Patrick Ness

Fleeing before a relentless army, Todd has carried a desperately wounded Viola right into the hands of their worst enemy, Mayor Prentiss. Immediately separated from Viola and imprisoned, Todd is forced to learn the ways of the Mayor's new order. But what secrets are hiding just outside of town?

The Ask and the Answer

Alternate chapters follow teenagers Todd and Viola, who become separated as the Mayor's oppressive new regime takes power in New Prentisstown, a space colony where residents can hear each other's thoughts.

Jordan

It's annoying to hear Todd say he will kill someone because you know he won't. And he never does. Hopefully the last book is better after the cliffhanger ending of this one.

And him basically becoming a slave driver of the spackle just because he's mad the Viola left? And somehow he's still innocent Todd because he hasn't killed a person yet? 
Nonsense

Katelyn f

mkay. getting sick of the plot twist cliff hangers really fucking fast

Ness, what are you doing to me, book 2 in the series and another Cliff-hanger ending and to my Friend for recommending this series to me what have you done to me, I really wanted to space these books out but that is so not happening as I know that Book 3 is going to be next because I need Answers and I need them NOW!! 

The Sequel to The Knife Of Never Letting Go and this ones takes what worked in the first book and turns it into even more in a way that I was never anticipating or expecting, There are twists, turns and more within the pages of this one and it did not let me go until I turned the final page and then I knew instantly that Book 3 has to be next to understand what is going to happen to these characters! 

This Book feels even more important than book 1, it deals with feminism, terrorism, war and genocide. The alternating narrative works well and develops the reader's bond with the character of Viola. For me, it was an even darker novel than the first book, with Ness sparing no details on the violence and torture undergone by those suspected of being members of the Answer.

This Shocking story leaves the reader asking and questioning what makes a person “Good” and whether an individual is solely responsible for their actions or if society and social factors can be blamed. Ness openly tackles the possibility of redemption in the direst cases, and he carefully blurs the lines between hero and villain. Is it okay to sacrifice one innocent person for the greater good? How about a thousand? Is terrorism a crime or a fight for freedom? The answers you think you have now may not be so easily applied when reading the book. It may make you question all that you've ever believed in.  

Okay enough putting it off, book a3 You are Next!!

Ian Brakspear

Ness, what are you doing to me, book 2 in the series and another Cliff-hanger ending and to my Friend for recommending this series to me what have you done to me, I really wanted to space these books out but that is so not happening as I know that Book 3 is going to be next because I need Answers and I need them NOW!! 

The Sequel to The Knife Of Never Letting Go and this ones takes what worked in the first book and turns it into even more in a way that I was never anticipating or expecting, There are twists, turns and more within the pages of this one and it did not let me go until I turned the final page and then I knew instantly that Book 3 has to be next to understand what is going to happen to these characters! 

This Book feels even more important than book 1, it deals with feminism, terrorism, war and genocide. The alternating narrative works well and develops the reader's bond with the character of Viola. For me, it was an even darker novel than the first book, with Ness sparing no details on the violence and torture undergone by those suspected of being members of the Answer.

This Shocking story leaves the reader asking and questioning what makes a person “Good” and whether an individual is solely responsible for their actions or if society and social factors can be blamed. Ness openly tackles the possibility of redemption in the direst cases, and he carefully blurs the lines between hero and villain. Is it okay to sacrifice one innocent person for the greater good? How about a thousand? Is terrorism a crime or a fight for freedom? The answers you think you have now may not be so easily applied when reading the book. It may make you question all that you've ever believed in.  

Okay enough putting it off, book a3 You are Next!!

i don’t remember much since I’ve read this book a long time ago, but I can recall how tough it was to put down. The pace was fast which I loved. I fell in love with the two main characters and their dynamic even though it was not heavily romantic, but they protected each other, they were family to each other and the only thing they had left. I remember a lot of questions from the pervious book was answered in this book but also I had more questions formed, suspense was always there. 

amna

esperanza 

I’m really rooting for these Todd and Viola 🙄 4.5

Katelyn 

Julia

Finally finished! Just when I thought the whole plot could be resolved, it wasn't and now I have to read the next book. I'm eager to get through that one now as well!

The ask and the answer

Jeannette Ordas

I wasn't a fan of the 1st book, but no library holds meant that I got a bit desperate. It was a decent enough story and a good follow-up to the first book, but trust me, this is where my story ends. No more of this series for me. Enough is enough. 2.5 stars.

aisha

This took me ages but I loved it anyway whoops.

tina

patrick ness has a habit of killing off my favorite characters.

Janice Hopper

I was carried along by the pace of the story, but I can't really say I enjoyed it. There is so much violence, physical and emotional, all through this book. I just don't have the stomach for it any more.

Stefanie  Uwah

Wow. Just...wow. That ending was a killer. This book is jam packed with suspense. I gonna wait a couple of days before I pick up the last book because I need time for things to sink in. But I really loved this book.

It gave off 1984 and the handmaid's tail vibes. I liked how the mc was an emotional boy, and it was his strenght not his weakness.

