A review by millieeharmann
Release by Patrick Ness

emotional mysterious reflective tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

2.5 stars because I loved half of it, and struggled with the other half. I loved Adam's story as well as his relationships. Those he held dearest to him are so easy to love and are representative of a beautiful found family where your biological family isn't. 

That being said, a common thing I've noticed with Ness' writing is that he switches pov and pulls the reader out of the story. I especially noticed this with the final installment in the chaos walking trilogy, as well as this book. The side story of the faun and the queen ran completely parallel to Adam's narrative, and there was no influence over the events of either story until the final chapter. This was frustrating as the fantasy narrative had minimal context and made little sense, additionally, it seemed to only pull from some of the tensest moments in Adam's journey, cheapening the beauty of them. The story of the queen at the beginning seemed promising, however just remained flat throughout the entire story, with minimal climax.

That being said, if I were ever to reread this, I would skip the fantasy narrative completely and only read the chapters dedicated to Adam, and it would still make complete sense.
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