The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness (Thoughts On)

Title: The Knife of Never Letting Go (Chaos Walking #1)
Author: Patrick Ness
Pages: 496
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Source: library
Rating: 4/5

Summary from Goodreads:

A dystopian thriller follows a boy and girl on the run from a town where all thoughts can be heard — and the passage to manhood embodies a horrible secret.

Todd Hewitt is the only boy in a town of men. Ever since the settlers were infected with the Noise germ, Todd can hear everything the men think, and they hear everything he thinks. Todd is just a month away from becoming a man, but in the midst of the cacophony, he knows that the town is hiding something from him — something so awful Todd is forced to flee with only his dog, whose simple, loyal voice he hears too. With hostile men from the town in pursuit, the two stumble upon a strange and eerily silent creature: a girl. Who is she? Why wasn't she killed by the germ like all the females on New World? Propelled by Todd's gritty narration, readers are in for a white-knuckle journey in which a boy on the cusp of manhood must unlearn everything he knows in order to figure out who he truly is.

This is my second Ness novel after reading A Monster Calls late last year. There is something about his writing that I just adore. I'm not the biggest fan of misspellings and dialect but by the end, I was reading it pretty quickly and not feeling as slowed down. Todd is quite a likable character and I was rooting for him throughout.

The basic premise - that all men's thoughts can be heard - is an interesting one to think about. I sure wouldn't want to hear all men's thoughts all.the.time. Can you imagine? The writing style used really captured that never ending Noise. It really was chaotic.

I love excellent world building and felt that was a bit lacking. Whatever was lacking in world building was made up in character development though. I felt like I actually knew Todd by the end. The one issue I had with his character was that he seemed way more grown up that the almost 13 years old he actually was. This could be because of his tough life and the way things were in Prentisstown but there were times when it really distracted me from the story.

My favorite character, by far, was Todd's dog, Manchee. Ness did such an excellent job imagining how a dog would speak, if he could. I enjoyed all of the scenes with him. For those who don't enjoy animals getting hurt, I hate to spoil anything but...he is. It was difficult to read but still heartwarming too because he WAS a dog and he loved Todd so very much.

This is a chunkster at almost 500 pages but it really did fly by. There were a few scenes in the end that had me scratching my head and going "huh?" but overall I really enjoyed it. And the ending killed me. I needed the next one right.that.minute.

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness (Thoughts On)

Title: The Knife of Never Letting Go (Chaos Walking #1)
Author: Patrick Ness
Pages: 496
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Source: library
Rating: 4/5

Summary from Goodreads:

A dystopian thriller follows a boy and girl on the run from a town where all thoughts can be heard — and the passage to manhood embodies a horrible secret.

Todd Hewitt is the only boy in a town of men. Ever since the settlers were infected with the Noise germ, Todd can hear everything the men think, and they hear everything he thinks. Todd is just a month away from becoming a man, but in the midst of the cacophony, he knows that the town is hiding something from him — something so awful Todd is forced to flee with only his dog, whose simple, loyal voice he hears too. With hostile men from the town in pursuit, the two stumble upon a strange and eerily silent creature: a girl. Who is she? Why wasn't she killed by the germ like all the females on New World? Propelled by Todd's gritty narration, readers are in for a white-knuckle journey in which a boy on the cusp of manhood must unlearn everything he knows in order to figure out who he truly is.

This is my second Ness novel after reading A Monster Calls late last year. There is something about his writing that I just adore. I'm not the biggest fan of misspellings and dialect but by the end, I was reading it pretty quickly and not feeling as slowed down. Todd is quite a likable character and I was rooting for him throughout.

The basic premise - that all men's thoughts can be heard - is an interesting one to think about. I sure wouldn't want to hear all men's thoughts all.the.time. Can you imagine? The writing style used really captured that never ending Noise. It really was chaotic.

I love excellent world building and felt that was a bit lacking. Whatever was lacking in world building was made up in character development though. I felt like I actually knew Todd by the end. The one issue I had with his character was that he seemed way more grown up that the almost 13 years old he actually was. This could be because of his tough life and the way things were in Prentisstown but there were times when it really distracted me from the story.

My favorite character, by far, was Todd's dog, Manchee. Ness did such an excellent job imagining how a dog would speak, if he could. I enjoyed all of the scenes with him. For those who don't enjoy animals getting hurt, I hate to spoil anything but...he is. It was difficult to read but still heartwarming too because he WAS a dog and he loved Todd so very much.

This is a chunkster at almost 500 pages but it really did fly by. There were a few scenes in the end that had me scratching my head and going "huh?" but overall I really enjoyed it. And the ending killed me. I needed the next one right.that.minute.

