THE 5th WAVE by Rick Yancey

Title: THE 5th WAVE
Author: Rick Yancey
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile (a Penguin imprint)
Release Date: May 7, 2013
Number of Pages: 457
Source of Book: ARC from a friend
Book Website: http://the5thwaveiscoming.com/

The Passage meets Ender’s Game in an epic new series from award-winning author Rick Yancey.

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.

First Thought: It was as good as everyone told me it would be.  

I was nervous to start this book because so many people had told me how good it was, and I didn't want to be disappointed if it didn't live up to my expectations...but I had no reason to worry. I loved THE 5th WAVE. Rick Yancey has written an entirely engrossing novel that explores the notion of what one will do, believe, and question in order to survive in a brutal world that has completely changed everything that has ever been known. There have been four waves of aliens "attacking" the citizens of this world, and the remaining survivors are waiting for the fifth, without knowing what it could possibly entail. One of the things I liked most about this story was the way in which the multiple perspectives were woven together to create a fuller understanding of what different character's experiences are in these circumstances, and gives the reader an outsiders overview of what is going on in the different areas some characters may not know about. Yes, there are some gruesome parts, but when fighting for survival, sometimes one has to continue to exist. Yancey's writing was descriptive and I was wrapped up in the story the entire time I was reading; I couldn't stop turning pages so I could find out what would happen to these characters next. I spent time in a believeable world based on unbelieveable situations, in circumstances I can't imagine having to deal with, and I loved every page of it.

Final Thoughts: Unputdownable, suspenseful sci-fi that I would absolutely recommend. (How quickly can I get the next book?!)