The Infinite Sea by Rick Yancey

Title: The Infinite Sea
Author: Rick Yancey
ISBN: 9780399162428
Publisher: G.P Putnam's Sons
Released: September 16, 2014
Series: 5th Wave #2
Page #: 300
Source: My public library

Summary:
"How do you rid the earth of seven billion humans?
Rid the humans of their humanity.

Cassie Sullivan and her companions lived through the Others' four waves of destruction. Now, with the human race nearly exterminated and the 5th Wave rolling across the landscape, they face a choice: brace for winter and hope for Evan Walker's return, or set out in search of other survivors before the enemy closes in. Because the next attack is more than possible - it's inevitable.

No one can anticipate the depths to which the Others will sink, nor the heights to which humanity will rise, in the ultimate battle between life and death, hope and despair, love and hate."
_______________________________________________
First Lines:

"The world is a clock winding down.
I hear it in the wind's icy fingers scratching against the window. I smell it in the mildewed carpeting and the rotting wallpaper of the old hotel. And I feel it in Teacup's chest as she sleeps."
Page 1
_______________________________________________
Review:

The 5th Wave books certainly pack a punch. A well-thought-out, jarring, sense of despair punch. Also, if you haven't read the first book, then this will certainly have spoilers. If you haven't read it, then I'm not sure what you're doing with your life. So get on it!!

Cassie has finally fulfilled one promise, but she's made another. And now that she has more people to look out for, things have become even more complicated. There are new threats and enemies that they could have never imagined. Part of their group gets split up and now they aren't even sure who is alive. It's time to make a plan, but every possible road has a horrifying outcome. Things are looking dire with not much chance of survival.

I was absolutely in love with the first book in this series. The entire concept of an alien race coming and slowly chipping away at the human population was sincerely frightening. I mean, that seems like something that could actually happen - and in the most terrifying way. So I was in... hook, line, and sinker. It initially had me confused with some of the varying points of view, but that didn't keep me from falling for that book hard.

The second book here is just as action-packed, just as terrifying, just as intense. It's one of those books that I found myself reading too fast because I wanted to find out what was going to happen. There were several times I had to stop and say, "wait, WHAT?!" I definitely spent some time backtracking to verify things that I couldn't remember. Like... "When did she get a gun back?" or "Did that guy get shot? When?!" and "Who did that? I thought it was... oooohhhh." I don't think it had anything to do with the way the book was written - but entirely in my reading skills. I was just reading too quickly and that sort of shot me in the foot here (get it? shot in the foot... like, there are tons of people getting shot ... Whatever.)

There were a few times that I felt sort of dumb reading this book - not just because of the constant flipping back and forth. There were terms used that I couldn't define and that I couldn't even get with the context clues. I mean, that's a good thing... having to look up words and learning things. But in my hurry to read this book, I kind of felt like an idiot. Basically it made me think this author is brilliant and is down for challenging his readers.

Honestly, this is the perfect second book. No sophomore slump here! I was just trolling the internet about this series and came across the movie news... which I can only imagine could be amazing! You know I'll be first in line to see that! Yeah, I know it's slated for 2016, but I girl can dream! These books really read like an action movie, so I can't wait to see what they do on the big screen.

I have come to the conclusion that this series has no actual main character. There are about four or five of them. This book has more skipping around, but there's a huge part that takes place without Cassie - who I would have considered the main character before this. It's kind of a cool way to tell a story because there are so many varying storylines happening, but it does sometimes get confusing. There's one sort of revelation from Ringer toward the end that I'm still trying to wrap my head around... and if it's true! I'm still shaking my head in admiration.

I've obviously read the first two books too quickly. It looks like the third one doesn't come out for like a year. But I'm still going to recommend them to literally everyone. I have labeled these as sci-fi, but I think it's a great crossover series. People who have been into that whole dystopian thing will probably drool all over these books. I'm sure most people have already read them, but I cannot WAIT to put them in the hands of a few people. Bravo, Mr. Yancey. Anxiously awaiting #3!
_______________________________________________
Other Blog Reviews:

Parajunkee
Alice Marvels
Thoughts By J
The Daily Quirk
Christy's Love of Books
Cover Too Cover
hell is cold
Stories for Coffee
Spellbound By Books
sdavreads

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

Title: The 5th Wave
Author: Rick Yancey
ISBN: 9780399162411
Publisher: Penguin Young Readers
Released: May 07, 2014
Series: Fifth Wave #1
Page #: 457
Source: My public library

