Reviews

And the Ocean Was Our Sky by Patrick Ness

saschabookishowl's review against another edition

4.0

This was a very original take on Moby Dick. It read like a dark, fantasy, novella. Because of the short length and some pages which only have an illustration, it didn't read like a novel.

I really enjoyed it. It was beautiful and I read it in one sitting.

jennifercrowe's review

adventurous mysterious reflective medium-paced

4.0

maddiemcevoy's review

5.0

I adore Patrick Ness. Despite this, I wasn't expecting to like this book. I don't know why I ever thought a Patrick Ness book wouldn't be good. All I knew about this prior to reading it was that it had something to do with Moby Dick and I don't like Moby Dick very much (I've never read it in full so I probably shouldn't be making judgements) so I expected that I wouldn't like this very much.
This was incredible. I can understand why people wouldn't enjoy this book, but I think it's the same reason people don't like The Rest of Us Just Live Here, or More Than This-- because they expect it to be something it isn't.
And The Ocean Was Our Sky isn't a full length novel, and I've read a lot of reviews angry that it isn't a full length novel. It's basically a fairy-tale-esque short story about whales. It doesn't go too in depth about the characters, story, or world. It doesn't need to. This book is one of the tightest stories I've ever read. It's powerful and beautiful, and says everything it wants to say in less than 200 pages.
I loved it. Patrick Ness is never going to let me down.

kangokaren's review against another edition

3.0

I had a really hard time following the description of Toby Wick…

beth_don's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional inspiring sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

 I didn't anticipate the ending to be quite the way it was. This story is more akin to a folktale, carrying a moral for future generations. I think that it might have ended too abruptly. I was LOVING the build up closer to the end, I just feel like the climax was too quick and the drop from that too neck breaking. It gets a 4 from me for that. I highlighted this book a lot and loved the illustrations. 

bethhthelibrarian's review against another edition

3.0

I have read the entirety of Moby Dick twice. I didn't love it. I went into this book by Patrick Ness hoping I could get something else out of a reverse-Moby Dick story. I don't think I got it. I get the plot--the pod of whales hunting men. I think this whole thing kind of felt like a heavy handed approach at how we can never truly understand our enemies and we should listen to our instincts about what is right and wrong and true. The illustrations were beautiful and haunting. Maybe I'm not meant to love books about whales.

susytore's review against another edition

3.0

3,5 *
il mezzo punto in più è dovuto alle illustrazioni, bellissime (forse una delle cose più belle del libro).
Tanti messaggi, idee e spunti di riflessione (certamente importanti) racchiusi in pungenti citazioni amalgamate in una storia narrata in una maniera eccessivamente caotica, dal mio punto di vista. Essendo un libro middle-grade mi chiedo davvero quanto un ragazzo possa apprezzarne la lettura e comprenderla. Lo stile di narrazione non mi ha entusiasmato e non mi ha particolarmente emozionata. Peccato... avevo alte aspettative.

nedge's review against another edition

adventurous dark reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

bookswithmaddi's review against another edition

5.0

This book was so powerful.

thebooklovingpanda's review against another edition

4.0

"Whales and their precious prophecies. 'We must do this. It has been prophesied.' You relieve yourself of choice. Relieve yourself of consequences. Torture me, harm me, kill me. Do all these things, but do not pretend there is a must. That is how evil is rationalized."

4.5 stars

Given that this is written by Patrick Ness, I expected a great read, and I was not disappointed. This book is a retelling of the 1851 novel Moby-Dick by Herman Melville, and I have the feeling that if I'd read Moby-Dick before reading this, I might have enjoyed And The Ocean even more.

A quick and visually stunning read, with both great depth and humour. I really enjoyed Bathsheba's musings on the cultural glorification of the eternal hunt, of war, by those who sit safely at a distance; on cyclical violence and the power of rumour; whether fate is truly pre-destined, or if we make our own fates merely through our insistence that we have one.

We are always saying things like this, us as a people. Prophecy of the purest sort. What does that even mean? If prophecy were pure, it would be fact, but it is not. And yet how it drives us, even when all I have ever seen is that the only prophecy that has any accuracy - any purity - is the one that self-fulfils.

There were also some truly heartbreaking moments that moved me to literal tears. How does Ness manage to fit all these emotions in such a short book?

Rovina Cai's illustrations deserves a star all for itself - her art style is the perfect choice for a maritime setting, full of waves, curves and the flowing lines that characterise her other work. The mostly greyish-blue colour scheme fit Bathsheba's underwater point of view very well, and made the occasional splash of reds and yellows all the more striking. I'd even recommend picking up the book just so you can see for yourself how beautiful the pages are!

The only critique I have is that the ending seemed to wrap up rather quickly after the key battle. I think I would have liked to see more of Bathsheba's reflections on how she herself was drawn to the devil. But really, this was just overall a splendid read, and another great graphic novel to add to my growing list.

[R]umors swirl and oceans stir and in that maelstrom, I fear, devils will rise. Are rising. Have risen. The great trick of the devil is to make you want to see him. But it is only when you see him that you fear him. And by then, it is too late.