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness (Thoughts On)

Title: A Monster Calls
Author: Patrick Ness
Pages: 215
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Source: Christmas gift from My Favorite
Rating: 5/5

Summary from Goodreads:

At seven minutes past midnight, thirteen-year-old Conor wakes to find a monster outside his bedroom window. But it isn’t the monster Conor’s been expecting — he’s been expecting the one from his nightmare, the nightmare he’s had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments.

The monster in his backyard is different. It’s ancient. And wild. And it wants something from Conor. Something terrible and dangerous. It wants the truth.

From the final idea of award-winning author Siobhan Dowd — whose premature death from cancer prevented her from writing it herself — Patrick Ness has spun a haunting and darkly funny novel of mischief, loss, and monsters both real and imagined.
***

I'm doing a few reviews backwards because I didn't write up reviews during the #ReadingCram. Oopies. A Monster Calls is an example of a book that I wanted because of the cover. I actually knew nothing about the book other than a few favorite bloggers loved it. When I got a gift card from My Favorite, this is one that I purchased. 

I had been told not to get the Kindle version so that I could see the illustrations. That they make the book even better. Boy were they right. The illustrations are beyond awesome and added so much to an already stellar story. 

My version has a blurb from John Green on the cover that says something about Patrick Ness being a beautiful writer. And beautiful is just how I would describe it. This was my first Ness but it won't be my last. The writing was lush but still stark enough to fit the story.

The story itself started with an idea from the late writer Siobhan Dowd. She is another author that I need to read immediately. This story was heart wrenching but yet it healed at the same time. I know that sounds crazy - that it breaks your hear while healing it - but it really did.

The story is about a 13 year old boy as he struggles with his mom's cancer. A few minutes after midnight, a monster shows up at his house. The monster tells him that he's going to tell him a few stories and then have Conor tell him one. 

It's a short book at just over 200 pages and I read it in one sitting. I had to find out what happened. The pacing was just wonderful and there was laughter mixed with the sadness. I went into this one blind but came out of it with a deep appreciation for the imagination of Ness. The way the story was weaved and the ultimate sad but satisfying ending, was mind blowing. The illustrations added another layer of awesomeness. I almost can't put into words an adequate review for this one because I'm still processing it all.

If you like books that make you think and that are beautifully written, A Monster Calls will not disappoint.

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness (Thoughts On)

Title: A Monster Calls
Author: Patrick Ness
Pages: 215
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Source: Christmas gift from My Favorite
Rating: 5/5

Summary from Goodreads:

At seven minutes past midnight, thirteen-year-old Conor wakes to find a monster outside his bedroom window. But it isn’t the monster Conor’s been expecting — he’s been expecting the one from his nightmare, the nightmare he’s had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments.

The monster in his backyard is different. It’s ancient. And wild. And it wants something from Conor. Something terrible and dangerous. It wants the truth.

From the final idea of award-winning author Siobhan Dowd — whose premature death from cancer prevented her from writing it herself — Patrick Ness has spun a haunting and darkly funny novel of mischief, loss, and monsters both real and imagined.
***

I'm doing a few reviews backwards because I didn't write up reviews during the #ReadingCram. Oopies. A Monster Calls is an example of a book that I wanted because of the cover. I actually knew nothing about the book other than a few favorite bloggers loved it. When I got a gift card from My Favorite, this is one that I purchased. 

I had been told not to get the Kindle version so that I could see the illustrations. That they make the book even better. Boy were they right. The illustrations are beyond awesome and added so much to an already stellar story. 

My version has a blurb from John Green on the cover that says something about Patrick Ness being a beautiful writer. And beautiful is just how I would describe it. This was my first Ness but it won't be my last. The writing was lush but still stark enough to fit the story.

The story itself started with an idea from the late writer Siobhan Dowd. She is another author that I need to read immediately. This story was heart wrenching but yet it healed at the same time. I know that sounds crazy - that it breaks your hear while healing it - but it really did.

The story is about a 13 year old boy as he struggles with his mom's cancer. A few minutes after midnight, a monster shows up at his house. The monster tells him that he's going to tell him a few stories and then have Conor tell him one. 

It's a short book at just over 200 pages and I read it in one sitting. I had to find out what happened. The pacing was just wonderful and there was laughter mixed with the sadness. I went into this one blind but came out of it with a deep appreciation for the imagination of Ness. The way the story was weaved and the ultimate sad but satisfying ending, was mind blowing. The illustrations added another layer of awesomeness. I almost can't put into words an adequate review for this one because I'm still processing it all.

If you like books that make you think and that are beautifully written, A Monster Calls will not disappoint.