Review: Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness (Spoiler-Alert)

I’ll find you— Keep calling for me, Viola— Cuz here I come. Where do I even begin? I honestly don't know. This book was incredible in so many ways. Since book one of the series, I've been adamant about how Patrick Ness does not hold back. He has no mercy for his readers and does not fear too much emotional wreckage. I had a feeling he might be one of those authors who pulls a Veronica Roth on us, and he did. He really did. Except, he did it better. Todd was not killed by the Mayor, for that would have been much too simple. Todd was killed by accident by the very Spackle who had wanted to kill him during every moment in the book... up until that one. Not only did he die, but his death is what allowed Viola to save the planet. And, his resilience within his Noise at the end made perfect sense and was truly beautiful, especially in its connection to what Ben went through before. Speaking of which, Ness did something CRAZY here. He killed off Ben in book one, for us to mourn for a good chunk of time in book two. Then he brings him back. And we are like phewwww Todd can be happy once again. But, no. He had to KILL HIM AGAIN. And, as heartbreaking as it is, that's a classic move. But, you know what isn't? BRINGING HIM BACK AGAIN IN BOOK THREE. And the worst part of it all is that it made sense. Damn you, Patrick Ness for managing to pull off something so cruel. Also, lets take a second to talk about the Mayor. His character is crazy complicated. In book one he is clearly a villain, and in book two he even kills his own freaking son (who, btw, Ness SOMEHOW got me to like... smh). In this book, however, the Mayor becomes somewhat likable as Todd gains his trust, and Mistress Coyle falls farther off her rocker. The reader is somewhat forced to like the Mayor, at least a little bit, as Todd is persuaded to do the same. But then, as Ness mentions a few buzzes and hums, things start to become more suspicious. In the end, it is revealed that the Mayor just desperately wants to escape the Noise. He became too powerful, just like Ben, but he internalized things the wrong way. He doesn't let Todd become him, even though he wishes that he was his real son, and, in the end, kind of dies a valiant death. Who knew THAT was possible from how things started in book one? With all of this genius, you might be wondering why I had to dock 0.25 stars. It is simply because this book is CHUNKY and some parts of it were harder to get through. I found the chapters written from the perspective of 1017 to be the most boring and repetitive, even though I do understand why they had to be included. There is a reason that this book is huge, because it truly does all pay off in the end, but since I rate my books mostly based on enjoyment, I have to reflect that in my rating. This series is a wild ride, and I legitimately cannot wait for the movie to come out. I'm a little sad that it will become so mainstream because of Tom Holland (don't we all secretly hope our favorite books can just stay ours?), but I am also equally excited that this story will gain more exposure. We will just have to hope the movie does it justice... I am so sad to be leaving New World and all of the people (and Spackle) on it, but the time has come and it is right. Ness ends this tale in its natural place, and I have full confidence in Viola (and WILF! My king. His arc is also amazing), and Todd one day, to manage this planet the way they should.

Song I was reminded of while reading: Little Lion Man