Reviews

Rick Yancey does it again. Loved Alfred Kropp, loved the Monstrumologist, and this latest is a highly satisfying series opener. An alien race has been observing humans for 6000 years. When they finally strike, they do so in waves: the first wave is a power surge that takes out all the electricity; the second wave is a series of monster tsunamis; the third wave is a plague that kills off 97% of the folks remaining from the first two waves; and the fourth wave is the Silencers-- beings whose mission it is to kill the remaining humans. But not all of them-- the Visitors, disguised as kindly soldiers, gather up all of the children. Once they're separated from the adults, the children are turned into young soldiers whose focus is to kill the bad guys-- the ones that glow green in the special eye-pieces. But what if the green-glowing images aren't the aliens? What if the aliens have tricked these children into hunting down the last remaining humans for them? When it gets to the point that you don't know who is on your side and who is not, do you kill everybody? That's Cassie's dilemma-- who, if anyone, can she trust? Because her little brother Sammy is one of the children the Visitors are training to be a soldier... and Cassie is determined to get him back. Fresh and engaging... looking forward to book two.

whitneysederberg's review against another edition

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3.0

Fun book! Some parts felt a bit tiresome or hard to relate to however. I enjoyed reading this but I’m not sure I will pick up the sequels.

slimjadie's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

librarydoc's review against another edition

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3.0

Book Talk: Imagine you are going about your day as usual, then you happen to look up in the sky, and instead of the usual non threatening clouds and birds, you see...the mother ship. And what follows for Cassie and the rest of humanity can only be described as horrifying. As the Others send wave after wave of brutal attacks, Cassie and her family must fight to survive.

My Thoughts: As a huge fan of dystopia and anything alien related, I was super excited about this book. The movie was in the theater when I started, so that also added to my anticipation. I was pretty disappointed. The story line is muddled, the dialogue is choppy, and I just didn't care about the characters. I will say that my 12 year old son loved it, but it just didn't work for me.

My Recommendation: 3/5 stars
Grades 9+ (language, adult situations)

kim_chi_25's review against another edition

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medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

paige87's review against another edition

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5.0

This was an amazing book. I was hooked from beginning to end. The real test will be if the remainder of the series is just as good. I'm looking forward to seeing what the author does with this story!

634's review against another edition

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adventurous tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

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