Summary:
"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, just 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 may be Cassie's only hope for rescuing her brother - or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between life and death. To give up or to get up."
_______________________________________________
First Lines:

"Aliens are stupid.
I'm not talking about real aliens. The Others aren't stupid. The Others are so far ahead of us, it's like comparing the dumbest human to the smartest dog. No contest."
Page 1
_______________________________________________
Review:

Why it took me so long to get around to this book, I have no idea. I even had an advanced copy that I sat on for too long. I imagine it had something to do with how much publisher pop there was about it - sometimes that's off-putting. But luckily this book was wonderful!! And I wish I had read it earlier.

So, Cassie is living in a world without anything. Literally. No people. Very little stuff. The only objectives are to not die and find her brother. It's a pretty grim existence - especially when she knows that the Others are always looking for her. When she's shot by one of them, the whole game changes. She still has to fulfill her promise to find her little brother, but it seems almost impossible... except that now she has an ally. A reluctant ally, but an ally nonetheless.

I've been gushing about this book to everyone since I finished it yesterday. Like, I think people are sick of me talking about it. It's been a while since I've read a book that I'm this excited about. I'm just really glad I was required to read this book for work - otherwise I may have totally missed out! Or, you know, just waited way too long (as though now isn't too long).

Also, I have been wracking my brain to remember the last time I read an alien book. If ever. I mean, I'm sure I have, but I guess this felt like it was a whole new thing for me. Obviously not new... but thinking about the different ways that an extraterrestrial species could make the human race extinct... well, it was fascinating. And all so valid! It makes me want to buy a farm out in the middle of nowhere in a place that's easily defensible.

Sometimes multiple characters makes me irritated, but the way this book dealt with that was perfect. All of the characters are in vastly different situations and there is a clear line when you've crossed into someone else's storyline. I was a little confused after the first one - didn't realize I was hearing someone else's story, but it smoothed out really quickly. Plus, I love that it's not set characters that you hear from every other chapter. Each switch in character uncovers something new, something unexpected. It's really fabulous.

I'm not going to tell you what happens in the end, but I love books that end this way. The whole thing felt like I was watching a video game unfold. That's the same sort of ending that I've absolutely loved in other books and this one does it well. It may be that I loved it more because I didn't realize that we were building into something that major. It seems like almost a quiet book up until you realize what has been going on... and then people start fighting back! It's awesome. Really.

I did have a couple of questions as I read through the book - like... how is it that everyone is calling things the same terminology when they have no way to communicate it? How did everyone decide how many waves they have really had? I mean, some may not have experienced the Silencers... so they're still on the 3rd Wave, right? I'm hoping the 2nd book addresses some of this. And why middle America can see the space ship in the sky... what if you're in Australia? Is there a different ship? Is it far enough away that everyone can see it (not possible with the other side of the world...). So I guess there were a few things that left me wanting more explanation.

The next book in this series comes out next month and you better believe that I'll be getting it. Stat. I have already (and will continue to so) recommended this book to all of my YA readers around me. I'm really interested to see what they think about it. While it's an alien invasion book overall, I think it carries so many different themes that anyone can get into it. At least, in my opinion. :)
_______________________________________________
Other Blog Reviews:

The Book Smugglers
Jenna Does Books
Ermilia
Roof Beam Reader
Dear Author
Book Whales
Living the Geek Life
YA Books Central
Screwed on Straight
Unbound Books

The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

Title: The Immortal Rules
Author: Julie Kagawa
ISBN: 9780373210510
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Released: April 24, 2012
Page #: 485
Series: Blood of Eden #1
Source: My public library

Summary:
"Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a vampire city. By day, she and her crew scavenge for food. By night, any one of them could be eaten.

Some days, all that drives Allie is her hatred of them. The vampires who keep humans as blood cattle. Until the night Allie herself is attacked - and given the ultimate choice. Die... or become one of the monsters.

Faced with her own mortality, Allie becomes what she despises most. To survive, she must learn the rules of being immortal; including the most important: go long enough without human blood, and you will go mad.

Then Allie is forced the flee into the unknown, outside her city walls. There she joins a ragged band of humans who are seeking a legend - a possible cure to the disease that killed off most of humankind and created the rabids, the mindless creatures who threaten humand and vampires alike.

