{REVIEW} Opposition by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Title: Opposition
Author: Jennier L. Armentrout
Series: Lux
Book: 5
Rating: ★★★★★

Blurb from Goodreads:
Katy knows the world changed the night the Luxen came.

She can't believe Daemon welcomed his race or stood by as his kind threatened to obliterate every last human and hybrid on Earth. But the lines between good and bad have blurred, and love has become an emotion that could destroy her—could destroy them all.

Daemon will do anything to save those he loves, even if it means betrayal.

They must team with an unlikely enemy if there is any chance of surviving the invasion. But when it quickly becomes impossible to tell friend from foe, and the world is crumbling around them, they may lose everything— even what they cherish most—to ensure the survival of their friends…and mankind.

War has come to Earth. And no matter the outcome, the future will never be the same for those left standing.

My Rating/Thoughts:
“Oh no. Oh, hell to the no to the tenth power.” 

It's always difficult to read a last book in the series because you never know where it's going to leave you. I usually only have two reactions. Either I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT or I am left heartbroken and empty because I expected more. This book has actually left me somewhere in the middle for the first time ever. I loved the ending and I thought the epilogue was very sweet, but everything else was a bit eh for me. Don't get me wrong I still absolutely love this book and it was filled with just as much action, jokes, and love as the rest of the series, but I thought the end with the Luxen was a bit hasty and left me thinking "that's it?"

“The most beautiful people, ones whose beauty is only rivaled by what is inside of them, are the ones who are quietly unaware of it.”

Now Origin left off with all the Luxen coming down on Earth like a bunch of fallen angels and they were quickly assimilating DNA from humans and killing everyone. I was still unsure where this world domination was going because it seemed they were targeting people who had families and public officials. So it was a bit disappointing that the one behind it was was Ethan just wanted revenge on the humans and that was the one and only reason why the Luxen were brought to Earth to complete mass destruction. Which says something because even Daemon and Katy voice their disappointment.

Nonetheless, it was still a fun read. I liked that we had to go to the Arum for help to defeat the Luxen and enemies became frenemies. I enjoyed Archer and Luc more in this book. They quickly became more of my favorites. They were both were just so darn funny that I loved them to pieces!

“Get out of my head.” “I can’t help it,” Archer replied from where he sat on the couch. “You’re broadcasting your thoughts so damn loudly I feel like I need to go sit in the corner and start rocking, whispering Daemon’s name over and over again.”

Now maybe it was because I expected more or maybe it was because the whole book was a little depressing, but I wasn't rushing to finish this. I mean I did come down with the flu and there was no way I was going to be able to power through this and that may have affected by overall reaction to this book, but it was just good to me. Not great.  This book did feel like a post-apocalyptic-dystopia and maybe that's why I felt like it was a tad depressing. There is still a lot of action which is nice. There is a lot of the same sarcasm and funny scenes. And there are a lot of hot steamy scenes with Katy and Daemon. Their relationship has really matured over these novels and it's nice to read because it depicts reality. JLA wrapped up this series nicely and I am so glad I read them. They are forever now one of my favorite series. I love her writing and how she just filled the books with a bunch of pop culture references! She brought up the Avengers, The Walking Dead, and countless Harry Potter references! I loved it and it always made me smile. I also loved how even our characters were thinking logically but then would bring up random stuff all the time. It was so entertaining to read because it was just so relatable!

“Hell, I’d keep her in Bubble Wrap if it weren’t so damn creepy and also inconvenient, considering I had a terrible habit of obsessively popping the damn things until not a single bubble was left.” 

Overall, I still really enjoyed it and I think it was a nice read and a good conclusion to the series. I am so sad that this series is over and I am going to deeply miss Daemon and Katy and Dee and Archer and Luc and just about everyone! These characters quickly became a part of me and I love them so much!!
I think my ranking of the books will have to be:
Obsidian
Origin
Onyx
Opposition
Opal

But that's just my opinion! And yes, I totally recommend!

