The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

Synopsis:

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.

Sci-FI books are always interesting because each of them has their own different language that you have to decipher. It usually gets easier as the book and/or series goes along, but it still takes some getting used to. That was no different in this case. But, it was made even more difficult by the fact that the protagonist cannot read very well. So, a lot of words are misspelled, and they are spelled in the way they are pronounced. It took a lot of getting used to, and it made it sort of hard to read for a few chapters. Once you get the hang of it, it isn’t so bad though. You just have to hope you don’t actually start writing like that in your real life.

Usually, I cannot get into many sci-fi books. The stories are too out there for me, and I like more realistic story lines. But, there was something about this book that pulled me in and wouldn’t let me go. I never wanted to put it down, and it made me just keep reading to. I can’t even put my finger on exactly what it was. The story telling was unique to go along with a unique story line. I just enjoyed it thoroughly.

It was nice to read a young adult book that had a strong male and female character. They complemented each other well and with ease. It seems like the kind of book that should be required school reading. There are lessons about life, death, war and hope. It was a very complete book and could have worked easily as a stand-alone novel, but I am glad that there are two more that come after this one. I need more of Todd and Viola’s story.

Warning: (also a spoiler) The dog dies, and I was not prepared for that. I nearly cried. So, if you are someone that cannot handle that, don’t read this book.

4/5 Stars

Memorable Quotes: “It’s not so uncommon. If yer whole world is one Noisy town with no future, sometimes you just gotta leave even if there ain’t nowhere else to go.”

“Being this close to her silence is like my heart breaking all over the place. I can feel it, like it’s pulling me down into a bottomless pit, like it’s calling for me to just fall and fall and fall.”

“But a knife aint just a thing, is it? It’s a choice, it’s some thing you do. A knife takes a decision out of your hand and puts it in the world and it never goes back again.”

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Maximum Ride: School’s Out – Forever by James Patterson

Synopsis:

In this eagerly awaited follow-up, brave bird-kid Max and her flock are discovered by an FBI agent and forced to go to "school." There is no such thing as an ordinary day as Max deciphers how and when she's supposed to save the world, and she faces her greatest enemy--a clone of herself.

In the second installment to the Maximum Ride series, the flock is still bent on finding their birth parents. They are somewhat successful, but sometimes you have to be careful what you wish for, as it may have an unexpected result.

I was a bit sad thinking that the whole flock wouldn’t be together anymore, but thankfully the bond of the flock is stronger than blood. They all just work too well together to have one of them leave. It may still happen in later books, but I hope that it doesn’t.

Max is still trying to figure out her purpose. She knows she has to save the world, but the prospect of that makes no more sense than it did when she was first presented with that information. The voice in her head is still driving her crazy, and she has to learn how to balance her insanity with trying to manage the flock.

I didn’t know exactly how I felt about Anne while reading this book, but I knew I didn’t completely trust her. I was sort of glad that I figured that out and give in to the front that she was trying to sell. I am glad that Max saw through her as well.

Max is a very strong character, it isn’t exactly a stretch for there to be strong teenage characters in YA novels, but it still takes me by surprise how mature they are sometimes.

For being so out of my genre on many levels, I am really enjoying this series so far. Sometimes it is good to step outside of your comfort zone and read something different.

4/5 stars

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Islanders by John Barlow

This novel reminded me of a modern day Lord of the Flies. Not with the plot, just with the concept of the children being the main characters. I’m sure there are many novels like this, but I feel like this could replace that book in school curriculums.

It does have lessons that you can take away from it, such as you need teamwork to succeed, and also to never give up.

This novel is a sort of spin on a post-apocalyptic. There was a major war on the mainland including biological warfare. Some of the survivors were able to escape to an island unknown to the ruler of the mainland.

When a boat washes up on shore of the island carrying a messenger from the mainland telling Ben Brewer that his father is still alive, he and a gang of children set off to uncover the true story of what happened.

Will they be able to find Ben’s dad? Or will they get killed along the way?

You just have to read it and find out!

5/5 Stars. I spent all day reading this book and didn’t get bored once! It is full of adventure and get crazy at the end!

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Read ahead for spoilers