Honestly, this book was a breathtaking experience to read. It is so engaging that you feel the highs and lows the narrator feels. This book is in ways comparable to the very popular HUNGER GAMES trilogy out now (which I greatly enjoyed as well). Both exhibit phenomenally good writing style, narrators with strong hearts and voices, impossible odds, relentless action, and a well-developed dystopian world. These are books among YA fantasy that really stand out from the pack for being turly original and high-quality writing. That said, I liked THE KNIFE OF NEVER LETTING GO in some ways more than THE HUNGER GAMES. The action was very engaging and the mystery of what's really going on kept me enthralled. THE HUNGER GAMES is a little more subtle. I am suprised the CHAOS WALKING trilogy isn't as popular and I think it deserves a wider audience, including adults.
The story is told from the mouth of semi-literate Todd Hewitt, the last boy left in Prentisstown who has not yet reached manhood. No more children can be born because the women were all killed by a virus that also caused men to hear the thoughts of every man and creature on the planet they attempted to colonized, the constant Noise that Todd can never hide from or turn off. When he one day finds something that is impossible, a hole in the Noise, he has stumbled upon a dangerous secret that sends him running for his life. And not all is ever as it seems as Todd may have to grow up much faster than he anticipated...
The Noise is an interesting invention which Ness explores from many angles. The Noise is rendered really well visually in the book, which uses multiple typefaces to bring it out on the page. While reading, you can't help but feel almost like Todd does: you are completely inundated by raw emotion and ideas and images that pop to life. Not all the emotion brought out is positive, either. It's an involving experience to read, one you won't forget, and you FEEL it from start to finish.
The voice of Todd is highly idiosyncristic and amusing to read, abandoning many grammar and spelling rules but not too much so that it becomes confusing to follow. It is very reminiscent of Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn. You will even laugh. Patrick Ness is a gifted author who brings Todd (and the secondary charaters) vividly to life. Todd is both a character to cheer for and a very human character with shortcomings we may be frustrated with. He's very well-rounded and original, and becomes even more rich and complex in the second book, THE ASK AND THE ANSWER.
At times, important information is aggravatingly witheld when Todd sees something or hears something in his head that challenges his beliefs and he will hide it from the reader by saying "I didn't want to think about it." It can seem like Ness is toying with the limits our patience, but the payoff at the end is worth the while. It can also seem like Ness overdoes the foreshadowing a bit, and clever readers can probably guess at the truth before Todd discovers it in whole. But you will never see the ending coming.
Very original and at times dark (although I've read darker stuff) but also very uplifting in moments with some beautiful ideas shining between the darkness. My concern with it isn't so much the grimness (you should expect it; it IS dystopian fiction after all) but the graphic violent content. The situations are life-threatening and Ness doesn't shy away from some rather bloody and disturbing images. Everyone has a different threshold for violence, so just be warned it is there. For me, it wan't overwhelming and added to the suspense and rawness of the book.
Aside from that, I couldn't give stronger reccommendation for THE KNIFE OF NEVER LETTING GO. It is one of the best reads I've had in a while. And, you will want to buy THE ASK AND THE ANSWER immediately after finishing this for the end is a nail-biting cliffhanger. Some people dispute the cliffhanger end as a way to manipulate you into buying the second book, but I think it works and leaves you on the right note for the sequel. I wouldn't end it anywhere else.
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The book is really good to read. It’s just very thick and had lots of chapters. It was in good condition and it’s brand new.
Top reviews from other countries
Theoneandonly
Awesome book
Reviewed in India on March 15, 2024
Theoneandonly
Reviewed in India on March 15, 2024
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Weslley de Souza
As always, Ness has the best ideas.
Reviewed in the Netherlands on March 16, 2022