But it isn't easy to pass for human. Especially not around Zeke, who might see past the monster inside her. And Allie soon must decide what - and who - is worth dying for."
_______________________________________________
First Lines:

"They hung the Unregistereds in the old warehouse district; it was a public execution, so everyone went to see.
I stood at the back, a nameless face in the crowd, too close to the gallows for comfort but unable to look away. There were three of them this time, two boys and a girl."
Page 9
_______________________________________________
Review:

What do you get when you mix dystopian with vampire and a dash of paranormal romance? This book! I love it when genres collide.

Allison is a street rat. A scavenger. An Unregistered. She fights for her life every day. That is... until she gets caught in a situation she can't get out of. Once she's turned into a vampire, she learns all she can and then goes on the run. She meets up with an interesting group of people on the road - and meets Zeke. From there, drama ensues - especially because she cannot tell them what she is.

I love that Allison kicks so much ass. She is the only girl in her small scavenging clan... and then she fights for her life among crazed vampires. Then she takes to a sword like it was built for her - and she seems basically fearless. I really appreciated that she was able to make the hard decisions throughout the book. Particularly in the end... though it left me saying, "Nooooo!" :)

I've said this before, but to reiterate - I understand that the author has nothing to do with the cover. But it sort of bothered me that the face on the cover doesn't match the descriptions ofo Allison - namely, Asian. That's not to say it's a terrible cover - in fact, it's super creepy. And I truly put this book facedown and the spine turned away any time I wasn't reading. The face creeped me out too much.

Okay, so one word... Zeke. What a guy! He's painted as a total religious nthusiast - and a leader among the band of travlers as the adopted son of the preacher, Jeb. And his reaction to Allison swings a dangerous amount throughout the story. I'll just say that I was rooting for him as soon as he showed up in the book.

I feel like I need to thank this author for bringing back bad vampires. The whole tortured soul thing has gone too far and I love seeing them back in this light... or darkness :). They're demons and they don't apologize for that. While Allison holds on to a lot of her humanity, but she has to fight with herself to get there. Quite honestly, it's refreshing.

Those of you wishing for a creepy, wonderful vampire story will love this book. And it has that kick of romance to keep it smooth sailing. I loved (and still love) the Iron Fey series by Kagawa. And this book has proven that I will always read anything she publishes. Such a talented author and she's got another winner here. I look forward to the next one in the Blood of Eden series... next year... sigh. :)
_______________________________________________
Other Blog Reviews:

Candace's Book Blog
Endlessly Bookish
Once Upon a Time
YA Booklover Blog
Alison's Book Marks
Nice Girls Read Books
The Sweet Bookshelf
I Want to Read That
Debbie's World of Books

Fever by Lauren DeStefano

Title: Fever

Author: Lauren DeStefano

ISBN: 9781442409071

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Released: February 21, 2012

Page #: 341

Source: My Public Library

Summary:

"Rhine and Gabriel have escaped the mansion. But danger is never far behind.

Running away brings Rhine and Gabriel right into a trip, in the form of a twisted carnival whose ringmistress keeps watch over a menagerie of girls. Just as Rhine uncovers what plans await her, her fortune turns again. With Gabriel at her side, Rhine travels through an environment as grim as the one she left a year ago - surroundings that mirror her own feelings of fear and hopelessness.

The two are determined to get to Manhattan, to relative safety with Rhine's twin brother, Rowan. But the road there is long and perilous - and in a world where young women only live to age twenty and young men die at twenty-five, time is precious. Worse still, they can't seem to elude Rhine's father-in-law, Vaughn, who is determined to bring Rhine back to the mansion... by any means necessary.

In this sequel to Lauren DeStefano's harrowing Wither, Rhine must decide if freedom is worth the price - now that she has more to lose than ever."
________________________________________________

First Lines:

"We run, with water in our shoes and the smell of the ocean clinging to our frozen skin.

I laugh, and Gabriel looks at me like I'm crazy, and we're both out of breath, but I'm able to say, 'We made it,' over the sound of distant sirens."

Page 1

________________________________________________

Review:

If you haven't read the first book - Wither - yet, I very much suggest you do so. I loved that book and was super pumped for this second one. I wasn't sure what to expect, but there's a lot going on in this story.

So, Gabriel and Rhine escaped. But not for long - they end up in the hands of a crazy woman who pretty much runs a brothel in a carnival setting. It's crazy-sauce. Then they're on the run again - trying to get to New York to find Rhine's brother. Of course, they find opposition again and get dragged into very strange circumstances. And THEN... the world falls apart. Well, Rhine's world, at least. I'll leave that vague for ya :).