{REVIEW} Origin by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Title: Origin
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Series: Lux
Book: 4
Rating: ★★★★★

Blurb from Goodreads:
Daemon will do anything to get Katy back.

After the successful but disastrous raid on Mount Weather, he’s facing the impossible. Katy is gone. Taken. Everything becomes about finding her. Taking out anyone who stands in his way? Done. Burning down the whole world to save her? Gladly. Exposing his alien race to the world? With pleasure.

All Katy can do is survive.

Surrounded by enemies, the only way she can come out of this is to adapt. After all, there are sides of Daedalus that don’t seem entirely crazy, but the group’s goals are frightening and the truths they speak even more disturbing. Who are the real bad guys? Daedalus? Mankind? Or the Luxen?

Together, they can face anything.

But the most dangerous foe has been there all along, and when the truths are exposed and the lies come crumbling down, which side will Daemon and Katy be standing on?


And will they even be together?

My Rating/Thoughts:
 "Holy crap on a cracker..."

That pretty much sums this book up perfectly. I have read and heard from several people that this book is the best in the series and I can definitely see why! This book had even more twists and turns that it had my heart racing the whole time! I am left in awe. I am blown away. My mind is blown!
Packed with even more heart racing action, betrayal, steamy hot romance, and loss, this book really lived up to the hype. It also pains me that we see the loss of three more characters! Dang these people started dropping like flies. I never, ever expected that.

So after their successful break in into Daedalus to save Beth, Daemon and Katy are once again betrayed by Blake. But Katy is captured by Daedalus and this was the major cliffhanger that left me terrified for what this book would bring. I knew Origin introduced dual POVs and I hated that. I had when series switch POVs in the middle of a series. If you want to do multiple POVs, start off that way. I don't enjoy getting used to reading books one way and then it switches up on me. But with this switch, I have to saw I loved it. I loved reading from Daemon's perspective because we get to see more into his character than what Katy sees. We see how much he does truly love Katy, how far he would go to save her, and how far his awesomeness goes.

"Did you think you could stop me? I'll burn the world down to save her."

I am still in awe of how completely awesome Daemon is. He is one of the most powerful Luxen and I was floored every time you see him in battle-beast mode. This guy is jaw dropping! The lengths he went to save Kat and be with her was so beautiful. He basically made himself get captured on purpose so they'd take him to Daedalus just so he could be with her and find a way to escape. He is so protective of her that it is beautiful. He vows to kill every person that ever makes even the smallest bruise on Kat and there is limit to his love for her. He is completely in love with her that it makes you tear up every time he finally says those three little words to her (which is such a huge deal to him).

“Daemon Black could be as prickly as a hedgehog having a really bad day, but underneath all that spindly armor, he was sweet, protective, and incredibly selfless.”  

And what about that Vegas scene?! MY LITTLE SHIPPER HEART IS OVERJOYED DANCING ON RAINBOWS AND GUMDROPS! *sighs*

“I want a years-worth of seconds and minutes with you. I want a decade's worth of hours, so many that I can't add them up.”

Katy as always was fierce. I can't believe that she was the one to make Blake eat his comeuppance pie!  That little turd deserved Katy to get all nuclear Terminator on him. The fact that he was working with Daedalus and they were forcing her into some crazy "Hunger Games for alien hybrids" was insane. No matter how long Katy refused to fight and give in to what they wanted for her, in the end she had to do what they wanted. They finally let her take her chance at Blake and it was so epic. I was shocked with how powerful Katy has gotten. I felt just as badly as she did, don't get me wrong, I have a heart afterall, but I still enjoyed it too. But you can't help but feel terrible as well for all the killings and the blood on Katy's hands because she feels regret so strongly. She never wanted to do any of this. She clings to Old Katy and you mourn for her just as Katy does.

“While you’re deep in something, you never say or do what you need to. It’s always after the fact, when it’s too late, that you realize what you should’ve said or done.”

