The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey
The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey follows sixteen year-old Cassie, one of the few humans left on Earth after waves of disease, huge natural disasters, loss of electricity, and attacks caused by the aliens (also called the Others). The first four waves have wiped out billions of people, and the Others are determined to wipe out the whole of humanity. When Sammy, Cassie's younger brother is taken by the Others, she is determined to find him. But, while on her mission, truths and answers of the Others' tactics begin to unravel, leaving them in much more danger than they think.
I thought that overall the book was pretty decent. The concept of the book was interesting and unique, and it was something different that I haven't really read before. I liked the complexity of the plot as well; I thought that the author did a good job of making the plot have multiple layers but still leaving it understandable to me. I also liked the aspects of romance in the book as well, because it wasn't too little or too much, and it added nicely to the book.
One thing I didn't enjoy as much was some of the loose ends were not resolved by the end, making the ending seem a bit confusing and unclear. I feel like the author could have put more of a closure, but I know that there is a sequel so that could be the reason that the ending was more abrupt. Something I both liked and disliked was the aspect of telling the story in multiple different perspectives. Readers not only follow Cassie in her point of view, but also Sammy, Ben (Zombie), and Evan's perspectives. I liked how he wrote a couple of chapters in one character's perspective and ended it mysteriously, so you were left wondering what was coming next. However, some of the parts where the point of view changed were unclear, as I sometimes didn't know if or when the perspective had changed.
The book does have violent aspects, with lots of guns and a bit of gore, but I was able to handle it alright and I don't think it would be too violent for anyone. If you're looking for a thrilling dystopian book with fighting and some bits of romance, I would recommend The 5th Wave! Thanks for reading!
-Maddie
It sounds like a pretty interesting book. I definitely can see how unclear switches of perspectives can be annoying. It sounds like the author was writing it with a second book in mind, which won't be great for a reader if you don't want another one. I'll try to check it out if I can.
ReplyDeleteYour confusion on the changing narrators is so relatable! I recently read a book that didn't do anything with font or scene setup to indicate which narrator it was. They also kept introducing new narrators with no introduction. I eventually got the hang of it but it took like 7 chapters to build up enough context to tell.
ReplyDeleteI like how you gave both some of the pros and cons of the book, and I think you did a good job with giving a description. I also really like dystopian fiction so I think I might try reading it. Also, I think I remember seeing a movie trailer for this and it looked pretty interesting if you want any possible movie recommendations . Overall great blog post!
ReplyDeleteGood review! I liked that you managed to talk about this book without spoiling anything big, so good job there. I am curious as to the reason behind the Others intentions (Besides the obvious fact that humans hijacked the Earth and destroyed it, why would they want to hurt us?).
ReplyDeleteI've read this book before and I couldn't agree with you more. It was a great book and brought up many interesting points, but confusing. I always struggle to realize when the perspective of the writing changes, so there were multiple cases when I had to reread sections.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds pretty good. I like reading dystopian books, so I'll probably give it a shot. Changing narrators can be pretty confusing. I remember I read one book where it focuses on two narrators. I didn't realize that it was color-coded until the end of the book. Nice review.
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