked his character in the book but the way Max treats him is like dirt.Do you recall 'I can't tell Dylan I am having a baby,' 'What! your back from the dead Dylan? Dang it I thought maybe you were Fang...' Oh no. Dylan is dead. I'll cry for 5 minutes and get over it, OMG! Fang is dead?! I'll mope around for a few days crying in self pity...' and my favourite..... Hey Max I'm gonna die now. I always loved you! Max:Well ummm you see. I like you just as a friend. Do you wanna go for a pizza sometime?' *okay.i might be exaggerating a little bit. But that is pretty much what she said.*

Then... there were the deaths. I cannot believe it! so Fang survived a whole gang of mutants trying to kill him right? Well when he actually dies it is because of about 3 mutants dudes.

What I am most upset about is the deaths. James Patterson has been like a crazed axe murderer, first killing Ari (just when he became nice again too,) and now killing Dylan… Thats just not right. Some of the deaths were predictible, honestly we were waiting for Jebs death the whole time, that backstabbing freak. And Gunther Hagens death, we saw that coming. The only fact I didn't seem to understand was the fact that he is a robot. (If this book was a test then Mr Patterson would be off the charts with creativity, I didn't get much of the plot though…) A quarter through the book I just gave up on reading because it was too terrible. James Patterson is so cruel, explaining the flocks deaths and how Max cryes in detail when she realises, but actually, they werent dead at all.
Many of you may like this book. And thats fine. Something deep inside me likes this book too and I am not gonna be a hypocrite and tell them off because of their opinion. I just really really really think there is something wrong with this books gore and deaths. Okay? (:

This book swung wildly between "poorly thought out fanfiction" and "actually pretty decent writing." Less focus on overdramatic emotions, and more on the action would have helped. Some of the twists were decent (i.e. the adequately foreshadowed ones) but the "Horseman" twist was ridiculous. It definitely works as a better series end than the last one, though.

i've been reading and a part of this fandom since grade school, but I could've read this same story on fanfiction.net without spending the 10 bucks. It's a waste of money and a waste of time. With lots of clichés, Predictable plot twists, and repeat ideas. James Patterson is seriously lacking the finesse I once saw in the original book. Well I still recommend Reading it if you were a diehard fan it's not worth anyone's time anymore. I love the serious app and tell nevermore came out. For everyone sake I hope this is the last book outside to see it a treasured series go this one was better left to die a few books back. Fly on ;)

I was very sad when Dylan came into the story and screwed up Fax (fang and max) but i was very glad when fax got back together and the ending was very good if you love good plot twist romance and/ or action this is the boox for you also there is a lot of humor

This book was great and gave me something to look forward to reading. James Patterson is a fantastic author and involved many plot twists that I didn't see coming. I absolutely loved the Maximum Tide series and would read it again in a heartbeat.

The eighth book ended in the apocalypse. Apparently that's not enough to constitute an ending.
So number NINE, here we go!
I still liked it though. I mean, it's Max Ride...

Pauline C. Harris
author of:
Puppet - A Retelling of Pinocchio
Hourglass - A Retelling of Peter Pan
Mechanical

i am a little more than halfway through the book.

i just wanted to warn someone: if fang really is dead, James Patterson will not see the sun when it rises in a couple hours.

that's all.

I chose the five star rating because I loved the book I began getting teared eyed over the death of fang but by the end of this fantastic book I was crying in the middle of class James Patterson I thank u for this master piece of a book and hopefully the series will continue with phoenix's story of how her life plays out but to summarize greatest book yet

terrible just terrible. i can't bellieve he is trying to write a book from the perspective of a teen. Max does not act like a teen she acts like an adult. Do not read even if u like his other books because it is bad