I think this book also made me love Luc even more. Luc is a 15 year old mafia inspired kid who I just fell in love with. This kid is sarcastic and matches Daemon's personality perfectly. An unlikely alliance, but one we can actually trust. Now we actually learn a little more about Luc in Origin and why he has those shocking amethyst eyes. Turns out Luc is what Daedalus calls an origin. He is the offspring of a Luxen male and hybrid female and he can wreak havoc at any given moment so don't piss him off!

Speaking of Daedalus, this place is all kinds of psycho. Their whole organization is testing hybrids for "stability" by making them fight and kill each other. They are basically trying to breed more origins between the Luxen and their mutated hybrids, not to mention injecting humans and hybrids with what they call LH-11? What the hell is up with that? I am glad we got to see more into this cracked out organization, but they have some serious mental problems. It terrifies me that they have hundreds of these all powerful origins all holed up in one building ready to "come out and play" *shivers* But I can't wait to see their whole department get blown to the next galaxy. I wonder if that is what the general endgame is for the DOD in the next book? Who knows?

Oh but we finally discovered who betrayed Dawson and Beth to the DOD...
We find out because he was betraying Katy and Daemon to the DOD now as well!
You just can't trust anyone. I was so upset too because I thought things were turning around but I knew I should listen to my gut! I knew there was just something about him since Obsidian. *sigh* Oh well. Dawson made him pay. Dawson was pretty awesome in this book as well. He is like Daemon #2.

And that ending?! Oh. My. God.
"Oh shit. ET so phoned home, kids.” 

So overall, I loved this book. I am still floored with everything that happened. I can't wait to start the last and final book in this series. I am a little depressed now that I realized I only have one more left. This has quickly became one of my absolute favorite series and I am glad that I waited to marathon them. I love JLA's writing style. I love how she mixes in humor even when the situations are too dire. Her characters are all likable and I am now a big JLA fan. This woman seriously knows how to write. She makes the most silly, simple sentences make me burst into laughter because sometimes they are just so random. I love her and these books so much I am never letting them leave my heart.

Would I recommend? Absolutely.

{REVIEW} Opal by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Title: Opal
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Series: Lux
Book: 3
Rating: ★★★★★

Blurb from Goodreads:
After everything, I’m no longer the same Katy. I’m different... And I’m not sure what that will mean in the end. When each step we take in discovering the truth puts us in the path of the secret organization responsible for torturing and testing hybrids, the more I realize there is no end to what I’m capable of. The death of someone close still lingers, help comes from the most unlikely source, and friends will become the deadliest of enemies, but we won’t turn back. Even if the outcome will shatter our worlds forever.


Together we’re stronger... and they know it.

My Rating/Thoughts:

"You really shouldn't trust a soul in this game. Not when everyone has something to gain or to lose."

Like the other books in this series, Opal is yet another work of perfection. I really enjoyed reading this book and there is never a part that I feel like it's being dragged out or boring. Maybe I am being biased, but I don't care. I love this series and this was as great.

So Opal centers around Katy and Daemon planning to help Dawson try to get Beth back from the Daedalus. This is really all they can do because Dawson seriously has a death wish and I found this to be so touching. Without even having Beth around, you can see how truly and deeply Dawson loves her. Dawson and Daemon are truly identical brothers. Awwwww!

So while their team tries to prepare for this big breakout, they make aliances with Blake. Yes, you read right, Blake. Blake has the nerve to show his face again! I didn't trust this little creep one second. Not only do we know that he is blackmailing Daemon and Katy into helping him, but he has been creeping into Katy's bed sleeping next to her! Gross! What a little perv. I'd be lying if I didn't say I wanted him to redeem himself because he seemed to be really remorseful over what he did to Adam, but no dice. This little turd still puts himself first and I hate him. I really hope I don't have to see him anymore. I really hope Daemon finds him and kills him this time! Get him, baby, go ahead!

