First published 2015
Cassie Sullivan runs alone down a deserted highway. Four waves of alien attacks have devastated Earth. The first wave brought darkness. The second wave killed most survivors. The third wave finished off the unlucky ones who lived through the second. The fourth wave taught Cassie the most important lesson: never trust anyone. The aliens look exactly like humans now. They walk among the scattered survivors and kill without warning. Cassie believes staying alone keeps her alive. Then she encounters Evan Walker. He seems human, but so do the enemies hunting her. Evan claims he can help her find her younger brother, who was taken during the chaos. Cassie faces an impossible choice. She can trust Evan and risk everything for her brother's life. Or she can stay alone and abandon the only family she has left. The fifth wave approaches, and Cassie must decide between hope and survival.
Genres: adventure, action, aliens, apocalyptic
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: chosen-one, enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: Earth
Period: 21st-century
457 pages · Paperback · Penguin Books
Content warnings: violence