Suicide Reviews: The Last Star (The 5th Wave #3) by Rick Yancey

 

Summary: The enemy is Other. The enemy is us. They're down here, they're up there, they're nowhere. They want the Earth, they want us to have it. They came to wipe us out, they came to save us. 

But beneath these riddles lies one truth: Cassie has been betrayed. So has Ringer. Zombie. Nugget. And all 7.5 billion people who used to live on our planet. Betrayed first by the Others, and now by ourselves. In these last days, Earth's remaining survivors will need to decide what's more important: saving themselves...or saving what makes us human.

Date Published: May 24, 2016

Published By: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers

Number of Pages: 338

Rating: 5/5

I'm not sure what I would have done if the conclusion to Rick Yancey's 5TH Wave trilogy was disappointing. The first two books were just so spectacularly mind-blowing that I kind of really needed the final book to be nothing short of transcendent. 

(SPOILER ALERT! It was.)

Something I've loved throughout this series is that each main character has their own agenda and this really comes into play in the final book. It's not as simplistic as 'good guys' versus 'bad guys'. Or rather 'humans' versus 'aliens.' It's a lot more nuanced than that - characters who think they are on the same side have competing interests or goals which makes for some great conflict. 

Along with delivering an epic, action-packed sci-fi series, Yancey provides some astonishing insight into the human condition. There were some lines that gave me goosebumps, they were so accurate and profound. This isn't a book that you forget about the moment you finish reading it - this is a story that will stay with you. Which is a good thing because it's a story that touches on so many important topics - humanity, love, faith, hope, violence, war, religion, education, and environmentalism. (Just to name a few.) This isn't your average alien invasion yarn. 

And, oh my God, the writing is so gorgeous that I want to have the entire text of all three books tattooed on my body. Rick Yancey is a master of evoking an emotion in the reader with just a few well-chosen phrases. 

I'm sure there are some who would disagree with me but, in my opinion, Yancey made a bold choice in how he ended the series and it paid off. It's an ending that won't please everyone, particularly those inclined towards happy endings that tie everything up in a perfect little bow and make you feel all warm and squishy inside. But I've always argued that a fitting ending is better than a happy one, and I think the ending fit perfectly. 

Suicide Reviews: The Infinite Sea (The 5th Wave #2) by Rick Yancey

 

Synopsis: How do you rid the Earth of seven billion humans? Rid them of their humanity.

Cassie Sullivan and her companions lived through the Others' four waves of destruction. Now, with the human race nearly exterminated and the 5th Wave rolling across the landscape, they face a choice: brace for winter and hope for Evan Walker's return, or set out in search of other survivors before the enemy closes in. Because the next attack is more than possible - it's inevitable.

No one can anticipate the depths to which the Others will sink, nor the heights to which humanity will rise, in the ultimate battle between life and death, hope and despair, love and hate.

Date Published: September 16, 2014

Published By: Putnam Juvenile

Number of Pages: 300

Rating: 5/5

In a lot of ways, The Infinite Sea serves as the traditional placeholder in a trilogy - the middle book where not much happens except a lot of setting up for the final novel. It is definitely less epic in scope than the first book. 

But Yancey continues to surprise the reader with unexpected twists and different perspectives. For the first time, we get inside the head of Ringer, the grim teenage girl who was recruited as a soldier in the last book and helped Cassie and her group escape. She quickly became my favorite character in this book - tough, resourceful, and intelligent, Ringer is a total badass. She is stoic but not unemotional, expressing her feelings in unexpected ways. Ringer does what she wants and doesn't allow herself to be pushed around by anyone - even genocidal aliens. 

In The Infinite Sea, we learn more about the alien's plot to take over the world but the answers we're given only lead to more unanswered questions. There is still a mystery to be solved here and I'm hoping the third book will be the final piece to the puzzle. This isn't your typical alien invasion - there's a lot of nuance to it. I love the complexity of the plot in all its twists and turns. 

Another thing I love about this series is the philosophical questions it raises: What does it mean to be human? What sacrifices do you have to make in order to retain your humanity? Is it even worth retaining or is survival the only thing that matters? The characters in this book face hard choices and must weigh every decision - any wrong move might cost them their lives. 

If I have any criticism for The Infinite Sea, it's that, at times, it feels a tad overwritten. Yancey clearly loves to play with language and creates passages of stunning imagery - but it sometimes gets in the way of the plot. 

The Infinite Sea is a masterful follow-up to The 5th Wave and I cannot wait to see how it all ends in The Last Star. 

Suicide Reviews: The 5th Wave (The 5th Wave #1) 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, just 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 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. 

From award-winning author Rick Yancey comes a gripping epic of catastrophic loss, unthinkable odds, and unflinching courage.

Date Published: May 7, 2013

Published By: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers

Number of Pages: 457

Rating: 5/5

I am so glad this book lived up to the hype. Even though I'm excited for the upcoming film adaptation, I know it will only pale in comparison to this epic sci-fi tale of survival and resilience. 

From the very first page I was sucked into the story. I plowed through the first hundred pages without looking up, and when I did, it was like waking from an incredibly vivid dream. I actually had to remind myself that aliens hadn't invaded the planet in reality (at least not yet.) That type of realism for such a fantastical story is awe-inspiring. It made me think that if aliens did invade our planet, it would happen exactly as it did in The 5th Wave.

I loved all of the characters and the complex, ever-shifting dynamics between them. The relationship between Cassie and Evan Walker is particularly intriguing. I won't spoil anything, but I did figure out what eventually happens between them long before it actually happened. Of course, this may have been because I saw the trailer for the movie, and guessed the twist from there. (Come on, movie trailers, could you be any more obvious?)  

The aliens in this book are some of my favorite that I've ever come across in science fiction. Of course, I'll always have a soft spot for sexy aliens, like Daemon Black from the Lux series, but, man, do I love me some evil, destructive aliens hell-bent on world domination. The structure Yancey uses to describe the invasion with the different Waves is masterful - both chilling and completely convincing. 

The 5th Wave is exactly the kind of post-apocalyptic alien-invasion story I've been looking for. I can't believe it's taken me this long to read it. This book isn't just for young adult sci-fi fans - adult readers will love it too. 

The 5th Wave Movie Trailer