Dangerous Allies (The Forgotten Five 4) by Lisa McMann

What worked:

The author presents dramatic changes from what’s been happening in the previous three books. The biggest twist occurs when The Librarian sends an email to Lada and the other super kids saying she’s been secretly working with President Fuertes and has now officially switched sides. This announcement leaves a leadership void for the team and they struggle to figure out what they’ll do. Also, E-Kat and Troy leave Fuertes and have now decided to support Lada, Birdie, and the others. E-Kat, a super-strong woman, is an easy addition to the team but Troy comes with complications. He was a horrible father to Tenner growing up so Tenner is strongly against letting Troy in. Lada believes Troy has sincerely changed for the better but that doesn’t affect Tenner’s anger toward his father.

Most of the super team is comprised of tweens and they’re beginning to have unexplored feelings as they enter puberty. Birdie and Seven have been best friends for years but Seven is just now discovering that he like likes her. His invisibility comes in handy since Birdie can’t see him blushing. Tenner began having feelings for Lada in the last book but Troy’s presence has created some friction. Tenner can’t understand why Lada is ignoring his feelings as she chooses to support Troy and say nice things about him. Cabot is now realizing she wants to be thought of as a person, not a boy or a girl. She finally reveals this feeling to others and they readily support her. Gender identity can become an issue for middle-grade readers so Cabot’s character may be relatable to them.

The plot is building to a confrontation between Fuertes and Magadalia Palacio as they’re both running for president of Estero. Magadalia also happens to be Seven’s mother but she abandoned him as a child. That’s more family drama for the plot and the author saves another twist for later in the book. Fuertes has already shown that he’ll stop at nothing to win the election and it’s clear he’s planning something devious. He seems to be building an army of supers who are only in it for the money Fuertes has promised. This makes their loyalty shaky since they don’t believe in what Fuertes is doing. However, the author lets readers wonder throughout the book and won’t reveal Fuertes’s plans to disrupt the election until the plot nears its climax.

What didn’t work as well:

It gets a bit confusing since many of the characters, good and bad, know each other from the past. They’re easily accepted by their former foes and they’re still allowed to freely move about the city. It seems like Fuertes should be more concerned about spies meeting with their former friends which is exactly what happens.

The final verdict:

I recommend you read the previous books in the series to understand the attitudes and emotions of the various characters. This book sets the stage for a contentious election between Fuertes and Magadalia and the author leaves many questions and possibilities for readers to consider. Overall, this book shares an emotional story of supernatural characters and I recommend you give it a shot.