Review: Monsters of Men (Chaos Walking, #3) by Patrick Ness

Spoiler warning! This is the 3rd and final book in the Chaos Walking trilogy and this review will contain spoilers from the 1st 2 books. You can read my reviews of The Knife of Never Letting Go and The Ask and the Answer instead. You have been warned!

Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness

Author: Patrick Ness Website|Twitter
Published: 3 May 2010 (Walker)
Format: Paperback
Pages: 603
Buy the paperback: Amazon|BookDepository
Buy the e-book: Kindle|Kobo

Source: Borrowed from library

Plot Summary (from Goodreads):
In the riveting conclusion to the acclaimed dystopian series, a boy and girl caught in the chaos of war face devastating choices that will decide the fate of a world.
As a world-ending war surges around them, Todd and Viola face monstrous decisions. The indigenous Spackle, thinking and acting as one, have mobilized to avenge their murdered people. Ruthless human leaders prepare to defend their factions at all costs, even as a convoy of new settlers approaches. And as the ceaseless Noise lays all thoughts bare, the projected will of the few threatens to overwhelm the desperate desire of the many. The consequences of each action, each word, are unspeakably vast: To follow a tyrant or a terrorist? To save the life of the one you love most, or thousands of strangers? To believe in redemption, or assume it is lost? Becoming adults amid the turmoil, Todd and Viola question all they have known, racing through horror and outrage toward a shocking finale.

My Review:
As soon as I finished The Ask and the Answer I put a hold on this book at the library. I just couldn't wait to get my hands on the final installment in the Chaos Walking trilogy!

The book picks up literally straight after the events of The Ask and the Answer which I loved. There was no pause or quiet moment to prepare yourself, you were just thrown straight into the action. The first sixty pages or so were just absolute madness. The war between the Spackle and both sides of the humans was in full force and with so much going on I just couldn't tear my eyes away from the action.

Monsters of Men is once again told from Todd and Viola's perspectives, only this time we get added chapters from the Spackle perspective. When I first reached one of these chapters I did a little dance because I was so glad to get more of an insight into the Spackle! Having bits written from their POV really delved into how the Spackle see people like Todd and the Mayor, as well as how they see themselves. Because of the way they communicate, there was something quite poetic about how the chapters were written, with the visual language they use having to be translated into text. Overall I liked it, but it was a little confusing getting my head around some of the terms, such as them referring to themselves as "the Land" and referring to certain people as "the Sky" or "the Knife".

Of course, this being the final part of the trilogy, I was fearing for the characters. Throughout the book I was on edge worrying about who was going to survive or what would happen to certain people, because there were so many bleak moments where the future was uncertain. I think it's a great compliment that I became so emotionally invested in these characters that I was so worried about their fates, especially Todd and Viola.

Once again the theme of war that has been running throughout the trilogy was executed brilliantly in Monsters of Men. Yes there were fighting scenes but I was just as enthralled by the communication between the different sides. The plotting and scheming really gave each character a chance to shine and show their true feelings and motives, and when those battle scenes came they were brutal, horrific and often took me completely by surprise and had me on the edge of my seat.

A lot of Monsters of Men is really Todd's story, deservedly so as he's the one who's been there from the beginning. I really liked the challenges he had to face throughout the book. More than ever there's this issue of how the power and control he has is getting to him and just how far he will go to save the people he loves. I think I was slightly worried what direction his character was going to take but I ended up really enjoying the exploration of his strengths and weaknesses and the tests he faces. It was also interesting getting to see the relationship between Todd and Viola really tested by the situations they end up in.

Ness has managed to create some wonderfully complex characters in the form of Mayor Prentiss and Mistress Coyle and I was definitely impressed with how their stories unfolded during Monsters of Men. It was so hard to work out who to trust and figure out just what people were going to do in certain situations. I certainly didn't see a lot of what happened coming.

