Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

As a mother of teens, I often read YA as a means to see what they are reading as well as have informed discussions about the books to enhance their learning. Over the past few years I have enjoyed commercial staples like The Hunger Games and Divergent, discovered hidden gems (such as the criminally over-looked Unwind) and endured moronic drivel like the Twilight series. As others have mentioned, I had high hopes for The 5th Wave based on stellar reviews and what appeared to be an interesting premise. Although the book started out promisingly, I had to force myself to complete it as it became more and more derivative and tedious - borrowing from TV shows like Falling Skies and books like The Hunger Games (and even The Passage) in a manner that bored and annoyed me. There is so little in the way of original thought here, I am stunned that the book has been so well received. Characters that seemed intriguing when they were fist introduced quickly become so predictable that you could almost anticipate their actions and statements before you turned the page. As other reviewers have mentioned, the whole concept of the aliens and their mission in the story is not fleshed out enough to make it interesting or compelling. In fact, I found myself saying "oh please" out loud once or twice as the whole invasion seems constructed as a way for the characters to have certain experiences as opposed to a well-developed concept about these invaders and the larger implications for humankind. While I do realize this is meant to be YA material, I still thought the book was far too one-dimensional and would bore most savvy young readers who have come to expect more for the whole dystopian genre. I also was irritated with yet another heroine who is introduced as strong and smart right up until she starts swooning over a guy. As the Hunger Games series has shown, you can introduce teen romance without making your female lead into a simpering fool. Additionally, for those of you with kids who enjoy sci-fi, there is really not much in the way of the here and what is included in the plot about the aliens is quite dull and never really packs a punch in terms of plot of social commentary. This is much more in the genre of "teens finding their way in a dystopian hell-scape" and not crafter very well in that model. I wanted to like The 5th Wave, but it fell very short.