Author: Patrick Ness
Date of Publication: May 27 2011
Pages: 207
Source: Library ebook

Read my review before you decide to read the synopsis! 

The monster showed up after midnight. As they do.

But it isn't the monster Conor's been expecting. He's been expecting the one from his nightmare, the one he's had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments, the one with the darkness and the wind and the screaming...

This monster is something different, though. Something ancient, something wild. And it wants the most dangerous thing of all from Conor.

It wants the truth.

Review:

It's official: I am now a fan of Patrick Ness. This is the third book of his that I've read, and although A Monster Calls is impressively short, it packs a lot of punch.

Patrick Ness is incredibly talented because his writing style changes depending on the book. A Monster Calls had elegant yet simple writing. Words and stories were huge parts of the plot, and I thought that the balance between fantastical fairy tale and gritty contemporary was well walked.

Let it be known that I am not one to seek out short books. I often feel like there is little character development or story, but that was far from the case in A Monster Calls. In fact, I'm surprised at how much actually occurred. The story dives into the plot and the writing is very condensed. Every scene happens for a reason, and this is a book I could easily analyze for an essay in a language class, just because there are so many literary elements to it. There are symbols, motifs, imagery, and metaphors.

As a reader though, I don't really care about that. The part of the writing that I enjoyed was how powerful it was. Patrick Ness was always in control and the storytelling was superbly done. I don't want to spoil too much, but I will say that the story is engrossing. It pulls you in and, without you even realizing it, your heart is trapped, and then Patrick Ness carves it open.

Okay, so there were feels. Lots of them. I think the beauty in a Monster Calls is the exploration of Conor's relationships, which were all sad yet so real. Conor was someone we can all relate to, and my heart broke for him over and over. The poor kid didn't have it easy, and I think the best way of explaining A Monster Calls is that the story wasn't cheesy and sad in all the typical ways. I teared up because of little things that again, I won't spoil. And when there were big moments, I bawled.

I understood Conor. Conor was a real character to me, and someone that I could relate to on a personal level. It wasn't like he was perfect. On one hand, he did something incredibly hurtful and stupid and I remember being upset. But I was mostly upset at me too because I can relate to his feelings and there are things I feel ashamed about too. And I love him. I genuinely feel love for Conor and his situation.

Now, this review is about as vague as they come and beyond mentioning Conor's name, I realize I actually haven't told you what the book is about. That's because I didn't read a synopsis before I started this one. I picked A Monster Calls because I heard it was good, and I had read it fully experiencing every new development. I didn't read the synopsis, and I'm happy I didn't, because otherwise, maybe I would have set some barriers up before reading. This book wreaks emotional havoc, and it's so much of a learning experience that I think it's best to go into A Monster Calls knowing it's good, and discovering the elements of why and what sort of story it is, by yourself. In fact, I'm only writing a review because I want people to go read A Monster Calls and experience it. So, what are you waiting for? Do it.

There's nothing else I really want to write about except that I want a copy of this for myself. I want to read it when I'm down and when I'm happy to remind myself of the importance of truth. I related to Conor so strongly that I think that I can get lessons out of A Monster Calls for myself. And, I will be recommending this to everyone I know. Because everyone needs to read big small books full of beautiful small big moments.

-P.E.

Author: Patrick Ness
Date of Publication: May 5 2008
Pages: 479
Source: Library

Prentisstown isn't like other towns. Everyone can hear everyone else's thoughts in an overwhelming, never-ending stream of Noise. Just a month away from the birthday that will make him a man, Todd and his dog, Manchee -- whose thoughts Todd can hear too, whether he wants to or not -- stumble upon an area of complete silence. They find that in a town where privacy is impossible, something terrible has been hidden -- a secret so awful that Todd and Manchee must run for their lives.

Review:

I'm incoherent right now. My main reaction to finishing the first book in Patrick Ness' Chaos Walking series is 'ARGH!'. If you could read my Noise, it would be a loop of "WHY! UGH! NOO!"

All things considered, I think The Knife of Never Letting Go was a success. I had been meaning to read this book for quite some time. A friend of mine had read it before and I kept seeing it around. When I finally picked it up from the library, I was pleased to realize that Patrick Ness was the author. You know, the guy that wrote More Than This. I've only read two books of his but I'm starting to feel like he has a very distinctive writing style.

The story started out slow. There is a mystery and it builds itself up. I didn't really like Todd very much. He kept kicking his dog, Manchee, and needless to say I don't find abuse very endearing. Todd was an immature child and I think the absolute strongest part of The Knife is watching him grow into a man. I hear a lot about coming of age stories, and I feel like this one fits that label perfectly. A major theme in the story was the idea of becoming a man, and what it takes.

