Really good but not for me

I’m not sure who the target audience of this book is. The way it’s written seems to be aimed at children, although it has some more adult themes (but I guess kids are more hardened than they were when I was young!). Anyway, it’s well written and brilliantly read, although I’m not rushing to get the next one in the series.

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Great

Good to see YA sci-fi with a neurodiverse protagonist. Brilliant concept and an interesting use of linguistics. Would highly recommend anyone listening to this buys the book or at least has a look through it as the set out of the 'noise' is quite interesting.

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Good but not great

Really enjoyed it at the start but I got frustrated at characters and their reasonings behind doing things (or not doing things).
Bit annoyed about the huge cliffhanger ending too. I feel like I need to listen to a few chapters of the next book to get an ending to this one.

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great

struggled to get into it at first.. but after 20 mins was hooked. story line was good, few predictable ideas for an adult listening, but perhaps fine for a YA.

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One of the worst audio mixes I've heard on audible

The mixing of all of the Noise in the book was almost unbearable in places and lasted too long. audio levels weren't always great either. Story was good but doesn't work as a standalone book, definitely need to keep going with the trilogy.

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.

Will always be one of my favourite books, as it was the first one I read growing up. The movie representation of this book doesn't even come close to the world that Patrick Ness created in the Chaos Walking Series

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Excellent

Listened to the audiobook for this story 7 years after I first read the trilogy. The delivery of the reader for each and every character was brilliant and the story was so enthralling I found myself listening to it in every free minute I could squeeze it into. Todd's journey to realising what it means to be a man resonated as hard today as it did when I was a teenager.

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Perfect medley of delivery

I've been a huge fan of Ness since 2015, particularly the Chaos Walking trilogy. Bower delivers every line with the exact emotional impact I would read it with, hampered only by the limitations of needing to read at a sensible pace in sections that reflect panic.

everything down to his accent is accurate to what was needed to perfectly deliver a perfect novel in a new medium.

blows the American narrator out the water.

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The book that never lets go

Would you listen to The Knife of Never Letting Go again? Why?

A resounding YES! I thought it was a unique story that was full of jeopardy, action, heroism and yet also full of feeling. Whilst the two main characters are teenagers, it is a tale for readers of all ages about what can go so badly wrong in an isolated community. This book has stayed at the forefront of my mind since I read it ... it just won't let go!

Who was your favorite character and why?

I loved the dog, Manchee. We are able to hear the thoughts of this dog, which is a stroke of absolute genius. Manchee, typical of most dogs, always manages to lift the mood of what is often a dark book. I now look at all dogs as if they were Manchee and imagine what they are thinking!

What about Humphrey Bower’s performance did you like?

He gave subtle but distinct characterisation to each voice. There wasn't any point that I felt like I was listening to a performance ... it was more like the book was being directly streamed into my ears. Fab!

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When Todd has to let Manchee go in order to save himself. Heartbreaking just doesn't cover it! From the initial standpoint of Todd feeling that he had been lumbered with this useless dog, they had subsequently gone through so much together, that it almost felt like Todd was cutting his own arm off!

Any additional comments?

I have been recommending this book to everyone I meet - it is a must read and, even better, it is the first of a trilogy, so there are two more books to go!

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1 person found this helpful

No ending, book stops mid-scene. Upsetting scenes.

This is a riveting book, but I found the subject matter too sad and unsettling, and do not wish to read the rest of the series. However, the book ends in the middle of a scene, without any form of conclusion, in the aim to force you onto the next book. No thank you. This is clearly a book aimed at teenagers, not adults, but can be enjoyed by adults too. The narrator does an excellent job of portraying the two main characters - Viola and Todd - two children running for their lives. The book is set in a different time on a different planet, where everyone can hear each other's thoughts, including the animals. You care greatly for the characters and their dog. There is much sadness and tears, (as well as suspense) and for this reason I will not let my own children listen to the book despite them being the right ages for it, ,and it is also why I personally would not read the subsequent books. This was a great concept and it written in an engaging way, but it could have been turned into a different story. I prefer my kids to read happy uplifting books, not sad books, and I want my books to have some kind of conclusion as opposed to being left mid-sentence in the middle of an action scene.

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1 person found this helpful