The 5th Wave

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The 5th Wave is a dystopian science fiction by Rick Yancey. It is the first in a series.

The story follows a handful of characters over the course of the alien invasion of the Others. Over the last few months, Earth's population has dwindled down near to 1 or 2% of what it used to be, having been hit by four waves of attack by the Others. With everyone simultaneously anticipating and dreading the next wave to come, the characters must battle with themselves over what they consider worth dying for, living for, and what they plan to do about it. The book mainly follows Cassie, a girl who has lost her whole family and is on the search for her five year-old brother. Over time, she must decide who is trustworthy when absolutely no one can be trusted.

There is so much to this story, yet it moves like lightning. It's almost impossible to write a coherent review.
I'm kicking myself for not having read The Fifth Wave sooner than I did. This book is like being slammed into by a tractor trailer, in the best way possible. In the first sixty pages, we've been told everything that has happened so far, and it's so overwhelming that you become so bonded to the characters, because you're able to understand where they're at. Every emotion Cassie felt, I felt as well. It's overwhelming and frustrating, but an incredible experience. Never in a post-apocalyptic/dystopian novel have I been able to fully grasp the loneliness and fear that comes with being in the characters' situations, and I applaud Rick Yancey for the accomplishment. Nothing in this story is black and white, and you never know what you're supposed to trust. It's the plight of the characters, that they can't trust anyone or even themselves, and it was incredible to have that so seamlessly communicated through the writing. I can not wait to see what the sequels have in store for us.

P.S. This book reads like the movie it absolutely MUST be adapted into.

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