I recently made a decision to review all the books I read, whether it's a couple of sentences or a long rambling dissertation, so I find myself writing reviews for sequels without having written anything about the original. So right now, as I'm reading 
 The Ask And The Answer 
 , a sequel to this book I decided to go back and review The Knife of Never Letting Go. 
 My introduction to Patrick Ness was 
 More Than This 
 , which was the first young adult book I'd read since I was a teenager. It was a great science fiction mystery, that kept me guessing right up until the end. It helped show me that the young adult genre can have as much depth and enjoyement as any adult novel. So I began reading more young adult literature and eventually decided to go back and revisit the author who kick-started this binge. 
 Ness is one of those authors that makes you forget that you're reading a book, he allows you to slip right into the mindset of the protagonist. You're no longer reading about a character and their journey, you're experiencing it right along with them. It's particularly noteworthy when it's a younger character, sometimes it's painfully obvious an author is trying and failing to write like a teenager. Thankfully this isn't the case. 
 Todd feels like such a genuine teenager. The way he speaks ("except I didn't say eff"), even the way words are mispelled, create a real individual, a person that you truly believe exists. He can be selfish, stupid and arrogant but he's also brave, funny and kind. When he triumphs, it feels like you're winning, when he's beaten by the many obstacles in his path, it's a very personal defeat. It's a very raw depiction, Todd is far from perfect and it hurts when he gives in, when he's weak... but it makes it all the more satisfying when he shows his true strength. 
 The book also contains my favourite ever depiction of a dog and how exactly they think and act. If dogs could talk, I have no doubt they'd talk exactly like Manchee. 
 It's worth mentioning how much I enjoyed the way Ness plays with the formatting of the book. Sometimes that kind of thing can seem a bit gimmicky, but in terms of showing how people experience the Noise, it worked surprisingly well. 
 I like to write these reviews (or randomly musings) as soon as I've finished reading, while everything is still fresh. It's been awhile since I read this book, but as I'm reading the sequel, I wanted to jot down some notes of my thoughts and feelings while reading. It's a good example of a coming of age story where a young boy has to set out on a journey, taking his first steps into a larger world and coming to terms with his own humanity. I'd recommend it to anyone who maybe isn't sure about all the suddenly popular young adult books that are being turned into movies. It works perfectly as an introduction to the genre and kept me entertained to the point where I ordered the second book in the series before I'd even hit the halfway mark.