- April from Good Books and Good Wine reviewed this and that review convinced me, I had to try it.
- The Maze Runner by James Dashner
- Boneshaker by Cherie Priest
- The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Summary from GoodReads:
Todd Hewitt is the last boy in Prentisstown.
But Prentisstown isn’t like other towns. Everyone can hear everyone else’s thoughts in a constant, overwhelming, never-ending Noise. There is no privacy. There are no secrets.
Or are there?
Just one month away from the birthday that will make him a man, Todd unexpectedly stumbles upon a spot of complete silence.
Which is impossible.
Prentisstown has been lying to him.
And now he’s going to have to run…
My Review:
My first thought when I put this book down was…
Are you kidding me?!
I now understand why one book blogger states that she is an “evangelist” for this book. This book, this.. amazing book, it had me in tears, it had me choked up, it had me laughing, it had me angry and it had me completely tied around it’s figurative finger.
The Knife of Never Letting Go is one seriously intense book – do not pick it up until you have the time ready, because you will not want to put it down until you’ve turned the last page. And even then – you’ll be wishing you did the smart thing and had the next book ready.
There is so much I love about this book. I loved Todd, his innocence, his struggle and his instinct for survival and protection in a world that did not foster one of those feelings. I loved Viola’s intelligence and her empathy for Todd and for others. I loved how human she is, how, in spite of all the odds against her she still takes the time to grieve and to feel for her own losses but never lets it get in the way of what needs to be done.
And then there’s Manchee. Manchee is Todd’s dog, the dog he never wanted – and much like the famous dog of Disney fame, Manchee thinks a dog’s joyous, loyal thoughts. Everything from Squirrel! to Ow, Todd? (the question mark killed me – it’s so .. doggie), Manchee endears himself to the reader and .. man, I can’t talk about him without crying. What kind of book does this to a reader?!
Most of all though, this book goes to show just how powerful writing in the first person can be. Because not only do we hear Todd’s thoughts, but so does everyone else. The others surrounding him hear what we think is narrative, but it’s really Todd’s thoughts. We hear words how he says them, we hear his lack of education, we are there in his mind, dealing with the fear and the confusion and the never-ending run from everything that is evil.
This is a book I’ll be recommending eagerly to every teenager in my life. Fantastic story, great characters and a style of writing I can only stand in awe of. Well done, Patrick Ness, well done.
Check out these review(s):
