The Infinite Sea (Richard Yancey)

I want to start off by thanking everyone who takes the time to read my reviews for doing so because we have officially crossed over 2000 page views since starting in March 2014! I really do appreciate each and everyone of you. I look forward to what the future holds for this blog! Now on with the review :)

If you haven’t read the last review, make sure to check that one out first as this is a follow up to that one. As I mentioned in that review, The 5thWave is a trilogy and this book is the sequel. At the time of reading the first book, I didn’t know it was a series and that left me on the wrong foot when starting this one. I didn’t want The 5^th Wave to be a series and I didn’t have intentions of starting another trilogy. But, despite this, I tried to leave those hesitations behind so I wouldn’t affect my opinion of this book. If you haven’t read the first book, I will warn you that a couple lines of this review may be spoilers for that book; I tried my best not to spoil anything, but it’s difficult sometimes! Another warning is that I recently fell into the pit known as "writer's block" so this review is being written far after the reading of the book; therefore, some details are a little hazy. My apologies!

The Infinite Sea is a science fiction novel that continues to follow the lives of the characters you grew to love in the first book. Upon the incredible plan that the characters managed to execute in The 5^th Wave, they must learn to survive once again; however, the stakes are much greater this time around. Having deceived the enemy, the characters now have a large target on their backs: there's no escaping the punishment that awaits such an incredible take-down. After the group makes it to the designated safe house, planned by Evan, they must created a new plan: where do they go if they leave? Should they stay put and wait for everyone to return safely? With the many decisions on the table, the group becomes divided in what is the right course of action. This indecision causes a rift in the group, leaving them vulnerable and prone to be picked off: one by one. 

From what I can remember, the overall plot of the book was pretty well developed and did hold my attention fairly well. The only thing was that I found it to be a little too "typical" for a science fiction/dystopian novel. I really wanted there to be something that side swiped me like getting t-boned by a truck. It lacked a sense of sudden, surprise urgency. For the characters, there was definitely development and you were able to get a deeper understanding of their thoughts and the path that led them to where they are now. 

As mentioned in the first review, there is a third book (The Last Star) set to publish on May 17, 2016. At this moment, I am unsure if I will read and review it or not since it is a long time off: I like to read trilogies close together so that the details and connections are fresh in my mind. Reading the third book would involved having to revisit this novel and The 5th Wave closer to that date and, unfortunately, I don't really feel that this series is a re-read level of book. I will however likely see the movie for The 5th Wave in January 2016 to see how the words transition into images on film.

Overall I would rate The Infinite Sea 4/5 because I found it to be a little more in-depth than the first novel in the series, which left me not putting the book down; however, with that being said, I definitely could still use some more creativity and thought for the plot line itself.  

Until next time,

Happy Reading Fellow Bookworms :)

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The 5th Wave (Rick Yancey)

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving, for those who are celebrating it today! Hope you are enjoying your time and are appreciating everything you have to be thankful for. This book is one I have been meaning to read for a while, after first hearing about it from YouTuber Joey Graceffa. He gave this book high praise and I wasn’t going to pass on this book after hearing about it at that level of enthusiasm. When I first picked up the book, I was not aware that this was set to be apart of a trilogy; I was disappointed when I found out, especially since the third book is not due to release until 2016. But, with that detail set aside, I read the book and I’m excited to share my thoughts.

The 5^th Wave is a futuristic, science fiction novel that follows the stories of several people whose lives become very intertwined as they struggle to survive. The novel is broken into clear cut sections, each following the mind set of another individual trying to survive to the next day; a few of these characters include Cassia, Sam, Ben, and Evan, though there are many other viewpoints you get to experience in addition to those four. The story begins by explaining how the Earth reached “the 5^th wave” and who was behind these destructive waves: aliens who appear to want to exterminate and move in. But, humans, being the stubborn species that we are, won’t go down without a fight, and the characters plan to do just that: fight. Cassia and Sam fight for family, Ben fights for righting past mistakes, and Evan fights for change. Who will come out on top: humans or aliens?

I know what you must be thinking – another science fiction novel? Struggle to survive? – this is just going to be a cookie cutter story of what you’ve reviewed in the past. I too had my reservations about it all as I started, but it has a lot going for it. Though I was worried about the constant switch of perspective, especially since they aren’t clearly labelled as to which character you have entered the mind of, it only slightly distracted from the plot. Each character brings a unique viewpoint of the problem at hand and a unique way of dealing with the pressures of an extraterrestrial attack. Cassia is the sister you would want rooting for you: she is strong and does not flinch when faced with a challenge. Sam is the brother you would want to protect until he’s an adult, though he has grown up so quickly that he is just fine on his own. Ben is the “boy next door” type that you would label as a hard-core guy, but discover he may actually be sensitive behind all the walls. Evan is the mysterious boy that is dangerous and raises some red flags, but also melts you inside so you hold on tight. I really enjoyed the diversity of the characters, especially since they blended together so well.

The plot of the story is slightly cookie cutter “aliens attack Earth”, and I did find myself predicting some of the events that popped up along the way; however, I was very immersed in the novel and struggled to pace my reading. There are a few moments in the story that take you by surprise or leave you yelling at the pages, hoping to get through to the character with your outside perspective. I would have preferred the story be written from only two or three perspectives instead of the upwards of six you go through, but I do understand the author’s reasoning behind doing so. Though the stories of the characters are intertwined, they take place in their own time and space; trying to tie them together without separate perspectives would be difficult.

As mentioned at the beginning, this is the first book in a series of three novels. The second book is entitled The Infinite Sea and the third book is entitled The Last Star, due to publish on May 17, 2016. The first book is also coming out as a movie, premiering in January 2016!

 

Overall I would rate The 5^th Wave 3.5/5 because the multiple perspectives left lags between sections, since it took me a few paragraphs to grasp which character I was following. Also, the lower rating is due to the slight cookie cutter plotline; I would have enjoyed some more creativity, especially with the four waves leading up to the 5^th wave.

Until next time,
Happy Reading Fellow Bookworms :)

Leave a comment with your thoughts on this story or with a suggestion of another book I should read & review!

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