Book Review: The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

From Goodreads: "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, only 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 Walker 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."

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey 

Series: The Fifth Wave, #1

Genres: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Post Apocalyptic, Dystopia

My rating: 3 out of 5 stars

I can understand the hype, why people say it's the next Hunger Games. I wouldn't go so far as to say that it is, only that I get it. The 5th Wave is a fast-paced post-apocalyptic survival novel with a touch of romance. It's a fun read really, some parts dragged a little bit but other parts kept me at the edge of my seat. I thought Rick Yancey did a good job finding the right voices for his characters. Some did say that Cassie's POV doesn't match that of a typical teen girl's but I didn't really notice until it was pointed out. The romance for me is just OK, not nauseatingly cheesy but just a small amount of cringe. I was rooting for Cassie and Evan but almost lost it when Cassie came face to face with Zombie. What I loved the most is that though right in the middle of an alien invasion, people still seem to care about their own personal hygiene. I have yet to read a post-apocalyptic/dystopian novel that involves characters brushing their teeth, showering and taking a bath. And that's a plus for me because call me crazy but I always obsess about the quality of the characters' breaths, especially when kissing, so thank you Rick Yancey, for being very detailed about that. I just wish he's detailed about other things as well. Because behind the heart-stopping action and suspense is a plot that doesn't make sense to me and if reviews on Goodreads are any indication, then to a lot of people too. But disregarding all those little plot holes, the 5th Wave is rather entertaining.