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The 5th Wave
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This was probably 3 stars for me, but I added a star because this was youth fiction that I think could be engaging for our youth. I had a tug of war relationship with the writing. Sometimes I would be saying, "Well done," and then other times I would be thinking, "This isn't working."
The author used many opposites in describing certain things. It is long and short, it is loud and quiet, I didn't want to know and I needed to know, yada yada yada. While I think this can be useful tool, especially when creating a character trait, but it was overused ...... by all the characters.
I loved the multidimensional plot. This could have gone so wrong if it were only about the teen romance. I was grateful there was more depth than just that story line. I liked the author's take on the alien invasion. It was creatively thought out. The author seemed to nail the teen mentality. So overall, I think 4 stars is fair.
I also gave this one 4 stars. In a way, it felt like just another of those YA dystopian novels, but at the same time, it seems like a completely original turn on it. Which is a strange combination, but maybe it was the way the author wrote?In the end, I really enjoyed it. It's a YA novel and I found the depth and writing style quite satisfying compared to other works of the genre. A wonderful dark atmosphere and a nice, but not overpowering romance plot line.
Bookworm526 - I pretty much only read this one by default because I had already read the other two group reads. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't my favorite. I gave it three stars. At first, I was really enjoying it. I liked the way the aliens were being treated - there, present, dangerous, but not actually THERE, not a physical threat, more of a psychological one. But as the story went on it just started to drag and some of the characters started to grate, and I was kind of glad when it was over. I am torn about reading more, as I would like to know what happens but I'm not sure I really want to read it.
I wound up reading this one because I'd read the other two group reads before (in Dickens's case, several times).Eeeehhhhh....plot-wise I like the set-up with the different "waves" of annihilation and how the objective of the 5th "wave" is revealed - it should transfer well to the big screen. Voice-wise, I had a rough time with Cassie. I don't know if I just have problems with first-person POVs right now (I keep finding a lot of over-description, imo) or if it was the reader of the audiobook but I never quite got on board with her as a main character/narrator.
Laurajay- I've been in a bit of a reading slump for the past couple of months and had started a few books but never got into them. I'm glad this book was selected as a group read as I've been wanting to read it for a while and I was pushed toward reading it for the SRC...PLUS it finally broke the reading slump! I gave this 4 stars. I've never read anything like this before (hunger games etc) so I really enjoyed it. I found it quite slow to start and wasn't overly keen on the switching perspectives but I got used to the style and found the book quite interesting. I think I'll read the second in the series as I want to know if a certain character possibly survived...and what happens next.
I gave it 4 stars. The story is not very original but I appreaciated the writing. The fear and anxiety of the main characters felt real. I also appreciated the fact that contrary to other YA novels, the romance is not central to the book. I will certainly read the rest of the series.
I don't know that I will read the rest of the series as I am about apocolypsed out by now, but this was certainly very solidly written and a good representative of the genre. The "who dare I really trust" feelings certainly came through for me.
A four star read for me. I really enjoyed Cassie's voice and found the plot engaging. I've read a ton of YA dystopia, and while some feel dumbed down this one didn't. I've already ordered the next book in the series
Taryn NicoleI started off hating this book. I do not think the author is credible as a 16 year old girl. I found all of Cassie's parts almost unreadable. However, I found the sections in Ben's voice the most interesting, possibly because they helped to drive the plot to the denouement of the 5th wave - and I LOVED this, such a clever idea. Will I read the next instalment? Not when I've still got 400+ books in my TBR. But if I get through all of them and I find it at the library, sure. It's a three star read for me.
Okay. So. Hrm.This took me forever and a day to finish. It was one that, while I was reading, I enjoyed it. But after I set it down I had no real desire to pick it up again.
It felt like the author was basically telling your garden variety post-apocalyptic YA (all tropes present and accounted for) but trying to sound really smart while doing so. Which basically just made Cassie come off like a pompous jerk the entire time. I didn't care for her at all.
Actually I didn't much care for any of them except Teacup. Whatever that says about me.
There's nothing really entirely new here - in fact it feels like the author pulled on every alien invasion and teenage-girl-centric dystopia trope out there - but it was well executed and enjoyable. I'm interested enough to want to read the next book, but not quite enough to move it to the top of my TBR.
