A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

Image Courtesy of Goodreads

Synopsis: 12.07… a time of dread and anticipation for 13 year-old Conor. Every night a monster knocks at his bedroom window; but it’s not the monster that plagues his nightmares. This one is of a different kind, one that tells Conor that he called him. Yet Conor doesn’t recall calling such a ferocious and strange creature. This monster is old and has walked the earth for a long time. It claims that he is here to help Conor tell the truth. Will Conor find the courage to tell and feel the truth he has been running away from all this time?

Cover Gushing Worthiness: I think the cover of A Monster Calls is one of the most beautiful and dark covers that I’ve ever seen for a children’s book. Funnily enough when I showed the book to my brother he didn’t believe that it was a book written for children. As he glanced at it, he even said “It seems really dark to be a children’s book. Are you sure it’s meant for kids?”. The truth is that it’s meant for everyone. I like the darkness of the cover because the moment you see it, you instantly feel drawn to it and the story grips you in the exact same manner.

I should say that the original idea for the story was author Siobhan Dawd’s idea. Sadly she lost her battle with cancer before she could write the story. This is Patrick Ness’ tribute to her, where he states that he wanted to write “a book Siobhan would like” and I believe she would have loved this book. I first heard about the book through Stacey’s Blog when she posted some pictures of the book. I became curious about it when I read that it was about a monster visiting a 13 year-old child and that is where the story begins.

The plot of A Monster Calls is universal because it looks at how loved ones of cancer patients attempt to come to terms with the illness that takes over the body and later the lives of those involved. I don’t want to dumb down the story and say it’s a simple plot because I don’t believe that it does the book justice. But this book literally ‘spoke’ to me because I experienced a similar situation personally. However I was older than Conor when I went through it. But I still remember the pain, the grief and the feelings of horror I felt for some of the thoughts I had. The monster is very much Conor’s own creation because it is in the form of emotions Conor has pushed down to the depths of his being. However when the emotions resurface, Conor comes to accept the reality of the situation. The monster tells Conor three stories in an attempt to get Conor to reveal the truth he has been running from all this time. As a reader you know how the story is going to end, but it doesn’t stop you from finishing it because you’re taking this journey with Conor. You feel his pain and anguish. You feel the anger and helplessness and I think this book teaches you a lesson in the human condition.

Character wise I adored Conor. Maybe because I related to what he was going through so much. I felt his emotions so much that I teared up a few times and it forced me to put the book down because I didn’t want the pages to get all blotched up with my tears. After all it’s the library’s copy.  While I was older when I went through my situation, I can’t imagine what it must be like for a 13 year-old to watch the life you know literally fall apart as you watch without being able to do anything about it. I have to say that I was happy to have recognized the monster as it introduced himself and a I had a small moment of triumph where I went “Yes! You were in Robin of Sherwood” except he was in a different form.  While the monster was a mixture of Conor’s emotions, there was a wisdom to it; like a mentor or a wise old loved one. The relationship between Conor and his grandmother was both heartbreaking and heartwarming all at the same time because it reflected how much of a toll an illness on loved one can affect those involved. The relationship reflected the strain that both Conor and his grandmother felt because everyone deals with these situations differently.

Before I end this review I want to take a moment to appreciate Jim Kay’s illustrations. They were beautifully done. I liked that the illustrations were done in black & white because the colour combination helped bring the story to life. It reflected the emotions one feels when you’re in a situation like Conor’s. There’s no longer the colour grey because you know there are only two ways to the end of the story.

Overall I will say that A Monster Calls is going to be one of my favourite reads of 2012. It hit close to home for me and it brought up painful memories, but it also reminded me that I got closure, just like Conor did. I’m so glad that this was the first book I read by Patrick Ness because I will definitely be going back to read his Chaos Walking Trilogy. Ness has a mellifluous way with words which resonate with you. I think I might even purchase a copy of A Monster Calls because I know it’s a book that I want to read again.

My Rating: 5/5

Would I recommend it? Absolutely

If you’d like to read more reviews of A Monster Calls check out some from the list below.

ThePrettyBooks Review

Book Monkey’s Review

Wendy’s Review

Also here is the book trailer for A Monster Calls

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The 3 Best Books to Read in the Bathroom

Hi, my name is Carrie Slager and I’m a bathroom reader.

There, I’ve just admitted it and I realize that I don’t want to be cured.  So, like Shaun in Deadline, I’m going to nurture my madness and to heck with what other people think.  What to know what the best books are for bathroom reading?  Read on!

1.  Any of the Bathroom Reader series.

This is what started it all: a birthday present from my uncle.  He gave me a Bathroom Reader and I’ve never looked back.  Each of the numerous books the Bathroom Reader’s Institute produces is filled with bizarre trivia that is conveniently divided into sections depending on how long each article is.  Some articles are only one side of a page while the longest are three or four pages.  Along the bottom of each page are little ‘running feet’, which are basically random facts for you to spout at parties to impress everyone. Continue reading →

Nefertiti by Michelle Moran

(Cover picture courtesy of Michelle Moran’s website.)

Nefertiti and her younger sister, Mutnodjmet, have been raised in a powerful family that has provided wives to the rulers of Egypt for centuries.  Ambitious, charismatic, and beautiful, Nefertiti is destined to marry Amunhotep, an unstable young pharaoh.  It is hoped that her strong personality will temper the younger ruler’s heretical desire to forsake Egypt’s ancient gods.

From the moment of her arrival in Thebes, Nefertiti is beloved by the people, but she fails to see that powerful forces are plotting against her husband’s reign.  The only person brave enough to warn the queen is her younger sister, yet remaining loyal to Nefertiti will force Mutnodjmet into a dangerous political game—one that could cost her everything she holds dear.

