The Infinite Sea by Rick Yancey

Again, this was a quick re-read for me in preparation of reading The Last Star. The first time around, I only liked the book, but this time around, it was so much better! I really couldn't remember much of the book except that I knew a fair amount of the book was from Ringers point of view, which was why I only liked it. So reading the book this time was almost like reading it for the first time. Some of the stuff I remembered, but for the most part, it was all new. I really don't know what went on the first time.

(Photo Credit: Kelsey Darling)

Five Sentence Summary

The Infinite Sea starts with Ben/Zombie, Ringer, Pound Cake, Dumbo Cassie, Sam/Nugget, and Teacup have taken refuge at an abandoned hotel, or The Walker Hotel as Ringer calls it, while they gather themselves, make plans for the future, and wait for Evan, even though Cassie is the only one who thinks he's alive, and even she is doubtful. Evan did survive though, and has been taken in by Grace, another Silencer who takes her job very seriously (and kind of creepily, if you ask me). Evan is able to escape and makes his way back to Cassie, but leads Grace to the group, sans Ringer and Teacup who had previously left to find a new refuge for the group and are captured. In captivity, Ringer is tortured by Vosch and is implanted with a hub and 12 arrays that will enhance Ringers ability and make her one of them. But Ringer, with the help of her only ally Razor, escape the entrapment, only for Ringer to learn that she has been horribly betrayed and that this whole invasion is so much more than anything anyone thought.

(Photo Credit: Giphy)

Commentary

I think I slept through my first reading of this book. My boss read through these before I did, and she was talking about how they were at a hotel and I literally had no clue what she was talking about. Why would they be at a hotel? I knew a lot was from Ringer's POV, but I couldn't even remember what Ringer was doing; I forgot that she had been captured, implanted, "escaped," and then was going to be used to find Evan. I know I've read a lot of books since my initial reading of this book, but I usually have a better memory than this.

Since I was paying more attention this time around, it was more interesting; and unlike last time, I preferred Ringer's portion over Cassie's, Ben's, and Evan's sections, although I do like Evan's section and learning about Grace. What I liked about Ringer's parts is learning about the Others, their plans, how they think, why they're doing what they're doing. I am a little lost on how they aren't really Others though, I'm hoping this last book explains it a little better. I mean, there was a mothership, doesn't that usually mean aliens? In every book and movie that deals with aliens, mothership = aliens. Why would humans, even if they're superhumans, want to take out other humans? So I'm really hoping that TLS explains this, or I'm going to have to do some research and see what I'm missing.

Since this felt more like a first read than a re-read, it had the anxiety inducing ability that the first one was lacking during the re-read, which is what I liked so much about the series the first time I read it through, because reading a book isn't good if it doesn't mess with your mind, rip your heart out, and leave you clutching your knees in the fetal position, right? I love that Yancey is able to evoke such emotion and chaos, and even distrust, in his books. The entire time, you tell yourself not to trust anyone or anything, and when you think you can finally trust someone, Yancey proves you wrong, or did he? You'll never know.

(Photo Credit: Giphy)

Rating: 8/10

Pages: 300 pages

Genres: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Dystopian