A Monster Calls is a great horror book written by Patrick Ness and illustrated by Jim Kay. I gave this one five stars! That’s how much I loved it. It has an average rating of 4.3 on goodreads at the time of this post, so I’m not the only one that thought it was a great book. Here’s the blurb:
The monster showed up after midnight. As they do.
But it isn’t the monster Conor’s been expecting. He’s been expecting the one from his nightmare, the one he’s had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments, the one with the darkness and the wind and the screaming…
This monster is something different, though. Something ancient, something wild. And it wants the most dangerous thing of all from Conor.
It wants the truth.
It might sound like it’s pitched at a younger audience. The language isn’t that complicated, and the main character is just thirteen, but don’t let that put you off. This is a dark book. The opening scene reminded me of the BFG. That horrible terrifying moment when the main character knew there was a monster at their window, except there’s a twist. I’d describe the tone as that chilled feeling you get after reading a grimms fairy tale, except this book is more morally complex. It makes you think.
On the surface this is a book about a boy in a horrible situation. His mother is sick, and he feels his world is falling apart. Underneath that it makes you think about human nature, and how complex we and the world are. For a better feel what this book feels like to read, have a look at the trailer. I think they did a great job matching up the tone with the book.
There are very few books that will get me emotional. I’m the rock of my family, the one people turn to because I don’t get emotional. I’m not afraid to admit that this book tore me apart. It did such a good job at drawing me in, and making me care about the main character that even though I guessed the ending early, it still broke me into tears.
I’d recommend this one to everyone. I don’t care whether you only read romances, or books with adult main characters. Try it. Really, just forget your preconceptions and try it. It’s a dark book, but there’s something almost magical within the story.
samaustinwriter 