The Fifth Wave
Rick Yancey

Humanity is dying, under attack from an unknown enemy who is killing them in wave after wave of horror and blood. The 1stwave took out electricity; the 2nd wave decimates cities all over the world; the 3rd wave comes in the form of plague and the 4th wave see’s the few who are left running for their lives, unsure of who to trust. Now the world awaits the 5th wave even as the strange mothership looms above the earth waiting, ominous and silent. Cassie finds herself alone in the woods, for all she knows the last human on earth, staying alive out of a determination to keep a promise that may prove to be unkeepable. At her lowest ebb, she meets Evan who has been living quietly since losing everything. Evan is kind, capable and willing to do anything for Cassie but Cassie remains suspicious – sure that whatever the 5th Wave is, she’s better of facing it alone. The 5th Wave is a bit of a triumph in terms of careful construction and gripping storytelling. The waves are described from different viewpoints, the core around which Yancey creates a horrifying world that is skilfully expanded throughout the book. His core plot is incredibly strong but this first book (The 5th Wave is the start of a series) focusses largely on world building with readers only truly discovering the nature of the 5th wave at the books climax. And what a climax it is, full of twists, turns and breath taking action. The 5th Wave is utterly compelling and impossible to put down (I stayed up well into the night in order to read it in one sitting) and should be added to your wish lists straight away.