The 5th Wave (5th Wave, #1)

by Rick Yancey

[Angie]

I went into The 5th Wave thoroughly expecting to love it, but I didn't. I liked it, but some things just didn't sit right with me. It all starts off with Cassie just trying to survive after an alien apocalypse. Something like 99% of the human population has been killed off by aliens referred to as the Others. No one knows why they're there or what they want, but they suspect they just want Earth. But then why go through all of these separate phases? Why not just kill all the humans in one sweep; they obviously have the technology to do so. That was the big question I had the entire time I was reading, and I highly suspect it's something that will be revealed in the next book as a twist. At least, I hope so. I like books to follow reason.

The 5th Wave isn't just Cassie's story, although I think I would name her as the main character. The narrative actually alternates between four POVs: Cassie, Zombie, Sammy, and the Silencer. Most chapters are Cassie as she talks about life before the aliens, their arrival, and the first four waves of their attack. A major part of the plot is her finding her little brother, Sammy, after he's taken by some soldiers. We do get one chapter from Sammy's perspective, which was I think just to give us a glimpse into the military camp and make us readers even more paranoid about who's an alien and who's not. Zombie is actually Ben, some kid Cassie had a crush on in school, who is now in this new alien fighting military. His chapters reveal the most twists, since he's right there in the action. As for the Silencer, well, he's a bit of a creep and I could have done without his chapters about stalking Cassie in the woods.

I was really into The The 5th Wave at some points, but then I felt like it would drag for awhile, then pick up again, then drag. It's a pretty thick book. By no means is it anywhere near the longest I've read, but it definitely felt long. I loved the chapters that made me doubt who was human and who was an alien. There was no way to tell! What is going on here?! However, when Cassie meets Evan, things get weird. Yes, there is romance, and yes, it's insta-love. But it's kind of one-sided insta-love. Evan claims to be in love with her, and Cassie doesn't trust him, because really, who can you trust in this screwed up world? It just wasn't a well done romance. They did some kissing, which I was totally sold on. They might be the last two humans ever, so kissing in the face of fear! Evan's declaration of love? No way.

So, I liked The 5th Wave. It's action packed and messed with my head, but some parts could have been seriously condensed or left out entirely. Plus I just could not stop wondering why this fifth wave of attack was even happening. The vast majority of humans are already gone. Their tactics have been beyond successful, so why not just continue doing what they're doing? Unless the aliens are just severely screwed up creatures who like to screw with people, but to what purpose? I suppose I'll have to read the sequel to find out.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.