There are two ways of dying which must be most terrifying and angst-inducing for mothers: Having to see your child die before you leave this earth yourself, or dying in front of your little child's eyes ... the eyes of a kid, a young human being who should have been led on his way to adolescence by his mother. 
 Both of these ways are portrayed in this book. And it's done by Patrick Ness in what may be the best way it could be done in. It's nearly impossible to review "A Monster Calls" because it feels so unique, so heart-breaking, so terrifying. Combining strong subjects like bullying, death-struggle, childhood fears and coming of age, Patrick Ness is able to carry his reader off on a tumultuous ride through the darkness of childhood. 
 "Don't think you haven't lived long enough to have a story to tell." 
 The writing might perhaps be the best thing about "A Monster Calls". Patrick Ness is a master when it comes to combining words and wringing emotions out of them. It's easy to compare his style to Neil Gaiman's - gripping and abducting you into the realms of his story. In the beginning, there might have been passages which felt ridiculous to me, and while I always connected to the story and to what was happening to the characters, the characters themselves felt sometimes alienating to me. But that's nothing to criticize this book for. It might be considered to be heart-breaking, to be a page-turner, but first of all, it is a book you definitely should not miss reading.