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October 13, 2020

BURN by Patrick Ness

October 13, 2020

Book cover & 3-star rating for Burn by Patrick NessWhen I first started out reading Burn, I was intrigued. Historical fiction isn’t all too common in young adult publishing compared to contemporary fiction, fantasy and science fiction. History and fantasy crossing paths? Even less so. But Patrick Ness has an excellent track record of meshing various genres and even defying them, so I expected this one to be a hit as well. It wasn’t but I was still glad that he brought his signature postmodern outlook with a touch of whimsy.

· Categories: Fiction Keywords: american authors, bi- or multiracial characters, british authors, cold war, death, diverse authors, diverse books, dragons, fathers and daughters, murder, poverty, queer characters, race relations, racism, single parenthood

October 15, 2017

RELEASE by Patrick Ness

October 15, 2017

Book cover & rating - RELEASE by Patrick NessThe opening chapter of Release gave me pause for the extent to which it borrowed from the beginnings of Mrs Dalloway. I knew that Ness took inspiration from Mrs Dalloway and Forever by Judy Blume. I’ve read the former, but not the latter. And let’s just say, I didn’t like that classic very much. I gave it 0.5 stars, although I could see what Virginia Woolf had meant to accomplish. But I’ve adored past books of Patrick Ness, so I was curious.

· Categories: Fiction

October 20, 2016

A MONSTER CALLS by Patrick Ness

October 20, 2016

Book cover & rating - A MONSTER CALLS by Patrick NessA Monster Calls was amazing in the complexity it conveyed through a simple story. I really wasn’t expecting it to be so heart-wrenching, let alone a cathartic read. Aimed at a much younger reader than I am, I thought I’d walk away liking this book, at best. Middle Grade to Young Adult books for younger teens rarely hold my attention anymore the way they used to, so I tend to avoid them.

· Categories: Fiction Keywords: cancer, despair, hope, illustrated, monsters, single parenthood

August 24, 2015

THE REST OF US JUST LIVE HERE by Patrick Ness

August 24, 2015

Book cover of The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick NessGoing into The Rest of Us Just Live Here I felt very disconcerted. The main text reads like a contemporary book but each chapter starts with insights on the Chosen Ones and the gods above. There are however overlaps that can be seen when the paranormal events have an impact on the ordinary people. This makes the setting a very strange yet familiar one.

· Categories: Fiction Keywords: alcoholism, anxiety, bi- or multiracial characters, death, eating disorder, existentialism, family problems, friendship, genre-fantasy, high school, mental health, metafiction, multiculturalism, ocd, on love, paranormal, politics, postmodernism, romance, self-esteem, siblinghood, therapy

March 19, 2014

MORE THAN THIS by Patrick Ness

March 19, 2014

Book cover of MORE THAN THIS by Patrick NessWhen I was done reading, I felt gobsmacked. More Than This is utterly confusing. Not because it lacks clarity of thought or writing. No. Rather, because existentialist questions somehow can never be answered to the full satisfaction of anyone. Every answer inevitably leads to new questions.

· Categories: Fiction Keywords: american authors, brothers, cheating, death, diversity, domestic violence, existentialism, family problems, friendship, futuristic, hope, lgbtq characters, life, loneliness, multiculturalism, murder, post-apocalyptic, siblinghood, suicide, survival, violence

About

Joséphine. Word reveller. Loves books. Reads books. Talks about books. Photographs books. When she’s not blogging, she can be found on Instagram under @wordrevel.

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