I never really liked sci-fi until I read this book. Now I do. The 5th wave is about a girl who survives an alien invasion. As far as she can tell, their sole goal and purpose is to wipe out all inhabitants of earth. The attacks come in waves - with the 5th being the most deadly of all. This book gave me perspective into sci-fi - which was a genre I had never really experienced nor enjoyed. Because of that, I would recommend this book to anyone looking to try something new or if you are into sci-fi, a good sci-fi novel.

The 5th Wave is a science-fiction, dystopian thriller with enough action to keep you flipping the (many) pages. Yancey is a talented author and weaves together a plot that will keep you guessing. However, the language and behavior of the characters had me ready to shut the book altogther at times. Tough femme fatale main character? Sure, I'm up for that. Tough, b*tchy girl who apparently has hardly any emotions and behaves like a guy would? Nope, not so much. Women have, generally, a different though process than men, Yancey. Even - or especially - after enduring intense trauma. This doesn't mean women will break down and cry every five minutes or when a man shows up to comfort them. What it does mean is that our ways of assessing problems is different. Our ways of expressing emotions are different. And our ways of expressing affection are certainly different. I quickly grew tired of Cassie's chip on her shoulder - like that is going to help her survive - that blocked out even common sense. She was a nasty person, who apparently wasn't even very attractive, but manages to be obsessively compelling to her romantic opposite. The suspense kept my attention, the characters and excessive foul language were what made me half-relieved to finish the book.

I read this only because I needed a Sci-Fi book for my library's book bingo, and I ended up really liking it! The Aliens are not really explained that well, and the 4th and 5th waves don't make a lot of sense. However, I was willing to look over that because the characters were well-developed and interesting. All of the characters face numerous moral dilemmas in a post-apocalyptic landscape. Cassie is trying to find her younger brother, Sammy. She carries around Bear, her brother's teddy bear that she promised to protect. Ben is just trying to keep himself alive after barely surviving the 3rd wave (a global pandemic). He cannot get over his guilt because he didn't protect his little sister. The book isn't a masterpiece, but it's an intense take on YA dystopian novels.

I'm glad I picked up this book. The premise was simple, the execution much less so. Rather than a generic alien invasion plot, this story showed hopelessness yet a fierce determination to survive. Campy flying saucers are replaced by devastating diseases and tsunamis that are horrifyingly realistic. The intense story kept me riveted from beginning to end, even on my second and third read.

I loved it ! Intense from start to finish. Can't wait to read the next 2.

Characters: 7/10
Plot: 7/10
Writing: 7/10
Overall, this book was really intense. The whole premise, from the beginning, is that humanity has no chance of surviving. It made it hard to get into because it was like, “Well they don’t stand a chance, everyone’s dead, nothing matters.” At the same time though, that hopelessness led to, “Well they obviously have to survive, so how are they going to survive the un-survivable?” This book was engaging and driving, but so much so that it made it harder to sit back and enjoy.
I thought the changing perspectives added to the book. I like that it was divided by sections instead of just chapters, so the continuity was easier to follow.
I liked Zombie’s sections more than Cassie’s. Cassie’s first section was good, but then some of the subsequent sections with Evan were—dare I say it—slow? Uneventful? The first section was so loaded with information and events, and Zombie’s sections so action-packed, that her little romance and recovery was a little bit of a let-down. Also, Yancey made it easy to figure out who Evan was as soon as you meet him, so the fact that it took her the whole book to figure it out may have been too drawn-out.

The book was good, but for me it was hard to follow. I loved the movie, but I think the book could have been more easy to read, but otherwise, good.

Okay, to start, I would like to express my thanks to all the people online who raved about this book. They motivated me to read it, and all I can say is that I am glad I did. The romance in this book truly felt genuine and realistic, and there is nothing better than a good romantic spin with some suspense and action. Cassie and Evan face down their differences, but can they come together to best the odds? (Definitely another ship.) Her love for her brother is actually so intense that it was powerful to read. This was certainly one of the best "end of the world" books I have read in a long time. 5/5 stars
- @Siri of the Teen Review Board of the Hamilton Public Library

The 5th Wave is set against the backdrop of an apocalyptic era in the near future. In this world, the challenge before humans is to survive waves of attack brought on by aliens and preserve their humanity. Cassie is determined to save her little brother from the enemy’s hands, yet she is not fully aware of the enemy’s intentions. She will only pass the test of survival if she can identify whom to trust. The story is told from the perspectives of different characters, and therefore, all sides of the conflict are clearly seen. I found the concept of alien invasion both interesting and frightening. Like other science fiction dystopian stories, The 5th Wave is full of action and intrigue. The fast paced plot and well developed characters make this story an entertaining read. 5/5 Stars
- @VirtueofReading of the Teen Review Board of the Hamilton Public Library

This is definitely awesome! I like this book very much! The author is really creative and I was shocked when the truth is exposed. The story started when aliens had already attacked the earth for four times and the survivors were trying their best to survive and fight back. However, aliens figured out a way to pretend to be human beings. They did so well that it's really hard to distinguish. Actually another advantage of this book is that the author described the whole horrible thing from a young girl's perspective. Her feelings for her brother and her friends are so real that they made me get involved in the story, the destroyed world. Besides, the connection between the main character and the boy who was always helping her was impressive, although I had forgotten their names. I strongly recommend this book to you, especially to teenagers. I will give it a 4.5 out of 5.
- @Lize of the Teen Review Board of the Hamilton Public Library

Overall, this was a great book. I really enjoyed the mystery of it, especially since there are so many small hints that you continuously had to put together and develop a theory as to what was going on. The characters in the book are often wary of trusting others, and I found that I was also getting into the habit after reading for a bit. It was a bit hard to follow sometimes and understand what happened, but I suppose it’s a type of book where you’re supposed to be figuring things out as you go rather than not. It was really haunting, too, the way that the author portrays the constant, underlying loneliness in most of the characters while the story develops. The descriptive writing in this was really nice, and all of the characters were extremely distinctive. 4/5 Stars
- @ClockworkReader of the Teen Review Board of the Hamilton Public Library

Yancey has breathed new life into the over-saturated genre of alien invader Sci-Fi with his "5th Wave" series! This is a serious page-turner that will have you biting your nails until the very last paragraph, making the painstaking wait for the next book in the series nearly unbearable. No little green men to be found in this book however; instead, except a dystopian, post-apocalyptic Earth, sporting a strong, female protagonist, setting out on her journey to find her family, evade the "Others", and restore some aspect of humanity to her shattered life. Expect something bordering a psychological thriller, rather than a re-scripted "Independence Day".

Well written with great characters this book was a gripping alien invasion multiple point of view page turner that gave an intangible 'some-thing more' than most YA offerings.