ARC Review: The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

The 5^th Wave

Author: Rick Yancey

Series: The 5^th Wave

Pages: 480

Genre: Young Adult / Sci-Fi Dystopian

Publisher/Source: Penguin Books Australia / Netgalley

Pre-order Amazon: The 5^th Wave

Australian release date: 22^nd May 2013

Synopsis. (Goodreads)

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.

Review: 5 out of 5 stars

I must admit I was so nervous and really quite hesitant about starting this book because the praise has been amazing therefor my expectations were really high but I’m pleased to say I absolutely loved Rick Yancey’s richly developed, frightening and highly entertaining post-apocalyptic world.

During the first wave half a million lives were lost and a horde of aliens descended on earth and sent it into darkness, the second wave put that number to shame  and those unfortunate enough to have survived the first two were faced with the third wave, pestilence. Seventeen year-old Cassie Sullivan survived the fourth wave, Silencer’s (Alien’s hiding in human bodies) and believes she very well may be the last human survivor.

Cassie was a kick-butt, strong-minded and likeable character who after losing her parents is in search of her brother who she in convinced is still alive after being taken by soldiers from camp; the journey she undertook was fraught with danger and seemed hopeless and without knowing who to trust it made her pursuit all the more difficult.

When Cassie comes across a Silencer, she is shot and saved by the mysterious Evan Walker who nursed her back to health, he was thoughtful and kind but also quite secretive; I loved his interactions with Cassie and the way he protected and cared for her but his actions had me baffled and I was able to pick up on a few clues from the very beginning about this intriguing character.

The plot is extremely complex and kept me engrossed and wanting to know more, there was so much happening but I was so captivated by the whole concept and the overall mystery and psychological aspect that I just didn’t want this story to end. It was so intense, terrifying and addictive! The discovery of the 5^th Wave came as a huge shock.

With the story told from differing POV’s, it gave us an insight into each of the thought processes and reasoning behind actions and reactions – we really get a good look at some characters at their worst which made for a compelling but also heartbreaking read. I especially loved Sam (nugget), Cassie’s little brother; Ringer & Zombie were both interesting and Vosch pure evil! Each character played a pivotal part in the overall story and were wonderfully crafted.

Rick Yancey’s writing is brilliant! The 5^th Wave is seriously one of the best post-apocalyptic stories I have read to date, it is imaginative and refreshingly unique amongst the many dystopian and sci-fi novels out at the moment and was a heart pumping adventure ride right from the very beginning. Yancey’s world-building and the visual details give the book a sense of realism and the imminent threats draw you into his story-telling and show the emotion beautifully.

Overall, The 5th Wave was a nerve-wracking, emotionally intense thrill ride filled with great action scenes, suspense, wonderful characterisations and a really sweet romance, with twists and turns aplenty I am definitely eager to read the next installment in this amazing series.

Thank-you kindly to Penguin Books Australia/Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review The 5^th Wave.

Quotes:

These beings burned us alive, crushed us, drowned us, infected us with the plague that made us bleed to death from the inside out. (loc. 3809)

But if I'm it, the last of my kind, the last page of human history, like hell I'm going to let the story end this way. I may be the last one, but I am the one still standing. I am the one turning to face the faceless hunter in the woods on an abandoned highway. I am the one not running but facing. Because if I am the last one, then I am humanity. And if this is humanity's last war, then I am the battlefield. (loc. 1110)

About the author: Rick is the author of thirteen novels and a memoir. His books have been published in over twenty languages and have earned numerous accolades and awards from around the world. His young adult novel, The Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp, was named a "Best Book of the Year" by Publishers Weekly and was nominated for the Carnegie Medal. In 2010, Rick received a Michael L. Printz Honor for The Monstrumologist. The sequel, The Curse of the Wendigo, was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. His latest novel, The 5th Wave, the first in an epic sci-fi trilogy, made its worldwide debut in 2013, and will soon be a major motion picture for GK Films and Sony Pictures.

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