I went into this book solely on praise reviews from people I trust. They said they loved it. I read it. Simple as that. I knew that there was a boy and a monster and some wicked illustrations. That's it. And that's how I recommend that you read this book as well.*
Saying that, now I will tell you why I loved it so much and why I gave this beauty 5 stars.
*Also, remember how I said that I wanted to read the unillustrated version because I wanted to be different. No, you should read the illustrated work. So beautiful.
This book is hard-hitting. If you've ever known someone that has suffered from an illness to the point where there is none, then this book might bring you to tears. I haven't had that happen to me. My grandfather died quickly, and he's really the only person in my family that I remember dying while I was alive. But losing him, I can imagine him in the place of our narrator's mother, dying slowly. And you relate to a thirteen year old boy.
This book is written with a British narrator/voice. I imagine that Siobhan Dowd was British and this was Ness's tribute to her. And it's beautifully done. Practically flawless. He didn't have to tell me that he was in England. I knew from the vocabulary he used (e.g. "mum").
Our main character is struggling. He's not perfect. His "mum" is sick. He has nightmares. He thinks he's going crazy because if you saw a Groot replace your backyard tree at 12:07 AM, you would think you're going crazy too.
It's not preachy like so many MG-aged books are.
In short, there's nothing I didn't love about this book. If all of his books are so beautifully written and relateable, I can easily see him becoming a favorite.
Next stop: The Knife of Never Letting Go.
Published: 11 September 2011 by Candlewick Press
Format - Pages: Hardback - 205
Source: Library
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Horror
Goodreads - My Goodreads Rating
The monster showed up after midnight. As they do. But it isn't the monster Conor's been expecting. He's been expecting the one from his nightmare, the nightmare he's had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments, the one with the darkness and the wind and the screaming...
This monster, though, is something different. Something ancient, something wild. And it wants the most dangerous thing of all from Conor.
It wants the truth.
Have you read this book yet? Have you read any other Patrick Ness?
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