The Knife of Never Letting Go (Chaos Walking #1) is a sci-fi novel written by Patrick Ness. The content was heavy, but oh-so-good, and I feel like I need to read it again one day... but not today because I'm still a little heartbroken over some of it!
It's about a boy named Todd Hewitt, who is the youngest boy in Prentisstown, a town of only men. The settlers in Prentisstown were infected with the a germ called Noise, a germ that killed all the females in their town and also allows everyone to hear each other's thoughts. This germ was sent by Spackle, their enemy who they took over the land from. Todd is on the brink of becoming a man in Prentisstown. Soon, though, Todd only hears silence- there's a hole in the noise, and he is forced by his guardians to flee with only his dog, Manchee. The two stumble upon the source of the silence: a girl named Viola. Who is this creature, and why wasn't she killed by the germ like all the other females in Prentisstown? We find out that Viola has crashed on her journey from another world and she is the lone survivor.
Together, Viola, Todd, and Manchee run from the enemy army, and particularly Aaron, a man from Prentisstown who is chasing Todd, trying to kill him. The three of them are searching for refuge in a town called Haven which they are told is safe. When Todd finally reaches his destination, after a torturous journey and lives lost, the only person in Haven is the Mayor of Prentisstown, and he is ready to capture Todd.
This book kind of broke my heart, but it was gut-wrenching-ly (is that a word?) good. I cried a lot, and I can't quite forgive Ness for allowing one of these characters to die (I won't spoil it and say who).
The strength of this book was that it was a science-fiction novel that I really enjoyed. It gives me a great book to recommend for kids ages 14+ who enjoy science fiction, adventure, cliffhangers, and twists. It was pretty mature, and like I said, heart-breaking at times. If you enjoyed this book, then check out the rest of the Chaos Walking series by Patrick Ness.
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