Reviews tagging 'War'

The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness

22 reviews

sassyykassie's review against another edition

adventurous challenging tense fast-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Emotional abuse, Colonisation, Torture, Gun violence, Misogyny, War, Gaslighting, and Hate crime

Moderate: Sexism and Murder

Minor: Sexual violence and Fire/Fire injury

mylittlebookcase's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Holy moly the themes in this book are dark and complex! Ness has really done a good job at highlighting how grey events can be even when they're clearly black and white at the same time too! A great book series for teens who are starting to notice the world around us.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, War, and Violence

Moderate: Genocide

Minor: Rape

sleepygym's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Xenophobia, Sexism, Genocide, Torture, Violence, and War

jadarchive's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Drug use, Murder, Violence, and Gun violence

Minor: Sexual content

whitenoise's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Genocide, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Death, Violence, Torture, and Forced institutionalization

Minor: War, Misogyny, Slavery, and Medical content

abigailhaagen's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark tense medium-paced

4.0

This book was very good, but not as good as the first, in my opinion. Character voice/prose wasn't as strong, and some decisions felt out of character. However, the plot kept me engaged, and I absolutely loved the exploration of grey morals throughout the book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Torture, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Murder, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, and Sexism

Moderate: Slavery and War

daringreader13's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious relaxing tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Physical abuse, Murder, Xenophobia, Violence, Torture, Vomit, Slavery, Medical content, Excrement, War, Abandonment, Classism, Colonisation, Confinement, and Death

andreapap15's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

3.75

definitely a slower paced book than the constant terror of the first one, but with a more fleshed out villain and a more interesting dual POV.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture

Moderate: War

asourceoffiction's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

I feel like Viola and Todd just can't catch a break in this series; this second installment starts with them thrown into a whole new state of constant peril. But I love that this story is totally different from The Knife of Never Letting Go, where the characters are fleeing from the Mayor of Prentisstown. Here they have reached Haven but it does not provide the safety they desperately sought. Instead the pair are thrown onto opposite sides of a war.

It's so clever that Viola and Todd's chapters are written in different fonts, which makes all of the writing feel like their Noise. So the story is told from inside their heads rather than from an objective external source. It makes the different behaviours they encounter from their 'leaders' all the more intriguing; it's clear that Todd doesn't agree with the Mayor (who really ramps up the insidious in this book), but is stuck in his position and has to shut down to cope. But at the same time you can see that Mistress Coyle is not a wholly innocent party acting purely in defence. It really pulls you into the politics and shows how easy it is to become complicit to keep yourself or those you love safe.

As with the first book, this ends on a HUGE cliffhanger where things are clearly all about to go (even more) horribly wrong. Suffice to say I can't wait to read Monsters of Men.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Misogyny, and Torture

Moderate: Gore

Minor: Rape

queen_'s review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense fast-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Violence, and Torture

Moderate: Murder, Police brutality, Misogyny, Medical content, and Sexism

Minor: Slavery, Sexual violence, Rape, Vomit, Sexual harassment, Death of parent, Blood, and Genocide