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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
This book had a lot of promise. I liked the idea of it: aliens wiping out mankind in the form of ‘waves’. I also liked that the protagonist of the story was a female. However, halfway through this book, I felt as though I had read it before. Of course, how could I read ‘this’ book—this book was brand new. But I have read similar books with similar plot devices. Like the Eragon series, which borrowed/stole many plot devices from Star Wars, Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings – the 5th Wave borrowed similar plot devices from other well known science fiction books. One in particular: Enders Game.
When I mention Enders Game, I mean 'training children'. Which was exactly what the 5th Wave was - training children to wipe out mankind. Of course they were tricked by some alien gimmickry, still, they were being trained to become lethal killing machines. Finding that out was a rather disappointing 5th Wave.
I liked Cassie but I felt as though she could do almost anything and make it through the book with hardly any scratches. I wanted something to come in her path and throw her off but nothing ever came. When Evan showed up, I expected him to be a bit more of a hindrance to her than leverage – unfortunately he was a disappointment too. He fell in love with her when he hardly even knew her!
Of all the characters in the book Ben was my favorite. Though I am sure (like in many other books, Twilight in particular) he is going to be used as the third piece of the love triangle. I could see it coming ever since the author went on about how Ben was Cassie’s crush in High School.
As for the actual book itself, I found the writing very intriguing and I liked the first person narrative. I guess that is what kept me engaged since I tend to enjoy first person narratives—especially if the character has character.
The book ended on such a note where you know that there was going to be a sequel; however I am wary of more ideas being unoriginal. I didn’t hate the book; I just thought the book reminded me of things I had already read.
Spoiler
When I mention Enders Game, I mean 'training children'. Which was exactly what the 5th Wave was - training children to wipe out mankind. Of course they were tricked by some alien gimmickry, still, they were being trained to become lethal killing machines. Finding that out was a rather disappointing 5th Wave.
I liked Cassie but I felt as though she could do almost anything and make it through the book with hardly any scratches. I wanted something to come in her path and throw her off but nothing ever came. When Evan showed up, I expected him to be a bit more of a hindrance to her than leverage – unfortunately he was a disappointment too. He fell in love with her when he hardly even knew her!
Of all the characters in the book Ben was my favorite. Though I am sure (like in many other books, Twilight in particular) he is going to be used as the third piece of the love triangle. I could see it coming ever since the author went on about how Ben was Cassie’s crush in High School.
As for the actual book itself, I found the writing very intriguing and I liked the first person narrative. I guess that is what kept me engaged since I tend to enjoy first person narratives—especially if the character has character.
The book ended on such a note where you know that there was going to be a sequel; however I am wary of more ideas being unoriginal. I didn’t hate the book; I just thought the book reminded me of things I had already read.
I decided to listen to this after watching the movie. I must say if I hadn’t seen the movie I would have found this book a little hard to follow. I am interested to see where the rest of this series goes.
Okay read. Interesting story for sure, likeable narrators. Just wasn’t blown away by anything. It kept me reading and wanting to know what was going to happen. I’m at least interested enough to finish the series.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The book was good. I'm not use to reading SciFi but I read this book because I purchased it a long time ago and also watched the movie. So I wanted to see what was different from the movie vs the book. The book is, yet again, better than the movie. However, I did imagine the actors who played each character so that may have helped or changed how I thought about the book. I will continue to read the rest of the series because I have 2 out of 3 of the books. For the most part, it's a typical book about kids/young adults learning to survive against the odds with some romance mixed in.
7 years after I first read this book and here I am, kinda teary eyed because of this nostalgic feeling I have. the book that got me into reading, the book that I’ve described as the Holy Bible for the last couple of years… I read it again and somehow, even though I found so many flaws in it (being older than 11 duuh), I still can’t bring myself to get it off the podium it stands on in my heart. so yeah, still a 5 stars read, even though I would probably give it less if I was reading it for the first time ever, at this point in my life.
now, I don’t remember much of my feelings and thoughts from my first time reading it, obviously, but luckily I have some new ones!
