The Last Star by Rick Yancey

Series: The 5th Wave (bk. 3)

Genera(s): Dystopian Sci-fi

Subjects: post-apocalyptic, aliens, survival,

Setting: Ohio, during late winter, early spring. Ohio Caverns. A little bit of Canada too.

POV/Tense: 1st person POV present and past tense, rotating by part between Ringer (Marika), Zombie (Ben) & Cassie (Cassiopeia), and 3rd person of Evan and Sam

Age/Grade Level: Teen

Length: 338 pgs.

HC/PB: Hardcover

List Price: $18.99

Publisher: Penguin: Putnam

Summary/ product description: “The enemy is Other. The enemy is us.

They’re down here, they’re up there, they’re nowhere. They want the Earth, they want us to have it. They came to wipe us out, they came to save us.

But beneath these riddles lies one truth: Cassie has been betrayed. So has Ringer. Zombie. Nugget. And all 7.5 billion people who used to live on our planet. Betrayed first by the Others, and now by ourselves.

In these last days, Earth’s remaining survivors will need to decide what’s more important: saving themselves…or saving what makes us human.”

My Review:  The Last Star is the highly anticipated finale of the 5^th Wave trilogy. It starts off with a prologue about why Cassie’s father named her Cassiopeia. Then there’s the 3^rd person perspective of a priest who’s a silencer, and goes to Ohio Caverns and kills the people living there. Then at page 21 we finally get to the story.  

Cassie’s pretty angry. Her, Zombie aka Ben, Evan Walker, Dumbo, Sam and Megan are all hiding out. Ringer and Teacup went ahead to some Caverns. Cassie’s mad because of a lot of things, but one thing is that her six-year-old brother Sam forgot his ABCs. Zombie and Dumbo go after Ringer. They run into trouble and stuff happens. There’s only 4 days till the spring equinox when the bombs will drop from the mothership to destroy all cities on earth.

This series seems to use well-known places as settings. At least well known if you ever been to Ohio. In 2004, when I was 11, on my family trip to Ohio, we visited Ohio Caverns. It was a cool cave. I’ve been to 5 other caves, and this one seemed pretty small. Maybe it was just the tour we went on. Anyway, I took pictures. It was beautiful. On that trip we also the air force base’s museum, the space museum in Dayton and also we stayed in Columbus.

Here's Ohio Caverns:

(the girl in the blue jacket is me)

Here's the air force museum:

This series has been pretty good, but some things have really irritated me about it. Maybe the way perspective change and the way chapter begin and end on the same page with very little space much like in the Unwind series. I this final book there are labels when the perspective change. Cassie, Zombie, Ringer, Sam, and Evan Walker. And the perspective changes every few chapter. No having to really a whole part, 100 pages straight, of just one character.

My favorite character’s POV to read is Cassie. She’s funny. Her humor reminds me so much of Maximum Ride. I still wish the whole book was in Cassie’s perspective, but I can see now how that wouldn’t have worked. Maybe if it was limited to Cassie and Zombie. What I don’t understand now if how Cassie’s POV could have been written in a journal the whole time because of the ending.

Let’s talk about that ending. *VAGUE SPOILER AHEAD*

If you read the ending to Allegiant by Veronica Roth, it’s that kind of ending. I hate martyr endings. Also, I feel like too much was left open, like there’s a possibility of a spin-off series. Probably won’t happen, just saying.

Also, in September 2014 I got to meet Rick Yancey. You can click here to see.

Cover Art Review: Not sure if that’s an air force base or water treatment plant on the cover. The cover is pretty good. You can see the owl behind the title this time. It’s a lot more noticeable than the previous covers.

The Hunt by Megan Shepherd

Series: The Cage (bk. 2)

Genera(s): Dystopian Sci-fi

Subjects: aliens, extraterrestrials, psychic ability,

Setting: In an enclosure called the Hunt, and also the alien space station it’s in.

POV/Tense: 3rd person POV limited and past tense, rotating between the human characters: Cora (mainly), Lucky, Rolf, Nok, Leon and Mali

Age/Grade Level: Teen

Length: 359 pgs.

HC/PB: Hardcover

List Price: $17.99

Publisher: HarperTeen: Balzer + Bray

Summary/ product description: “They’ve left the cage—but they’re not free yet.

After their failed escape attempt, Cora, Lucky, and Mali have been demoted to the lowest level of human captives and placed in a safari-themed environment called the Hunt, along with wild animals and other human outcasts. They must serve new Kindred masters—Cora as a lounge singer, Lucky as an animal wrangler, and Mali as a safari guide—and follow new rules or face dangerous consequences. Meanwhile, Nok and Rolf have been moved into an enormous dollhouse, observed around the clock by Kindred scientists interested in Nok’s pregnancy. And Leon, the only one who successfully escaped, has teamed up with villainous Mosca black-market traders.

The former inhabitants of the Cage are threatened on all fronts—and maybe worst of all, one of the Hunt’s Kindred safari guests begins to play a twisted game of cat and mouse with Cora. Separated and constantly under watch, she and the others must struggle to stay alive, never mind find a way back to each other. When Cassian secretly offers to train Cora to develop her psychic abilities—to prove the worthiness of humanity in a series of tests called the Gauntlet—she’ll have to decide fast if she dares to trust the Kindred who betrayed her, or if she can forge her own way to freedom.”

