A Monster Calls - Patrick Ness

I stocked up on books from the library to read over the holidays and one of the books I picked up was A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness. I must say that this dark and mysterious book wouldn't have been the type I would usually go for, but I was intrigued by the dramatic pictures that crept through the pages of the book. I enjoyed it too, not in the way you would normally enjoy a book, but in the way that makes you read more and more, and when you're not reading it, you're thinking about it. Also, it's one of those books that, once it ends, it takes a moment of pondering when you stare blankly into space and give several satisfied sighs. Yeah- it's one of those books.

It begins with a character called Conor. His life is pretty hard to say the least. His mum's cancer is getting worse and one horrific nightmare haunts his sleep. Then, the monster calls. Conor's mum always said it was a yew tree, but this yew tree turns into a monster who is taller than the sky with a voice louder than thunder. But Conor isn't scared. Nothing is as scary as the nightmare. So he faces the monster with confidence. The monster doesn't want to eat him or destroy him so why should Conor be afraid? But the monster wants something from Conor that he doesn't want to give. The truth. To ease the burden off his shoulders he must admit the truth, but the truth is more terrifying than he ever realised.

This suspenseful novel gave me the chills. A Monster Calls isn't a tale of violence or a bloodthirsty monster, it is the tale of a boy. It shows how this boy deals with the struggles of life and death. It shows how even the purest of hearts can have the cruelest of intentions. It is extremely difficult to describe but I shouldn't have to explain it to you. You should just read it for yourself, then you'll have a better understanding of what it's about.

~The Inkpot Blogger