Author: Patrick Ness

I love Ness’ writing and enjoy his books, but this one… this one… was perfection all the way through.

The writing, artwork, pacing–everything.

I’ve gushed over books and declared my undying love for some, but this one is on the highest pedestal. It says it’s young adult, but that is just the entry audience.

This book is for everyone.

It deals with loss, grief and the stages one goes through before acceptance. I couldn’t stop reading it and by the time I got to the last sentence, there were tears in my eyes.

Yes, this book brought me to tears.

For me, as everyone brings their own experience to a novel, this book hit me multiple levels. It targeted my own grief, while also pulling at my heart strings for the protagonist. I wanted to reach through the book and let him know the monster who calls him is the same monster that calls us all.

Some books keep you hooked because they skim you across the water at a rapid pace. Others pull you beneath the surface where you see a whole new world.

This one pulls you to the bottom of the lake until you drown in it.