Some books make you confused. Conflicted. Did you really like them? Can you recommend them? Would you read them again?

And you sigh, sigh, sigh.

[b:The Knife of Never Letting Go|2118745|The Knife of Never Letting Go (Chaos Walking, #1)|Patrick Ness|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1277071696l/2118745._SY75_.jpg|2124180] is not this kind of book. Hey, I'm not afraid to say that it was insta-love for me.

☛ Does it make me a NA heroine? You tell me : I read 3 or 4 pages and I was like, "Oh. My. I'm gonna love this book!"

Yep. But perhaps you want to know why? How could I move from "pretty rational reader" (I think. I hope. Oh, shut up) to "bad romance heroin" (freaking insta-love, I said) so quickly?

① The writing. I must admit, I was a little worried when I opened this book. I mean, what could be more difficult to read for a French reader than slang? I have this horrible memory of being totally lost when I read this awful book, you know, [b:Inescapable|12925063|Inescapable (The Premonition, #1)|Amy A. Bartol|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327896605l/12925063._SY75_.jpg|18080558]. OMG THAT MESS. Long story short : it was horrible there was a character that I could not understand at all because of his accent, and it was SO. FUCKING. ANNOYING. Anyway - Given the clichés and other creepy stalkers' fantasies, we parted ways quickly. I am not (always) a masochist

But this one? I wanted to enjoy it. And thanks to the perfect writing, that was the case. All the sentences are fluid, and even if I know it annoyed some readers, I loved the rhythm and the orality of Todd's voice. I loved the repetitions. [a:Patrick Ness|370361|Patrick Ness|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1589369436p2/370361.jpg] took a risk, but it was splendidly executed.

❝ There's just no such thing as silence. Not here, not nowhere. Not when yer asleep, not when yer by yerself, never.
I am Todd Hewitt, I think to myself with eyes closed. I am twelve years old and twelve months old. I live in Prentisstown on New World. I will be a man in one month's time exactly. ❞

*whisper* I must confess that I often talk to my books. Yeah, I know, they're not really alive and all that stuff. But you know? My weird habit makes me enjoy every tiny wink the narrator directs to the reader (except if I HATE that narrator, but it's a story for another day *cough* [b:The Player and the Pixie|27999771|The Player and the Pixie (Rugby, #2)|L.H. Cosway|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1455459298l/27999771._SX50_.jpg|48003283] *cough*).

In [b:The Knife of Never Letting Go|2118745|The Knife of Never Letting Go (Chaos Walking, #1)|Patrick Ness|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1277071696l/2118745._SY75_.jpg|2124180], all these "You see?" are well used.

Perhaps I answered sometimes. Okay, Always. But Todd is so alone, I was sorry for him, OKAY?!

Now, this structure. The chapters are short. And that's completely subjective, but I love when a book is organized that way, even though I barely can explain why. It increases the rhythm, maybe? HUH. Moving on.

② Todd and Viola.

Oh, you, little boy who can't kill and can't think straight with all that noise and feels so lonely, you've won me from the first page (insta-love, remember?). What can I say? I loved Todd. Really. Okay, he can't stop complaining sometimes but hey! He's just a kid who lives in a rude rude world, trying to go on, and go on, to find hope even if it seems more impossible than a child's dream. Throughout the story, we have the chance to be witnesses while he's growing up, becoming a man of whom we can be proud. All of his feelings seem so real, so understandable, I couldn't help but feel my heart actually ache for him. I cared about him, and above that, I was there, with him, and with Viola as well.

Viola, who's exactly how I like my heroines : smart, loyal, outspoken. I couldn't choose a better partner in crime for Todd.

Spoiler

And she'd better be alive in the second book, or I may become really angry

.

❝ I lean down again and (shut up) I cry, I cry, I'm crying but it has to pass cuz I have to figure it out, I have to figure it out, it's down to me, there's only me, I have to find a way, I have to save her, I have to save- ❞

③ Manchee. This dog is awesome, RIGHT?

❝ Ready, friend?" I say.
"Weddy, Thawd! ❞

Okay. Maybe, I mean maybe I'm a sucker for little pets, but I couldn't avoid to say "Good boy!" all the time. You know the locution, "a dog is man's best friend"? That says it all. In the beginning of the book, we're stuck with Todd's opinion, which is basically that his dog is stupid. Freaking dumb. He considers that Manchee is useless, and it took me some chapters, I must admit (Sorry sorry Manchee), but there was a moment I thought, "Listen Todd, you're great, but you're fucking WRONG".

Because this dog? He's loyal and definitively not a coward. A MEDAL FOR MANCHEE. WHO'S ON?

To be short : I loved this dog, I often wanted to heal him and pat him and say him that he was a wonderful dog. Yes. I'm not exaggerating. At all.

❝ He's a good bloody dog, have I said that? ❞

Spoiler

I cried for Manchee. I couldn't help it. I cried. That was so unfair!

And who doesn't want to understand his dog's barks? I'm asking, WHO? Now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure my cat always says "Food", "Mice", "Bird", and "Here's a gift", and "That's mine", "That's mine", "That's mine", "That's mine", "That's mine". Cats.

*roll eyes*

④ The plot and the world building. When I started The knife of Never letting go, I haven't a damn clue what the world created by [a:Patrick Ness|370361|Patrick Ness|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1589369436p2/370361.jpg] was. Maybe that's why I felt more and more amazed as I went along in my reading. Honestly? That's brilliant. The New World is complex, fearsome and yes, there is a real plot here. I know, I know. I'm excited too. I don't want to spoil you, so the only thing I'll say it's this : Read this book, but plan enough free time, because you won't be able to put it down until the end.

But I must complain : what was that freaking ending? Do you know we, readers, have to work and to actually sleep? I'm speechless right now. That was brilliant, really, and blew me away because I was too smug, I thought I could see where the story went, but I was far away from the true. Don't get me wrong, it's awesome and I admire [a:Patrick Ness|370361|Patrick Ness|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1589369436p2/370361.jpg] for this but wow. That was rude.

Todd and Viola's story was excruciating, mind-blowing, even hard to stand at some point, yet filled with such gems of awesomeness I often find myself thinking about it, reliving it -

Here's a book which moved me in a way no other could.

*picking [b:The Ask and the Answer|6043849|The Ask and the Answer (Chaos Walking, #2)|Patrick Ness|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1408312960l/6043849._SY75_.jpg|6219422] from my bookcase*

For more of my reviews, please visit: