The 5th Wave

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey
Series: The 5th Wave
Published May 7th 2013 by G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers 
Genres: Science Fiction, Dystopia, Aliens, Apocalyptic, Post Apocalyptic, Fantasy, Romance 
Pages: 457

Source: eBook

Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Review by Tina

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. 

"1st Wave: lights out. 2nd Wave: surf's up. 3rd Wave: pestilence. 4th Wave: Silencer. Time was flowing in reverse. The 1st Wave knocked us back to the eighteenth century. The next two slammed us into the Neolithic. We were hunter-gatherers again. Nomads. Bottom of the pyramid. But we weren't ready to give up hope. Not yet."

This book is a two person narrative. Throughout the story, you wonder, who is Human? who is Other?

A lot of things had already happened... humanity is barely hanging on. What's left of the world are a handful of children and the adults over the age of 20 cannot be trusted. The story picks up with the survivors experiencing the 4th Wave and starting the 5th Wave.

It's amazing how the two narrations collide towards the ending. A rush of action packed alien-butt-kicking chapters flew by. It's uncertain what steps Humans will take after the encounter with the Others. Do they want to annihilate? Can they co-exist? It will be an interesting adventure to follow this group of young kids into the next volume.