Hi!
Today I will be discussing the book
The Ask and The Answer by Patrick Ness. This is the second book in the Chaos Walking trilogy. I have discussed the first book on this blog-
The Knife of Never Letting Go- so be sure to check that out before you read this and then come back. However, there aren't any spoilers in this discussion so feel free to hang around if you want to.
Okay, let's roll.
This book follows Todd and Viola's mission to conquer Mayor Prentiss and set the world right once again- free of Noise and fear and conflict. Todd and Viola are separated a number of times throughout this book, and, while trying to find each other again have to beat the Mayor and resist being tricked by his polite façade and games. This book is so intense and is a fantastic second book to the series.
This book had a little bit of a slower start. It does start off really suspenseful- Todd is being interrogated in a room by Mayor Prentiss, but I just feel like first part of this book could have been condensed a bit and included more action. It does set the scope for the plot and the rest of the book really well though and builds a great image of New Prentisstown and its inhabitants. There is a lot of mystery built up in this part but at the same time a lot of talking that I think could have been improved with more action.
Other than that, the rest of the book is brilliant.
Patrick Ness has used some really clever writing techniques in this book. He actually made me feel what the characters were feeling. When the characters were tired, I was tired; when the characters were confused and not sure about something, I was confused and not sure. It is such a great tool. I felt a great deal of empathy for the characters in bad situations.
Mayor Prentiss and a new introduced character Mistress Coyle are mysterious and, while reading, much like Viola and Todd, I was not sure about whether I could trust them or whether they were actually good or evil. I really loved this feature of the book.
Around the last 11 chapters of the book is where stuff goes down. It is so action packed, suspenseful, gripping and powerful that I could not stop reading. Some shocking stuff happens in this part of the book.
I really love Patrick Ness's writing style. It is very unique and I enjoy reading it.
Lastly, this book is very different from the first.
The Knife of Never Letting Go was really
about Viola and Todd running from the evil clutches of Mayor Prentiss and Aaron the quite messed up priest and finding a new and safe town to live in. The first book was fantastic.
The Ask and The Answer was just a totally different story- loads of new characters, twists, situations and the plot was really thorough.
Overall, as you can probably tell, The Ask and the Answer is an awesome book, and I would highly recommend it to any teen or adult looking for a shocking thrill.
Zobo!
