The Last Star by Rick Yancey Book Review: Olivia J, The WordShaker

"We're all stories in the end. Just make it a good one, eh." -Doctor Who

That was one hell of a conclusion. 

A FLUFF-TON OF SPOILERS.

If The Fifth Wave was a 4.50, The Infinite Sea was a 4.75, then The Last Star was a 4.45. 

As usual, I'll talk about the bad, first. 

1. Writing is occasionally confusing. 

This is just Rick Yancey's writing style, but at times, things happen so quickly or so vaguely, the reader's like 'oh yeah, they got shot' or 'wait, what is she doing again?'. And then, they'll have to go back and reread, breaking up the flow. 

2. Ben ends up with Ringer.

Now, don't get me wrong, they aren't my NOTP, but I just wasn't a huge fan. While at times they were cute, I didn't feel that they were really together, or that they should be. I just didn't feel the sparkle. But maybe that's because I really kind of disliked Ringer in this book. One could argue that they are foil characters, like Evan and Cassie, which is an interesting concept. However, I still found Ringer to be inhuman, unrelatable, distrustful, and cruel at times. 

3. More time with Cassie and Sam would have made the ending more impactful. 

While we had to spend time advancing the plot with the other characters, I would have loved to see more of the interaction between Cassie and Sam. While they grew into amazing characters, there wasn't enough time to see them together, to develop their relationship even more. While I still feel like the ending hit home, I felt that it could have been so much stronger, tied in better, and more heartbreaking if we got to see Cassie and Sam interact more, etc. I just wanted to see more of them together, because this is what The Fifth Wave Series is all about. 

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And now, the almost insurmountable good. 

1. Masterful Storytelling. 

Mr. Yancey has a wonderful way of building suspense and then releasing it, like in the scene where Ben is searching for the Urbana Silencer. 

2. Quirky Writing. 

Never have these books failed at making me laugh out loud. Cassie is just so wonderfully funny, because she makes these quirky observations that are undeniably relatable. Even with the other characters, the writing is so viscerally real with an amazingly light-hearted twist - with grim humor - that makes it easier to bear and more relatable. 

3. FABULOUSLY REAL CHARACTERS. 

I cannot say enough about this section. And this is especially concerning Cassie, Ben, and Sams, and maybe even Ringer at times. Occasionally Evan, especially with his scene with Cassie in the middle section, where I'm not entirely sure whether they had sex or not . . . More on the confusion of Yancey's writing above. 

Anyway, Rick Yancey has such a beautiful ability to craft deep and real characters. Previously, Sam forgot his ABC's, and then he killed Constance, and immediately following, he remembers his ABC's as well as his mother's face. This scene was brilliantly executed, with just the right amount of horror at a six year old killing someone and just the right amount of emotional catharsis and sympathy. 

Ben's reaction to Dumbo's death was heartbreakingly gold. Not only was the writing delicate yet real, the whole scene connected to the reader. You connected with Dumbo mostly because of Ben's reaction. Ben taking out the time to bury him in a sea of death was beautiful and appropriate. Yet another display of Ben's resilience and strong character. 

Now, a whole section has to be devoted to Cassie's awesomeness:  

4. CASSIE'S LAST ACT. 

A good chunk of the last act is dedicated to Cassie saving her little sliver of the world: and becoming who she was really meant to be. 

On the fourth day, she is downloaded with almost the entire consciousness of humanity via Wonderland. This portion of her narrative, she becomes a beautiful foil to Ringer, becoming everything she is not. 

Cassie becomes humanity. She becomes who we are, viscerally relatable, with a heart and a soul the size of Texas. What's so great about this is that only now we see that Cassie was always humanity, that this was her purpose. And when she sees the pod, the readers know exactly what she's going to do. 

And it's perfect. 

Not enough words can come to mind to describe the amazingness of Cassiopeia Marie Sullivan. You'll just have to read - or, rather, experience - it for yourself. 

