The 5th Wave

From Goodreads:

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.

My thoughts:

Eh. Eh. (shoulder shrug) Eh. It's not bad. But, it's not great. Just average for me. Another dystopian novel; another end of the world teens save us all concept. Albeit, there were hidden aliens, and that's pretty cool. I didn't like Cassie - she was whiney, but I do like Ringer (a somewhat minor character that I think it going to become MAJOR in the next book, so I'll keep reading the series). I think the concept is actually plausible, the idea that there are aliens living among us and one day - BAM! They are taking over (yes - I believe in aliens because c'mon - this cannot be all there is). I just hope the human race handles themselves a little better than these guys.

I bought this book on sale through Audible without knowing much about it, but I enjoyed the story enough to look forward to the next in the series. I haven't yet read any reviews, but I suspect we may discover that the humans are actually fighting against themselves. Even if that's not what ends up happening, the story definitely raises the question of how you tell the difference between friend and foe!

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey is an entertaining but unoriginal dystopian novel. The plot is adrenaline-fueled and the suspense works well in describing the alien "wave" invasion, but the book suffers from a non-innovative basic premise (it strongly recalls The Host or The Hunger Games) and an unbelievable, forced romantic subplot. The main characters, like the sarcastic Cassie, divide readers: some find them authentic, others annoying. Overall, it's a gripping but not memorable read.

What an insanely wild and twisted ride The 5th Wave is! I didn't want to set this one down. Well-written. Characters that jump off the page. An antagonist that is terrifyingly real. I will definitely be reading the next installment.

Eh, it was alright. I think I'm just getting to old for these YA novels.