'More Than This' by Patrick Ness Review

     AS levels have begun and I'm now a year 12 student so my reading time has been significantly reduced due to homework and revision unfortunately :( However, here is my review of Patrick Ness' 'More Than This'. This is done in a different style to what I usually do without subtitles but is still my opinions of the book. This is now one of my complete favourites and you don't understand how much you need to go out and read this! There's a teeny spoiler in this review so I've pointed it out if you want to avoid it.

   I received a review copy from Movellas in order to review this.

"Here is the boy, drowning."

   Seth awakens from death. But, he’s alive. Naked and alone in his old home back in England, he is haunted by vivid dreams of his life. He begins searching for answers in this ‘after-life’. Is he really alone? Or is there More Than This?

   I think Patrick Ness is a great author and this book proves this further. At first, I actually expected perhaps a paranormal story, which is quite popular within the YA genre, but it already started off with a twist and ended up being a suspenseful dystopian novel. It was a pleasant surprise.

   ‘Here is the boy, drowning.’ What a way to begin! Starting with the death of the main character really hooked me as well as indicating that this story takes place in the after-life, setting the scene without chunks of boring description. He is referred to as ‘the boy’, which I loved because it’s subtle but gives us readers an indication as to who to root for when reading, suggesting importance.

   However, the first chapters were quite slow for me, which kept up the suspense but did get a little boring after a while. Nevertheless, it quickly became more fast-paced that kept me wanting to read more. So stick with this story or you’ll regret it!

   The middle was exciting, introducing more flashbacks (which are perfectly placed without getting too long that we forget the actual storyline, dripping in more information about our protagonist’s past.) and introducing more interesting characters.

   Each character stood out because, although they are very different, they felt real. They contrast nicely with appropriate reactions to their situations. They have different stories, with different backgrounds but they unite in something they all have in common; finding out if there is ‘more than this’. They experience many real issues we do today, like murder, poverty, abuse and the world seeming to try and reject who you are. It’s so realistic it’s scary, with the internet taking over too. This really could happen in our future! It is really amazing for an author to create a new world and make it appear so vivid to the reader.

   The twists kept on coming and the final turn I loved. 

(SPOILER AHEAD: When The Driver “dies” SPOILER END), 

I really wanted another obstacle to appear in the way of our protagonists because I didn’t feel that the story should end just yet, but I wasn’t expecting what did happen and was almost shouting at the book to let there be a happy ending!

   Then, the impossible happens and the final flashback is beautifully carried out, rounding our knowledge off. It was a miracle that seems impossible, but is actually probable, and everyone is left confused by the unexpected. But that is because that’s what life is; you don’t know what’s around the corner. I thought I might be over-thinking the plot after finishing this but I have come away satisfied with the cliff-hanger.

   Overall, Patrick Ness has done a brilliant job yet again. ‘More Than This’ is full of twists that keep you going until the very end. If you enjoy Sci-Fi/Dystopian YA novels then this is for you. I would not recommend it to anyone under the age of 14/15 because it contains swearing and mature issues. However, I’ll only be giving it 4.5/5 because it did take me a few chapters to really get into the story, but I loved reading this novel and I'd certainly like to read more books like this :)

~White Ravens~
 http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/10321725/white-ravens-writing

'The Perks of Being A Wallflower' by Stephen Chbosky Review

  

   Another review ready and waiting to read :)

Rating: 

   3/5 – I watched the film and thought it was a really good storyline so I was going in with high expectations but I was a little disappointed with the book. It addressed very sensitive but very real issues and I do appreciate that but it didn’t develop enough for me.

Who I think it's for:

   If you’re a fan of realism and young adult fiction, then this book fits those genres. It contains offensive language and mature/adult issues so I’d say it’s for 14 years + It’s also about the life of high school students, so obviously high school students easily relate to this.

"There's nothing like deep breaths after laughing that hard. Nothing in the world like a sore stomach for the right reasons.”

Plot Summary: 

   Charlie is a wallflower. Shy, clever, awkward, he starts his first high school year and has to deal with new friends, family problems and finding himself. In a world of new things, he is standing at the edge, observing rather than ‘participating’. However, at some time, he must try a different perspective from the centre of the stage.

The Character that stood out most:

   Charlie, the narrator, is unique and he tells the story through his eyes well. Though the use of letters he writes is also unique, I’d prefer it not to be in this form because it feels as though Charlie doesn’t interact with the other characters as much as it would if the story was told from a normal first person view. So, I think that the story doesn’t develop as much as I would like.

   Patrick, Charlie’s first friend when he starts high school, stood out the most to me because Charlie talks about him a lot in his letters and their experiences together. We find out that he is openly gay a little way in to the novel but not straight away. He appears carefree and friendly and supportive but we learn that he is also vulnerable and troubled, so he develops very well throughout the story and stands out as an interestingly complicated character.

Why I read it:

   I watched the film and thought it was very moving and relatable in how high school is about trying to find yourself in the world and prepare for your future. Some of my friends recommended the book as well, so I asked for it for Christmas and recently got round to reading it this summer (school gets in the way a lot!).

   I went in with high expectations, perhaps too high, but I think that I should have been neutral. Maybe this just wasn’t my type of genre, but I felt that some of the issues the book deals with could have been developed further along with some of the characters. (Alice was part of the ‘gang’ Charlie hung around with but she was hardly ever mentioned which annoyed me.)

 

Why you should read it:

 Overall, I think that it’s a good book and I would recommend it to anyone I knew who likes that genre. It is considered a must-read for high school students in YA fiction so I think that, if you like that genre and types of books, this book will suit you.

   Have you seen the film or read the book? Which one do you think is better? If you’ve done both, did you read the book before the film or the other way round? Did you think it affected your opinion at all? Share your thoughts in the comments! :)



~White Ravens~
http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/10321725/white-ravens-writing