Review: Maximum Ride Manga by James Patterson and NaRae Lee

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 blazing hot Death Valley, California, 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. 

I have never read the books that inspired the manga, however, after reading this, I'd really like to pick them up sometime! Lee's artwork and visuals are fantastic and captured the characters perfectly and this blended amazingly well with the gripping action throughout the story created by Patterson. I've only recently started reading manga but this has made me want to read more! The details of every scene were so intricate and every page looked fantastic. I was instantly captivated by the dramatic fantasy world that was created. 

I loved how the sci-fi fantasy element of their ability to fly and where that came from really added to the plot and weaved into the action-packed, tense and suspense filled story. I really enjoyed reading about Max as she was a feisty teenager who was simultaneously a mother figure to Fang, Iggy, Nudge, Gasman and Angel. Her adventures along with the rest of her family were full of suspense but broken up with quick-witted remarks and side-dramas. Iggy and Gasman were pretty funny together and provided some much needed comedic relief when the story was getting too intense. I loved the ongoing mystery throughout the book as to why Angel had been kidnapped and I was desperate for her to be found as in the few pages she featured in she was just so likeable!

All of the characters in the book and their relationships with each other were so relatable and yet unique at the same time. The teenagers felt ordinary despite being quite extraordinary! This made it easier to empathise with the characters and understand their experiences. However, I would have liked a better introduction of the characters as I was often quite confused having never previously read the books. I also found it hard to keep up with the changing perspectives at times as there were many different plot lines running alongside each other and intertwining. 

I'm not sure how close the manga was to the book series but obviously it's only an interpretation so it won't be a carbon copy anyway. I would recommend this to someone who's maybe still just discovering manga and graphic novels as although I found the plot confusing, it was pretty short, easy to get into and the characters were well developed on the whole. Graphic novels, manga and comics are great to read between books if you don't have the time to read a whole novel. They are also great to encourage those who are a little reluctant to read to pick up a book. But I love them because I enjoy how the visuals combine with the action and create an amazing end product.
7/10 stars