The Knife of Never Letting Go - Chaos Walking Movie Tie-in Edition | YA Dystopian Novel | Perfect for Sci-Fi Book Clubs & Movie Fans

I actually read this book a few years ago, but with the current GLUT of YA dystopians, I feel the need to review and explain why The Knife of Never Letting Go is the the beginning of the best YA trilogy, bar none.I’ll explain more in a moment, but just ponder this thought first: I literally cannot think of a single YA cliche found in this book:A teenage main character who is mysteriously good at everything? Nope.A teenage main character who is absolutely essential to changing a world that apparently can’t be changed by adults? Nope.A shallow love interest? Nope.A shoehorned sex scene? Nope.A rebellion that stands up to the evil overlords? Nope.An overt and in-your-face political messages? Nope.A theme that says nature is good and technology is bad? Nope.A one dimensional villain? Nope.A gay character who is only in the story to be the token gay character? Nope.Predictable plot twists? Nope.Rehashed plot ideas in novel two and twice-rehashed plot ideas in novel three? Nope.A cliched ending? Nope.(Fine. If you really need me to find a flaw, I’ll acknowledge that the main antagonist of the book was one dimensional and darn near indestructible for no apparent reason. But he plays a very minor role in the novel, so it’s easily overlooked, especially considering how Patrick Ness writes such well rounded antagonists for the sequels.)The dystopia setting of The Knife of Never Letting Go itself is extraordinarily unique: an all male town where everyone can hear everyone else’s thoughts all the time. No super big, all controlling, technologically powered evil government. No facade of a utopia behind which lies unseen(?) misery. In fact, the dystopia of the novel is not man-made at all - the dystopia - that I can read your thoughts, and you can read mine - is a result of nature, not anything created by man. Ness takes this concept and works it out to natural, logical and captivating conclusions.The unique dystopia that Ness writes also leads to a unique narration style. The book is narrated by Todd, our hero, in a first person present tense (this is by itself nothing new), but what makes the narration unique is the fact that Todd can hear the thoughts of everyone else, and everyone else can hear Todd’s thoughts - including his narration. This presents some excellent scenes as Todd the character and Todd the narrator must omit or dance around ideas for fear of giving away his schemings to characters nearby, lest they discover his secret plans. It is completely unique, and written so very well.Another reason that The Knife of Never Letting Go (and the rest of the trilogy) is so good is because the characters make real decisions that come with real consequences. Todd and Viola are both children living in a world of adults, trying to survive events that are much bigger than themselves. This is not Katniss or Shea or Thomas spearheading a mighty and righteous rebellion. Todd and Viola spend most of their time just trying to keep their heads above water while events continues to turn. Sometimes they control their own fates, but more often than not, the adults act like adults (quite the rarity in YA lit.) - take charge, call the shots.Finally, the last element of this book (and the trilogy) that makes it so good is that the relationship between Todd and Viola is powerful, and genuine. It is one of the most realistic relationships written in a YA novel. It’s built on time, trust, and mutual survival. The relationship struggles, it comes with genuine doubts and genuine pitfalls. The characters grow and mature apart as much as they do together, and if there is one thing that this trilogy does, it grows its characters. Every observation, interaction, and situation marks the characters, changes the characters, and molds their views of the world around them. And because the characters experience very different events, their lives grow in different directions. This makes the scenes between Todd and Viola that much more real as they struggle to understand how each other is changing, and to keep their relationship alive. It is not an easy task.Patrick Ness’s Chaos Walking trilogy is a testament that YA lit. does not need the cliches that have overgrown the genre. His trilogy is filled with unique life, passion, and a coming of age story that will leave all readers emotionally drained. The Chaos Walking trilogy is the pinnacle of YA lit.