The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey
Synopsis:
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:
Cassie has lost both of her parents. She doesn’t know if any other humans are alive. But she’s searching for her little brother – the one thing that helps her keep going. We follow along with Cassie’s story of what has happened since the 1st Wave of the aliens’ arrival as it catches up to the “present,” following the 4th Wave. Then, the narrative jumps around to a few other characters, but it’s easy to follow as the jumps are divided by section breaks.
The characters are young, for the YA market, but adults will also enjoy this dark and exciting post-apocalyptic story. Though it’s an alien invasion story, the focus is more on the characters and their difficult, dramatic journeys. With rich characters, mystery, suspense, and intrigue – The 5th Wave is a fast-paced, pulse-pounding thriller.