The Fifth Wave

The Fifth Wave
by Rick Yancey

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. (Description from Amazon.com)

An excellent read. This book feels real. Cassie has to deal with being alone, trying to decide if anyone can be trusted. When she realizes thatanyone could be one of them... how can she trust anyone ever again? Then Cassie meets someone that she desperately wants to trust...

Her devotion to finding and saving her brother is admirable and heartbreaking. Seeing in the alternating chapters what is happening inside the camp he's been taken to... I found myself wanting to yell through the book to the characters letting them know what was going on with each other. Though I could see where things were going most of the time, Yancey's writing still kept me on the edge of my seat.

For older readers looking for a thrilling, can't put it down type of science fiction read.

Full disclosure: Borrowed from my Library

Waiting on Wednesday: The Winner's Curse

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme created and hosted by Breaking the Spine and highlights books that bloggers are all itching to get in their greedy little hands. LOL.

My choice for this week is:

The Winner's Curse
by Marie Rutkoski

Publication date: March 14, 2014

Description (from Goodreads):
Seventeen-year-old Kestrel is an aristocratic citizen of Valoria, a vast empire that revels in war and enslaves those it conquers. Here, a girl like Kestrel has two choices: join the military or get married. Despite her skills in military strategy, Kestrel’s real passion is music.Which is why she feels compelled to buy Arin, a slave with a talent for singing, at auction. It’s not long before she finds herself falling in love with Arin, and he seems to feel the same for her. But Kestrel quickly learns that the price she paid for Arin is much higher than she ever could have imagined.

Set in a new world, The Winner’s Curse is a story of wicked rumors, dirty secrets, and games where everything is at stake, and the gamble is whether you will keep your head or lose your heart.

Personal Effects

Personal Effects

by E.M. Kokie

 

Ever since his brother, T.J., was killed in Iraq, Matt feels like he’s been sleepwalking through life — failing classes, getting into fights, and avoiding his dad’s lectures about following in his brother’s footsteps. T.J.’s gone, but Matt can’t shake the feeling that if only he could get his hands on his brother’s stuff from Iraq, he’d be able to make sense of his death. But as Matt searches for answers about T.J.’s death, he faces a shocking revelation about T.J.’s life that suggests he may not have known T.J. as well as he thought. What he learns challenges him to stand up to his father, honor his brother’s memory, and take charge of his own life. (Description from Amazon.com)

 

Wow. This debut novel blew me away.  Before I tell you why, let me note that this book is getting what will probably be my last gold star for the year!

 

 

This book was touching. This book was funny.  This book was...it was everything.  I ran the gamut of emotions right alongside Matt as he discovered who his brother actually was...and who that makes him. 

 

This book touches on some heavy topics.  Grief, homosexuality, abuse, love, and it does it all while still feeling natural.  Matt is a fully realized character surrounded by people that have interesting facets, as well.  The way that even characters who are no longer in the story manage to become fleshed out as the tale progresses...that takes talented writing and storybuilding. 

 

My heart broke for this character and then rejoiced as he was reborn into a stronger, more complete person.  Well done.  Impossible to put down and well worth reading. 

 

Full disclosure: Audio book received to review for SLJ