We were in the square, in the square where I’d run, holding her, carrying her, telling her to stay alive, stay alive till we got safe, till we got to Haven so I could save her – But there weren’t no safety, no safety at all, there was just him and his men…
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? And where is Viola? Is she even still alive? And who are the mysterious Answer? And then, one day, the bombs begin to explode…
“The Ask and the Answer” is a tense, shocking and deeply moving novel of resistance under the most extreme pressure. This is the second title in the “Chaos Walking” trilogy.
I will repeat what I said after reading the first book in this series: WOAH. THIS BOOK!
I’m going to keep this short for two reasons; I still have a major book-hangover from it, and I can’t really talk about it in-depth without giving things away. And if you haven’t read them, YOU HAVE TO.
Even though THESE BOOKS ARE MEAN.
It took me a lot longer to get into this one than The Knife of Never Letting Go, but once the ball started rolling it literally didn’t stop. This story is relentless. Things go from bad to worse, to worserer. Poor Todd, poor Viola, poor anyone ever.
It was horrible to see how the harsh circumstances began to change Todd. You couldn’t really blame him, but being in the hands of the evil Mayor and forced into serving him in his preparations for an all-out war was really uncomfortable to read.
I wasn’t as sold on Viola’s story though, and I was begging for her to go and save Todd. However, she definitely redeemed herself by the end of the book.
I think Mayor Prentiss is probably of the best villains I have ever read, even though I did get a bit bored with the whole pretending-to-be-nice/ doing it for the greater good thing.
Also, will someone read that Goddamn book Todd’s mum wrote!
Anyway, this book made me cry. I wanted to put it in the freezer.
I might need a while before I tackle the final installment. It’s not going to end well is it!?
Disclosure?: Nope, I borrowed it off my friend Di.
Title: The Ask and the Answer (Chaos Walking #2)
Author: Patrick Ness
Details: Paperback 517 pages
Publication Date: May 4th 2009 by Walker Books
My Rating: 4/5
