The 5th Wave (The 5th Wave #1) by Rick Yancey

"A dark, gritty, unflinching look at how the world descends into chaos when Aliens finally invade. Yancey pulls no punches and there were times that this book was so intense that I had to remind myself that it was fiction. It was a tough read but a powerful one, one that has stayed with me for a long time."

5 Stars

Pros: Though she has her moments of naivete, for the most part, Cassie is a relatable, strong protagonist and her loyalty and love are endless, the same with Ben Parish/Ringer is a mystery that I hope will be solved. 

Cons: This book is extremely dark and violent at times, so brace yourself. It's not a con precisely but it gets deep and depressing at times. 

Full Review:

It's finally happened. 

Aliens have invaded the Earth. 

But it wasn't with ray guns, or Death Stars or blowing up the White House, "Independence Day" style. Instead, the mother ship slips into our orbit, hovering above the Earth like a green, lidless eye and for ten days, nothing happens. Life goes on, though everyone's frightened and confused as to why this strange ship hasn't tried to make contact. 

And then the first wave happens. An EMP (electromagnetic pulse) that's powerful enough to knock the people of  Earth back into the dark ages. The second wave are strategic missiles launched at key points that causes massive tsunamis. The coasts are veritably wiped out. And then, the third wave, the Red Death, is a plague that is highly infectious and basically, a death sentence. 

Of course, there are a few who survive and Cassiopeia (Cassie) Sullivan, her little brother Sammy and her Father are three of them. They find their way to a refugee camp and when the military show up, they think they're rescued. Unfortunately, they couldn't be more wrong. 

We also learn the story of Ben Parish, a classmate of Cassie's. When we first meet him, he's dying of the Red Death but soon, the military show up and rescue him. He's brought to a base at Wright-Patterson and the man in charge, Vosch, says that he will be the one to remake Ben from the weak, scared child that he is, to a strong, fighting man ready to help him lead the resistance against the Aliens.  

And that's what Vosch does. He's gathering children and teenagers and training them to be the last fighters, the last resistance. Of course, things are never as simple as they seem and it's not until much later that Ben and the others under his command understand what's going on. Cassie and Ben's storylines end up intertwining, of course, leading to an action packed, tense and open ended conclusion. 

Yancey handles it all with a quick, readable prose and he does not pull any punches. He writes about the end of the world in a realistic, gritty, unflinching way and there were times that I had to remind myself that this was fiction because, the way society breaks down is terrifyingly realistic. Though this book is YA, it is not for the faint of heart. It's a fast, intense read but dark and depressing at times, so be warned.