I mean, if Patrick Ness is willing to kill off Todd’s dog (his best friend) in the very first book then there are no lengths he will not go. This is not a pretty story all tied together with a bow. (Disclaimer: including some swearing, not my preference, but feels less offensive in this series than other books for some reason) Which makes the things he goes through that much more gripping, authentic, and suspenseful. His voice is childish, wandering, wondering, and transparent. It captures the chaos of audible thoughts, the struggle of trying to hide what you’re thinking- whether for vanity or safety-and the immaturity of the main character, Todd. At times there are words smattered on the pages in all size of fonts, overlapping each other creating a mess but delivering a message. The writing style of the book is very unique. I suppose that kind of emotional investment is a marker of good writing. The constant intensity is a bit exhausting. My memory of specifics in each book is foggy, but I remember being somewhat relieved when it was over because I would get anxiety from my readings. This series is one where you become very invested in the story. When he stumbles across a girl, Viola, and she has no discernible thoughts, Todd is off on an intense, heart-wrenching, journey of escape and discovery- both the existential and exploratory kinds. This triggers an aggressive game of cat and mouse.

Where are all the women? When he is nearing his coming of age ritual, becoming more and more cognizant of something awry, his guardians help him escape.

The premise: Todd is the youngest male in an all-male village, Prentisstown, where everyone can hear everyone’s thoughts (pretty interesting plot point). I read these books back in 2016, but the first movie (I’m assuming they’ll make more…?) just came out so I’m revamping my review since my original review on Goodreads was only a couple sentences! (Movie comparison at the end.) Chaos Walking Series (The Knife of Never Letting Go The Ask and the Answer Of Monster and Men)

Walking chaos book