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arlorees's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Violence, Sexism, Religious bigotry, Physical abuse, Medical trauma, Gun violence, Grief, Death of parent, and Blood
oliverlang's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Murder, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Misogyny, Murder, Religious bigotry, Suicide, Violence, and Vomit
charliebookfanatic's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
UPDATE 12/29/2020:
This is the second time that I have read this book. The first time my review was not that positive. I had problems with how the author interacted with Manchee, the dog, in this story and how he was treated as a mechanism for generating sympathy. This time I had fewer problems with that and I could shed a tear. Maybe it's because I've read almost all of Patrick Ness's work and I'm used to how he constructs his stories. It was still a book that was nice to read with a lot of action, although I did notice how much description of the environment is actually in this book.
My favorite part is still how this world is built. It's a unique concept and really something I've never read in any other book.
Last time I gave it three stars and now I'm taking that up to four because I got a lot more fun out of it. The next two books in this series were, in my opinion, better than this first book, so I'm curious to see what I see with a re-reading.
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I had so many problems with this book. Todd was so unlikable and I normally don't mind that, but he hit his dog so many times. I can't like someone who abuses his dog. Maybe his dog was annoying, but he was loyal to a fault and he didn't deserve what happened to him. I felt like Patrick Ness used Manchee as a means to create sympathy. That's not the way to do it. I normally cry in books, but I didn't cry a single tear about the events that happened in this one.
The writing was addictive and the story was fast-paced. There never was a dull moment and I did like how much action was going on all the time. The worldbuilding was my favourite part of this book. The way the rules were laid-out and the towns were built... I loved that.
This book ended on a huge cliffhanger and it does make me want to pick up the sequel. I'll see how it goes. Let's give book two a chance.
This is the second time that I have read this book. The first time my review was not that positive. I had problems with how the author interacted with Manchee, the dog, in this story and how he was treated as a mechanism for generating sympathy. This time I had fewer problems with that and I could shed a tear. Maybe it's because I've read almost all of Patrick Ness's work and I'm used to how he constructs his stories. It was still a book that was nice to read with a lot of action, although I did notice how much description of the environment is actually in this book.
My favorite part is still how this world is built. It's a unique concept and really something I've never read in any other book.
Last time I gave it three stars and now I'm taking that up to four because I got a lot more fun out of it. The next two books in this series were, in my opinion, better than this first book, so I'm curious to see what I see with a re-reading.
----------------------------
I had so many problems with this book. Todd was so unlikable and I normally don't mind that, but he hit his dog so many times. I can't like someone who abuses his dog. Maybe his dog was annoying, but he was loyal to a fault and he didn't deserve what happened to him. I felt like Patrick Ness used Manchee as a means to create sympathy. That's not the way to do it. I normally cry in books, but I didn't cry a single tear about the events that happened in this one.
The writing was addictive and the story was fast-paced. There never was a dull moment and I did like how much action was going on all the time. The worldbuilding was my favourite part of this book. The way the rules were laid-out and the towns were built... I loved that.
This book ended on a huge cliffhanger and it does make me want to pick up the sequel. I'll see how it goes. Let's give book two a chance.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty and Violence
Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, and Gun violence
Minor: Blood, Cursing, Death, Genocide, Grief, and Sexism
pamshenanigans's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Read in 2021:
All this book tells me is that most men really are T R A S H and that we truly DO NOT DESERVE DOGS.
Read in 2018:
All this book tells me is that most men really are T R A S H and that we truly DO NOT DESERVE DOGS.
Read in 2018:
Mini-plot: A planet exists where everyone (literally) can hear each other's thoughts. Yep. Including animals. In this planet, there are different settlements. Todd, the main character, is from a town called Prentisstown, where only men exist.
Actual rating: 100 effing stars (I didn't say effing)
Story: A++++++ (as I expected from a Patrick Ness book)
My two cents:
I don't even know where to begin this review, to be quite honest. Reading that book has been quite a ride for me. The story isn't what I was expecting, and I hate myself for having put this off for years because "Oh god no, the book is too long." You know what, past Pam? THE BOOK ISN'T EVEN ENOUGH. I tore through the book like how Todd and Viola ran day and night just to get to Haven.
*Random thoughts while reading the book*
*WE DON'T AND WILL NEVER DESERVE DOGS
*Todd is annoying sometimes. But sometimes I forget that he's still a kid
*This is a different planet?? ? ?
*IS AARON INVINCIBLE??? TF ????
*MANCHEE???
*Things I love about this book*
*Todd's innocence - The way the book is written, it's easy (at times) to digest and internalize that Todd is really a 13-year old boy, from the way he thinks to the way he spells some words. We only know what Todd knows and that adds to the thrill of reading the book.
*Consistently unfortunate events - Omygod. This book will have you wishing Todd can take a break. I feel so bad and sad that this little boy is dealing with lots of fucked up things that not even I, as an adult, can survive against. However, I love how these events shaped Todd's character development and fate.
*Had me at the edge of my seat - A book has to be really interesting for me to focus and keep reading, especially if it's a long-ass one. This book is beyond interesting.
*Story is unique - A place where everyone can hear everyone's thoughts in the future? Life in other planets? Count me in! Whenever people ask me what superpower I'd like to have, I always say mind-reading. While reading this book, I realized how problematic and inconvenient it could be, especially if your enemy is telepathic as well. So I'll have to rethink my superpower wish.
*BASICALLY EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS BOOK TBH
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, Genocide, and Animal death
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