1. I liked Zombie’s POV more than Cassie’s. and I think that it’s mainly because I can CLEARLY see how she is written by a man (and I don’t say that as an insult or whatever, but some of the things she’s saying and thinking are most certainly things that a man believes a woman is saying or thinking). but also maybe because it’s more action packed and kinda focused on more perspectives and outcomes (Ringer’s, Nugget’s, Teacup’s, Vosch’s, etc.), while Cassie’s is more about her and Evan’s relationship.
2. not much of the Cassie and Evan shipper for now, but for sure one for Zombie and Ringer
3. there are too many comparisons that get me annoyed and they are really repetitive (“It’s like a cockroach working up a plan to defeat the shoe on its way down to crush it”). I could’ve done well enough without them.
4. favorite character is probably Ringer, because I’m seeing her in a different light now.
5. like the point I tried making at #1, there are some times in which I thought “Mr. Rick is trying too hard on his way to writing teenagers”… and I’m sorry, maybe that’s mean but… teenagers (at least these days, from what I know) don’t use dad jokes as their default type of humor… and most importantly, they don’t tell them to themselves… sorry
AGAIN, even though there are things that I don’t get really well with in most books, I can for sure easily overlook them because I’m talking about The 5th Wave
now, I don’t remember much of my feelings and thoughts from my first time reading it, obviously, but luckily I have some new ones!
1. I liked Zombie’s POV more than Cassie’s. and I think that it’s mainly because I can CLEARLY see how she is written by a man (and I don’t say that as an insult or whatever, but some of the things she’s saying and thinking are most certainly things that a man believes a woman is saying or thinking). but also maybe because it’s more action packed and kinda focused on more perspectives and outcomes (Ringer’s, Nugget’s, Teacup’s, Vosch’s, etc.), while Cassie’s is more about her and Evan’s relationship.
2. not much of the Cassie and Evan shipper for now, but for sure one for Zombie and Ringer
3. there are too many comparisons that get me annoyed and they are really repetitive (“It’s like a cockroach working up a plan to defeat the shoe on its way down to crush it”). I could’ve done well enough without them.
4. favorite character is probably Ringer, because I’m seeing her in a different light now.
5. like the point I tried making at #1, there are some times in which I thought “Mr. Rick is trying too hard on his way to writing teenagers”… and I’m sorry, maybe that’s mean but… teenagers (at least these days, from what I know) don’t use dad jokes as their default type of humor… and most importantly, they don’t tell them to themselves… sorry
AGAIN, even though there are things that I don’t get really well with in most books, I can for sure easily overlook them because I’m talking about The 5th Wave
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
4. Eregnisse , Wellen genannt, welche durch Aliens herbeigeführt wurdem stürzen die Menschheit ins Chaos und löschen Billionen Leben aus. In diesem apokalyptischen Szenario begleitet man hauptsächlich Cassie, eine Jugendliche welche die ersten vier Wellen überlebt hat. In Erwartung einer fünften Welle entfalten sich die Handlungen der Geschichte welche ich sehr spannend und an vielen Stellen überraschend fand. Rick Yancey schafft es mich in das Szenario mit hinein zu ziehen und mit den Charakteren an vielen Stellen mitfühlen zu lassen. Doch so neu und frisch die Geschichte war, so wenig trifft das für die Charaktere zu. Sie sind für meinen Geschmack zu klischeehaft, was aber nicht mein Hauptproblem mit vorallem Cassie war. Viel mehr hat mich das Handeln und Denken der Figuren (wie gesagt vorallem von Cassie) gestört. In einem Moment ist sie knallhart und mutig und nur einen Satz später schmilzt sie dahin und aus einem ich-schieße-dir-den-Kopf-weg wird ein ich-liebe-dich-Küss-mich. Und das ohne das es einen Grund dafür gab. Besonders zum Ende hin wird das für mich störend, wobei ich nicht weiter darauf eingehen möchte um die Handlung nicht zu spoliern.
Die Beziehung zwischen den Charakteren, mal die oben angesprochene Beziehung ausser acht gelassen, waren glaubhaft und haben sich gut in den Handlungsrahmen eingefügt.
Der Schreibstil hat mit gut gefallen, wobei ich das Buch auf Englisch gelesen habe. Gerade der gute Lesefluss haben mich über die eine oder andere Stelle hinweg getragen bei der ich Cassie gerne mal geschüttelt hätte.
