micahhortonhallett 's review for:

Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness

4.0

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For YA fiction this was a hard read. I avoided even starting the third book for about six weeks. Reading the chaos Walking trilogy was like living through an abusive relationship. An in depth examination of toxic masculinity and what happens when boys are raised in a world where there only understanding of women comes through the darkest fantasies of other men. Gaslighting, genocide, the effects of war, survivor guilt, colonial conquest, it's all here along with what happens to the human psych when it is forced into conflict with those who epitomise the worst of humanity. These books should be required reading in a bout year six. Very glad to have read them, will not be going back to re-read. Oh, and having a protagonist with just a smidge of insight and self awareness would be a beautiful thing.