Justine's Thoughts: The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness

The Ask and the Answer (Chaos Walking #2)
By Patrick Ness

Source: Library
Pages: 519
Book Description:

The second thrilling volume in the Chaos Walking trilogy, The Ask and the Answer is a tense, shocking, and deeply moving novel about resistance under the most extreme pressure.

A quote:

A thing worth learning is worth learning well.

Any thoughts (No major spoilers) :

It got me hooked from page one and never failed to keep me on edge till the very last page. The build up, the anticipation, the waiting was entirely dreadful that I could not stop reading. This sequel is where all the action happens. It is where everything starts to become a living nightmare (for Todd and Viola). There is so much that goes on that you feel like expecting for something to happen.

What I loved most was how the story was told both in Todd and Viola’s perspectives. That way, there are two sides in the story, and the reader can almost figure out who is lying and who is not. Having jumped from one perspective to another, Patrick Ness certainly added flow and anxiety at the same time, arousing just the right emotions the reader is suppose to feel.

At many times during the novel, the thought of World War II sprung in my mind. The imprisonment of the Jews, the way they were numbered and forced to labour were very similar to the things President Prentiss ordered to have done. Through the parallels, there also quite some differences. But the overall message is about identity, power, and morals in life.

I was interested in how Viola and Todd separately dealt with the challenges they face, all along showing genuine care for one another. They struggled through tough times, as they faced decisions that were difficult to make without the other by his or her side. By the end, Viola and Todd proved to have grown throughout what they have experienced.

Just as the action was falling, just as everything was gradually settling down (as I had thought), something astonishing happens. And silly me, of course, I should have expected something unexpected. There was no way I could have known, however. Thus, Patrick Ness has done it again.

Justine's Mini Thoughts: The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

The Knife of Never Letting Go
By Patrick Ness

Pages:

479

Book Description:

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...

A quote:

“But there’s always hope,” Ben says. “You always have to hope.”

Any thoughts:

Unique and thoughtful, The Knife of Never Letting Go gives an interesting insight into a world of chaos. With a slow yet fascinating journey full of encounters, it offers a dark and different version of the treatment of men and women.

Although I initially found it hard to get into the style of the narrator’s language, I eventually became used to the flow. There are also good qualities revealed in Todd (the narrator), which made me admire him. The other characters are well-developed as well, causing me to love them all. I had several unanswered questions about some of them but I’m hoping I’ll get to them when I read the second instalment. Yes, there are suspenseful and disturbing parts that stir up all kinds of shrilling imagery in my mind yet I couldn’t get into it no matter how hard I tried. The end result is myself slowing down or re-reading. But there was one part when I found myself crying like crazy. Tears always come for me whenever an animal is in danger and that’s all I have to say. In the end, though, we get a huge cliffhanger that is enough for me to make me want to read the next book immediately.