The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

Release date: May 7, 2013
Author info: Website | Twitter | Facebook
Publisher: Putnam
Pages: 457
Format: Hardcover
Source: Purchased
Buy the book: Barnes & Noble | Amazon | The Book Depository

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.

The 5th Wave was not a book I was originally excited about. I thought the premise sounded fine, but I'd tried to read The Monstrumologist previously and just couldn't get into it. But then the rave--and I mean rave--reviews started to roll in. After seeing person after person telling me that I had to read this book, I decided that I did, in fact, need to read it. Luckily, the hype did not disappoint!

Based on the synopsis, I thought we'd really only follow Cassie, but the book is split (mostly) into two narratives--there are four in all, but two are very brief--those of Cassie and Ben. Cassie is sarcastic and strong, but damaged. She's seen the death of her father and is fighting to find her little brother, who has been taken from her. There are times where she desperately wants to give up, but her love for and promise to Sammy keep her going. She finds companionship in Evan just when she needs it most. I found Evan compelling, mostly in that he was someone who belonged nowhere, but I still find myself not trusting him. We'll just have to see, maybe I'm just too skeptical.

While I found myself drawn to and interested in Cassie, I really waited for Ben's parts. Watching him become who he is at the end of the book is just awesome. In many ways, his struggle is much harder than Cassie's. Ben has a painful past, just as Cassie does, but he has no one to fight for. There's no little brother who believes in him waiting on the other side. He has to live with profound regret and the repercussions of his actions. It would be so easy for him to give up, to say that he's had enough and there's nothing worth living for. But he doesn't, and that's why he is the one I was rooting for most of all.

While I did find the plot twists somewhat predictable, I didn't care. I was still kept on the edge of my seat, waiting with bated breath to see what happened next. I am terribly excited to see where this series goes and hope there are lots and lots more aliens to come.