Zusammengefasst:
+ Handlung, Beziehungen, Schreibstil
- Charaktere, Verhalten
3 von 5 Sternen
Die Beziehung zwischen den Charakteren, mal die oben angesprochene Beziehung ausser acht gelassen, waren glaubhaft und haben sich gut in den Handlungsrahmen eingefügt.
Der Schreibstil hat mit gut gefallen, wobei ich das Buch auf Englisch gelesen habe. Gerade der gute Lesefluss haben mich über die eine oder andere Stelle hinweg getragen bei der ich Cassie gerne mal geschüttelt hätte.
Zusammengefasst:
+ Handlung, Beziehungen, Schreibstil
- Charaktere, Verhalten
3 von 5 Sternen
There is almost no way for me to put into words just how much I adored The 5th Wave - This book is by far the best book I’ve read this year and I know I’ll be obsessing about it for months to come.
The world we’re introduced to is one crumbling. We’re given a very detailed and emotional tale about how humanity was vastly unprepared for life forms outside of Earth; and when those life forms – The Others – decide to wipe humans off the face of the world – well, let’s just say it’s going to be extremely hard to fight back. I’ve always thought of myself as someone who is intrigued by sci-fi stories, but never obsessed with them. The 5th Wave could be the story to make me obsessed – at least with humans fighting against invasion stories. That’s partly what this book is all about: fighting for survival. I loved the way the world was set up. There are new rules, new ways to prepare yourself for the worst. Your old worries (like whether your crush likes you or not) are thrown out the window. This is a dark and dangerous book and it tackles some deep moral issues; but it was so full of energy and emotion that you just can’t put it down.
There are a lot of hard decisions in this book. A lot comes down to trust: who to trust, how to learn to trust and how to get over the guilt if you decide you can’t bring yourself to trust and must fight for your own survival. I can understand why, in a world full of live and die situations, the characters would choose to fight like hell to stay alive no matter the cost. But it made for a very emotional and intense setting, with a lot of shoot-outs and death. The tricky part comes when the world has faced an incredible amount of destruction, when there’s a limited amount of humans left on the planet and everyone knows it – how do you know who you can trust and who is an alien clone out to get you? Answer...you don’t know, so you just keep fighting. There was that constant voice in the back of your head that was telling you it’s a kill or be killed world – it definitely kept the blood pumping.
I really enjoyed the way the book was set up – sections dividing up the events and switching point of views and chain of events with every new section. I loved getting a look at multiple situations and characters, and I really wasn’t expecting that. The back blurb introduces us to Cassie Sullivan and Evan Walker, and you assume they will be our focus characters, especially when Cassie starts the book off. You start to think the story is Cassie’s alone, when it’s so much more than that. Cassie’s fight for survival is only part of the story, with her almost standing alone against a force so powerful you question her right mind for thinking she has a chance against an entire alien race. But despite that, you can’t help admiring her strength and determination, her struggle to trust without losing hope in the world. I adored her history and loss and the emotion she brought to the table.
But it’s not a single person against the world. Military base camps are being set up, training children to identify and eliminate the enemy. When the world crumbles around you, I’m not sure giving seven year olds guns is the way to go; but it certainly sends a powerful message. I loved the strict training and intense indoctrination at these military camps. The lifestyle, harsh mental stress and reimagining of these teens and kids – preparing them for an existence of killing humans or human look-a-likes is just so confronting. I’ve deliberately not mentioned characters here because it would absolutely ruin the shocking twists that pop up – you have to read it for yourself!
The one person who does deserve a mention though, is Evan Walker. I may be slightly obsessed with this book boy. Evan was a puzzling mystery, one that I thought I’d worked out early, but you come to realise you’ll never completely know Evan. In a world where death is almost literally around every corner, it’s hard to remain innocent and untouched – and Evan’s no exception – but he was one of the sweetest characters I’ve come across lately. His fiercely protective nature when it came to Cassie, the touching way he sat and washed her hair, and the almost reckless offer to go on dangerous missions and jump into situations to keep her out of danger made me melt. But what I loved most was how he never once tried to control Cassie. He offered, pleaded and suggested for her to stay away from trouble, but he let her make up her own mind and stood by her every step of the way.
