A Personal Ranking of All the Patrick Ness Novels So, since there are far too many Patrick Ness novels and I haven't done a review for any of them, I've decided to do this list instead. (And all of this is spoiler-free, so don't worry.)Here, in my not-so-humble opinion, is a ranking of all the Patrick Ness novels including this one:9. The Crane WifeIt only makes sense that the book starting off this list isn't terrible. This is Patrick Ness we're talking about, of course. But also... this is Pa A Personal Ranking of All the Patrick Ness Novels
So, since there are far too many Patrick Ness novels and I haven't done a review for any of them, I've decided to do this list instead. (And all of this is spoiler-free, so don't worry.)Here, in my not-so-humble opinion, is a ranking of all the Patrick Ness novels including this one:9. The Crane WifeIt only makes sense that the book starting off this list isn't terrible. This is Patrick Ness we're talking about, of course. But also... this is Patrick Ness we're talking about. And The Crane Wife came out when the literary world was still celebrating the high of A Monster Calls and the Chaos Walking trilogy. This book had an incredibly tough act to follow, and unfortunately, it just didn't work out.If this book has a 3.5 average on Goodreads, it's probably because the majority of people who read this book only rated it 3 stars. That sounds about right. This book isn't bad, but it isn't great either. It's just kind of in the middle. At the very least, it taught me that I could still love Patrick Ness with all my heart, even after a disappointing novel.8. More Than ThisThere are two things that make Patrick Ness's novels great: awesome characters and action-packed pacing. So it's a little strange to me that the first half of this book was completely devoted to following a single character, alone, in an abandoned town where nothing happens.And really, that could've been forgiven had the second half and the ending made up for it, but by the time I flipped the last page I was left wondering what the point of all of it was. I'm still not entirely sure what Patrick Ness was trying to get at in this novel. The entire thing honestly felt like 500 pages of build-up to...nothing.Still, this book gets a point above The Crane Wife for being completely out there. A big part of this book's marketing was in its secrecy, almost like its blurb was whispering to you, "I've got a secret I bet you're dying to find out." And I like books with secrets. (Hi there, We Were Liars.)7. ReleaseI'm a big Judy Blume fan. I'm also a big Virginia Woolf fan. But never, in a thousand years, would I have thought to compare or associate these two authors together. Or at least that was what I thought until I read the blurb for Patrick Ness's Release.In a way, that's kind of why I admire Patrick Ness as a writer. His ideas are out of the box and unique. His books are ones most people would never think about writing. But trying to combine two stories that barely have anything to do with each other just isn't an idea I think I could enjoy.That being said, the chapters concerning Adam are seriously the best parts of this book. Adam is a fantastic character you can't help but root for, and his chapters are made even better by great side characters like Linus and Angela. Really, had this book been just about Adam and his friends, this might've gotten a higher ranking on this list.6. The Rest of Us Just Live HereThe Rest of Us Just Live Here suffers from the same problem Release does - trying to combine two stories that don't have much to do with each other. Granted, the dual idea for this book is a lot more clever than Release, and had the two stories overlapped more I honestly think it might've worked.And you know what? I can forgive that. Because damn, did this book hit a little too close to home for me. Mikey is a terrific character, and to say I saw myself in him is an understatement. I didn't just see myself in him - for a time in my life, I was practically him.I’m also a sucker for friendship stories. I really am. Hand me a book, tell me it’s about friendship, and I will read it in one sitting. Jared and Mikey remind me so much of my best friend and me, and their group of friends reminds me of my group of friends. These characters love each other so much – they’d do anything for each other. When you have a book with a friendship as real and amazing and well-developed as this one has, what’s not to love?5. And the Ocean Was Our SkyI know I just read this book and therefore, I can't rank it properly because I'm still experiencing its high. Who knows? Maybe I'll rank it lower the more time passes and I think about it. But as of now, And the Ocean Was Our Sky is a welcome return of the Patrick Ness I loved.You might've noticed all the books before this were of Patrick Ness's later works. So I'm not the biggest fan of where his literary career is going, but I'm still a fan of his experimentation. I wouldn't be surprised if this book got the same relatively low averages his later books got, but for me, this book really