Patrick Ness

As a world-ending war surges to life around them, Todd and Viola face monstrous decisions, questioning all they have ever known as they try to step back from the darkness and find the best way to achieve peace.

Monsters of Men

Lina Costa

Best book I have ever read. I've never loved anything more.

Ness, what have you done to me that was an intense roller coaster of emotions that left me at the end of my seat from the first word on the page to the final word. I have loved being immersed in this world and reading all 3 books back-to-back have help me to get lost in this dystopian world.

Reading this, on times, was physically painful, in all the right ways! I felt distraught when the characters failed. I felt emotionally invested in the multitude of sides and perspectives to this story. I felt that the cliff-hangers and mysteries were doing my heart no good as it was practically beating out of my chest! Ness constantly delivers surprise after surprise. I don't want to say too much about that and ruin the novel, but the ending was the most shocking one I have read in such a long time...

This is an astonishing, thought-provoking, important novel. It will stay with me for a very long time. Ness I say Thank you and to the Friend that recommended me this Series, I again say Thank You for Pushing me!

Ian Brakspear

Ness, what have you done to me that was an intense roller coaster of emotions that left me at the end of my seat from the first word on the page to the final word. I have loved being immersed in this world and reading all 3 books back-to-back have help me to get lost in this dystopian world.

 

Reading this, on times, was physically painful, in all the right ways! I felt distraught when the characters failed. I felt emotionally invested in the multitude of sides and perspectives to this story. I felt that the cliff-hangers and mysteries were doing my heart no good as it was practically beating out of my chest! Ness constantly delivers surprise after surprise. I don't want to say too much about that and ruin the novel, but the ending was the most shocking one I have read in such a long time...

 

This is an astonishing, thought-provoking, important novel. It will stay with me for a very long time. Ness I say Thank you and to the Friend that recommended me this Series, I again say Thank You for Pushing me!

that was crazy! What a way to end the book honestly the whole book was crazy. I remember this series was my favorite book series for a long time, anytime anyone would ask about my favorite book my answer would be the chaos walking series. That was until I read six of crows and it dethroned chaos walking. 

amna

Sierra

Julia

I love this series so much I'm glad I finally finished it, that was amazing.

aisha

Such an amazing ending to an extraordinary trilogy.

A satisfying ending. I really enjoyed the amount of love these characters had for eachother and 1017's pov too. It gave everything another layer.

Eszter Baranyi

Julie Janis

My mind is BLOWN! This trilogy is the BEST I have ever read! Everything about it is so brilliant and written so well! Patrick Ness sure knows how to take your heart on a roller coaster of emotions! I HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend!!

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?

Loretta Dredger

phenomenal. great end to the fastest pace book of the series. so complex and just wonderful.

Victoria P

** spoiler alert **
           i cried like a baby at the end okay???

not gonna lie, i was expecting much more with this book. it was really really good but it felt repetitive and slow compared to the other two. i loved it nonetheless and i’m so so happy i read it.

things i loved;
-todd’s and viola’s relationship. omg. these two are the cutest. they make each other strong, they are so determined to see the other one okay, and its just too much.
-ben!!!! i was so shocked to see him alive but so happy for him and todd. their scene was way too much for my heart
-the perspective of 1017. it was so cool to read with his voice and understand a little bit more of the spackles. patrick ness is such a good writer i love this man
-bradley! he was so nice!!
-simone, god bless her
-angharrad!!

things i didn’t like;
- the mayor. kinda obvious but it had to be said
-the repetitiveness of the war. i feel like it could’ve been solved so much faster with just a few more conversations 
-viola not having any girl friends!!! she had maddy; maddy died. she had corinne; corinne died. she had simone; simone died!!!! i mean honestly,,, it would’ve been amazing seeing viola with a girl and not being surrounded being pure men
-lee was exasperating, im sorry. i did not feel he added anything of value
-acorn being killed. honestly patrick ness shouldn’t be allowed to write animals 

i really loved the hard questions this trilogy poses. about morality, wrong and right, how far are you willing to go for someone you love. it’s really an amazing series. the way patrick ness built this world baffles me, because it’s just so well done. i fell in love with the characters and i know i’ll miss them forever.

Natalia Hernandez

Gaia Marino

I think I won't be able to talk for a few hours. But if I could give this book 6 stars, I would. 
Coming back later for a more eloquent review.

Amanda Kordeliski

Spectacular ending to an amazing trilogy. Mayor Prentiss is one of the most complex antagonists I have read. A great series to read for dystopian junkies looking for something as good as The Hunger Games. Love the new voice introduced in this book, the new perspective is perfect and completes the trilogy.