So in preparation for this breakout, the team needs to build up a tolerance for onyx, which I thought was a nice twist. I thought this would be quite useful to use against Daedalus. How awesome would it be if Superman no longer was affected by his kryptonite? I admire Katy as well for really being determined to do this. No matter how much Daemon doesn't want to see her doing this, she puts her foot down and basically tells him to shut it and get over it because she is doing this whether he likes it or not. I can't say enough how much I just love her character. She is really becoming so strong and fierce! As well as fiesty!

“You’re speechless.” He chuckled. “I like that. And I also like you all feisty. Want to hit me again?” 

I really liked the relationships in this book as well. Not only the obvious relationship between Katy and Daemon, which was flawless. But Daemon and Dawson as well. Dawson was not quite the same. There is no doubt he was suffering some type of PTSD which is to be expected, without all the lashouts. You can't really expect him to bounce back from something like that. But the way Katy would continue to try to get him to talk or convince him to start doing normal things again like going back to school was touching. Katy didn't need to be the one to do this, but since she was the one he responded to was just so heartwarming. He wouldn't talk to his brother or sister, but he opened up to Katy. This was so cute and I know Daemon really appreciated that she got him to want to spend Saturdays watching a Ghost Hunters marathon like old times. Also I thought it was great development how even Matthew warmed up to Katy. In Obsidian, there was no doubt that he didn't approve of  Katy around Dee or Daemon, but now he sees her as one of them. During the first failed breakin into the Daedalus, Matthew comes to Katy first to ask if she is okay and offers her a blanket. I know this is such a small gesture, but it shows just how far even their relationship has gone. Dee was a little brat during the book and I still missed the old Dee, but I am glad she is coming around as well. This book had to deal with a lot with the aftermath of Adam's death and I think it was appropriate. It didn't rush anything or brush it under the rug, it showed the pain that was suffered and mourning.

“Oh! Books! You have books!”
I laughed as several people waiting in line looked over their shoulders. “Hand them over.”
He clutched them to his chest, making moony eyes. “My life is now complete.”

But what I really enjoyed about this book was Daemon and Katy's relationship (duh). Their relationship is just perfect. It isn't rushed or too overly cheesy. It's real. They take their time with each other and put each other first. They are both so protective over each other and will stop at nothing to keep the other safe. I love their banter and the way they are with each other. They are just so gosh darn perfect! I think I cried when Daemon bought Katy a brand new Macbook Air. That was just too adorable and because he knows her, he knows how much blogging and reading are to her, he tells her to "go play." Sweet, romantic Daemon is just too irresistible!

As always, JLA really knows how to write an excellent clutch-to-my-chest-and-never-let-it-go book. You have no choice but to devour it! I am really trying to just make these books last because this is the only time I'll read them for the first time, but I can't help it! I can't stop! And I just love how JLA relates Katy to us! She fangirls! She likes Dean Winchester! It's like JLA is writing us! I love it!

I can't wait to read Origin now because with an ending like THAT?! OH HOLY SMOKES! I am speechless and terrified!

Would I recommend it? Are we really asking this question? I though it'd be obvious...

Teaser Tuesday #1

Teaser Tuesday 

is a weekly event hosted by Should Be Reading where you share a teaser from your current read.

-Opal by Jennifer L. Armentrout

What I'm reading Monday!

Since it's Monday, I am going to try to make a post every week showing what I plan on reading during the week.

On my list this week is:

    

These are the last three books in the Lux series by Jennifer L. Armentrout. If you have been keeping up with my blog, you know I already read the first two books in this urban fantasy about aliens and am in love. Depending on how fast I want to read this week, I may finish the rest of this series. I kind of want to make this series last a while longer because I don't want it to be over! But since I am obsessed with it, I just may devour it. I am marathoning this series and loving every minute of it. 

{REVIEW} Onyx by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Title: Onyx
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Series: Lux
Book: 2
Rating: ★★★★★

Blurb from Goodreads:
Being connected to Daemon Black sucks…

Thanks to his alien mojo, Daemon’s determined to prove what he feels for me is more than a product of our bizarro connection. So I’ve sworn him off, even though he’s running more hot than cold these days. But we’ve got bigger problems.

