The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

The 5^th Wave

Rick Yancey

Publisher: Putnam Juvenile

Release Date: May 7, 2013

Series or Standalone: The Fifth Wave #1

ISBN: 0399162410

Pages: 480

Websites:

The 5th Wave –Website 

The 5th Wave –Facebook

Rick Yancey – Website 

Rick Yancey – Blog 

Rick Yancey – Twitter 

Rick Yancey – Facebook 

Rating: 4.5 Stars

I stumbled upon the 5^th Wave by accident on Facebook as was extremely worried going into this book that it would not live up to all the marketing and hype. From page one I was hooked. It seems like aliens might be the hot new thing in YA (Icons was also about an alien invasion as well), and if all stories were like the 5^th Wave, I really wouldn’t mind.

Yancey creates a world decimated by an alien invasion. Currently on what the survivors call the 5^th wave of the invasion, no one knows who to trust. Anyone can be one of the others. The world that the character live is one full of sadness, hopelessness, and distrust. Cassie, one of the main characters, is all alone, having watched her mother and father die in front of her eyes and watched her younger brother taken away. Cassie has nothing really left to live for but the slim chance that her younger brother might still be alive. In a world so desolate and bleak, it is strange that there is a small glimmer of hope for each character. I couldn’t help but want these characters to survive, despite all the horrors they have seen.

The writing in this book is fabulous. I was captivated from the prologue. I literally put the book down and told my roommate “I have never been that quickly hooked to a book. That prologue was an amazing piece of writing.” While the story jumps around from the point of view of a few characters, it wasn’t really jarring, and all the characters were connected, as the connections between each one slowly comes together over the course of the novel. I would say Cassie’s perspective, which takes up most of the book, was probably the strongest and we got more into Cassie’s mind and emotions than the other characters.

For a long book, almost 500 pages, I flew through it, finishing most of it in one night. While a book that long might feel like it took forever to get through, I didn’t have that issue. The plot rarely dragged, and I didn’t feel like I had to force myself through any of the sections of the book. I was eagerly turning backs to find out more about what was happening and learn more about this finely crafted world Yancey had created it. When I reached the end, I was shocked to find there was no more book left! I cannot wait to see how the next book in this series is as that ending was killer and this book was fantastic.

The 5^th Wave by Rick Yancey lives up to the hype. It’s definitely one of my favorite books of the year. This book is full of emotions and managed to provide an entertaining read while also taking a look at what it means to be human. I cannot wait for the next book in this series.

P.S. You guys should check out the 5th Wave and their online marketing. It’s really awesome and I love how it promotes and ties into the book.