worked and left me in awe.Leave it to Patrick Ness to figure out how to make a story from the POV of a f*cking whale interesting, but he does it. Whoo boy, he f*cking does it. Maybe it's because of how short this book is. Maybe it's because of the gorgeous illustrations by Rovina Cai. Maybe it's just because it's Patrick f*cking Ness. Whatever the case, this book worked for me, and while I can't properly describe why, I do know it deserves to be ranked high on this list.4. Monsters of MenI first picked up The Knife of Never Letting Go, the first book of the Chaos Walking trilogy, sometime after the publication of this book. The Hunger Games had just finished, and I was looking for another dystopian YA series to fill up the empty hole in my heart. Chaos Walking did that so well that I honestly dreaded reading this book.Yes, a part of that was because of how much of a disappointment Mockingjay turned out to be, and I was scared Monsters of Men would turn out the same. But it was mostly because I was so attached to this series, and I didn't want to say goodbye to it yet. I didn't want to say goodbye to Todd or Viola or Ben. I wanted to stay in Prentisstown for as long as possible.Well, thank God I got over that, because this book was AWESOME. It was so fast-paced and exciting and it felt like there was something new happening every chapter. I had to stop reading every now and then just to catch my breath. This was a fantastic conclusion to a fantastic trilogy, and I'm so glad my favorite YA dystopian series ended on such a high note.3. The Ask & the AnswerSecond books in trilogies often have the tendency to not be its own thing. Instead, they usually only serve as a bridge between the first and the third book - really only there to move the plot along and reach a conclusion. There are exceptions, of course, and The Ask and the Answer is one of them.I genuinely don't know if I can praise this book enough, but I'm going to have to, because I still have the first book left to write about. I was obviously worried that this book wouldn't measure up to the awesomeness that is The Knife of Never Letting Go, but I was worrying for nothing, because this is a stunning sequel that does the first book justice.This book is intense. Really, really intense. It's the kind of intense that makes you ridiculously stressed out, so much so that you're finding hard to put down the book even for just a minute. It's brilliant, fast-paced, and it all leads up to a literal explosive climax. There are people who like to read only the first book of a series. To those people, I say - please, please don't do that for this series. Either read the whole thing or nothing at all. This is not a sequel you want to miss out on.2. A Monster CallsThey made a movie for this book, but I'm sorry, guys. I can't bring myself to watch it. I know it's gotten a lot of positive reviews and even some mighty respectable awards, but I just can't watch it. I love the book too much.Every positive thing you've heard about A Monster Calls is true. This book is extraordinary. It's much more mature and sophisticated than I would expect any Middle-Grade book to be, and yet, I still think it's really important for kids to read it.You know what? SCRATCH THAT. I think it's really important that anyone reads this book, no matter what age they are.This book is so emotionally powerful and raw. The characters are so beautifully written, especially Conor and the monster. The connection you feel with the characters are so strong that by the end of the book, your heart is breaking for them. I can't imagine anyone reading this book and not sobbing their eyes out by the time they turn the last page.And if you do plan on reading this book, I highly recommend you get the one with illustrations. Jim Kay's illustrations are so beautiful and dark and they perfectly complement Conor's story. This is a book you'll have a hard time forgetting.1. The Knife of Never Letting GoIf you're reading this list, I think it's safe to assume you've already read the Chaos Walking series. But if you haven't, I really only have one question to ask you: WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!Why are you on the internet and not reading Chaos Walking? Shame on you. SHAME. ON. YOU. You call yourself a YA bookworm when you still haven't read this masterpiece? Put whatever book you're currently reading down, go to your nearest bookstore, and buy a copy of this book. Seriously, do it. Don't worry about your current read. It's fine, I'm sure Lara Jean will understand.This is the book that introduced me to Patrick Ness, and for that reason alone, this book is my number one pick. I know most people think the later books are better, and I might even agree if not for the personal attachments I have with this book. I can't even begin to describe the rollercoaster of emotions I was feeling while reading this book. It was completely stressed-out during one chapter and wiping the snot off my nose during another.Patrick Ness, you sly genius. I f*cking love you.
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