Book Title: Monsters of Men
Author: Patrick Ness
Series: Chaos Walking #3
Date Started: June 1st 2013
Date Completed: June 2nd 2013
Genres: Adventure, Mystery, Action, Dystopian, Romance
Rating: Four stars
Review:
Monsters of Men is the epic end to the Chaos Walking trilogy and it's possibly the best end to a series of books I've ever read.
Like the second book, Monsters of Men continues on immediately from where The Ask and the Answer left off. Todd and Viola now have to fight to bring peace to the three armies marching towards each other that could potentially destroy New World. With the new settlers' arrival coming faster and faster, they must ensure peace between the conflicting forces - but can alliances formed in desperate times be trusted? And will peace between the Ask, Answer and Spackle actually be possible?
Once again, the writing improved massively from the previous book. Ness is able to flow between different styles in the text for each chapter to represent the emotions and personality of each character he narrates.
I liked the way the story not only follows Todd and Viola, but also an influential member of the Spackle. This gave the story a lot of depth and encouraged the reader to think for all three sides of the war and understand that the situation wasn't quite as simple as 'good' and 'evil'.
The story became more complex, which gave a certain maturity to the story that I liked - I feel like it's not only the characters that grew up throughout the books, but also the author.
An awful lot of events was packed into a very basic set-out of locations and characters - yet there was always something happening. The pace didn't slow down once for the entire book - good in a sense since I definitely didn't want to put the book down; but at the same time, also a little tiring and when it came to the larger climaxes, they didn't seem quite so important because we, as the reader, are already in the adrenaline-packed atmosphere.
Having said that, there were a few quieter moments that I felt were dealt with very well. I'm glad Ness wasn't afraid to seriously injure some of his characters - and he didn't give up trying to keep the after-affects going on, which I think often happens in stories. Instead, the affects of everything that had happened to the characters - both physical and mental - were consistent throughout the plot line.
Furthermore, I'm also glad that Viola and Todd's relationship saw some more light (and that with Lee, as well) but still didn't take the limelight to draw attention away from the base plot of war (which I felt was presented extremely well.)
Great characters. Todd's more real than ever - and I'm glad Ness didn't show him as always being good and in control. He was a lot more real when he started making fatal mistakes and then paying the price for them.
The same goes for Viola - she definitely became more powerful, and for the I'm glad, but she also made mistakes through it. But the character's determination set them right in the end.
I've never been quite sure if I liked the Mayor as the villain, and I still can't make up my mind. He is a very good dictator figure, but I'm still not sure if I actually believe him.
I'm glad Lee wasn't abandoned because of Todd and Viola's relationship.
I'm also glad Wilf was included - because everyone loves Wilf; especially when he's being a hero.
The new additions of Bradley and Simone worked well with the story, too. Simone was an interesting character that I couldn't decide I liked or not. Bradley was the kind of character I always love: the strong, protective brotherly figure that always stands up for the right thing. (I know I say I like realistic characters that make mistakes - but I always think that kind of character is needed to be the little voice to the protagonists that makes sure they stay on the right path - and he's definitely that to Viola.)
There are obvious morals in the story. The title itself is a phrase repeated several times in all three of the books and is effective in proving that was does indeed make 'monsters of men'. There are many more too, and it's one of the few series' I've read where there are such obvious morals. In a way that's good - for a younger age group things might sometimes have to be more obvious. But at the same time, I would have liked the ideas being put forward by Ness to be a little more implied so that the reader could almost discover them for themselves, rather than being straightforwardly told.
I might have to crown Patrick Ness as the best writer for book endings in the history of ever. I've said in my other reviews how good he is at leaving his books on cliffhangers to make you want to read the next one. Monsters of Men does end on a cliffhanger, and you do want to read more, but it's enough to definitely close the story on; the strings are mostly tied up and you can probably guess where it's going to go from there - yet you still want to read it for yourself to make sure. One of the best endings I've read.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a light read (although this is heavier reading than the previous novels) involving action, mystery, adventure, thrills, dystopian and romance. Definitely read The Knife of Letting Go and The Ask and the Answer first. Otherwise not a lot will make sense and the stories of the first two books will be thoroughly ruined. (I have to say, I didn't enjoy Monsters of Men as much as I liked The Ask and the Answer, but it was still very good and a perfect ending to the series.)
