The 5th Wave Book vs. Movie Review

*Just a little warning that there might be spoilers for the book and movie... so if you haven't read/watched it already, continue reading at your own risk*

 The Book:

Rating: 4 Stars

 Sometimes I really loved it, and other times it struggled to keep my attention. It was probably a good thing that I started with the audio version of this book becauseI probably would not have stuck with it otherwise. At times, it felt like there were a whole lot of extra things that weren't really pertinent to the actual storyline.

I loved Cassie, and how she was so determined and she wasn't going to let anyone or anything get in her way... Not even the ever so sexylicious Evan Walker. It didn't matter how dangerous the situation got for her, she was going to get to her baby brother come hell or high water. And I respect that, because that sounds like me when it comes to my baby sister.

The Others were pretty creepy, but in a cool way {if that makes any sense} And it really makes you wonder what you would do if you were put into a situation similar to Cassie's, if your humanity were put into question. It was kind of intense at times, and it had me sitting at the edge of my seat. The fact that they could look like anyone {instead of one of those crazy looking things we usually associate with aliens} made them just that much creepier.

I liked getting to see Ben's side of the story as well. It gave the book more depth, although sometimes I would get confused about whose POV I was on if I wasn't paying enough attention. So at that point, listening to the audio version was good for me because there were two people narrating it, so it was easier to keep track of who was talking.

I'd say that even though the book flipped back and forth between Cassie and Ben pretty evenly {and once or twice you get to see things through the eyes of both Sammy and Evan} Cassie is the real main character. Everything led back to her in the long run.

Like I said earlier, one thing I didn't like was the fact that sometimes it felt like there was a whole lot of filler. It all felt like it was building up to this great big fantastic ending, and then... nope. I get that this is a series, and if this book would have ended in a cliff hanger, I would have been BEYOND angry {because I have a love hate relationship with  cliffhangers} but I wanted a little more suspense at the end of it... just a little. Though when Evan's fate became a mystery to me, I was all "Evan, Evan, Evan, YOU HAVE TO STILL BE ALIVE! DO YOU HEAR ME YOUNG MAN?! DYING IS NOT AN OPTION!! Also, at times, things didn't always seem to flow together very well. It was almost like there were too many ideas and thoughts shoved together.

And speaking of Evan and Ben... I don't know who I like better... I think right now, I'm leaning a little more towards Evan, but I would be okay with whoever Cassie chose {if both guys actually freaking make it to the end of the third book that is}

The Movie

Rating: 4.5 Stars



I usually just wait until the movie comes out on DVD, because I don't have a lot of free time to go see movies. {that and I really don't like paying a million dollars to go see a movie that I may or may not like... okay, it's not a million dollars, but you get my point} But for some reason, I really, really, really, wanted to see this one on the big screen. So, with my favorite bunch of crazies in tow {read: my mom, little sisters, and two of my friends} we braved the movie theater on a Friday night. {No, not during the opening weekend, I'm not that crazy} I was so glad that we did.

Things seemed to flow a little better in the movie. Or at least, that's how I felt. Like always, they cut a lot of stuff out, and then added some other things, and I was, for the most part, okay with that. Some things made a little more sense, and made it more believable... Though it didn't stop me from whispering to my mom "well in the book..." or "actually, what was supposed to have happened was..." Also, my friend gave me a funny look when I oh so very quietly boooed Vosch the first time he was introduced. I did, however, manage to stay silent where Evan was concerned {it was extremely difficult}

There were some characters that were taken out all together {like Crisco} and I get that. He really wasn't an all that important to the story line. And then some characters they kind of combined into one person {Dr. Pam/Resnik}

I liked the fact that Evan was NOT the one who shot Cassie in the leg. { I know some of  you are probably going boo! hiss! at me right now. But I like Evan, okay?}

I did not like the fact Cassie wasn't as self sufficient as she seemed in the book... example 1: When she got shot, instead of staying under the freaking car and using her scarf to staunch the flow of blood coming out of her leg {like she did in the book} she got up and tried to run away, which ended terribly for her... Also, in the movie, Cassie didn't seem nearly as suspicious of Evan as she should be. I mean, it was there, don't get me wrong...But it seemed to be just a fleeting thought instead of a constant, nagging, paranoia.

Ringer was not what I expected, but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

Oh, oh, oh! Also, the whole bus situation where Cassie got off the bus to get Bear and it left without her... I just thought that was really weird. Why wouldn't she have told the bus driver where she was going and ask him to wait for her? I don't know, I guess I just liked the fact that Cassie was so suspicious and put up some resistance to her little brother getting on a bus full of strangers, no matter how trustworthy they seemed.

So, overall, I liked the movie just a smidge better than the book, shocker, I know! {though I did like Book Cassie better than Movie Cassie,} But I need to know what happens to Evan, and what Cassie, Sammy, Ben and the rest of the squad decide to do, where the go next. So I will definitely be reading the next two books in the series.

So have you read the book? Seen the movie? If so, I'd love to hear what you thought!