The 5th Wave

Author: Rick Yansey

Genre: Young Adult, Dystopia Science Fiction.

Publisher: G.P Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers

Year: 2013

Ranking: 4/ 5

 Synopsis

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.

The Author

Rick is the author of fifteen novels and a memoir. His books have been published in over thirty languages and have earned numerous accolades and awards from around the world. His young adult novel, The Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp, was named a "Best Book of the Year" by Publishers Weekly and was nominated for the Carnegie Medal. In 2010, Rick received a Michael L. Printz Honor for The Monstrumologist. The sequel, The Curse of the Wendigo, was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. His latest novel, The 5th Wave, the first in an epic sci-fi trilogy, made its worldwide debut in 2013, and will soon be a major motion picture for GK Films and Sony Pictures.

Personal Experience with This Book

The main reason why I decided to read this book was that my best friend was angry with me because I had not read it. I know that sounds weird but it is true. It was I who first heard of the book and as I know, she is very fond stories about aliens I told her she should read it. However, the bad reviews about "The Infinite Sea" made me a bit uneasy about reading the first book. She does read both and I am so delighted that she started chasing me until she managed to convince me that I had to read it. Although the film also influenced a bit to read it precisely in this month.

The story is very interesting. It is chilling in its own sense. The author touches on many issues that will not only make your hair stand on end but it will mark your heart with a feeling of sadness and incredible nostalgia.

I liked how the book does not begin at the beginning, and I mean "The arrival" as Cassie called it. I liked it because we know Cassie is already a character that has been through many things; she is a strong and very determined girl who has a mission and a promise to keep. I also liked how we were told what had happened jumping between past and present while we see reflected the love she has for her brother and towards the rest of her family.

As for the other characters, I am still not sure. Sammy is a little boy who still does not understand very well what is going on around him when we first meet him. However, his character growth at the end of the book shows. About Zombie and Evan I'm really confused. I am not clear what kind of role in all this will play Zombie. Evan, meanwhile, cannot convince me. His relationship with Cassie is too instant for my taste. This man seems to have a fascination with Cassie, not necessarily love for her. I understand and I like the fact that he worries about her but the truth is that this is a couple that I personally don’t find romantic or interesting. Cassie's character is very determined and has many strengths before she meets Evan, her character becomes a blur for a while because it is like she is going against everything she had been thinking and telling before. She starts acting completely opposite to what her personality would tell you that Cassie could do.

In short, the story is good. The characters still have much to discover and I feel that in the second book I see things shaking. I want answers to my questions. I hope that is the case.