Review-A Monster Calls

I picked this book up because I needed to read a critically acclaimed book for my English class and the notes we had to turn in are due in less then a week. Thus this book was one of my choices, and it sounded really good and I had heard nothing but good things about it. First, yes, the protag is a little young, he's a thirteen year old boy, but I still think it's more of a teen book then a middle grade novel. Yes, there are pictures, but I think that the pictures are darker then the ones you would find in a middle grade book, and the premise is darker as well. There were so many things in this book that I loved, and I think the pictures only added to it. The messages in this book, and some of the great quotes that are in it as well, really make you think about life, and about who you are. I haven't read anything else by Patrick Ness, and I haven't read any of Siobhan's four books, but I'll have to check out books from both authors because this book was very good. It was beautiful in a way that most teen novels aren't (that most novels aren't) and has that whole John Green feel to things. I think it has a deeper meaning then just what appears on the surface, and it's pretty cool the way that Patrick structured the story, almost like a story inside a story, or at least some of the book was a story within a story. It was a quick read, the writing style different then just about anything out there at this point in time, and it's nice to see a change in the genre, especially when the book holds some significance to the world around you, and teaches you a lessen, even if you aren't a thirteen year old boy. That and the whole story is really beautiful. I suggest you pick this book up one way or another and skim through it to see if it's something you would be interested in. If you don't want to buy it go to your local library and request it there.

4.5/5 dust spirits