The Infinite Sea (5th Wave, #2)

by Rick Yancey

[Angie]

I am not really sure about The Infinite Sea. I liked The Fifth Wave well enough. I was definitely intrigued by these aliens who are seemingly screwing with humanity before ultimately wiping them out for good. But I was hoping for answers. It just never sat right with me that the aliens killed the humans in stages, when they obviously could have done it all at once. What is their purpose!? What is the endgame?! What in the world is going on?! I still have no idea, but at least there was one totally great, mind boggling reveal near the end. Say what?!

I didn't enjoy The Infinite Sea as much as the first book. It just felt really, really slow. Or, not really slow, since I flew through it, but more like nothing was happening. Once again, it jumps between the various characters. This time we've got Cassie, Ringer, Poundcake, Evan, and Ben. It was harder to tell who was telling the story this time though. It took me several pages to figure out who was speaking when it would switch, since the sections aren't labeled and the chapters don't open with any obvious clues. Evan's and Poundcake's parts were easier to decipher, since they're in third person and rarely came about.

A lot of the plot is just the teens deciding if or when to leave the hotel they've holed up in. Cassie is waiting for Evan, even though I'm not entirely sure why. No one trusts him, but he's different, so maybe they should trust him? Or at least get some information out of him? I don't know. They also want to move to the safety of the caves, but they have to wait for Ringer to return and confirm that it's safe, but she obviously gets taken by the aliens, who then know their location and continue to play games with them. Get a move on!

Then the last third or so of The Infinite Sea is all Ringer's POV as she's being held captive. It was quite boring. This is where we learn one shocking piece of information though. It doesn't answer my main question though. That still stands, but now I want to know even more why this is happening! I was also kind of annoyed at the villain giving Ringer bits and pieces of the puzzle. Sure he can use her, but I had a feeling it was more likely she would escape and tell the others what she learned. However, most of this section is Ringer playing chess and "chaseball" with the dude who brings her meals and stuff. Another poorly developed kind of romance that I just did not care about.

The Infinite Sea definitely suffers from middle book syndrome. We get no answers and the characters don't really go anywhere. Yes, we learn one new thing. It's a big thing, but not really worth enough to make this sequel exciting. I'm definitely compelled to read the final book though, because what the heck!?

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.