I delayed reading the end of the book because I knew there was going to be a gigantic wait for the sequel. But this is the sort of book you can’t put down. A rescue, a fight and minimal chance of survival...and then the final pages hit with questions pouring out of your mind and no hope of answers for months to come! It’s going to be a very long wait.
An incredible start to an addictive series. The 5th Wave is a book everyone should get their hands on.
5/5 stars
The world we’re introduced to is one crumbling. We’re given a very detailed and emotional tale about how humanity was vastly unprepared for life forms outside of Earth; and when those life forms – The Others – decide to wipe humans off the face of the world – well, let’s just say it’s going to be extremely hard to fight back. I’ve always thought of myself as someone who is intrigued by sci-fi stories, but never obsessed with them. The 5th Wave could be the story to make me obsessed – at least with humans fighting against invasion stories. That’s partly what this book is all about: fighting for survival. I loved the way the world was set up. There are new rules, new ways to prepare yourself for the worst. Your old worries (like whether your crush likes you or not) are thrown out the window. This is a dark and dangerous book and it tackles some deep moral issues; but it was so full of energy and emotion that you just can’t put it down.
There are a lot of hard decisions in this book. A lot comes down to trust: who to trust, how to learn to trust and how to get over the guilt if you decide you can’t bring yourself to trust and must fight for your own survival. I can understand why, in a world full of live and die situations, the characters would choose to fight like hell to stay alive no matter the cost. But it made for a very emotional and intense setting, with a lot of shoot-outs and death. The tricky part comes when the world has faced an incredible amount of destruction, when there’s a limited amount of humans left on the planet and everyone knows it – how do you know who you can trust and who is an alien clone out to get you? Answer...you don’t know, so you just keep fighting. There was that constant voice in the back of your head that was telling you it’s a kill or be killed world – it definitely kept the blood pumping.
I really enjoyed the way the book was set up – sections dividing up the events and switching point of views and chain of events with every new section. I loved getting a look at multiple situations and characters, and I really wasn’t expecting that. The back blurb introduces us to Cassie Sullivan and Evan Walker, and you assume they will be our focus characters, especially when Cassie starts the book off. You start to think the story is Cassie’s alone, when it’s so much more than that. Cassie’s fight for survival is only part of the story, with her almost standing alone against a force so powerful you question her right mind for thinking she has a chance against an entire alien race. But despite that, you can’t help admiring her strength and determination, her struggle to trust without losing hope in the world. I adored her history and loss and the emotion she brought to the table.
But it’s not a single person against the world. Military base camps are being set up, training children to identify and eliminate the enemy. When the world crumbles around you, I’m not sure giving seven year olds guns is the way to go; but it certainly sends a powerful message. I loved the strict training and intense indoctrination at these military camps. The lifestyle, harsh mental stress and reimagining of these teens and kids – preparing them for an existence of killing humans or human look-a-likes is just so confronting. I’ve deliberately not mentioned characters here because it would absolutely ruin the shocking twists that pop up – you have to read it for yourself!
The one person who does deserve a mention though, is Evan Walker. I may be slightly obsessed with this book boy. Evan was a puzzling mystery, one that I thought I’d worked out early, but you come to realise you’ll never completely know Evan. In a world where death is almost literally around every corner, it’s hard to remain innocent and untouched – and Evan’s no exception – but he was one of the sweetest characters I’ve come across lately. His fiercely protective nature when it came to Cassie, the touching way he sat and washed her hair, and the almost reckless offer to go on dangerous missions and jump into situations to keep her out of danger made me melt. But what I loved most was how he never once tried to control Cassie. He offered, pleaded and suggested for her to stay away from trouble, but he let her make up her own mind and stood by her every step of the way.
I delayed reading the end of the book because I knew there was going to be a gigantic wait for the sequel. But this is the sort of book you can’t put down. A rescue, a fight and minimal chance of survival...and then the final pages hit with questions pouring out of your mind and no hope of answers for months to come! It’s going to be a very long wait.
An incredible start to an addictive series. The 5th Wave is a book everyone should get their hands on.
5/5 stars