Kind of a let down from the 5th Wave.
586223
I was so excited to read this book. I LOVEDThe 5th Wave,but because this book wasn't available at my library (and I am poor enough that about 90% of the books I own are gifts that I don't get to choose) I ended up waiting for almost a year to read it. My expectations were high, but not too high, itisa sequel after all. I was pumped, and I jumped in.

And it let me down. Like YA sequels always seem to do.

The 5th Wavewas FASCINATING. Watching how humanity responds and eventually loses itself in the wake of impending doom. Watching how an alien civilization would exterminate humans. The mystery surrounding what was going on. These were all things that madeThe 5th Waveso captivating. They were all missing fromThe Infinite Sea.

By the end of his first book, Yancey had pretty well established that humans have very little humanity left in them, and that what little we had hinged on the people we loved. So there was nowhere really new to go with it. The entire novel was basically a reiteration of that. Over and over and over and over and over again. We watch characters established in the previous book as stone cold killers make completely illogical decisions because a person they loved was in danger.

Also by now the aliens' plot is, more or less, revealed to us, and there wasn't much left to reveal. So Yancey had to really stretch his one big reveal. And boy did he stretch it.

But really to me, the weakness ofThe Infinite Seawas that nothing really seemed to happen. The first hundred pages are essentially the same narrative told from three different points of view. A narrative where the plot doesn't actually move forward in any way. And for the entirety of that 100 pages everybody is seconds from death, but they never die. After a while, the suspense just can't build any father and the reader gets burned out.

The last 100 pages were definitely better. Much more similar to the first book in substance and style. The whole thing hinges around a central question: Why didn't they just wipe us out with a big rock? Ringer has multiple guesses, but can never seem to hit on the answer. THAT question is what is going to get me moving quickly to the final book. And hopefully I won't have to wait a year this time!
1579434
A great idea... unfortunately for me the result was a great let down. The songs are cheesy, repetative and a little too synthetic, I could more easily listen to Hi-5.

The first time round was a little fun to listen to... I am not sure I could do it again though.
399461
Ok, this was my least favorite in the series so far. This book started feeling repetitious and contrived at times. The Boob Squad goes over the top bullying Lila and coming onto Nate to the point that it felt more like junior high than a workplace. I just did not believe it anymore. Then the big action scene near the end of book also did not feel real. I started reading this series because I loved Six so much by the same author. That book was filled with grip-your-Kindle action so I was expecting more. It just did not feel like the motivation was right somehow so it seemed ridiculous and a bit over the top. She had not changed her name and she was not in hiding so in this electronic age if someone from her past wanted to find her it would have been easy. The bad guy did not have to wait until years later when she signs up for a newsletter at a store 20 miles from her old home to find her address. That just does not scream of realism to me. Despite more action in this book than the previous two, I was more bored. I will probably finish the series but I think I need a break now.
3996978
Although I seriously loved 1,2, and 3..."Be Careful...." just wasn't compelling enough to read non-stop like I did with the first three.  It was almost like there wasn't anything left to say about the family and I was very disappointed in one family tragedy, in particular.  Hopefully, the 5th will provide more than just dealing with the Martinez family.  The cliffhanger, at least, was exciting and should lead to some fine drama.
4260460
I was so very excited to see that there was a new book by Bojalian and I waited months for it even tho I was 'next in line' for about 10 weeks?  Weird, huh?.  To be honest, I did not think this one was nearly as good as the other 5 I have read.  I was disappointed.
1484078
Ok, so a the 5th Wave was amazing, story kept me from putting the book down.  I started Infinite Sea, and actually had to go back and re-read 5th Wave.  I was immediately confused with the point of view, it switched from Cassie in the first book, to Ringer in the second.  The Infinite Sea continues on with points of view other than Cassie.  Although I appreciated some more depth to another point of view, I wished it would return to Cassie.  The ending had me confused, I had to re-read it several times.  It definitely is a cliff hanger, and I suppose I will have to re-read this one before starting the 3rd in the series just to re-orient myself with who is who.  Are they aliens? No? Yes? I don't know.  Hope the 3rd book will be just as good as the first, the second lagged for me a bit.
395489
I was really excited to hear this but was kind of disappointed when I did.  Not as edgy or original sounding as the earlier stuff.  Some of the tracks grow on you but I still skip through probably a third of this album. Favorites are Anonymous, Witness and It Gets Worse.
2492539
It's been a long time since I've read the first 2 books in this series but here's what I remember... I loved The 5th wave and was beyond excited when I found out it was going to be a movie only to epically disappointed. Sure there was some repetition in the beginning of the book but I loved the idea behind the book and how strong Cassie was and would become. Book 2 I remember being confusing and I was a little disappointed it wasn't from Cassie's perspective because I felt I had connected with her but I still liked it.
 This book... I still didn't like it as much as the first book but I liked the story arc and character development. I wish I had gone back and reread number 2 before I started The Last Star because I was a little confused in certain parts but I did like that there was some things that happened that surprised me. I still haven't decide how I feel about the ending but I think that's in a good way because it keeps me thinking.
Now if only the movie could have been as good as these 3 books.
1408876
The original series was so fun to read.  This fifth one is so disappointing.  It's been awhile since I read the fourth book but I don't remember it being so slow, all that dialogue that doesn't add to the plot; the constant italic written thoughts that doesn't contribute anything to the characters.  At times I think the author is just writing to fill the fifth volume to move on to the next.