Something worse than the Arum has come to town…

The Department of Defense are here. If they ever find out what Daemon can do and that we're linked, I’m a goner. So is he. And there's this new boy in school who’s got a secret of his own. He knows what’s happened to me and he can help, but to do so, I have to lie to Daemon and stay away from him. Like that's possible. Against all common sense, I'm falling for Daemon. Hard.

But then everything changes…

I’ve seen someone who shouldn’t be alive. And I have to tell Daemon, even though I know he’s never going to stop searching until he gets the truth. What happened to his brother? Who betrayed him? And what does the DOD want from them—from me?


No one is who they seem. And not everyone will survive the lies…

My Rating/Thoughts:

“I could always give you a teaser. You bookish people love teasers, don't you?”

HOLY FEELS BATMAN! This book was so much fun! I am overstuffed with the feels tingling in from my fingers to my toes.I LOVED IT! The only minor problem I had with it was that after that big "battle" with the DOD, I felt like that was the end of the book, but I had about 70 pages left. So I was left wondering "oh boy, what the heck is going to happen now?!" Also, I noticed a few typos here and there. Um, who the heck didn't catch those? Other than that, I had so much fun!

“Your mail could've waited." Daemon followed me into the kitchen. "What is it? Just books?"
Grabbing the OJ from the fridge, I sighed. People who didn't heart books didn't understand.” 

Katy was even more amazing in this book. I connected to her even more. I loved how invested she was in her books and her blog. She feels actual pain when she couldn't read as much or how excited she is when she gets more books. SHE UNDERSTANDS ME! I also love how this is only the second book and she's already becoming this amazing, fierce heroine. She doesn't want to sit around waiting for someone to save her, she wants to be beside Daemon fighting as his equal and not behind him. I loved that about her. She didn't give up on her training and needs to learn to protect not only herself but Daemon, Dee and her mom. She is already showing great character development and I can't wait to see where the other books leave her. By the way, whoa she's like a crazy hybrid now! I knew that connection was more than just weird link between her and Daemon. I'm a little jealous...

“Daemon was a total babe, but he was stab-worthy, which at times zeroed out the babe part. Not always, though.” 

Daemon...Oh sweet baby Jesus why aren't you real?! It actually pains me that this guy doesn't exist. I love him with every fiber of my beeeeeeeing! He was even more lovable in this book and I didn't even think that was possible. I loved how he was determined to show Katy how what he felt for her was true and pure. He wouldn't give up on her and it was so touching. I LOVED how he would bring her her favorite treats to school in front of everyone. And he brought her a rose?! *cries and dies* aaaawwwww!

Blake.....I DIDN'T WANT TO TRUST YOU AND YOU MADE ME! AND BROKE MY HEART! I liked him and wanted Katy and him to have a nice friendship, but nope. I will not forgive you, Blake.

Dee. Awe poor Dee. I am so sad we didn't get to see her as much. Katy was so stuck with her own business with Blake and Daemon that she didn't have any time to spend with Dee and it bummed me out. I missed her. I was kind of confused why Dee was so upset about not hanging out with Katy but when she gets her to go to the movies why was Ash and Adam brought along? Wouldn't you want to spend solo time with Katy if you missed her so much? That was weird to me. Regardless, I want more Dee in the next books!

Now for the storyline. I thought it was pretty entertaining and a nice touch that we got more into the DOD  (though not much). I'm still left with questions, but it was interesting to stick our toes in. I want to know more about this so called Daedalus. This book opened up many doors for the next books and I look forward to reading more. I don't want to get too much into the plot because I'll want to spoil everything. So I will just leave it as: it was great, entertaining, and sucks you right in and doesn't release you until you finish the whole book. Yes, I finished this book in a day. I couldn't put it down!

Now onto Opal!