The best description for the plot is to consider the idea of a snowball rolling down a hill. It starts out small, but gradually the plot picks up until it's pretty huge and exciting. In fact, there were a few shocking twists and events that *hurt*. I shed a few tears for one major plot twist even though a few pages before it occurred, you could feel the foreshadowing. That didn't change the tragedy of the situation. I think the story is only going to get better from the ENORMOUS cliffhanger the book ended with. The Knife got stronger as it progressed  and by the end, I couldn't help but be completely engrossed in the story and craving the next book.

The world is also something to talk about. Todd lives with only men, who project Noise, which is like information about somebody revealing their thoughts. You would expect that to mean that the society is very upfront, but it isn't. Men can still have lies in their Noise. I was really impressed with the idea of Noise and all the issues that came with it. The idea of settling on a new planet and all the struggles that come with aliens and life is fascinating. The idea that you can't run away from your problems, and the ideas of innocence are very well explored.

I also think the writing deserves some mention. Todd isn't very well educated so he speaks in dialect, and the entire story is like that. As in most cases, I started the story hating the dialect but gradually grew to forget about it. It's just a part of Todd and his life now. In the typical Patrick Ness fashion (which I can say I know since I read TWO WHOLE BOOKS by him) a lot of the pleasure in The Knife of Never Letting Go is unraveling the plot, so this review has been pretty vague. There is a lot to the book that I have purposefully not mentioned.

Now, this wasn't a perfect book for me. The beginning was slow, and I liked the characters but I didn't truly love any of them. Also, I'm really bitter about something I won't spoil. The main villain irritated me, and I didn't find his character believable. These are all nitpicky little things because I did enjoy The Knife very much. So, it gets 4 stars.

-P.E.

Author: Patrick Ness
Date of Publication: September 10 2013
Pages: 480
Source: Library

A boy named Seth drowns, desperate and alone in his final moments, losing his life as the pounding sea claims him. But then he wakes. He is naked, thirsty, starving. But alive. How is that possible? He remembers dying, his bones breaking, his skull dashed upon the rocks. So how is he here? And where is this place? It looks like the suburban English town where he lived as a child, before an unthinkable tragedy happened and his family moved to America. But the neighborhood around his old house is overgrown, covered in dust, and completely abandoned. What’s going on? And why is it that whenever he closes his eyes, he falls prey to vivid, agonizing memories that seem more real than the world around him? Seth begins a search for answers, hoping that he might not be alone, that this might not be the hell he fears it to be, that there might be more than just this. . . .

Review:

Before reading More Than This, I read countless reviews praising how unexpected and ambiguous the story was. I have so much appreciation for these bloggers because even if I did go in eventually expecting something weird, I was never spoiled. What happened took me by surprise, and I'm very happy with that.

What I like about More Than This is that it is ambitious and tries to be a layered and important story. There is a very clear theme that I won't spoil, and what's amazing about it is that it addressed important things in a new way. This is a book I'm glad I read because in many ways, I needed to read it. In that sense, I will always have a fondness for More Than This.

The beginning is extremely slow. I recommend people sticking with it because it does pick up, and the story is so creative. There is a lot of ambiguity to the plot and maybe some people don't enjoy that, but I do. Well, in this case, I do. The story is up to the reader to interpret, and I can see English teachers loving this book because there is probably so many literary elements used, like vivid imagery and symbolism.

The writing wasn't really my style because it was written in the present, which I admit makes sense, but it's still a little different to read. It's not in first person either so sometimes there's an air of detachment but that's completely necessary. Confusion is embraced by Patrick Ness and utilized to enhance the story.

If there was one complaint I had, it's that some parts felt a tad unnecessarily long. I realize now maybe why Patrick Ness made those writing decisions, but it's a personal preference as a reader to have an action based plot. This book isn't very action oriented. It's mostly a character development story.

I saw some people say they didn't like the ending because it was too open, but I loved that. This kept the story ambiguous, and reinforced the theme again. I don't need to know everything, but I was comfortable with what happened. The story was left open to the reader to interpret, but it was still very complete. There are definitely questions I have, but I can deal with not knowing the answers. In saying that, I would still love to talk to Patrick Ness one-on-one someday just to see what inspired him to write this kind of story because it was very fascinating. Also, I have a few technical questions.

I know this review covered no specifics, but that's because More Than This is a puzzle for the reader to fit
together. I want you guys to have the full experience. 4 stars.

-P.E.