The story takes place in the United States with children and teens striving to save themselves and ultimately the world. I didn’t find it particularly believable but definitely entertaining. The characters in this book are built around the brain washing and military training in a camp run by alien inhabited humans. As the characters begin to question what is happening to them, so do we as readers. It’s an intriguing story that kept me interested right to the end and clicking over to purchase the sequels from Amazon right away.
I think Rick Yancey is a gifted writer with an interesting imagination. He gives us little clues that both lead us in the right direction but also mislead us in another direction but never enough to jump to a conclusion that would end the story too soon.
Fun Fact:The main female character of this book is Cassie as in the constellation Cassiopeia. Although Our book character shares a name with a constellation identified with a mythological Greek Queen she is not vain nor does she boast about her beauty. She doesn’t seem to be aware that she might be attractive. I feel like her name association draws us to look at the skies. Admittedly I spent a night or two (or three) gazing into the dark skies and locating Cassiopeia. It’s easy to identify as five bright stars making a W shape in my northern spring sky.
Cassie gives us the first clue that hope is a central theme in the story. She also introduces us to the truth that a promise is a binding commitment not to be taken or given lightly. I like that little life lesson. She also remindes us throughout the trials and introduction of other characters that life is precious. The 5th Wave is an easy read that I’d recommend to teens through adult because of the gruesome descriptions, violence and death. The death descriptions are a little graphic. The language is mild and there are no overly sexual situations to get in the way of the story, just some infatuations. I’d compare the plot line to The Hunger Games and The Divergent Series except with aliens. I had a flashback or two of Men In Black, you know when the aliens peel back their human disguises and we see a big roach or something? No, they don’t do that in this book but still…
