Despite this books overwhelming presence at ALA Midwinter, I wasn’t excited at all. I’ve previously read about half of the Monstromologist (also by Rick Yancey) and while I was impressed by his writing style, I didn’t care for the characters at all. And…well, other things that made me put the book down.1
But a friend who was at the Penguin Booth, basically shoved the book into my hand and demanded that I read and love it. So, four months later, I decided I’d give it a try. Everyone else was loving it. If nothing else, I would know whether or not Rick Yancey was someone I wanted to try again or if he was best left on the DNF shelf.
and. oh. my. god. THIS BOOK!
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.
This blurb does not describe the book at all. This blurb is stupid.
This book is amazing. I don’t even know where to start with how much I loved this book. SO FREAKING MUCH!
I don’t think I can articulate my love for this book in a reasonable fashion.
It starts off with Cassie hiding in a tent crying. And then through a series of flashbacks we learn what has happened to the world. And can I just say, it’s creepy and off putting and kind of terrifying and I would not read the first half or so of this book after dark. Just don’t. You’ll never trust a bird again.
The slow pace of the first part reflects the slow, creeping way the aliens invaded and it never really felt slow to me. If that make sense? Like, it is mostly flashbacks and Cassie either failing at DOING anything or just sitting around brooding about how life doesn’t really matter anymore. And then BOOM. My favourite line in the book. And the thing that made me love Cassie.
And then we switch POVs. Which, at first, I was like, DUDE. I JUST fell in love with Cassie, why are switching. BUT THEN IT MAKES SO MUCH SENSE! And you slowly begin to realize that the Fifth Wave is even more insidious than you thought. It isn’t just about our enemies being unrecognizable, it’s about them turning us into our own enemies.
I don’t even know how to describe all the characters, and their connections, and how everything comes together in the end. And how, while things become a little more action-adventure, there is still this underlining terror through out everything that happens.
Cassie’s little brother is amazing and adorable and strong and I just want to wrap him up in my arms and protect him from everything.
I will say, I did not care for Evan. I mean, I liked what he represented and I think he will have farther reaching consequences and such but I didn’t like him. I did like how Cassie was never an idiot about him. I loved, loved, loved that she didn’t lose all of her survival skills and kick-assery when confronted with a good looking rescuer. I don’t think Evan deserved to breathe the same air as Cassie and Iwas glad that she never really trusted him.
Even at the end of the book, Evan was still…like, I just thought he was a big hypocrite and I can’t explain without intense spoilers. Let me just say that I don’t think he really cared for anyone other than Cassie and that just made me hate him.
When I read this book, I thought it was a stand alone until the same friend who shoved it into my hands, said something about not being able to wait for the next one. And I love this about it. The ending totally works as a stand alone. And I enjoyed the ending when I thought that’s what it was but now, NOW I’m totally excited to see what the three characters together at the end will do in this war. And how this war will change them and everyone.
The Fifth Wave was a creepy, action-y, study into what it means to be human when faced with the complete destruction of human society, and possibly the human race itself. And I loved every single second of it.
- seriously, are there any female characters in that series? Like…ever?