Monsters of Men Review

Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness

Title: Monsters of Men

Author: Patrick Ness

Series: Chaos Walking #3

Publisher: Candlewick Press

Publication Date: September 28, 2010

Genre: Science Fiction; Fantasy; Dystopia; Young Adult

Pages: 603

Format: Hardcover

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"War," says the Mayor. "At last." Three armies march on New Prentisstown, each one intent on destroying the others. Todd and Viola are caught in the middle, with no chance of escape. As the battles commence, how can they hope to stop the fighting? How can there ever be peace when they're so hopelessly outnumbered? And if war makes monsters of men, what terrible choices await? But then a third voice breaks into the battle, one bent on revenge - the electrifying finale to the award-winning "Chaos Walking" trilogy, Monsters of Men is a heart-stopping novel about power, survival, and the devastating realities of war.

Holy sugar, this series was good. Sure it left me winded and reeling like I had just taken a ride on the world’s worst roller coaster, but man, was this series good.

The battle-hunger, power-crazy, will-always-come-back-to-life-no-matter-what-you-do, megalomaniac mayor has finally gotten what he wanted: all-out war. Todd and Viola are alone, caught in the middle of three raging enemies willing to do anything to annihilate one another, and have to save the world...again. Not that they succeeded the first time, or the second, or the third, but now, they really have to save the world. With the help of some of Viola’s friends (which is a very limited amount of help at that), the duo just may pull it off. The bond of friendship that holds them together is unlike their world has ever seen, and it may be what saves their lives.

Two words: Action-packed. The last book may have left you with a feeling of indescribable emptiness and a hysterical need for closure, but by golly, this book fixes all your problems. Ness delivers more than promised in this last book of the Chaos Walking series. Where the war left off in The Answer, it is picked right back up in Monsters of Men. Todd–loyal, fantastic, sweet Todd–is set on one thing, and that is to keep Viola safe at all costs. His sentimental personality and the astonishing evolution he has faced throughout the series had me fall in love with him in the first book, but kept me unequivocally devoted in the second and third. He was definitely one of the best characters that I've ever had the pleasure of reading.

Viola, on the other hand, is–shall I say it?—bad-ass. Period. Exclamation point. She is tough, strong, and persistent; qualities, I am sure, are necessary in any kick-ass female character ever written. When you pair her with Todd, how could I not devour every word ever written about them?

Now, you may be wondering why, with all this praise, is this book not a full five stars? That is a good question, and there is a reason. I hate to say that I deducted two stars on behalf of the fact that the entire book was a prolonged battle. A battle, that I must mention, started in the previous book and didn't end until 400+ pages later in this book. Yes, there was an unnecessary element of violence in the book, in my opinion, and I hate it when the whole book’s persona is made up of blood and battles. But the good news? That was literally the only thing that I disliked in this book, and because of the awesome characters, their relationships, and the complex world around them, I got over it pretty quick.

This science-fiction, mind-blowing series will have you rethink your life and thoughts. All I can say is thank you, Patrick Ness, for taking me, the reader, on an incredible journey that I do not believe I will forget any time soon. You really are a rock star in my world.