Oh! Side note: the whole book I was wondering why it was called Onyx...and FINALLY it came into context during the last couple chapters. O_o

Would I recommend this? YES! WHY HAVEN'T YOU READ IT? Don't you love Daemon? Aren't you obsessed? Go! Read it now!

{REVIEW} Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Title: Obsidian
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Series: Lux
Book: 1
Rating: ★★★★★

Blurb from Goodreads: 
Starting over sucks.

When we moved to West Virginia right before my senior year, I'd pretty much resigned myself to thick accents, dodgy internet access, and a whole lot of boring... until I spotted my hot neighbor, with his looming height and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up.

And then he opened his mouth.

Daemon is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. We do not get along. At all. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something... unexpected happens. 

The hot alien living next door marks me.

You heard me. Alien. Turns out Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities, and Daemon's touch has me lit up like the Vegas Strip. The only way I'm getting out of this alive is by sticking close to Daemon until my alien mojo fades. 

If I don't kill him first, that is.

My Rating/Thoughts:
“The day my internet was hooked up was better than having a hot guy check out my butt and ask for my phone number.”

This book was phenomenal and I absolutely loved it! This book is filled with great characters, great dialogue, and just a hot steamy romance. A nice added touch is that the love isn't instant either. The attraction is instant, but they don't fall head over heels for each other right away. In fact, they fight that attraction the whole book and it just makes it that much more intoxicating! I loved reading their  dialogue so much and was constantly laughing at their banter. I loved how sarcastic Katy was and how Daemon brought out that side of her that made her not want to be the "boring" and safe Katy. It was so funny to me how she would bring up frequently how annoyed she was that he was poking her with his pen in math class. I don't know why, but this was hilarious to me. 

I loved Katy's character. I love that she was a little book nerd like me that enjoyed reading books and reviewing them on her blog. She was so relatable and I really enjoyed her. She wasn't the typical annoying teenage protagonist and it was refreshing. She didn't spend all her time swooning over Daemon even though she was attracted to him, she tried to deny it and it was just great to see her scenes with him. This whole book could have been about their time together with absolute no conflict and I still would have given it five stars because they are just great. 

“Beautiful face. Beautiful body. Horrible attitude. It was the holy trinity of hot boys.” 

Now there was no denying how attractive and hot Daemon was. If this guy isn't your book boyfriend then I applaud you for not falling for him. He's so swoonable and the right amount of bad boy that will make you wish he were real. I think I loved how protective he was over Dee as well. It was so touching how much he looked after her and the lengths he would go to make sure she was safe. It always made me so giddy when he would call Katy "Kitten" It was like when Patch would always call Nora "Angel" and she would hate it, but you know they secretly were fighting a million butterflies in their stomach.

But my other favorite character has to be Dee! How awesome is it that I finally have my name in a book (well nickname, but  it counts)! I loved her so much! I felt so sad for her at the beginning because you could just tell how badly she wanted a friend by how tightly she clung to Katy. I just wanted Daemon to leave her alone and let them be friends! I definitely want a friend like Dee. She's awesome and so ballsy. I couldn't stop laughing when she hid Daemon's car keys and wouldn't give them back until he earned bonus points by being nice to Katy. Go Dee!

I won't go into the plot because I don't want to give away too much, but it was really interesting to read. I look forward to reading more about the Lux and Arum. I am so invested and obsessed with this series already that I can't believe I had this on my shelf for so long and kept putting it off. I feel ashamed...

Would I recommend? HELLS YES!

*REVIEW* The Infinite Sea by Rick Yancey

Title: The Infinite Sea
Author: Rick Yancey
Series: The 5th Wave
Book: 2
Rating: ★★★★

Blurb from Goodreads: 

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 Rating/Thoughts: 
"It isn't that lies are too beautiful to resist. It's that the truth is too hideous to face." 

