The Infinite Sea by Rick Yancey

Series: The 5^th Wave (bk. 2)

Genera(s): Dystopian Sci-fi

Subjects: post-apocalyptic, aliens, survival,

Setting: Ohio, during winter

POV/Tense: 1st person POV present and past tense, rotating by part between Ringer & Cassie, and 3^rd person of Evan and Poundcake.

Age/Grade Level: Teen

Length: 300 pgs.

HC/PB: Hardcover

List Price: $18.99

Publisher: Penguin: Putnam

Summary/ product description: “How do you rid the Earth of seven billion humans? Rid the humans of their humanity.

Surviving the first four waves was nearly impossible. Now Cassie Sullivan finds herself in a new world, a world in which the fundamental trust that binds us together is gone. As the 5th Wave rolls across the landscape, Cassie, Ben, and Ringer are forced to confront the Others’ ultimate goal: the extermination of the human race.

Cassie and her friends haven’t seen the depths to which the Others will sink, nor have the Others seen the heights to which humanity will rise, in the ultimate battle between life and death, hope and despair, love and hate.”

My Review:  This series is very interesting, and I enjoy it, but I’m very annoyed with one thing: the way the perspectives change. I wish the chapters didn’t run together and spread out the perspectives into the parts. They should have alternated with the name of the character at the top of the chapter I didn’t know Ringer was the character narrating until I was a few pages in. Having the POV’s separated in chunks is not the best way to break up a story. I feel like the book is missing something. It feels incomplete. There was no cliffhanger, but there’s not much plot besides making escape plans and such.

Ringer is an interesting character though. Both her and Cassie are very different from each other. They are both are determined and strong willed. Cassie finds humor in the darkest of times, while Ringer is more serious. There’s not as much Cassie in this book, which disappointed me. Her personality and sarcasm reminds me of Maximum Ride. Ringer is 3/4 Asian and reminds me of Nikki from Rush by Eve Silver. Like Nikki, her father was a drunk and Ringer wanted to be in control of her life. Ringer is smart and has a type-A personality. Cassie’s more type-B and optimistic. Her hope to find her little brother Sammy is what drove her in the previous book. I did enjoy the last 100 pages of Ringer’s POV. There were some really fun and cool events and crazy revelations.

If you have not read the 5^th wave, I recommend it to fans of people who enjoyed: Maximum Ride by James Patterson, Scan by Sarah Fine and Walter Jury, Rush by Eve Silver, Reboot by Amy Tintera and other dystopian series with lot of action or adventure. I met Rick Yancey at Anderson’s Bookshop in Naperville last years. My copy of The 5^th Wave and The Infinite Sea are signed. He told us about what’s going on with the movie. He said they are making a special Bear (Sammy’s Bear) and may sell it. I hope the whole series is brought to the screen. I wonder how this book will be handled.

Cover Art Review: Not as beautiful as the previous cover, but the author pointed out that the water near the bottom of the cover forms the shape of an owl.