The 5th Wave: A Review by Malissa

 

After the 1st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one.

Now, it’s the dawn of the 5th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth’s last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker. Beguiling and mysterious, Evan Walker may be Cassie’s only hope for rescuing her brother—or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up.

I loved this book! Not surprising, really, because I've loved Rick Yancey's writing in the past. And if anyone else had come out with a alien apocalypse book with dystopian elements right now, I would have probably said no thanks. But this author is just good and doesn't disappoint. I should have reviewed this book right after I finished it (I've sucked at that lately ...) because I always forget what I wanted to say. Let's see if I can remember any of it ...

Things I especially liked:

The characters are quite believable and sympathetic. You really find yourself pulling for them despite perspectives changing at many times throughout the book. Sometimes I find that I don't connect completely with a specific character when we're constant changing perspectives, but that wasn't the case here at all. And the narration is spot on and quite entertaining.

The plot development. I liked that we find out how the world got to the point it's at slowly as opposed to being thrown all the details in the beginning. It helps develop the characters in a believable way while advancing the plot. 

The romance. Yes, there is one. But it's not a huge part of the story and actually adds to the character development. And no love triangle (thank goodness) at least so far. 

The twists. OK they're not really that shocking, but I don't think they're supposed to be. Because before something is truly revealed we get plenty of foreshadowing about it. Yet it's done in a way that, like the actual characters, you keep refusing to believe it until you have no choice. It's like nooooo X, Y or Z can't be true .... but you kinda know it is.

There's honestly not really anything I didn't like about the book short of it's a series, and I have to wait for the next one. Ugh. I definitely recommend this book, and it would be a good discussion book if it weren't so darn long. Maybe over a couple of book club meetings? 

 

Have you read it? What'd you think? Or haven't read it and want to? 

 

~Malissa~