I absolutely loved The 5th Wave, but this book was just okay for me. I still enjoyed reading it, but I didn't get as much out of it as the first book. It just feels like a true filler book in my opinion. I felt like we didn't get to see much of Cassie and Ben as much as we did Ringer back in the compound. The whole first half of the story was just Cassie and Ben waiting around for Evan Walker to come back. It was uneventful. Even Ringer's POV was really long at the last third of the book and it still felt there was a lot of nothing going on. 

Cassie and Ben were holed up in the hotel waiting for Evan to come back. I did not have a problem with this so much as what happened when Evan did return. He came back with the warning of Grace and that she was a major problem for them to escape and leave the hotel, but it just seemed a little off to me.  Grace didn't serve a real purpose in my eyes besides the fact that she was brought in to turn Cassie into some insecure, jealous girlfriend when she realized she and Evan had a history together. Seriously, Cassie acted so immature upon meeting Grace that I was disconnected from her for a while because she was being an idiot. I just didn't think Cassie was as a good character as she was in the first book. Maybe because we didn't get to see her in the same light, but she kind of annoyed me. I still found her sassy and funny, but I just wasn't connected to her. For being "in love" with Evan as she seemed to say she was, she didn't really act like it either. I missed my cute, romantic Evan. I wanted more of him! 

I am happy for the multiple POVs that this book brought. It gave us more Ringer, another longer chapter for Evan, and Poundcake! It was really interesting to see his backstory and the reason why he doesn't talk. I felt so sorry for him! The only thing it lacked was a POV from Ben. I kind of missed his thoughts and feelings in this book. I hope we get to see his side in the last book. 

As for Ringer, I actually really enjoyed her the most and I think her chapters were what actually gave this book a higher rating than originally planned. I like that we see her backstory as well. We learn what happened to her before she was recruited, about her dad, and her name! Marika. Thought if I am being honest, the first couple of chapters I felt like I didn't really care about her (sad, I know, but I just didn't) but her last POV really opened up doors. I just kind of don't like that it was soooooo long. I think it should have been broken up more throughout the book. We didn't see her at all and I kept wondering what happened to her but then right when we see the big explosion at the hotel, we switch to Ringer for 100+ pages?! I was anticipating going back to Cassie and Ben so badly that sometimes I felt myself distracted with Ringer's story. I was getting bored reading about her just sitting in bed and not being able to eat. But I did enjoy her interactions with Razor (Alex, awe). I really liked his character as well. I thought it was so cute how he brought her a chess board and told her to teach him because she wanted to play. And the fact that he made up that silly chaseball game for her was so cute to me. I don't care if it maybe was a part of Vosch's plan, I thought it was cute. I just really liked their relationship together. I liked that he brought out a softer side of Ringer and was making her tell "jokes." 

"He brought me from the tomb. He raised me from the dead. He risked his life so I might have mine."

Which was nice to see him try to cheer her up and lighten her up because she's just so angry! She's so full of rage! And God knows Ben wasn't getting a smile out of her. 

"My anger is greater than the sum of all lost things."

Speaking of Vosch....what?! The twist involving the Others was pretty interesting and the reasons behind using Ringer as a tool was a pretty nice flip as well. Let's go hunt, Evan now because he fell in love! That's awful! Unacceptable! But I thought it was a lot Yancey threw at us all at once at the end. The rat metaphor was like "whoa mind blown!" No wonder we were so obsessed over those rats. These aliens basically see us as vermin and we are contaminating and ruining our home. We need to be wiped out. However, are they really aliens? What is actually happening? This series definitely took a nice turn and I am intrigued, so I am excited to see what this all actually means. 

But Ringer was pretty awesome and has definitely become my new favorite. Fierce! So Fierce.

"I don't want to save the world," I tell him. "I'm just hoping I might get the opportunity to kill you." 


I really liked this book. Solid four stars, but it wasn't as exciting as the first book even though we are given some pretty major questions. I think it could have been a bit better, maybe better spaced. I don't know. I just expected something more since it was one of my highly anticipated reads since I read The 5th Wave, so maybe I just expected more, but again it felt like a filler book. I can't wait for the last book though! 

