The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey
Release Date: May 7, 2013
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Genre: Young Adult Sci-fi
ISBN: 978-0399162411
Source: Hardcover from BEA 2013
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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.

What a page turner! All I knew going into the book was…alien invasion. So immediately, I was in. But this book went far beyond my expectations giving new life to the alien sub-genre. My oh my, the revelations! Wow. Bravo. I loved the psychological warfare these teens and kids go through as well as the relationships between each of the characters, major and minor. This is what really made this book for me. Phenomenal. I also really enjoyed the action – talk about exhilarating – and even a bit of humor sprinkled throughout the book. A favorite line of mine? Oh boy. Vosch is going all Ashpit on Camp Haven.

The only thing that caught me off guard for a moment were the multiple POVs. Since I was essentially going into this book blind, I had no idea this story was told through four points of view. The chapters are only numbered, so readers don’t know right away who the POV is. It took me awhile to even realize the book was told in multiple POVs, a little longer to feel comfortable with each voice, as well as put the pieces together that were jumbled before, and a little longer to know who’s POV it was immediately after starting a chapter while appreciating the art of weaving these chapters together the way Yancey has. The pacing. Everything. Once you get it, everything falls into place and it works.

My favorite POV was Cassie’s. It’s always exciting to see a female protagonist who is strong and independent and doesn’t let a boy sweep her off her feet and/or save the day. While she did get a little distracted with Evan, she never strayed into the crazy lane and let her growing relationship with Evan be her end all. Better, watching Cassie go through the storm, a very personal one having lost her family and on a journey to finding who’s left of it, I admired her strength. Female or male, going through what Cassie did, it amazed me that she kept going. What a force.

Then there’s Cassie’s younger brother who we don’t get to hear from too much but when we do, it’s a treat. Sure, his voice is much younger since he is much younger but it’s so important to see his experience at Camp Haven. Hell disguised as heaven through an innocent’s eyes. It’s very powerful. Finally, there’s Zombie and Silencer. It’s difficult to say why I loved Zombie so much more than Silencer without spoiling you but long story short, in a world taken over by aliens, Zombie brought so much hope for not just his own story but every other story out there. Every lost human being in this world that Rick Yancey has created. He made a huge impression on me. I was waiting for the moment when all POVs would collide and Zombie, such a pivotal character in more than just his own POV, really brought it home.

Silencer was surprisingly the least stressful POV to read through. Still, I could have done without the lurve connection that sprouted between Cassie and Silencer. At the same time… without it, Cassie would have been dead before much of the story really got started. So. It didn’t work for me but it worked for the story which is tricky because while it worked for the story, it didn’t work for me so it actually didn’t work as well as it could have for the story. Give. take. Too much giveaway for me? I’m so conflicted here! Anyway…

The story of the human heart and human spirit and the survival of both really speaks volumes in this book so if you’re up for one hard hitting emotional ride, here’s one to read. That’s one of the reasons why I love sci-fi so much. It hits the heart, mind, and soul in a way that no other genre can. Calling all sci-fi fans, pick up this book and read it if you haven’t!

Own The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey today.