The Knife of Never Letting Go - Patrick Ness - Review

Patrick Ness has created a world where you can hear everyone's thoughts, including the animals around you - a constant sea of noise. This is where Todd grows up, in a world made up entirely of men. He's the last boy in Prentisstown and one day, while out picking apples, he and his dog Manchee - and I can't say enough about how much I love Manchee - find an area of silence. And it's incredibly disturbing. Of course there's no keeping it to himself in a place where everyone can hear your thoughts. And just like that he's told to run, because it's too dangerous to stay. Told with breakneck speed that leaves you gasping for air but unable to break away, we follow Todd and Manchee's journey as they meet Viola, try to stay ahead of the men who continue to chase them, and learn, as they do, that all he's known to be true may not be. Written in style all of its own (Todd is an innocent with no formal education and it's written from his point of view), it's dark, violent, brutal, haunting, and utterly addicting. It made my heart race and consumed my free time, as I wondered why I had waited so long to start this series. Wow.