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The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness killed me.

Okay MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD. HERE BE DRAGONS, ETC ETC

 So. I finished The Ask and the Answer last night, and I've been thinking about what I would write all day. 

 I guess, I should be honest and say that it wasn't quite as phenomenal as TKONLG. But at the same time, it was really good. And I wonder if part of the reason I didn't like it very much is because it's a second in a trilogy. Because I typically have issues with 2/3 books. Sequels in trilogies are the worst for me because problems keep piling up and up, and there is no resolution. And I know that going in, so I tend to be a little bit more harsh on them than I maybe should be. 

 I love the dynamic between Todd and Viola. That's part of what drove me so fiercely through the first book. It's a relationship I can believe in. I felt connected to them and their actions. The second book keeps that relationship, but it's no longer prevalent and beautiful. Instead it's used as a weapon against them, and that was very frustrating for me. I cannnot imagine using love as a means of forcing people to do what you want (even though as a trope I guess it's used rather frequently now that I think about it). It was just so overdone in this book. There was no relief from that type of betrayal the whole way through.

 I wasn't a fan of the introduction of Lee. It started to lean in to unnecessary love triangle space, but Ness manages to steer clear of that, so I let it pass. I'm hoping he'll keep it out of the plot in the next book too.

 I also didn't like that Davy becomes both a sympathetic character and dies within like 100 pages. 

 Like I get what Ness is trying to do though. Which is frustrating in its own way. Because its so obvious that the Spackle are a symbol of colonized peoples in our own world. And the whole plot also mimics WWII in a pretty distinctive way, and I can appreciate showing the actions of people through another setting and world. But it's all so horrible that I have a hard time liking anything.

 I will say that I'm eager to read the third book which I'll be starting as soon as I read through Persepolis (as soon as I finish this post).

 Favorite Quotes: "We are the choices we make."
"Cuz how do you know yer alive if you don't hurt?"

 And since, it's the sequel to TKONLG, I'll add +2 to the Series Challenge making for 6 pts total.


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