The Knife of Never Letting Go
ISBN13
9781406357981
Review published
09/02/2015
By Reviewer
Linda
Star Rating
By Author / Illustrator
Patrick Ness
Age range(s)
11+
Review
The Knife of Never Letting Go is unlike anything I've ever read before. It's a blend of dystopian, adventure and sci-fi, but none of those genres can really describe such a unique book. This is the first time I have read anything by the author Patrick Ness and after completing this first book from a trilogy. will eagerly read the other two, The Ask and The Answer and Monsters of Men. The books are quite weighty - this one is 528 pages - and need lots of concentration, but once in the reader is gripped by the unique novel and the fact that Todd has to face constant, never-ending Noise each day. It does take a bit of adjustment, but I soon realised that actually, it's genius. It's a stream of consciousness with grammar and spelling that has you reading it in the exact way Todd's thinking it, and therefore the exact way his Noise sounds to everyone around him. I'm not sure I can forgive the author, Patrick Ness for some of the heart-breaking scenes in this book that I won't talk about because it'll spoil the whole thing if you haven't already read it. Due to the way the books is written, its topics and sometimes confusing plotline, we would recommend it for readers aged 12 and upwards, but it will also appeal to adults. If you want to read a truly great piece of children's fiction then this is the one for you. The book is engaging, clever, witty, heart-wrenching and packed full of adventure with amazing twists in the plot.
