Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness

Release Date: Out now!

Publisher: Walker

Pages: 603pgs

The Story

In the riveting conclusion to the acclaimed dystopian series, a boy and girl caught in the chaos of war face devastating choices that will decide the fate of a world.

As a world-ending war surges around them, Todd and Viola face monstrous decisions. The indigenous Spackle, thinking and acting as one, have mobilized to avenge their murdered people. Ruthless human leaders prepare to defend their factions at all costs, even as a convoy of new settlers approaches. And as the ceaseless Noise lays all thoughts bare, the projected will of the few threatens to overwhelm the desperate desire of the many. The consequences of each action, each word, are unspeakably vast: To follow a tyrant or a terrorist? To save the life of the one you love most, or thousands of strangers? To believe in redemption, or assume it is lost? Becoming adults amid the turmoil, Todd and Viola question all they have known, racing through horror and outrage toward a shocking finale.

The Review

This third and final book of Patrick Ness's brilliant-epic-amazing-riveting Chaos Walking trilogy, MONSTERS OF MEN, had really pushed everything over the limit (I mean really, really pushed it with just about everything its got) and by the time I started this book, the sooner I finished it not even realizing just how quickly I read it to begin with. It was crazy I tell you and my god, my god, my god, MY GOD. And what a book this one was! It was action-packed, adventurous beyond belief, emotionally-driven by all of its characters, mind-blowing, and just to sum it all it up . . . it was just like . . . WHOA. Consider myself speechless.

First off, let's talk about Todd and Viola. Honestly these two are the real thing when it comes to main characters and are the main reason why I loved this series as much as I did. So really, it pains me that I never picked up this book series sooner than I did, even after hearing so much about them. I mean, where has this series been hiding all of my life? I want to know because when it comes to Todd and Viola they are one of the strongest characters I have ever met in fiction and even for very young teenagers with so much more to learn . . . they just have this personality that makes them seem quite older than they are and whether they are apart in the book or are working together against crueler forces . . . they still manage to pull through just about everything that is thrown at them and be this unstoppable duo team who are full of courage, heart, intelligence and love. And speaking of love, Todd and Viola's love for each other and their impeccable sense of friendship was one of the most sweetest ones I've ever come across and what I can I say? I'm obsessed with them. Totally obsessed and I'm going to miss them terribly because honestly . . . if they were real people I would be stalking them right about now!

As for the most hated character in the entire book, that being the Mayor, I have to say his character out of everyone had really surprised me in this particular book - at least in a sense that he wasn't what we always thought him to be like. Sure he is what a typical villain should be like and he perhaps never made any heroic attempts to become a better man for everyone else involved in this war going on around him, but I actually felt really sorry for the guy, especially when he started to treat Todd like a second son and make a replacement out of him for the son he had killed in the second book. Yeah . . . he's a different kind of man Mr. Mayor.

Anyway, I don't know why I liked him so much in this book because it was like he was begging for me to hate him, but you could just tell that he loved Todd and admired him so much for his courage in war, and how he kind of wished for him to be the son he always wanted to have, even in his own twisted ways. So I really enjoyed his character despite him being the villain and all. He was - and still is - always interesting to me and is one of my favourite villains til this day and to me he is almost like Javert from Les Miserables - someone who isn't entirely a meanie, just someone who is misunderstood. Well, mostly. It's like, after reading this book, the Mayor was saying to me . . .

Then there's that cliffhanger! Oh that cliffhanger of an ending killed me! Literally. While the ending - to me at least - felt like an open ending for a possibility of another book (though I highly doubt it) but I also think it's the kind of ending where we, as the reader, interpret it in our own way with what happened and in my mind the ending ended perfectly and in a way that surprised me. It was really cruel of course this ending, but mostly it was perfect and was quite clever too. Not to mention completely different to most endings in YA book series and I like that difference. It makes this book stand out even more . . . just . . . gah. I still can't explain my feels on this one without doing it justice.

Overall, MONSTERS OF MEN was so darn good and I can't even think straight because I'm mind-blown by everything that I have just read. So I'm incredibly happy with this book but I'm also incredibly sad too because this series is now over and I just don't know what to do with myself anymore . . . there's this void in my heart and I just don't know how to fix it! I just don't know.

The Rating

5/5 stars