I hate to have to be so critical of book 5; but I hope true feedback will sway the author.  I will for sure read for 6th book but if it is anything as stuffy as book 5 that will be the last time I read anything from this author again.
4951563
I love the first two games, but this last felt like mostly filler. Flipping countless switches and shooting countless enemies. The submarine sequence was a breath of fresh air, strangely enough, but I can't say I was wowed by a single moment. Online, Horde 2.0 was surprisingly not as much fun as the original mode introduced in "Gears 2." I get tired of constantly spending my hard-earned money on turrets and defenses. And Beast Mode is annoying with that stupid timer; my friend and I played for five minutes before deciding never to play it again.
393648
Just a big let down after War.  Being an older fan I had to adjust my thinking after my first viewing of War, but in doing so I was actually very pleased with the script, animation and voice actors.  So I might have been expecting too much with the new, Atlantis outing.  Really, I don't think it matters what I was expecting, this one just wasn't good, period.  I sure miss Mr Bruce.
644578
While it was nice to see leesa and rave back in action I felt that they eclipsed the others and left no room to devlop Leah and Kai's romance. I was very disappointed in this and wish it had just be a sequel to annomaly.
1288555
I was a big fan of BioShock 1 and 2 and was hoping for this game to continue with the story of Rapture. I was severely disappointed when it didn't. It is not a bad game and has an interesting story-line itself, but I feel like it should have had a different name and tried to not replicate elements of the BioShock series. For example, instead of "Eve" there is "Salts" in this series yet their effect is basically the same-they give the player superpowers.

If I could go back in time and decide again on whether to purchase the game for $60, I would probably abstain.
4011133
I enjoyed this series up until book 5.  Perci Jean is a hard working, tough--but sensitive--woman doing the best she can with her unwanted legacy.  Books 1 through 4 portray a woman who has suffered horrendous losses, but still maintains a dignity that highlights the best in our humanity.  Book 5 unveils a confused, immature woman who really doesn't have a clue who she is.  I wondered if her memaw was the one providing the illusion of the Perci mentioned initially--or maybe my perceptions of memaw hid the real Perci Jean from me.  I am southern, after all.  I suffer with the ideals of most southerners--that is, with the expectation of what is considered appropriate behavior.

*******SPOILER ALERT**********

Regardless, from the ashes of so much loss arose a reborn Phoenix--of Perci's cousin Rae.  I didn't care for this new Perci Jean.  There's a hard, willful ignorance displayed in her that makes me root against her.  I cannot form the words to describe my opinion of some of her actions.  Especially those to make Wade hers.  Does the word "no" mean anything?  If not, why be so hard on Tubby?  Perci and Tubby were more alike than I realized, and I choose not to care for manipulative characters that are self-serving.

At this point in the series, the only character worth reading about, for me, is Gage.  He proves consistent and determined--a villain with a goal.  It would have been interesting seeing things from his perspective.  After all, he would have remained an everyday white-collar criminal in that small corner of the world, but for a forced reversal of fortune.  Once that happened, what is there for him to do--besides be the villain he was comfortable being?  At least he knew who he was, and didn't stand around taking the blame for every jacked-up situation that unfolded.  Aside from my general dislike of Perci Jean's constant fumbling through adulthood in this entry, I also thought she was skanky.

I couldn't see why Perci thought she was so different from her cousin, when we find that so much of Rae's story reflected actions to protect those she loved--although in this book Perci holds the position Rae once held.  To any observer of both women's actions, the two are indistinguishable, imo.
1774880
One thing they got right was more unit types.  Unfortunately, some of these new units are simply too strong and therefore too hard to beat, rather than being special in another unique way.  I also feel that the game is too depressing at times and the characters lack that "can do" attitude of the C.O.s in the first two games.  I also really miss the music from the GBA games.  Call me crazy but they really did a great job when all they had was "module" music to work with rather than full MP3 scores.
4713240
I actually tried to raise my review to 3 stars, but amazon won't let me. I love Symphony X just as much as the next guy. You figure after 5 years of waiting, this album would blow the doors off your cheap foreign car. Well, it doesn't. I can't put my finger on why it's not as good as V and The Odyssey, it could be the vocals, it could be the production, it could be the music. Truth is, it's a combination of these things.

I've listened to the album about ten times and I just can't get into it. Sure, there are some standout tracks, but overall I'm just not impressed. I compare these guys to two things: their previous albums and Dream Theater. In terms of their previous albums, Paradise Lost is nowhere near as good as V: the Mythological Suite and The Odyssey.

In terms of Dream Theater's new release, the best songs on that release are not as great as the best songs on Paradise Lost. So I guess that's a compliment. I find myself listening to Paradise Lost much more than Systematic Chaos. And I'm not a Dream Theater fanatic either, in fact, I think the last two Symphony X albums blow away the last two albums from DT.

In closing, based on the reviews and previous albums, I was expecting this album to blow me away and it didn't. In fact, it was really disappointing. Great band though, in a sea of mediocrity that is today's music.

Best Tracks: Serpent's Kiss, Paradise Lost, Walls of Babylon (Best track by far),and the last track.
1601802
Ok so i have listened to this cd about 5 times now... and i will admit it has grown on me.  However, im starting to feel that tbs is never going to be able to recreate the magic that was in "Tell All Your Friends".  And moving to a major label like Warner Bros. probably isn't going to help.  .  And all of the dual singing back and forth that made "Where You Want To Be" a great album has been basicly abandoned on "Louder Now". The lyrics on this album also seem a little watered down and lacking feeling or any memorable lines.  That being said there is still alot of good on this album.  Lazarra's voice sounds really great on most of the tracks, although some of the emotion seems gone.  I also see that people have been complaining that the titles do come straight from the chourus of nearly every song, which is probably another side effect of being on a major label, but i do not think that this should affect anyones decision on weather to pick this album up or not.  Regardless of whether this measures up to tbs's earlier work or not this is still a great album that nearly all tbs fans will appreciate.