Most of Monsters of Men was incredibly fast paced with plenty of battle scenes nicely balanced out with the quieter moments where we get to focus on the characters and their tactics. About two thirds of the way in was when I started to struggle, because this is such a long book at six hundred pages. The pace just dropped off a bit for me and there was a time where I was reluctant to pick up the book because not enough was happening to grab me and make me forget about just how many pages I had left. Luckily it picked up towards the end and I was eating it up again.

The climax of Monsters of Men was everything I was hoping for from the end of the trilogy. It was gripping and completely heartbreaking, yet I left the series feeling like it was the perfect ending; enough was concluded that I felt satisfied that the story was wrapped up, yet there was that little bit of a teaser to leave me thinking and guessing about what goes on after those final pages. There was something really poetic about the final chapters and I know this is writing and story that will stay with me.

Rating: 4*
What to read next: Snowscape by Patrick Ness, a short story following on from Monsters of Men
Books like this: Blood Red Road by Moira Young

Review: The Ask and the Answer (Chaos Walking, #2) by Patrick Ness

 Spoiler warning! This is the 2nd book in the Chaos Walking trilogy and will contain spoilers from the 1st book. You can read my review of The Knife of Never Letting Go (book 1) here instead. You've been warned!

The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness

Author: Patrick Ness Website|Twitter
Published: 4 May 2009 (Walker)
Format: Paperback
Pages: 517
Buy the paperback: Amazon|Waterstone's|BookDepository
Buy the e-book: Kindle|Kobo

Source: Borrowed from library

Plot Summary (from Goodreads):
Fleeing before a relentless army, Todd has carried a desperately wounded Viola right into the hands of their worst enemy, Mayor Prentiss.

Immediately separated from Viola and imprisoned, Todd is forced to learn the ways of the Mayor's new order.

But what secrets are hiding just outside of town?
And where is Viola? Is she even still alive?
And who are the mysterious Answer?

And then, one day, the bombs begin to explode...

My Review:
I absolutely adored The Knife of Never Letting Go which I read last year and I've been meaning to read this book for ages. And after finishing The Ask and the Answer I'm wondering why I left it so long! The story picks up with Todd in the hands of Mayor Prentiss, as war threatens to break out across the New World.

Woah. I'm still recovering from reading this one. I've literally just finished it as I write this and I feel like I've been on one hell of a rollercoaster! But let's start at the beginning. The book starts out with Todd tied up and being questioned by Mayor Prentiss, which was a fantastic way to start. There was no build up, you were straight back into the action and I loved that. It picks up pretty much where the last book left off which made it really easy to get back into the swing of things. I had no trouble picking up the story again after taking so long between books.

The Ask and the Answer is told from both Todd and Viola's perspective. It worked so well because they were seperated at the beginning at the two of them are wrapped up in different situations so you got to see what was happening on both sides. It was also utterly heartbreaking because each of them was worrying about the other one the whole time. I really felt that connection between them and their concern for each other was so sweet and innocent.

The book takes on some pretty brutal issues, particularly focusing on the outbreak of war. There were so many insights into those realities from the fighting to the casualties, to the moral dilemmas faced by those involved. It was incredibly well done. Todd and Viola both get swept along with the fighting and it was really interesting to see them question both what was happening around them and question their own actions. There were so many times where the lines between right and wrong became blurred and that made for some really intense and at times uncomfortable scenes, but in a way that really made you think and question what was happening yourself. It's certainly one of those books where certain moments stay with you!

There was also the matter of all the underhand tactics and efforts on both sides of the fighting to spy on each other. I seriously had no idea who to trust. I was suspicious of almost everybody and then those characters I wasn't suspicious of turned out to be ones I should have been keeping an eye on! I was completely gripped and the twists and turns kept coming, and none of them I ever saw coming.

It was really fascinating seeing the world the book takes place in explored a bit more. There's more focus on the Noise and how people are starting to deal with it. There were also a focus on the divide between Spackle and the people which I thought was very interesting from a moral point of view. Some real issues were brought up there and some of the scenes were quite tough to read. I also liked the exploration of the fight between women and men which was made more interesting by the fact we got Todd and Viola's individual experiences of both sides.