Hmmm, just finished the book. For 65% of the book I felt kind of "meh" about it -- but when it started to become clear that who was human and who was an alien was in question for all the characters, not just the obvious ones, I started getting a lot more interested. Unfortunately, I'm still not sure I'll bother with book 2 - but at least this way I can see the movie! And I agree with Cait above - I loved Teacup! :)
I agree with Katy, I found the book more engaging when I started to wonder if I was right about Evan being an alien, and going back and forth on that theory. I often find in books with multiple narrators that I am looking forward to one voice more or less than the others, although I went back and forth on who I liked and didn't in this book. It's not super original but I was entertained, and I'll probably pick up the next book when I get a chance just because I hate leaving a series unfinished...
I listened to this one on audio and I enjoyed it. I've read a lot of dystopian YA as a former high school librarian, and at first it didn't thrill me. I found the voice of the narrator a little annoying and the story fairly similar to many others I'd read. By the end, though, I got pulled into the story and, as Katy said, I thought the fact that the aliens were not different in looks from the humans to be an interesting factor. I'll probably continue the series at some point and watch the movie once it's available at home.
Veronica WI enjoyed the book, especially the idea of identifying the enemy. It was a bit obvious that Evan was the Silencer but RY made up for it when Cassie figured her enemy was her biggest asset. That made Cassie more realistic. Look forward to the next book.
Karen DJust finished. I had mixed feelings too about the whole thing. I really enjoyed some parts and felt like other parts got really repetitive, like did it really need to be nearly 500 pages?
I was not a fan of Cassie. I felt like she didn't take the threat of aliens really all that seriously, no matter how much bravado she talked. I also felt like she was written as a man would write a teenage girl, and I had a hard time really buying into her character.
The romance part also bothered me. It was never really explained why exactly Evan decided not to kill Cassie. He was tracking her for days when he should have killed her, but what made him to decide to read her diary in the first place (if that is what led him to fall in love with her?)
That said, it was fast moving, and sweet, the way the characters were dedicated to each other. I enjoyed it enough to want to read the next book in the series!
I read this book just before Christmas and am just getting the chance to write a comment. I really have mixed feelings about this book, although I gave it quite a high rating of 4 stars. I found the first three quarters of the book to be very engaging. I loved the descriptions about the first few waves of the alien attack and how people reacted to these attacks. I really enjoyed the discussion around the alien's objectives. I read the book almost compulsively to understand who was in charge of the yellow buses- were they good or bad? Aliens or humans?
What I did not enjoy was the romantic relationship between Cassie and Evan. I felt that it was almost an example of Stockholm syndrome and I didn't want to support it at all. But it is a young adult book and the characters are teenagers (I'm a bit unsure of the alien maturity levels but given that he was stuck inside an adolescent male body, lets just assume testosterone is a factor) and I suppose that it caters to their main audience.
Overall, I enjoyed the book and am looking forward to reading the next book. I wouldn't mind seeing the movie, although I've heard the reviews are not overly positive.
I listened to the audiobook and it was easy to listen to. I liked the use of two narrators. The story started ok but somewhere I lost interest. I didn't really care about Cassie.
Elizabeth PI have mixed feelings about this book as well. I ended up giving it three stars. I really liked the premise and the concept of strategized attacks slowly taking out the human race, as weird as that may sound. But the follow through wasn't what I expected and I didn't enjoy it as much as I hoped to. I had some trouble following along with what was happening, especially in the last half of the book, and I think some of the action sequences and their consequences didn't mean as much to me because of that.
Overall, I felt pretty "meh" about this book, but am still intrigued enough to read the second one, if only because I hate not knowing what happens.
Like others, I'm in two mindsI liked the slow unveil of the different waves of the invasion, and the changing view point but I'd rather've had more of Evan, with a build up of the creepy tracking her before the reveal, which would've helped the believability of him falling for her.
I didn't like the sudden rush at the end, which felt a bit like he realised he could spin the story out over three books rather than effectively edit it into one.
Will I watch the film? not to pay for it.
Will I read the others? not in a hurry
The requirement for task 20.10: You must participate in the book's discussion thread below with at least one post about the contents of the book or your reaction to the book after you have read the book.