Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Monsters of Men

#1: Monsters of Men (Chaos Walking #3) by Patrick Ness

Synopsis via Barnes and Noble:
As a world-ending war surges to life around them, Todd and Viola face monstrous decisions. The indigenous Spackle, thinking and acting as one, have mobilized to avenge their murdered people. Ruthless human leaders prepare to defend their factions at all costs, even as a convoy of new settlers approaches. And as the ceaseless Noise lays all thoughts bare, the projected will of the few threatens to overwhelm the desperate desire of the many. The consequences of each action, each word, are unspeakably vast: To follow a tyrant or a terrorist? To save the life of the one you love most or thousands of strangers? To believe in redemption or assume it is lost? Becoming adults amid the turmoil, Todd and Viola question all they have known, racing through horror and outrage toward a shocking finale.

Before I review this book I'm gonna give you a little recap of what I thought of the other two.
***WARNING: SPOILERS***

The Knife of Never Letting Go: I LOVED this book. It was one of my favorites that I've read this year. The characters were wonderful and I found myself very attached to them and wanting them to succeed. It was a story full of mystery and adventure and I was particularly drawn to the main theme which was Todd's search to find himself and what it truly means to be a man. The best part about the book, of course, was the ever-loyal dog.

The Ask and the Answer: I HATED most of this book. The book was divided into 6 parts. The first 5 parts were depressing and boring and basically the complete opposite of the first book which was full of action. The point of view is written half in Todd's and half in Viola's which I was okay with since they are separated for most of it. Mostly I was just bored through the whole dang thing. Todd and Viola were still likable, but the plot was lame. The last part of the book, however, brought back my interest. Because of this, I had high hopes for the final book.

Monsters of Men: Laaaaaaaame. This is probably the most disappointing book series I've ever read because I loved the first one so completely and hated the other two. What's more troubling is that most of the reviews that I've read give high praise to all three books and a lot of people (since not many dogs read these days. shame.) actually like the second and third books better! Now, I'm not trying to completely bash these books because they are well-written and I can see why some people might like all three of them. But this is the big problem that I have with the books: I feel deceived. The first book, as I said, was about Todd finding out information about his past and discovering what it means to be a man. I loved this concept. The second and third books are about the horrors of war. I think that Ness does a great job depicting this topic, but I personally am not a fan of war stories. Had I known these books were going to end up being about war... well I probably would not have read them in the first place. So I guess I'm just annoyed that they took such a radical turn. And in the third book they tell the story from Todd, Viola, and the spackle 1017's point of view and 1017's point of view is annoying as poop. So yeah. Not a fan. My eyes were glazed over for almost the whole thing.

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