Both characters have really strong plots that ran alongside each other and complimented each other perfectly. The pacing was snappy and despite the length of the book, it felt like the pages flew by. I would find myself rushing home from work or wherever I was just so I could get back and read some more. Once again the unique writing style that stems from Todd's voice made for a fantastic reading experience.

I waited far too long to read The Ask and the Answer so I've gone and put a hold on the next book straight away so I don't have to wait! The cliffhanger ending of this book was absolute torture and I need to know what happens! The final chapters had me completely riveted. This was just as good if not better than The Knife of Never Letting Go.

Rating: 5*
What to read next: Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness, the final book in the Chaos Walking trilogy
Books like this: Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan, Blood Red Road by Moira Young

Teaser Tuesdays: 21st May

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

"I turn back into the room. My eyes are adjusting to the fading light but there don't seem to be nothing here anyway but boards and a faint stink."

- page 25, The Ask and the Answer (Chaos Walking, #2) by Patrick Ness

News Round Up! 30th March

It's been another amazing week for news so let's get cracking! Firstly, Laini Taylor revealed the UK paperback cover for Days of Blood and Starlight on her blog this week. I have the paperback of Daughter of Smoke and Bone which is gorgeous, and think I love this cover just as much! Check it out on her blog at this link.

Also in cover news, Patrick Ness has announced that there'll be new covers for his Chaos Walking series. These new versions of the books will also contain bonus short stories, which include the previously published The New World and two brand new stories. You can find the new cover art and more about these new editions on Patrick's Facebook page. Do you own these books already? If not, do the new covers make you want to buy them?

I'm a huge fan of the Matched trilogy by Ally Condie and now that's finished I've been waiting to hear news of future projects, and there was good news this week as it's been announced that Condie has landed a deal for two new books. You can read more about the book deal and what these books have in store in this article at Media Bistro. The summary sounds great! The first book is due to be released in 2014. Will you be reading it?

Because you can't have a week without Divergent news, here's some Divergent news! The cast have started heading to Chicago to begin filming. You can read more about that story here on Hypable. And there's been some extra casting news regarding the characters of Will, Edward and Al. Again you can read about that on Hypable.

As I menioned in last week's news post, Lauren Oliver visited the UK recently to mark the release of Requiem. Excitingly DeliriumFandom.com has a video on their site which you can watch at this link!

With all the buzz about Clockwork Princess at the moment it will come as good news to some that a screenplay is in the works for the Infernal Devices trilogy. With the first Mortal Instruments film City of Bones due out later this year, it's really exciting to hear news about possible future projects! Read more about this story over on Examiner.com.

There was sad news for Harry Potter fans this week after Richard Griffiths, known to Potter fans as Vernon Dursley, passed away after complications from heart surgery. He was well known to many as a star of both stage and screen and also starred with Daniel Radcliffe in the stage play Equus. Read more about Richard's life and work in here on the Guardian website. 

And finally, it was announced on Thursday that Goodreads has been bought by Amazon. As you'll know if you read this blog I use Goodreads an awful lot so I'm interested to see if there'll be any changes. It seems Goodreads want to bring in some kind of Kindle integration to the service which does sound useful, but I'll be waiting anxiously on other changes. What do you think of the Amazon Goodreads take over? Good news or bad news? You can read more about this story in the official blog post over on Goodreads.

Which of these news stories had grabbed your attention this week? As always I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

New book releases:
The Madness Underneath by Maureen Johnson
Buy: Amazon|Waterstone's|Book Depository

Review: The New World by Patrick Ness

The New World by Patrick Ness

[Goodreads page]

Author: Patrick Ness. Website|Twitter
Published: 24 August 2009 (Walker)
Format: E-book
Pages: 25
Amazon: Kindle
Booktrust: PDF

Source: Free Kindle download

Plot Summary (from Amazon):

In this dramatic prequel to the award-winning Chaos Walking Trilogy, author Patrick Ness gives us the story of Viola's journey to the New World. Whether you're new to Chaos Walking or an established fan, this prequel serves as a fascinating introduction to the series that the Sunday Telegraph called "furiously paced, terrifying, exhilarating and heart-breaking."

