The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness is a young-adult science fiction novel. This novel revolves around the theme of loss innocence. The innocence a child has that is then lost when turning to adulthood.

    It brings you into the life of Todd Hewitt, the last boy in his town on the “New World”. A germ had been spread from the Spackle, the native inhabitants that the townspeople say had been wiped out in a war when they first arrived. This germ had supposedly killed all of the women, and made it so that all of the men can hear each other’s thoughts, as well as animals’ thoughts ; now being called the “noise”. The men have all been waiting for Todd’s 13th birthday, for him to become a man. All while Todd isn’t aware of the underlying danger he is about to face.

    Patrick Ness writes the book in such a way that really makes you believe in the characters. You are from Todd’s point of view, almost as if this is just fully his inner dialogue, or as if he was writing it. What helps further this and make you feel like it is actually him, is the spelling. Patrick purposely misspells words and shows us somewhat what the noise is like. This helps the reader to feel more attached to the character. Which also helps pull the reader more into the story.

    The twists and turns that happen throughout this story makes it super intriguing. Having you on the edge of your seat at every step with the character. The concept also being something I haven’t heard or thought of before makes it refreshing. It also makes you think about what could happen if this was our world, if we could hear everyone elses’ thoughts. 

    Patrick Ness has created an amazing story that I would honestly recommend to everyone. The suspense, twists, and emotion that you can feel seeping through the pages makes it an amazing read. It is the first of the Chaos Walking series, and an amazing opening book to an amazing series. With small details that really add up to make you feel like you are in the story. I would honestly recommend this to anyone who is looking for something new. This new world will pull you in and want you to never stop reading. Having you seated for hours on end.