Helpful Score: 4
THE 5TH WAVE was the November 2013 pick in my neighborhood book club.
Oh boy, where shall I begin?
It starts off intriguing. Cassie made for an interesting teen with a sharp wit, and an even sharper capacity for survival after the first four waves of an alien invasion had wiped out most of humanity. Her little brother's been taken, and so her primary focus and motivation is to honor her promise that they would reunite.
But. Then Cassie meets Evan. And it's like the slow deflation of a hot air balloon ensues. It's all downhill from there. It's as if someone else took over writing the story from that point on! The Cassie character completely changes tone and substance.
The storyline becomes filled with the cheesiest of cheesy insta-love, with Cassie turning into a swooning, panting, angsty teenager. And the whole it's-an-apocalypse-so-we-could-be-killed-any-minute storyline loses all credibility.
Throw in a school yard crush Cassie had on one Ben Parrish, who just so happens to come back into her life in the most contrived way, and you've got a very trite, it's-been-done-WAY-better-before, and hollow end-of-the-world story.
There are also a plethora of cartoonish names in this book: Ringer. Zombie. Nugget. Dumbo. And let's not forget, Poundcake....Clearly this book is better left to the teens and adolescents it was written for. It just doesn't live up to the hype, and has zero originality.
For the strong opening, I'm torn between C-/D+. Otherwise, it was a D read for me.
Oh boy, where shall I begin?
It starts off intriguing. Cassie made for an interesting teen with a sharp wit, and an even sharper capacity for survival after the first four waves of an alien invasion had wiped out most of humanity. Her little brother's been taken, and so her primary focus and motivation is to honor her promise that they would reunite.
But. Then Cassie meets Evan. And it's like the slow deflation of a hot air balloon ensues. It's all downhill from there. It's as if someone else took over writing the story from that point on! The Cassie character completely changes tone and substance.
The storyline becomes filled with the cheesiest of cheesy insta-love, with Cassie turning into a swooning, panting, angsty teenager. And the whole it's-an-apocalypse-so-we-could-be-killed-any-minute storyline loses all credibility.
Throw in a school yard crush Cassie had on one Ben Parrish, who just so happens to come back into her life in the most contrived way, and you've got a very trite, it's-been-done-WAY-better-before, and hollow end-of-the-world story.
There are also a plethora of cartoonish names in this book: Ringer. Zombie. Nugget. Dumbo. And let's not forget, Poundcake....Clearly this book is better left to the teens and adolescents it was written for. It just doesn't live up to the hype, and has zero originality.
For the strong opening, I'm torn between C-/D+. Otherwise, it was a D read for me.
Helpful Score: 4
If you only pick up one book this year, make it this one. I'm not even sure I can exactly explain to you why. Saying it's an excellent read is not enough. It has everything I enjoy in a dystopian/apocalyptic novel. I was really blown away by everything. As I'm reading half the time I'm saying, "Wow, I didn't see that coming" or "You have got to be kidding me". It's suspenseful and exciting. The 5th Wave is one of those books that grabs a hold of you and doesn't let go. I can't wait for book 2.
Helpful Score: 4
I found this book on a suggested young adult reading list and my daughter who is 12 was looking for more books to read. I read the book first before my daughter and while I found it enjoyable and a good read after you get through the beginning of the book, I thought that this book is for a mature reader. There is a lot of launguage used in the book, that I personally thought the author could have done without, that distracts from the reading. Also some of the situations that the characters find themselves in I don't think is for the young reader. I suggest this book but to very mature middle schoolers and up (more suited to a high school audience).
Helpful Score: 2
Interesting and intense, with lots of twists along the way. As the story unfolded, it became more thought-provoking.
Helpful Score: 1
This is the first book in The 5th Wave trilogy. I really enjoyed this book and found it very entertaining and engaging. I had read Yancey's Monstrumologist book prior to this one (which I enjoyed...not sure why I never went back and finished that series).
This book is creative, intense, and very well done. It kept me intrigued and involved the whole book. It's a blend of post-apocalyptic survival and alien invasion that is really well done. The book is told in sections that jump between a number of different characters. Mostly we hear from Cassie and Ben; but occasionally from Cassie's younger brother Sam or from Evan.
Overall I really enjoyed this story; it was fast-paced and engaging. I would definitely recommend if you enjoy post-apocalyptic and alien themes. Parts of it remind me a bit of Stephenie Meyer's The Host; however it would be a disservice to this book to compare it to The Host (which was awful).
This book is creative, intense, and very well done. It kept me intrigued and involved the whole book. It's a blend of post-apocalyptic survival and alien invasion that is really well done. The book is told in sections that jump between a number of different characters. Mostly we hear from Cassie and Ben; but occasionally from Cassie's younger brother Sam or from Evan.
Overall I really enjoyed this story; it was fast-paced and engaging. I would definitely recommend if you enjoy post-apocalyptic and alien themes. Parts of it remind me a bit of Stephenie Meyer's The Host; however it would be a disservice to this book to compare it to The Host (which was awful).
