This book is so good! I can't wait to see the movie!

This book is amazing! I believe that Richard Yancey has created a truly brilliant work of literature, that kept me engaged and excited to read more, which is not something I can usually say. This book is very complex, with many different levels, and I sometimes even felt like I was in the book and envisioned what I would do in the midst of an alien invasion. This book posses a whole new side to the alien idea, and was different from every other sci-do book I have read. If you read this book, you will see new thrills around each corner, and you will be shocked at the ending. Thank you Rick Yancey! I can't wait to read The Infinite Sea!

A unique mix of sci-fi and teen romance

The 5th Wave isn’t like the other YA dystopian novels. It feels like a realistic interpretation of how us humans would act if an aliens invade. Our assumptions and predictability are what makes us incredibly easy to pick off. A teenager named Cassie lives a typical American life until the aliens start attacking. She has miraculously survived all the other “4 waves” and is desperately looking for her younger brother. Now she must choose either to give up or to keep fighting. I really enjoyed this book. (submitted by JR)

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.