Review: The 5th Wave

The 5th Wave is yet another one of those books that I kept looking at over and over again but for some reason kept putting on the back burner. When I found out it was going to be released as a movie in January, I decided to buy it for both myself and my son so we could read it and then go see the movie.

I have to say that I was hooked right away but also a little bit confused during the first pages.  It took me a few minutes to figure out who was narrating and get used to the author's style.  Once I figured out who was talking and what was going on,  I picked up the pace and was completely engrossed in the story.  I liked that most of the chapters were fairly short, sections were separated by a black page with white title, and that every few chapters the point of view would change from Cassie to Ben, and once or twice to Sammy, Cassie's little brother.

Cassie is perfect as the heroine of the story.  She's a young girl who has survived the first few waves of the alien invasion and who is forced into situations that cause her to grow up fast.  She is strong, but at the same time fragile, on the verge of total breakdown.  It almost seems like she is in a state of permanent shock over what she has seen and that fear and her natural instinct to survive are what help her to stay alive. The only thing that keeps her going is the possibility that her brother Sammy is still alive and she can find him. Once Evan enters the picture and she is no longer alone, she lets go a little bit and we see her start to lean on someone for support.  This doesn't last long however, and she toughens up once again.  I knew something was suspicious but I kept going back and forth about whether my theories were correct or not.  I was able to predict a couple of things accurately but I was also surprised once or twice at a twist that I was not expecting.  I already have a few different theories going about what path the next book will take.

My only issue was with Cassie and Ben's meeting toward the end of the story.  I had been wondering how it would play out but it seemed a bit rushed and awkward and I found myself a bit disappointed. I would have liked the author to give this section a bit more meaning.  I guess though, that the awkwardness of the meeting could have been intentional...

Otherwise, the fast pace and engaging storyline kept me reading.  I finished it in just a few days and I will definitely be picking up the next one soon.