My Review:
I really enjoyed The Knife of Never Letting Go so when I came across this prequel short story on the Kindle store I had to download it. I'm not usually one for prequels/extras but when they're free I can't really complain! And this one turned out to be really interesting. This short story is told from Viola's point of view, as she and her parents head on their mission to a new planet and a new life.

I think this short story is probably more suited to people who have read The Knife of Never Letting Go, only because that book is written in a very particular style which isn't reflected in this short story. That's because in KoNLG we see the story from Todd's perspective, who has a very unique voice and way of speaking which is reflected in the writing style. This being from Viola's POV it reads like a normal story. If you want to get a sense of the world the trilogy takes place in, though, I'd still recommend it.

From reading KoNLG I knew a bit of Viola's story, but it was great hearing more of her background and getting to see it from her perspective. The story flits between her journey to the new planet, and the months before when she's dreading the prospect. It keeps it pacy and I really liked the way it moved back and forth.

For such a short story there's plenty of action and emotion. It had me completely immersed and reminded me just how powerful Patrick Ness' writing can be. It certianly makes me want to go out and continue the trilogy - something I've been meaning to do for a while!

Rating: 4*
What to read next: The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
Books like this: Hope's Daughter by Melanie Cusick-Jones

Review: The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

Author: Patrick Ness. Website, Twitter
Published: 14 October 2008 (Walker Books)
Pages: 496
Buy: Amazon (paperback|Kindle), Waterstone's (paperback|e-book), Book Depository (paperback)

Source: Borrowed e-book from library.

Plot Summary: (from The Book Depository)
Imagine you're the only boy in a town of men. And you can hear everything they think. And they can hear everything you think. Imagine you don't fit in with their plans... Todd Hewitt is just one month away from the birthday that will make him a man. But his town has been keeping secrets from him. Secrets that are going to force him to run.

My Review:
The Knife of Never Letting Go (book 1 in the Chaos Walking series) originally popped up in my Goodreads recommendations. I started to read a few reviews that really raved about it so I bumped it up my to-read list! This book is all about Todd Hewitt, who lives in Prentisstown in New World, a post-apocalyptic society where there are only men and where everyone can hear each other's thoughts (their "Noise"). Todd is the only boy left, approaching his 13th birthday when suddenly he is forced out of Prentisstown.

The first thing you notice when you start reading this book is the way it's written. The book is narrated by Todd, who is unable to read or spell, so a lot of the words are spelt phonetically, as well as reflecting his accent. I really loved that way of writing, though. It makes Todd feel totally real and you can hear his voice as you read. It takes a little getting used to, as any book written in a slightly unconventional way does, but it became one of my favourite things about the book and something that makes it really stand out.

The story centres around Todd's escape from Prentisstown and becomes all about his fight for survival and the journey he takes. Sometimes with books that are so focussed on characters escaping or travelling somewhere there can be a lull in the action whilst they figure out what to do etc. That wasn't the case in The Knife of Never Letting Go. There was constant action and a real sense of doom and danger. The suspense was kept up all the way through and there was so much stuff that happened along the way that I wasn't expecting!

There are some pretty out there ideas surrounding the post-apocalyptic world this story takes place in. When I first read it I was kind of taken aback, because it's nothing like the dystopian stories I've read before! It was so well done though. The ideas could have sounded ridiculous but the way they're put together in this story made it work. The plot is so intricate and as Todd discovers more and more information about the world he's living in I just found myself totally gripped, waiting to learn more.

I liked that there's a strong focus on war. In a similar way to Suzanne Collins in The Hunger Games, Patrick Ness has weaved his own views on war into the story, making you really think about the issues Todd has to face.

It's hard to get across how genius this book is without giving away some key plot points, but it's totally unique and a book I would definitely have down as a must read. There's action, friendship and danger all threaded throughout this novel and it's truly a brilliant piece of literature.

Rating: 5*
What to read next: The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness, book 2 in the Chaos Walking series.
Books like this: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.