Quick guide: 

Now a movie in theaters!

Short chapters.

Real world story with elements of fantasy.

Upon first glance, A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness seems like a book that would include frightening elements, similar to the way Miss Peregrine’s spooked readers. But this quick read provides those interested in a creative and inspiring book, and now a movie to go along with it. Fantasy elements create pieces of the plotline to look forward to, and Conor, the main character, makes the entire journey more interesting. Conor’s character arc happens to be one of the best ones I’ve ever read about, and it’s surprising how it is done in such a short book.

Ness brings up many different issues in this book, including ones that families may be dealing with, such as difficult family circumstances, terminal illness, and fitting in even with all these things in mind. Conor may not be the best example when it comes to coping for young students, but older readers can understand why someone in Conor’s circumstances may react the way he does. One of the main lessons that can be taken from this story is to speak the truth, no matter how hard telling the truth is.

Tales told by the monster bring an element of enchantment. The variety of tales told have a purpose within the plot, but they are set in times in which princes and princesses ruled. The telling of the stories breaks up the realistic environment and causes readers to pay close attention to the purpose they serve or the examples they show.

Many of the lessons throughout the book can be discovered through the tales, especially ones on dealing with a person’s worst fears. The lessons within tend to be harsh truths that many people struggle with in their day to day lives, and it is refreshing to see a character struggle with the same thing.

With all of the elements that a reader has to follow, taking long pauses while reading this book might possibly confuse. The book definetly is a page-turner, once started, it becomes hard to stop reading. The twists and turns can seem predictable at times to some, but it remains a life-changing story of a young boy and the way the world around him changes for the better or worse.

Overall, A Monster Calls is a good read for intermediate readers who want to read something that tunes into more serious subjects. Even with the fantasy elements of a talking monster, the topics covered within are real-world issues and happen to be what makes the book the great one it is. Ness has written other books not related to this one, his trilogy is titled Chaos Walking and the first book is The Knife of Never Letting Go. I really enjoyed the style in which this novel was written and I look forward to reading more of this author’s works.

The book can be purchased here.

For my last book review, read Red Queen.

This author can be reached on Twitter: @julz_lozano19