Image Source: http://www.inismagazine.ie/files/cache/
a9b5d637dbafa4cd3b9b14c4462a23a908c7f246.jpg
Monsters of Men is the epic end to the Chaos Walking trilogy and it's possibly the best end to a series of books I've ever read.
Like the second book, Monsters of Men continues on immediately from where The Ask and the Answer left off. Todd and Viola now have to fight to bring peace to the three armies marching towards each other that could potentially destroy New World. With the new settlers' arrival coming faster and faster, they must ensure peace between the conflicting forces - but can alliances formed in desperate times be trusted? And will peace between the Ask, Answer and Spackle actually be possible?
Once again, the writing improved massively from the previous book. Ness is able to flow between different styles in the text for each chapter to represent the emotions and personality of each character he narrates.
I liked the way the story not only follows Todd and Viola, but also an influential member of the Spackle. This gave the story a lot of depth and encouraged the reader to think for all three sides of the war and understand that the situation wasn't quite as simple as 'good' and 'evil'.
The story became more complex, which gave a certain maturity to the story that I liked - I feel like it's not only the characters that grew up throughout the books, but also the author.
An awful lot of events was packed into a very basic set-out of locations and characters - yet there was always something happening. The pace didn't slow down once for the entire book - good in a sense since I definitely didn't want to put the book down; but at the same time, also a little tiring and when it came to the larger climaxes, they didn't seem quite so important because we, as the reader, are already in the adrenaline-packed atmosphere.
Having said that, there were a few quieter moments that I felt were dealt with very well. I'm glad Ness wasn't afraid to seriously injure some of his characters - and he didn't give up trying to keep the after-affects going on, which I think often happens in stories. Instead, the affects of everything that had happened to the characters - both physical and mental - were consistent throughout the plot line.
Furthermore, I'm also glad that Viola and Todd's relationship saw some more light (and that with Lee, as well) but still didn't take the limelight to draw attention away from the base plot of war (which I felt was presented extremely well.)
Great characters. Todd's more real than ever - and I'm glad Ness didn't show him as always being good and in control. He was a lot more real when he started making fatal mistakes and then paying the price for them.
The same goes for Viola - she definitely became more powerful, and for the I'm glad, but she also made mistakes through it. But the character's determination set them right in the end.
I've never been quite sure if I liked the Mayor as the villain, and I still can't make up my mind. He is a very good dictator figure, but I'm still not sure if I actually believe him.
I'm glad Lee wasn't abandoned because of Todd and Viola's relationship.
I'm also glad Wilf was included - because everyone loves Wilf; especially when he's being a hero.
The new additions of Bradley and Simone worked well with the story, too. Simone was an interesting character that I couldn't decide I liked or not. Bradley was the kind of character I always love: the strong, protective brotherly figure that always stands up for the right thing. (I know I say I like realistic characters that make mistakes - but I always think that kind of character is needed to be the little voice to the protagonists that makes sure they stay on the right path - and he's definitely that to Viola.)
There are obvious morals in the story. The title itself is a phrase repeated several times in all three of the books and is effective in proving that was does indeed make 'monsters of men'. There are many more too, and it's one of the few series' I've read where there are such obvious morals. In a way that's good - for a younger age group things might sometimes have to be more obvious. But at the same time, I would have liked the ideas being put forward by Ness to be a little more implied so that the reader could almost discover them for themselves, rather than being straightforwardly told.
I might have to crown Patrick Ness as the best writer for book endings in the history of ever. I've said in my other reviews how good he is at leaving his books on cliffhangers to make you want to read the next one. Monsters of Men does end on a cliffhanger, and you do want to read more, but it's enough to definitely close the story on; the strings are mostly tied up and you can probably guess where it's going to go from there - yet you still want to read it for yourself to make sure. One of the best endings I've read.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a light read (although this is heavier reading than the previous novels) involving action, mystery, adventure, thrills, dystopian and romance. Definitely read The Knife of Letting Go and The Ask and the Answer first. Otherwise not a lot will make sense and the stories of the first two books will be thoroughly ruined. (I have to say, I didn't enjoy Monsters of Men as much as I liked The Ask and the Answer, but it was still very good and a perfect ending to the series.)
Image Source: http://www.inismagazine.ie/files/cache/
a9b5d637dbafa4cd3b9b14c4462a23a908c7f246.jpg
No comments:
Post a Comment