Eszter Baranyi

Victoria P

this book, ohhh this book. 

damn you patrick ness.

i’ve never been more frustrated, more sad, more angry, more everything, with a book. jesus christ.

it’s amazing how i thought it wasn’t going to top the knife of never letting go but boy how wrong i was.

this book was so raw and hard. i mean, we get todd and all his suffering (i just wanted to hug him and rock him and tell him he’s okay, viola’s okay), we get people fighting with their own humanity, wondering if what they’re doing is good or bad, wether they’re still the person they always thought they were. it’s amazing how you can feel all of their feelings through the pages.

todd has my heart. my poor todd. he grew so much, so fast, and it was so much. i thought he was gonna break at points but no, he’s so so strong, my dearest boy.

viola is amazing, i love how strong she is, how determined. she’s willing to do everything for todd and ugh, i love her.

the mayor. this effing dude. him as a villain was AMAZING, such a good character. i hate his guts but that’s the whole point. i liked (not really but yk) how he could manipulate everyone, making them wonder what the truth was. he’s so creepy, and scary, and i really hope he dies.

i loves the different perspectives in the book, how you could find the differences so easily between todd and viola. davy prentiss!! a character i didn’t think i was going to care so much. 

i loved this book. so much. made me feel alllll the feels.

Natalia Hernandez

illa

would like to start this out by saying that I read the knife of never letting go about a year and a half ago and meant to read this sequel right afterwards which. clearly did not happen. I have a terrible memory

anyways, this book was alright? perhaps I waited too long to read it, lol. I probably would've enjoyed it more a year or two ago, but now its just. fine. I will read the third book soon tho!!

Jasmine Neville

3.5
This book was so slow which is why I’ve rated it less but I still enjoyed parts of it which is why it deserves the half star

lauren carla

Meriem💫

The first book I’ve read this summer was The Ask and The Answer by the legendary Mr. Patrick Ness, second book in the Chaos Walking trilogy, sequel to The Knife of Never Letting Go.

In terms of star rating, it was an easy and definite 5/5 stars for me. This is how a sequel is done, people. Mr Ness knows what’s up.

Well, we all know that TKONLG left us with a cliffhanger, Todd entering Haven with a wounded Viola in his arms, fleeing before a relentless army, but man, do things go down even deeper in this sequel. When I was reading it, it seemed like everything was happening, from the very first page, my brain would have trouble processing things because they were just happening all at once. Now I’m not saying that was bad at all, it rather kept me on edge, itching to know more and more of what was going on. I won’t go into so much detail because that would take forever, but Todd & Viola were separated by the mayor. Viola was taken to the Healers, the women of New Prentisstown, as she was deeply wounded, and Todd was imprisoned by the mayor, and forced to work with Davy Prentiss in Spackle labor. It took a while for the two of them to find each other, to know they were both fine and alive and still looking for one another, and when they did find their way around to meet again, things started to get out of hand.

As you would expect, things got a little complicated in New Prentisstown, and people started to take sides, which resulted into the making of two major forces, and a little third one, which was a little unexpected, but I’m not going to go in deeper about that, so as to not spoil anyone. But just so you know, it gets real hardcore. It also gets so complicated to the point that I couldn’t decide which is right and which is wrong. Which is good and which is evil. And I just couldn’t make up my mind which I was siding with.

The writing style is just as fabulous and original as it is in the first book. There’s a new villain to worry about. The bond between Todd and Viola is stronger than ever, now that it has gone through so many struggles, bearing distance and the battle between doubt and trust and the constant fear of one losing the other. I just love them, individually just as much as when they’re fighting side by side. There’s a new friendly face and also good old one. We lose some people and find out that others were not as bad as we thought they were.

Again, the books ends in a cliffhanger. More so, it ends with a word: “War.”

I don’t know how can anyone be so completely blind and not read this trilogy. Seriously, it is so good it’s unreal. I myself will be reading Monsters Of Men pretty soon. I cannot wait. I tried not to include so many spoilers in this review, just so that I could persuade anyone who has still not read The Ask and The Answer to go and read it asap. If only one person takes my word on it I will be very happy, but I doubt anyone with brains who had read the first book will need anyone to tell them to read the second one. It’s just that good.

Amanda Kordeliski

A great read, this book picks up where The Knife of Never Letting Go left off. The Ask and the Answer is a middle book in a trilogy and does not have a resolution at the end of the book. Very well written and an excellent discussion book about the degrees of evil and how the line between what is right and wrong becomes blurred when you are trying to survive. This is a great series to follow up the Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins, giving another perspective on right and wrong in war.

Matthew Fisher 

Great character development throughout and very emotional.

Nadine 

The suspense continues with the fight for control. The women against the men both performing atrocities in the process

A special anniversary edition, with a striking new cover design, to celebrate 10 years of the Chaos Walking trilogy.Fleeing before a relentless army, Todd and Viola once again face their worst enemy, Mayor Prentiss. Immediately imprisoned and separated from Viola, Todd is forced to learn the ways of the Mayor's new order. And then, one day, the bombs begin to explode... This new edition marks the 10th anniversary of the Chaos Walking trilogy, soon to be a major motion picture starring Tom Holland and Daisy Ridley.

Nick Bicko

Der zweite Teil der "Chaos Walking"-Trilogie und für dieses Genre mit deutlich mehr Handlung als üblich für den Zwischenteil, der häufig nur dazu dient, nach dem Einstieg des ersten Buchs das große Finale des dritten Buchs einzuläuten.

Zwar gab es auch hier den ein oder anderen ärgerlichen Handlungsstrang (unnötiges Love Interest, Dinge komplett fehldeuten), aber insgesamt definitiv gut genug, um es in wenigen Tagen durchzulesen. Besonders die geteilte Art der Erzählung hat mir zugesagt, zahlreiche Charaktere haben unfassbar viel Tiefe bekommen und/oder nachvollziehbare Wandlungen durchzogen und nach wie vor ist die Prämisse und die Welt, in der der Leser eintaucht, erfrischend innovativ und spannend.

Mal schauen, was der finale Teil so mit sich bringt.

Maxie Froelicher

Read for Around the Year in 52 Books prompt #10 - A book that is between 400 and 600 pages

The Ask and the Answer

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