A review by phillyhufflepunk
The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

Like all alien invasion stories, this is an allegory for colonialism, but for young adult dystopian fans. Fast paced yet reflective. Centered on several teens in the aftermath of a global genocide. It has all the tropes of teen dystopian stories like The Hunger Games and Divergent, but didn't get the same hype.

Not 5 stars because
the colonizing, sort-of love interest disappears before the audience or the main character can focus too much on his casual acceptance of genocide before he meets her. "I went along with it begrudgingly until I fell in love with you" should be examined a bit more, just saying.
 
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