Review: The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

Read: Feb.16-April 7, 2016

Rating: 3 of 5 stars

Pages: 479

Genres: adventure, dystopia, fantasy, thriller

Blurb from Goodreads: 

"Todd Hewitt is the only boy in a town of men. Ever since the settlers were infected with the Noise germ, Todd can hear everything the men think, and they hear everything he thinks. Todd is just a month away from becoming a man, but in the midst of the cacophony, he knows that the town is hiding something from him -- something so awful Todd is forced to flee with only his dog, whose simple, loyal voice he hears too. With hostile men from the town in pursuit, the two stumble upon a strange and eerily silent creature: a girl. Who is she? Why wasn't she killed by the germ like all the females on New World? Propelled by Todd's gritty narration, readers are in for a white-knuckle journey in which a boy on the cusp of manhood must unlearn everything he knows in order to figure out who he truly is. "

OKAY, firstly, this is not my fault.  

This monster of a book was almost 500 pages, and contrary to what people think, I don't read that fast.  This would be the second book club book I've read, and my reasons for reading it...well, I know of ONE friend who knows...she also happens to have the link to this blog...I wonder if she's reading this now....

Anyways...book club book wasn't very high on my priority list because I didn't have a strict due date. I had ARCs to read and review...and library books to return, and other ebooks I was more interested in.  So this one kinda got left in the dust.

Eeeeexcept!  I still managed to finish this book before everyone else, and I've read at least eight books while in the middle of this book, and after finishing this book...huh.  Maybe I do read kinda fast, I'll give you that.

Secondly, as excited as I was to finally get to read this book...I was utterly disappointed.

Utterly.

I'm actually not to sure WHAT I was expecting, but it certainly wasn't this dreary disappointment....

I found it hard to get into the book with all the...incorrectly spelt words...words like direkshun, conversayshun, informayshun, explanashun, and...yer.  It annoyed me quite a bit, argh!  It still annoys me, actually.

Also...despite the interesting blurb, the way it's the novel is written, it actually does make perfect sense to write it like it is...I just...I didn't like it.  It seemed so chaotic.  TOO chaotic.  I mean, can you imagine...being able to hear everyone else's thoughts...every.  Single.  Thought?!

Ah.  This series is called Chaos Walking.  

Huh.

Oh!  Something worth mentioning...I liked how the relation between the title and the book. Sometimes, the title is only one word, and it isn't much to go by, but this title...wow.  

Todd, the protagonist was given this small knife from a loved one, and he guarded it proudly.  

Wait, no...that doesn't sound right...he...held it on a high pedestal?  

No, that doesn't really work either...he...regarded it as a challenge?

Yes...that sounds better.

After receiving the knife, he felt as though he had to prove himself, he needed to kill someone to become a man, he needed to prove himself.  Be brave enough to kill.  This knife...symbolized his...oh, no...I've over analyzing, arent' I?  

I blame English class.

Anyhoo...I also didn't like the new terminology...and I kept forgetting what a "spackle" was...I had to keep flipping...and for a 500 paged book...that was a whole lot of flipping.  You'd think that I'd be smart enough to get a separate bookmark for that, right?  Yeah, me, too.

BUT, I'm not that harsh...I didn't dislike everything about this book, mind you.  I quite liked the beginning...the talking dog?  Yeah...first few lines in...

Manchee (dog): Need a poo, Todd

Todd: Shut up, Manchee

Manchee: Poo.  Poo.  Todd

Todd: I said shut it.

And then later...

Manchee: Good poo, Todd

Todd: I'm sure it was, Manchee

Four lines later...

Manchee: Poo

Hilarious, no?

Yes, anyways...another thing: this is the second book (I think?) I've read that has the idea of females being extinct.  I think it's...interesting.  Although...this wasn't exactly the kind of story I'd like to see this idea placed in.  You know...me and my very messed up mind....

Welp.  I can't say I'm too eager to read the next book...even if there was a ginormous cliffhanger ending...which, actually, does say something about the book, yes?

Oh, don't worry, I'll read it eventually....

Any chaotic books you're read recently?  

How many books do you read at a time?