Review: The Knife of Never Letting Go and SIGNED copy Giveaway!

Title: The Knife of Never Letting Go
Author: Patrick Ness

From Goodreads
Todd Hewitt is the only boy in a town of men. Ever since the settlers were infected with the Noise germ, Todd can hear everything the men think, and they hear everything he thinks. Todd is just a month away from becoming a man, but in the midst of the cacophony, he knows that the town is hiding something from him -- something so awful Todd is forced to flee with only his dog, whose simple, loyal voice he hears too. With hostile men from the town in pursuit, the two stumble upon a strange and eerily silent creature: a girl. Who is she? Why wasn't she killed by the germ like all the females on New World? Propelled by Todd's gritty narration, readers are in for a white-knuckle journey in which a boy on the cusp of manhood must unlearn everything he knows in order to figure out who he truly is.

My Review
I had heard about this book a long, long time again.  It was one of the first books that I found through blogging, but for some reason I never got around to reading it until just lately. I went into the book with high expectations after everything I had heard about the series.  That isn't always the best way to go into a book.  At first I wasn't sure what I thought.  I was confused about what was happening - the "noise" of hearing everything that was thought was part of it.  When Todd lets the thought rush over him, I felt lost in the story, but I think that also helped me feel how it might be like to hear this mass of thoughts all the time.  I was also lost because the history of Todd's village wasn't completely explained, things were said as if I should just know what it was about - what the history was.  BUT I really do thing some of this was done to mirror what Todd was feeling.  At the start of the book, everything Todd thought he knew was completely thrown out and he was left confused, uncertain and questioning - exactly how I felt!  Thankfully about the time I felt like giving up because answers weren't coming - the came! And like Todd  began to make sense of everything. In the end I really did enjoy this book, and I can't wait to read the rest of the series!

 I to talk about the amount of running in this book.  Todd and the girl run and run and run and run! I really started to feel tired after reading it.  You can feel the exhaustion they must have felt.  When I meet Patrick Ness I commented on this.  He is a runner and that may be how that constant running got into the book.  Now mixed within this constant running, there is fear because Todd doesn't know what to do, who do believe and why he is being chased.  This tension builds along with all the running - building and building until it all comes to a head at the end.  Thankfully I had been warned that the ending was dramatic and I'd want the next book right away.  That was no a lie! Wow cliffhanger! I was literally left crying out "NO!!!".

Final Thought: If you're confused at the beginning, give it time, things will become clearer as you're pulled deeper and deeper in the the story.
Best stick-with-you image: The running and running and running!
Best for readers who are: Ok with a certain amount of confusion and unknown
Best for age: 12+

I had the great opportunity to meeting Patrick Ness a few weeks back.  He was awesome and once again we got to just chat.  I love that! 

I picked up an extra copy of The Knife of Never Letting Go and had him sign it. 

This signed copy is up for grabs! 

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Ends Friday October 29

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Pics from the signing