To put it bluntly, Nefertiti was disappointing.

I honestly don’t know what I was expecting, but I was hoping to at least have the story told from Nefertiti’s own point of view, not her half-sister’s.  Mutnodjmet to me at least, had no backbone and remained woefully naïve about the political machinations of the court throughout most of the novel.  When a conspiracy was uncovered, it was either her servant, mother, father or Queen Tiye who revealed it to her.  She was not a very proactive narrator, instead reacting to events as they came her way.

Mutnodjmet was incredibly reluctant to be part of the royal family, which I can understand, but she still allowed herself to be pushed around.  It was rather frustrating that she was so innocent that she had never told a lie (since she understood the laws of Ma’at) until she was thirteen.  Nefertiti, who was supposed to be the subject of the novel, came off as shallow, petty, vain and…a bitch.  There was really not one sympathetic bone in her body and although I loathe swearing, there is really no other word that can describe her.  And maybe, you know, Nefertiti was like that in real life and was just as power-hungry as her husband, Akhenaten.  However, she must have had at least some redeeming qualities, right?

The plot of Nefertiti is relatively slow-paced, but when you’re a regular reader of historical fiction, that’s usually not an issue.  Michelle Moran stuck mostly to the facts, even though not as closely as she did in Cleopatra’s Daughter, and did include a historical note explaining why she changed things where she did.  Perhaps it was just me who didn’t like the characters because I do tend to lean toward strong, rather cynical types.  Or, perhaps, I will have to do what I’ve been threatening to do for a year now and write a novel from Nefertiti’s point of view.

Now that is most definitely wishful thinking.

I give this book 3/5 stars.

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Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld

(Cover picture courtesy of Fat Girl Reading.)

The behemoth is the fiercest creature in the British navy.  It cam swallow even battleships with one bite. The Darwnists will need it, now that they are at war with the Clanker powers.

Deryn is a girl posing as a boy in the British Air Service, and Alek is the heir to an empire posing as a commoner.  Finally together aboard the airship Leviathan, they hope to bring the war to a halt.  But when disaster strikes the Leviathan’s peacekeeping mission, they find themselves alone and hunted in enemy territory.

Alek and Deryn will need  great skill, new allies, and brave hearts to face what’s ahead

I’m finding that I like Behemoth more than I like Leviathan.  Now that I’m more used to Scott Westerfeld’s steampunk world, things make a lot more sense.  And since Scott Westerfeld has already set up his universe, he can focus on the plot and characters.

This time I was actually able  to connect with both Deryn and Alek.  This is probably because I was more familiar with the world and could actually focus on the characters.  Alek is much more sympathetic this time around because he isn’t as much of a spoiled brat prince as he was before.  Deryn is also much easier to connect with as her secret is in jeopardy multiple times.

The world-building is excellent and I absolutely love Keith Thompson’s illustrations, which help bring the world alive.  Scott Westerfeld masterfully intertwines the events of the real First World War with the fake scenarios he has created.  The plot is faster paced than that of Leviathan and much more unpredictable.  Overall, Behemoth is an excellent novel that makes me eager for the last  book in the trilogy, Goliath.

I give this book 4/5 stars.

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Marked by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast

(Cover picture courtesy of Hooked to Books.)

Enter the dark, magical world of the House of Night, a world very much like our own, except here vampyres have always existed.  Sixteen-year-old Zoey Redbird has just been Marked as a fledgling vampyre and joins the House of Night, a school where she will train to become  an adult vampyre. That is, if she makes it through the Change—and not all of those who are Marked do.  It sucks to begin a new life, especially away from her friends and on top of that, Zoey is no average fledgling.  She has been chosen as special by the vampyre Goddess Nyx.  Zoey discovers she has amazing powers, but along with her powers come bloodlust and an unfortunate ability to Imprint her human ex-boyfriend.  To add to her stress, she is not the only fledgling at the House of Night with special powers: When she discovers that the leader of the Dark Daughters, the school’s most elite group, is misusing her Goddess-given gifts, Zoey must look deep within herself for the courage to embrace her destiny—with a little help from her new vampyre friends.

Marked represents everything that’s wrong with the YA genre.

Okay, that’s a bit harsh and more than a little melodramatic, but it also has a grain of truth in it.  Literary snobs point to the juvenile writing style, vapid characters and utterly predictable plot and say all YA books are like that.  Let me show you two examples of the horrible writing:

“So I listened to the haunting Gaelic lyrics and pitch-forked up poopie.”  (pg 133)

“I wished it was cold and Kayla would freeze her over-developed boobies right off.”  (pg 175)

Writing style and voice are such important components of a novel that when they make it feel like a wish-fulfilling tween wrote it, it’s a good indicator of other problems.  I don’t know about you, but pretty much all sixteen-year-olds I know would die rather than even think the word “poopie.”  P.C. and Kristin Cast have deliberately dumbed down the writing so they think it will appeal to teens, but in truth they have underestimated their target audience and insulted my intelligence.

Pretty much all the of the characters, except Neferet, are stereotypes.  Zoey is the chosen girl who’s super powerful, Damien is the smart and sensitive gay guy, Erik is the hot love interest, Stevie Rae is the cute little Southern girl and Aphrodite is the hot queen bee straight off Mean Girls.  Neferet is really the only character with a little bit of depth and she barely features in the novel.

The plot is so predictable that it’s sickening.  It almost felt as if P.C. and Kristin Cast made an effort to throw every cliché known to mankind in their novel.  To be honest, if I didn’t know better I’d think this was a parody, yet it’s deadly serious.  Scary, isn’t it?

I give this book 0.5/5 stars

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