<em>The Knife of Never Letting Go</em> by Patrick Ness
by
Vanessa Di Gregorio
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"The first thing you find out when yer dog learns to talk is that dogs don't got nothing much to say." You need to read this. No, really. READ THIS BOOK. Why? Well... Imagine always being able to hear everyone's thoughts, at all times, fighting to drown each other out in a sea of endless Noise. Well, that's what life is like in Prentisstown. Everyone in Prentisstown can hear each other's thoughts. It's an endless, loud Noise full of words and pictures. There is no privacy. And if that wasn't bad enough, Todd has the bad luck of having to put up with hearing his dog, Manchee, as well. Everyone in Prentisstown is a man. With only has one month left before his birthday, Todd is the last boy in town to become a man. Everyone in Prentisstown has secrets. So when Todd accidentally stumbles upon a pocket of complete, total silence - a bubble of quiet, surrounded by overwhelming noise - he unwittingly stumbles into yet another of the town's secrets. And he will have to run for his life. Doesn't that sound ridiculously amazing? That's because it is. Honestly, Patrick Ness is absolutely brilliant. Brilliant brilliant BRILLIANT! Todd's voice is utterly compelling. He draws you right in, until all you hear are his thoughts in your head, even when you aren't reading anymore. Though it took me a few pages to get used to his voice, once I did, I was engrossed. Being in his mind just made sense in every way. And what's even more incredible is that even though Todd is far from perfect, his imperfections make you like him even more. He is believable. He feels real. And his dog, Manchee - though he doesn't say much - is absolutely lovable in every way. This isn't a book for the faint of heart. If I could only use one word to describe this book, it would be: intense. This book will have you gripping the pages, heart pounding and body sweating. This is a book that made me cry (more than once), and even made me so upset that I actually threw the book down at one point. But then I picked it right back up, because I just had to know what would happen to Todd. Because he'd already won his way into my heart, and I didn't even realize it. This is a violent and intense book, and things just keep getting worse and worse. But you cheer Todd on, because you want him to make it. You want him to live. If you're looking for a book to read after THE HUNGER GAMES, this is it. In fact, I daresay it's even more of an edge-of-your-seat read than THE HUNGER GAMES. Really! Honestly, this book is one of my top fave books of all time. I loved it, and for a long time I couldn't stop thinking about it. And that ending? I actually burst out loud with shock. So if you plan on reading this, you'll most likely want to have book two with you, ready at hand. Because once you finish THE KNIFE OF NEVER LETTING GO, you'll be dying to read the next one - I promise.
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Oh! And be sure to check back here tomorrow for the cover reveal of Erin Bowman's TAKEN! You don't want to miss it!
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Vanessa Di Gregorio works in publishing as a sales rep at Ampersand, a book and gift sales agency. She is also a former literary agency intern. When she isn't out selling books and talking to bookstores, Vanessa can be found over at Something Geeky, Goodreads, Twitter, or writing for Paper Droids.