Jill Connors

An emotional roaller coaster worth taking!! An amazing end to the trilogy.

Nadine 

Possibly the best book in this trilogy - so many ideas and concepts and layers - earth networks, communication, power, control. A must read

Three armies march on New Prentisstown. The New World is at war. Todd and Viola are caught in the middle, with no chance of escape. 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? This new edition marks the 10th anniversary of the award-winning modern classic, soon to be a major motion picture starring Tom Holland and Daisy Ridley. A striking anniversary cover look with sprayed edges - perfect for all of Patrick's fans. The first Chaos Walking film is slated for release in 2019, starring Tom Holland, Daisy Ridley and Mads Mikkelsen.

Nick Bicko

Der dritte und letzte Teil setzt der Trilogie die Krone auf. Die Pace ist atemberaubend, die Erzählweise erfindet sich im Vergleich zu den beiden ersten Teilen noch einmal neu und neben der Story bekommt auch das Setting mehrere neue Fassaden, sodass ich nachträglich geneigt bin, auch die ersten beiden Teile auf 5 Sterne upzugraden. 

Gegen Ende hin hatte ich beinahe Angst, es zuende zu lesen, so spannend war es, so viel Angst hatte ich vor dem wirklichen Ende der Story.

Wirklich gut und meiner Meinung nach auch für Erwachsene gut lesbar, da die typischen YA-Elemente oft genug in den Hintergrund treten.

Aus einem anderen Review: "Basically, these books are emotionally exhausting." 
Das trifft es ziemlich gut. 

Und: "And what these people don't recognize is something called originality, which I dare to say most authors lack these days. So, yes, Patrick Ness does write in a stream-of-consciousness style––one-sentence paragraphs, paragraphs that break off in the middle, occasionally spelling words phonetically, switching perspectives every two pages … And yeah, it takes a while to get used to it. I didn't like the first book when I started it, but after about 100 pages or so I got hooked, and I have been addicted to this series ever since. Part of its true power is in Ness's writing." (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...)

Maxie Froelicher

I try to write reviews of every book I read but I sped through the first two books of this trilogy, so I’ll just review them all here. It’s been a while since I’ve been this invested in a book series. The Chaos Walking trilogy blew me away in terms of quotes, characters, plot, twists, everything. I’m still in shock from the ending, which, beautifully, doesn’t fully resolve everything. If the trilogy had wrapped up nicely I think I might have been upset. 

It’s also been a while since I’ve cried that hard over a book. Every book had a real, concrete reason to cry, and it hit my emotions just right. It’s not lost on the reader that the main characters of this series are YOUNG. They’re children, between 13-15 years old. It makes everything so much worse. 

I really can’t say anything else, but implore everyone reading this review to read the trilogy, and the short stories that go along with it if you have the chance. Please. It’s so powerful, every bit of it.

Read for the POPSUGAR challenge prompt - A book with a map

beth

i enjoyed the second book better, but it was still a good book and the ending was incredible :)

A new adult edition of this award-winning novel, with a brand new and previously unpublished short story. 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. This new edition contains a brand new and previously unpublished short story, Snowscape. Set shortly after the events of Monsters of Men, this gripping story reveals sensational new truths about Todd and Viola's world.

AileySchiller 

The ending was great and I even shed a few tears. I did not see that coming! 

Olivera Mitić

This was a lot to swallow. 
And I can't rush myself to give it a rating. 
I have a lot of opinions and a lot of feelings concerning this and just...

I'll be back as soon as I'm able to put my thoughts together and write something coherent.

Erin Pitstra

I don't have any words that could do this book justice

Emily

** spoiler alert **
           4.75 heart shattered stars.

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.

Natalie Manuel

I feel like the ideas in this final part of the trilogy are better than the execution and that the book should have been half the size. The war at beginning got a bit repetitive, with the same things happening over and over without much plot moving forward.

That said, the second half was well done. I loved the addition of one of the 'land' as a narrator and as the indigenous mirror of Todd.

I enjoyed the exploration of Viola feeling she didn't know Todd once he had quietened his voice, and how this gives us some insight into how the original men felt when they were dealing with this power imbalance.

It's a very relevant and thoughtful allegory on colonisation and our arrogance as a species.

The Mayor is a great villain and he was written in a way that let us experience the same thing Todd did - a slim hope that he was truly changing even though deep down we know we're probably being manipulated. 

I wish we'd had more of an insight into what was motivating him - was there more to his fascinating with Todd other than wanting a powerful son? 

There is so much to unpack and think about, which is what makes the novel great. It's a pity it's a bit over bloated but all in all, a good end to the series.

Monsters of Men

Reviews