For some reason, alien books have never really been my thing. I think it's because whenever I read something involving aliens it's really weird. I didn't remember enjoying The 5th Wave, even though I never ended up finishing that series, so I was intrigued by the pitch that this is that meshed with Beauty and the Beast. I'm a sucker for fairy tale retellings and especially for that specific retelling, so I knew I had to give this book a shot and I'm so glad I did.
While this book might seem that it's going to be mainly romance based, it's not. The plot is fairly character driven, but it's mainly about the survival of the human species during an alien invasion. I thought the survival aspects were really interesting and it seemed realistic to me. I'm no expert on surviving the apocalypse though, so I could be wrong.
In the beginning, I really didn't like Raven as a main character. Especially because she's one of those main characters that is kind of like "I'm not like other girls because I hate dresses!" That sort of main character is never my favorite, but she did end up growing on me. I really enjoyed that her emotions were so human and believable given her situation. I especially enjoyed that she didn't immediately fall in love with the Nahx. Her grief for the people that are lost throughout the book is realistic and I also really enjoyed how the people around her reacted slightly differently to everything.
I didn't dislike the other main character, Eighth, but he also isn't my favorite. For a lot of it he's just very sorry and while I thought this was endearing at first, it got old after awhile. I did like how his POV is so different from Raven's. It's always really clear when it's his voice and not hers and I really enjoyed how he seems so lost because he believes he's defective. I didn't understand why he ends up falling in love with Raven, it seemed very insta lovey.
The writing was honestly one of the best parts because there was very clearly two distinct voices. It was fast paced and intriguing. Just enough information about the Nahx was released throughout the book to keep me hooked and wanting to find out more. I wanted to know the whys and while it doesn't give you a full reason for the invasion, I feel like the information that is revealed is so good that I don't mind waiting for the next book to find out more.
I can't wait to see what the rest of the series will bring to this interesting world that Predergast has created. I think this book would be perfect for those looking for a good alien invasion story, and even fans of retellings.
*I received this via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
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