If the first book shows you what life was like for a sister wife of a rich man and his son, then this book is all about the world outside. How things are dealt with. The perils young women face. The stark reality that there is no safe place. I was a little surprised that it's so different from our world, yet things like mass transit still are in place. I guess that means there are still enough people to continue the cycle of life. Because the first book is so sheltered, I pictured the world a bit more bleak. More... dead. I was wrong, obviously.

One thing that I had a hard time getting through in this book is the amount of it spent in a medicated or sickly haze. There's a lot of it. There's drugs that they take themselves - or are forced on them... and then there's the sickness that leaves reality a bit more colorful. I found it hard to read through these parts - mostly because there was a ton of hallucinating. I understand that it works with the ailments... it just made things hard to read for me. Of course, on the other hand, it gives you even more insight to how things are perceived by our main characters. It occurs to me that the book is aptly named.

While there are crazy things that happen at every turn, I'm not sure any of them are overly surprising. Well, except the very last page. That gave me a shock and hope for the next book. Everything else is almost expected. I have read a couple of reviews that said this same thing. Shocking stuff, but not unexpected. I had a few times that I thought, "Well, of course he did." And, "What did you think would happen?" I liked a few of the characters that were added into this book - Silas and Claire, specifically. I hope to see them in the next leg of the story.

Now, while there are a few things that I had issue with - I still really enjoyed this story. There's lots of action, insane situations, and hope for the future. So I really can't complain. I know that the third book will really pull it all together. I can't wait for that... whenever that might be. If you liked the first book, I absolutely suggest you read this one. And then tap your toes with me for the third. :). I just know it will be amazing.

________________________________________________

Other Blog Reviews:

I'm Loving Books Blog

District YA

The Bawdy Book Blog

Jess Hearts Books

Candace's Book Blog

Justin's Book Blog

Bart's Bookshelf

The Y.A. Reader

Mermaid Vision Books

Article 5 by Kristen Simmons

Title: Article 5
Author: Kristen Simmons
ISBN: 9780765329585
Publisher: Tor Teen
Released: January 31, 2012
Page #: 362
Source: My public library

Summary:
"New York, Loss Angeles, and Washington, D.C. have been abandoned.

The Bill of Rights has been revoked and replacd with the Moral Statutes.

There are no more police - instead, there are soldiers. There are no more fines for bad behavior - instead, there are arrests, trials, and maybe worse. People who get arrested don't usually come back.

Seventeen-year-old Ember Miller is old enough to remember things that weren't always this way. Living with her rebellious single mother, it's hard to forget that people weren't always arrested for reading the wrong books or staying out after dark. It's hard to forget that life in the United States used to be different.

In the three years since the war ended, Ember has perfected the art of keeping a low profile. She knows how to get the things she needs, like food stamps and hand-me-down clothes, and how to pass the random home inspections by the military. Her life is as close to peaceful as circumstances allow.

That is, until her mother is arrested for noncompliance with Article 5 of the Moral Statutes. And what's worse, one of the arresting officers is none other than Chase Jennings... the only boy Ember has ever loved."
_______________________________________
First Lines:

"Beth and Ryan were holding hands. It was enough to risk a formal citation for indecency, and they knew better, but I didn't say anything. Curfew rounds wouldn't begin for another two hours, and freedom was stolen in moments like these."
Page 9
_______________________________________
Review:

I absolutely loved this book. It had all of my favorite elements of an amazing post-apocalyptic story. I'll get to that in a minute... I will try not to gush. This was one of those books where I found myself skipping ahead to find out what happens and getting to wrapped up to go back... but I made myself.

After a huge war, the government effectively goes into lockdown. They start enforcing more and more strict rules. Eventually, the rules get so intense that it's hard for almost anyone to comply with them. Ember and her mother get picked up for something they can't change and are separated. And Ember desperately tries to get away. She's also concerned about Chase - her one and only love - who is now a soldier and seems to have lost all parts of himself to the cause.

My description doesn't really do this book justice. It's a story of family first. And love. And unity with other people in your situation. And Ember knows she has to find her mom to save her from whatever fate she is facing. The government is known for killing people for the smallest offense. They all fear for their lives and what could happen to them.

