The Infinite Sea is a story of survival. It's winter and the kids are having a hard time staying warm and finding food, and some are injured. They know about some underground caves that would help them survive the cold, but they have no idea if they are inhabited, and by who. So Ringer goes to explore and find out if these caves will work out for them. Things don't go well for Ringer.
Meanwhile, Sullivan is waiting for Evan, who promised to meet her at the hotel they are inhabiting. She thinks Evan is dead, but can't give up hope and doesn't want to leave without him.
The Infinite Sea stays with the POV of the survivors in the hotel for over half the book. Then we get switched to the hell that Ringer is experiencing. I like this technique. It builds up more suspense, wondering what the other group is doing, rather than switching back and forth more often.
It took me a while to get back into the world. Yancey gives us tidbits to remind us of The 5th Wave, but he doesn't completely go over the past, so I had trouble remembering all the characters at first.
We learn some more things about the aliens. Some of this is a bit confusing. I don't want to give away spoilers, but lets just say the part about "are the aliens here or not" seemed to have some plot holes. I'm thinking this will all make more sense in the third book, and it didn't stop me from enjoying The Infinite Sea.
Cass is still the main character and narrates much of the book. We learn a little more about backgrounds of some of the characters like Ringer, Evan and Poundcake, which helps. There is a new character, Razor, who is suitably ambiguous -- bad guy or good guy?
The tension mounts perfectly. You think things might be improving and then all hell breaks loose. That's the kind of story this is. You are really never safe, and The Infinite Sea is written in a way that won't let you forget that.
The Infinite Sea didn't grab me as much as The 5th Wave (which pretty much blew me away) but it's a really good second book. And leaves you hanging at the end, as I guess we should expect. I can't wait for the third. Make sure you turn your teen readers onto this series. It's got a lot going for it.
Published by Putnam Juvenile, September 16, 2014
Copy obtained from the library
300 pages
Rating: 4/5
Glad you enjoyed it! Although now I'm thinking I should review my review of The 5th Wave because my book memory is notoriously horrid in terms of details, so I would probably have trouble with characters too if Yancey didn't recap. I have lowered my expectations a little though.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the review!
-P.E. @ The Sirenic Codex