My Review:  The Hunt is the sequel to Megan Shepherd’s sci-fi book, The Cage. Like in the Cage, we get to read chapters in 3^rd person limited perspectives of Cora (the main protagonist), Lucky, Leon, Rolf, Nok, and Mali. In the Cage, they we stuck in a large menagerie with 8 biomes (desert, tundra, mountains, ocean, farm, swamp, jungle, and grasslands), as well as a fake town with store and restaurant in which the could play games and get rewarded. The Kindred (the tall human-like aliens with metallic bronze skin, black hair and all black eye when cloaked) observed and studied their interaction and paired them up as mating partners, but Nok and Rolf were the only ones to procreate. Cassian, who had said he was their caretaker turned out to be the warden and also seems to be attracted to Cora.

In the Hunt, after trying to escape the cage and being caught, Cora is send to a different menagerie called the Hunt. It’s place where Kindred go usually for entertainment and drinks and also to experience the thrill of an African safari hunt usually synthetic non-lethal rifles. Cora is forced to sing and interact with guests. Cassian has deemed this menagerie to be the safest and most private option for him and Cora to talk and make plans.

Cora feels betrayed by Cassian because he used the escape to push her or “break her.” He wanted to see her potential to use psychic abilities that could help humans evolve into “intelligent” beings. He’s part if a secret movement called the Fifth of Five, trying to free humans from slavery and oppression by the four intelligent alien races. He wants to train her in perceptive abilities so she can run the Gauntlet. The Gauntlet is a computer run test of physical abilities, intelligence, morality and perceptive/psychic abilities. Other humans have tried and failed to succeed, often losing their mind or even dying. This would be a huge risk for Cora, but Cassian believes she has the potential to succeed.

Lucky and Malia are also sent to work in the Hunt. Leon is working with Mosca black-market traders because unlike the Mosca, he can crawl through tunnels and also they have alcohol. Nok is pregnant with a girl, who she wants to call sparrow. Nok and Rolf are sent to live in a dollhouse with one missing wall that kindred can watch their interactions though. Nok is afraid that her baby will be taken from her.

This was a really great sequel. It feels very unique. We get to see a lot more of this alien space station than the first book. The characters are all unique and different from each other. They’re very diverse since they’re different nationalities and races. I love all the sci-fi stuff, and especially the psychic abilities. There’s even a little romance. I’m not a big fan of 3^rd person perspective, but Megan made it work well. She’s the author that wrote a historical fiction series I actually enjoyed, so I can’t wait to see what she write next. I can’t wait to read the 3^rd and final book in the Cage trilogy. There was a bit of a cliffhanger ending in the Hunt.

I recommend this book to fans of The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey, The Taking by Kimberly Derting, Gone by Michael Grant, and The 100 by Kass Morgan.

Cover Art Review: The cover cool, but maybe a little busy and I’m not a fan of the plain glossy paper.

Crash by Eve Silver

Series: The Game Trilogy (bk. 3)

Subjects: action, adventure, aliens, extraterrestrials, fighting, games, survival

Setting: Rochester, New York

POV/Tense: 1st person POV, present tense: Miki Jones

Age/Grade Level: Teen

Length: 357 pgs.

HC/PB: Hardcover

List Price: $17.99

Publisher: HarperTeen: Katherine Tegan

Summary/ product description: “A thrilling action/suspense novel for fans of The Fifth Wave about contemporary teens pulled in and out of an alternate reality where battling aliens is more than a game—it's life and death.

Miki’s life is falling apart around her. Her dad and best friend are lying in the hospital. The Game is glitching, making missions more frequent and more deadly. And someone close to her is waiting for the right moment to betray her.

Miki feels like she’s hanging on by a thread and the only thing keeping her tethered is Jackson’s hand in hers. Yet telling him how much she needs him, how much she loves him, feels like the biggest challenge of all. And if Miki really wants the missions to end for everyone, she’ll have to let go and be ready to fight when the walls between the Game and reality come crashing down. Because if there’s one thing she’s learned, it’s that she’s got a whole lot left to lose.

Crash is the pulse-pounding conclusion to the Game trilogy fans won’t want to miss.”

My Review:  Crash is the finale to The Game Trilogy. What started in Rush, continued in Push, now end in Crash. Everything crashes together. Miki, Jackson and their team are pulled into the game once again. Things are acting strange inside the game. Lagging and pixilation and things happening out of order. Once again Miki meets with Lizzie, Jackson supposedly dead older sister. She was caught in the game when she died. Lizzie says the game isn’t what it seems. That the Committee are not who they say they are and that the Drau might not be the enemy. There’s a lot more to the game than killing aliens to save the human race. I just love the twist/truth about the game. It’s something I suspected, but it’s still interesting. To avoid spoilers, I will just say read it and find out.