*REVIEW* The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

Title: The 5th Wave
Author: Rick Yancey
Series: The 5th Wave
Book: 1
Rating: ★★★★ 1/2

Blurb from Goodreads:

After the 1st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one.

Now, it's the dawn of the 5th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth's last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker.

Beguiling and mysterious, Evan Walker may be Cassie's only hope for rescuing her brother--or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up.

My Rating/Thoughts: 

Wow. This book has left me speechless. I debated with myself for a long time if I should even pick this up and finally decided that I should just give it a try. If I didn't like it, no harm no foul. And boy, am I glad I did! Now this book took me awhile to get used to. To say I was confused was an understatement. I found myself reading pages over just to fully understand what was really going on. I felt like I must have been so stupid to not pick it up quicker, but I wanted to make sure I understood everything. So as a result, I felt like I was reading this book rather slowly. But once I got the feel of the book everything clicked into place perfectly. 

"We're here, and then we're gone, and it's not about the time we're here, but what we do with the time." 

The story and plot was what I actually liked the most. I was very skeptical at first because I do not read any sci-fi novels or anything that has to do with aliens or alien invasions. Like at all. In fact, I hate sci-fi. It's just not my thing. But this book was! I loved the story and the pacing worked great. I didn't feel like it went too fast or too slow. I know there has been many who said this book takes a while to get into because the beginning is very slow, but I didn't get that impression at all. I even enjoyed reading the multiple POVs, which is surprising considering I hate alternating POVs (unless they are done right). In this case, they were done completely right. I enjoyed reading from Cassie the most because I just loved her thoughts and humor. However, I also loved, loved Ben's POV as well. He had the same sense of humor and spunk as Cassie did so it was easy to love his character and thoughts as well. I found myself always getting comfortable with one character and once things got really intense the POV would change. I'd be thinking "No! Go back to Cassie!" or "Go back to Ben!" But it still worked marvelously and would get sucked right in again. 

Now let's get into the characters. I don't think there was a character in this book that I didn't like.Obviously aside from Vosch, even though we didn't see too much of him the fact that he is the villain and the cause of all this? He sucks. Plain and simple. 

Cassie though...Cassie is great. She is so protective of her brother and she would stop at nothing to go back and save him. She refused to give up even when it seemed impossible to come out on top. I liked how skeptical she was of everyone and anything and I completely agree with her. She was running from Silencers, Aliens and humans who probably won't trust you anyway. Do you really blame her? I'd doubt everyone as well. In fact, I did! I did not trust a single person every time we saw a new character. 

"Because if I am the last one, then I am humanity. And if this is humanity's last war, then I am the battlefield." 

Zombie! Now Ben Parish was one of my favorites as well. I was not expecting to get a POV from him at all. I thought Cassie just mentioning him was because she had a crush on him. I suspected we would see him again, but a POV? SWEET! I loooooove how protective he gets over Sams though! It truly hit me in the gut with the feels how responsible and protective he was over him. 

"If anyone comes between you and me, they're dead." 

Now Evan Walker. How much I loved you with all my heart! You don't want to trust Evan at all, but you can't help it! He's protecting you, he's taking care of you, he's handsome, his hands are soft, and he smells like chocolate. *Sigh* Now I was skeptical of him the entire time right along with Cassie. I just knew something wasn't right. I knew it the entire time! I had my doubts and my hopes that this wouldn't end badly, but you can't help but love him all the same! In fact, everything he does and gives up for Cassie just makes you love him even more! 

"I didn't save you. You saved me"

Overall, I loved this book. I thought it was a little funny to me because about halfway through I felt like so much happened, yet nothing at all at the same time. But I thought it was wonderful and that means a lot coming from someone who has read absolutely nothing involving aliens or anything sci-fi at all! So I am definitely looking forward to get my hands on The Infinite Sea because with an ending like that?! Uh uh! Nooooooooo way! We cannot just leave it like that! What the heck?!