Ember is awesome. She fights from the second she is picked up by the soldiers. She fights to get out of her situation. She fights to understand how and why things are happening. And she fights to reunite her family make sense of how the world works. There's also the romance aspect - but not like any other type of romance. Well, it's just much more complicated than any other romance... ever :). I was so excited to see what happened with them... sigh. I'm hopeless that way.

I'm trying really hard to not give anything away about this book. There are things that happen in the end that totally change the entire tone of the story. But those changes (and many other things) are what make this book so intense!

You know, I just realized that there wasn't much explanation about the war before this story happened. There's mention of bombing and such, but I don't remember much else. Of course, I was reading pretty quickly... but I don't remember anything about it. Though, it doesn't affect the story much - except that it happens. Anyway...

I've already recommending this book to a few other people... therefore, I'm definitely going to pass this along. Anyone who loves post-apocalyptic stories will really love this one, I think. It's definitely worth your time. I'm really hoping there is going to be another book that continues the story, but I haven't heard about any. But I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
_______________________________________
Other Blog Reviews:

Helen's Book Blog
Geek Girl's Book Blog
Proud Book Nerd
The Reader Bee
Addicted 2 Novels
Ruby's Reads
Paranormal Indulgence
Starting the Next Chapter

The Eleventh Plague by Jeff Hirsch

Title: The Eleventh Plague
Author: Jeff Hirsch
ISBN: 9780545290142
Publisher: Scholastic
Released: September 1, 2011
Page #: 304
Source: Overdrive Audio through my library

Summary:
"In the aftermath of a war, America’s landscape has been ravaged and two-thirds of the population left dead from a vicious strain of influenza. Fifteen-year-old Stephen Quinn and his family were among the few that survived and became salvagers, roaming the country in search of material to trade. But when Stephen’s grandfather dies and his father falls into a coma after an accident, Stephen finds his way to Settler’s Landing, a community that seems too good to be true. Then Stephen meets strong, defiant, mischievous Jenny, who refuses to accept things as they are. And when they play a prank that goes horribly wrong, chaos erupts, and they find themselves in the midst of a battle that will change Settler’s Landing--and their lives--forever."
_______________________________________
First Lines:

"I was sitting at the edge of clearing, trying not to stare at the body on the ground in front of me. Dad had said we'd be done before dark, but it had been hours since the sun had gone down and he was still only waist deep in the hole, throwing shovelfuls of dirt over his shoulder."
Page 1
_______________________________________
Review:

The whole premise of this story really freaked me out. Can you imagine a virus spreading so fast and killing so many people? Well, maybe it's freaky because it seems like it could really happen.

This starts out as the story of a family - how they have survived. They roam around looking for salvage to trade for goods. But after they try to take on some slave traders, Stephen's father takes a huge fall while they're on the run. He is in a coma and without regular medicine, there's nothing that can be done. But Stephen is found by some men who are a part of a community. They take Stephen and his dad back with them to try to help. It's in this settlement that Stephen really learns about community.

Can you imagine living all of your life in a world where fear and violence reign so supreme? Stephen practically doesn't know of anything else. It's really a story about people learning to live with the aftermath of destruction. And you can see all walks of life - the survivors, the thieves, the cheaters, those in denial, and those who are profiting. It's kind of amazing to think about which category you might fall into.

The whole Chinese-started-it thing was really interesting to me as well. While I'm sure having another superpower country do this makes it seem fairly realistic, it adds a context I hadn't expected. There's a little talk of race and country origin because of one of the characters. People become scared of her because they think she's from China. And I'm very glad that she found a prominent place in this story. It helps give a little depth to it.

I think the point at which the story really started to take shape for me was when Stephen started to realize how things were handled in Settlers Landing. There are things that start to make sense - things that fall into place. You realize that not everything is as idyllic as it seems. But it's still about people believing in each other and trusting each other. One of the big themes seems to be about trust. I liked that added component.

I think anyone who has gotten into the post-apocalyptic stories lately will enjoy this one. It's got a very interesting premise and it really gave me something to think about. I know others will enjoy this one as well. It's not one to be taken in lighthearted-ly.... it's an intense story and it will go over well, I think. Add it to the ranks of good teen fiction :).

Full disclosure: I listened to this book through my library's OverDrive service.
_______________________________________
Other Blog Reviews:

Emily's Reading Room
The Book Smugglers
Jenn's Bookshelves
The Guilded Earlobe
The Salted Peanut
The Diary of a Bookworm
A Backward Story