The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

I'm a big fan of Rick Yancey's Monstrumologist series, which is a fantastic, and actually scary, YA horror series.  So I was very happy to see the big marketing push behind Yancey's new book, The 5th Wave, which people are singing the praises of.  I was lucky enough to get my hands on an ARC and I'm excited to report to you that it is stunning!  Believe the hype!  It looks like this could be the big one to read this summer, so get your hands on it ASAP.  The 5th Wave is a book that takes place during an alien apocalypse.  They have come, they have landed, they are not friendly.  They have bombarded humanity with four waves of destruction to weed people out, with perhaps a fifth on the horizon.

Cassie is a teenager lucky enough to have survived the first four brutal waves, which include an electro-magnetic pulse that cuts off the world's power, earthquakes that create tsunamis, and a plague.  Those not killed by those threats have to face silencers, aliens who are hunting down the remaining humans with great skill.  This book is epic, but it's also really grounded, focusing on a small group of survivors.  I was a little skeptical when I realized that each new "part" in this book switches characters, but I found myself really enjoying the story revolving around each character.  When I was finished with one part and was like, I need to find out what happens next, I was equally drawn in to the new part that I was beginning.  Yancey just has a way of making these characters and their circumstances, which were very different from one another, all really relatable and exciting.

I really liked that as far-fetched as this concept is, it's grounded in a stark reality, and it's very emotional.  The material can be a little heavy at times, but is lightened by humor throughout.  It's very well-balanced, with things that haunt the characters running through the course of their character arcs.  I could definitely guess that some things were coming, but even though you kind of know, you second guess yourself, and then, it's just so interesting seeing things play out that you don't mind.

The 5th Wave is very different than The Monstrumologist series, and proves Yancey's versatility as a writer.  But even though this is very different for him from his Printz Award Honored book, it's still a really well-written, thoughtful piece of writing that's every bit as riveting and suspenseful as anything he's written.  In fact, I could barely tear myself away from this book, and eagerly sat down for hours at a time to tear through it.  I would recommend this for anyone who loves a good action title, and it will satisfy hardcore science fiction and dystopian fans.