And the conclusion works because humanity has defeated the aliens. Because it's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind. 

source: iztarshi.tumblr.com

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Truthfully, I'm okay that not all of the 'aliens' have been defeated. I'm okay that we don't truly know who the Others are. 

But overall, The Fifth Wave Series is definitely a must-read. I love it. 

~The WordShaker

Ben and Cassie are the REAL Power Couple of 'The Fifth Wave' Trilogy

"The first thing that distinguishes a writer is that (s)he is most alive when alone," -Martin Amis

Recently, I have been in love - and I mean IN LOVE -  with The Fifth Wave series. BUT THE THIRD BOOK IS OUT AND I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THINGS BEFORE I REVIEW IT. Because damn right, I'm going to talk about it. I might even do a YouTube video about it. 

The most popular couple in The Fifth Wave is Evan and Cassie, and a good percentage of readers agree. However, I don't ship Cassie with really anyone, maybe with Ben (Zombie).

So, here are four reasons why Ben and Cassie are the REAL powercouple in this trilogy. I will also be comparing and contrasting Evan in the explanation sections. 

1. They share a common love: Sam/Nugget. 

Throughout the first book, the main focus of nearly everything Ben and Cassie do is for Sammy Sullivan. Continually, they risk their own lives to save him. Sam is the silver cord (ha, you see what I did there?) that binds them together. They continually work towards a common goal, and that goal is protecting Sam. It is beautiful and unites them in ways that Evan cannot understand. This deep level of understanding and connection is what holds them together like glue, and, invariably makes them better for each other. 

2. They work well together. 

Ben and Cassie spend much more time together in The Infinite Sea, but even in the climax of The Fifth Wave, their cooperation shines.  Despite their bickering, they seem to know how the other works. Their banter is raw and they know how to get sh*t done. Ben and Cassie, standing alone and together, are much more down-to-earth and realistic than Evan and Cassie ever are. Evan is idealistic, while Ben is realistic. This even could get into a debate about Ben and Evan being foil characters, but, truthfully, Ben and Cassie can talk about things rationally without emotion, which is an important aspect in good relationships with people. 

3. They are strong, stand-alone characters. 

When I first started reading The Fifth Wave, I was a bit hesitant of the dual POV, split between Cassie and Ben. I was worried that I'd get bored with Ben's POV. However, I found that I was enthralled with both sides of the story. Both Ben and Cassie are well-developed, fleshed out characters. If one of them was the only character in the story, they could carry it on their shoulders. They'd make a fabulous couple because they are two strong characters coming together like puzzle pieces.  

Evan, however, always remains a mystery. He has very little time and leverage to be developed in both books. His brooding and quiet nature doesn't make for an interesting read, or an interesting character.  Evan and Cassie are quite unbalanced, and quite frankly, Evan degrades Cassie's character, especially when she gets all mushy with those 'chocolate eyes and soft hands'. Oh my God, no. 

4. They are incredibly, viciously, human. 

Moments before Cassie kills the Crucifix Soldier, the tension is tactile. When Ben is hit with the blow that they are the Fifth Wave, the shock is felt through every reader like a punch to the gut. Each rollercoaster emotion is gut-wrenchingly real, and, ultimately, makes the readers connect with them more. There's a reason I had a hard time connecting with Ringer in the first book, but The Infinite Sea gave me a left hook to the face with the last half in Ringer's POV. Each character, especially Cassie, Ben, and Ringer, are beautiful human characters - even when Ringer becomes enhanced, we still have a connection to her because of the other books and her beautiful last act. 

This might have something to do with the fact that Evan is not incredibly, viciously, human. While teenage girls get weak in the knees with his perfectly romantic prose and brooding good looks, he is disconnected and cold.  

If you can't tell, Evan Walker is really the only problem I have with The Fifth Wave Series. 

So, yeah. I'm right and you're wrong. Next week's blog post will probably be a review of The Last Star. Viciously excited and scared to read it. I truly don't want to finish, because I want everything to stay all perfect and alive and okay in my head. 

~The WordShaker