Review: The Last Star

The Last Star by Rick Yancey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Another game, another test. Ringer escapes Vosch only to willingly return and do his bidding. The Silencers along this new journey are different than Grace or Evan. They're much older. Much less expected. An old cat lady. A priest. A woman in mom jeans. Ben doesn't know who to trust and when he finds Ringer, she must immediately deceive him. She believes that the only way the Squad can survive is if Evan dies.

Halfway through the book and the action heats up. Some characters die and others must make their first kills. Ringer drops a bomb, figuratively, and I have no idea where the storyline is going with it. It's not immediately explained, but it should have been. It just seems like a strange plot point to add. (view spoiler)[ When you read the end, the reason for a pregnancy is apparent - but it still doesn't flow in the story (in my opinion). (hide spoiler)]

Even three books in and I'm still constantly second guessing my conclusions. What is actually happening? Who or what is the villain? How will it all end? Beautiful and devastating. After all of the terror and death, the conclusion of the book was satisfying. Of course, there was no "and they lived happily ever after" but some of humanity survived and that's important. The lives and their stories matter.

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Review: The Infinite Sea

The Infinite Sea by Rick Yancey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Ringer was a mystery in the first novel, so it was nice to switch to her perspective at times in the second. The portion of the story that took place at the motel was a little slow. It seemed to just give the characters something meaningful to do while they waited for Evan to join them and once he did, something to continue doing while Ringer went through her ordeals.

Ringer's plot-line was fascinating and emotional. Her character was developed and we were given a glimpse into her psyche. She is subjected to alterations that nearly killed her, but that's not enough torment and her mental well-being is pushed as well. (view spoiler)[ But the whole thing is a test and the truth of the invasion is revealed to Ringer. (hide spoiler)] I want to like and trust Razor throughout this book, but its difficult to figure him out. Thankfully in the end, he helps Ringer even if it causes more heartbreak in this story.

I am so glad that we were given a closer look at Poundcake. As one of the secondary characters, we knew next to nothing about him in book one. It was wonderful to get that memory of what happened to his family. It was heartbreaking and made worse by the fact that (view spoiler)[ this grave, beautiful boy ensured the others' survival through his own destruction without finding out the trust. What happened to his baby brother? (hide spoiler)]

Many aren't as impressed with this book and feel that it's more of a bridge, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. The conclusion was incredibly well written and emotional. I was so engrossed in the story that I forgot to take any notes while I was reading. The third book is highly anticipated and I will read it immediately.

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Review: The 5th Wave

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What do you do when the Others come? You can't trust your senses, you can't trust anyone. Your only goal is to survive and maybe keep some of your humanity intact. When you can't trust anything or anyone - do you shoot first or take the chance when that hesitation will probably mean your life?

When the first wave comes, all technology is gone in a moment. An EMP takes everything out. The second wave caused massive tsunamis and destroyed the coasts of the world. The third wave infected and killed 97% of the remaining population in brutal fashion. The fourth wave destroyed all trust in humanity and introduced the constant threat of drones. The wave that makes you question every action... and the fifth wave... is us.

Cassie must survive in this strange world with no mother, father or brother to care for anymore - fighting and living because if she is the last human on Earth she refuses to go out with a whimper. She will fight until she can fight no longer. But she is not the only body left, even if she may be the only one with her own mind left. It is possible that one in every three people left is an Other. A Silencer. An Imposter. Has your mind and body been hacked? Do they look like us or can they make themselves look like us? Or maybe they've been here all along. Waiting. That's when you can't trust your eyes. You may be looking at an Other and not even realize it.

We next meet Ben, who must rediscover his fighting spirit if he wants to survive and survive he must. After not succumbing to the virus that infected him, he cannot give up. Taught to fight and given a new name, he must battle for his place.

Part III shows us a new perspective, an Other awakened in a human body and given a mission. To kill. To finish the human race, one by one. He has been tracking Cassie for a while and takes aim. Shoots. Traps her, but for some reason cannot bring himself to finish her.

Hunted. Shot. Then saved? Cassie wakes up being tended to by Evan on the family farm. He is the only one left of his family. Evan helps to nurse her back to health, bakes bread, carves walking sticks and wants to help her rescue her brother Sammy. What can't this farm boy do? And why does this make us so suspicious? Even Cassie can't quite bring herself to trust him. There are just little things that seem off, like a life-long farm boy with smooth hands and perfect cuticles. No callouses to be found. There's a small nagging feeling in her mind that asks- what if he's an Other?

The characters are well written and believable. You feel for them. Root for their successes and hurt when they fail. You wish for their survival despite the current chaos and destruction of the world. The world is familiar and yet fundamentally altered by the Others.

The book draws you in from the start and you puzzle over people and motives. Who will survive and if the human race survives this destruction, how will this ordeal fundamentally change the survivors? I am constantly questioning my conclusions and re-evaluating what I believe i happening. A great book is able to reveal just enough that the entire plot is not given away by page ten. This post-apocalyptic, alien-invasion novel is highly recommended, especially if you plan to watch the movie. I cannot wait to read the next book, Infinite Sea!

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