I love the character still. Jackson is amazing and will be one of my favorite YA guys, along with Tuck from Unearthly and Sam from Shiver. Jackson is Mr. Sexy, smirky, cocky and truly caring even when he acts like he doesn’t care. He feels guilty for Lizzie’s death, so that’s why he acts like a a-hole sometimes. He’s sarcastic and funny and he knows how to crack Miki’s serious attitude. Miki likes to be in control all the time. She’s had a lot of grief with her mother dying, but Jackson makes her feel happy. Luka is pretty interesting in a guy-friend way, and so is Tyrone, though he and Miki only see each other in the game.

I’d put this series right up there with The 5^th Wave by Rick Yancey and The Maze Runner by James Dashner. This series in unique and you should read it if you haven’t. I love the sci-fi elements. The aliens are interesting and different. They remind me of the angels in Angele Burn by L.A. Weatherly. Also kind of like In the After by Dimitria Lunetta. There’s action and and gaming stuff, so it’s like Eye of Minds by James Dashner too. I’m going to miss this series. I hope the author has something else in the works.

Cover Art Review: Why is it not metallic like the previous books? Glossy is boring. The cover design itself is amazing as always.

The Cage by Megan Shepherd

Series: The Cage (bk. 1)

Genera(s): Dystopian Sci-fi

Subjects: aliens, extraterrestrials, psychic ability,

Setting: In a alien zoo, or enclosure with various environments

POV/Tense: 3^rd person POV limited and past tense, rotating between the human characters: Cora (mainly), Lucky, Rolf, Nok, Leon and Mali

Age/Grade Level: Teen

Length: 385 pgs.

HC/PB: Hardcover 

List Price: $17.99

Publisher: HarperTeen: Balzer + Bray

Summary/ product description: “The Maze Runner meets Scott Westerfeld in this gripping new series about teens held captive in a human zoo by an otherworldly race. From Megan Shepherd, the acclaimed author of The Madman's Daughter trilogy.

When Cora Mason wakes in a desert, she doesn't know where she is or who put her there. As she explores, she finds an impossible mix of environments—tundra next to desert, farm next to jungle, and a strangely empty town cobbled together from different cultures—all watched over by eerie black windows. And she isn't alone.

Four other teenagers have also been taken: a beautiful model, a tattooed smuggler, a secretive genius, and an army brat who seems to know too much about Cora's past. None of them have a clue as to what happened, and all of them have secrets. As the unlikely group struggles for leadership, they slowly start to trust each other. But when their mysterious jailer—a handsome young guard called Cassian—appears, they realize that their captivity is more terrifying than they could ever imagine: Their captors aren't from Earth. And they have taken the five teenagers for an otherworldly zoo—where the exhibits are humans.

As a forbidden attraction develops between Cora and Cassian, she realizes that her best chance of escape might be in the arms of her own jailer—though that would mean leaving the others behind. Can Cora manage to save herself and her companions? And if so . . . what world lies beyond the walls of their cage?”

My Review:  From the author that wrote a historical fiction book that I actually enjoyed, comes a sci-fi story about an alien zoo. Megan Shepard is a genius at writing unique and interesting characters. She knows how to make thrilling mysteries within multiple generas. I was really excited when I heard about The Cage. It sounded really unique, and it is.

The alien zoo isn’t really a zoo in the normal sense. It’s an environment with different biomes. 6 teens were picked to live in this environment: Cora, Lucky, Leon, Rolf, Nok and another girl who died right away. Cora is the main character, and she’s the daughter of a Virginia Senator. Lucky is also from Virginia, but had moved to Montana. Leon is from New Zealand, Rolf from Norway, but went to school in London. Nok if Thai, but she moved to London to be a model. All these characters have a trait that the aliens desired, and that is why they were taken.

There are 8 biomes: desert, tundra, mountains, ocean, farm, swamp, jungle, and grasslands. There’s also a town with various building, such as a candy shop, toy store, diner and more.  There are games in the buildings that they can earn tokens to buy stuff with, much like a fun zone/arcade. The teens only asked to stay healthy, play the games, and procreate.

I’ve read quite a few books about aliens lately, but none of them had full-on aliens. Series like The 5^th Wave, Scan and The Rules had aliens that wear pretty much human, and The Cage has aliens that look different from humans. The main ones are called the kindred. They are humanoid, but have black eyes, metallic bronze skin and telepathic abilities. One kindred, their Caretaker (like zookeeper) named Cassian actually seems to care about human more than the rest. He sees them as more rather than lesser species. Cassian and Cora develop a forbidden romance because she was meant for Lucky.

I enjoyed the romance and the complexities of this story. There’s a lot of sci-fi elements that I enjoyed. There’s also a deep mystery. Why are the teens really there? What happened to Earth. Time seems to move strangely. Weird stuff happened. There are black viewing windows on wall that are not thick enough for a room in which the Kindred could watch them. Optical illusions of space. Just strange stuff going on. And as always with anything by Megan Shepherd, there’s a huge plot twist at the end! I recommend this book to fans of The 5^th Wave, Gone by Michael Grant, and The 100 by Kass Morgan.

Cover Art Review: I like the cover, but wish it was metallic and had more embossing than just the title.