Separated and threatened, it seems as if our two heroes will end up on different sides - and here is where things get extremely complex for the pair of them...caught between two enigmatic and persuasive power hungry people, just which side is the "right" side? As they each make choices they may come to regret, the story pulls you along at a frantic pace, yet still manages to give you an emotional blast. War is coming it seems - and can war ever be the answer, no matter what the question? Fleeing before a relentless army, Todd has carried a desperately wounded Viola right into the hands of their worst enemy, Mayor Prentiss. I kind of wanted this to be higher than The Knife of Never Letting Go, which I also gave a 9, because Ness really pumped up his game (that’s not even an expression… see what this book does to me?!) with this one and it is a lot more complex and deeper than the first book. With the perspective of Viola, the subject matter, the ambiguous baddies, the journey of Todd, the unexpected friendships (which was soo heartbreaking) and THE ENDING, this book has a higher angst factor than the first. But it never goes into whiny mode, which is strange because I think Viola and Todd are the only two characters in YA fiction I would be OK with if they just had a whole chapter that they just whinged… because, seriously, they deserve it. I don’t want to give it a 10… because I’m guessing (and secretly hoping) that Monsters of Men will steal that title and rip out my heart. Don’t let me down, Ness. But I can't figure out why. Both are series about dystopian futures staring young people trying to overthrow oppressive leaders. Both were published at the same time. Both sold film rights to Lions Gate Entertainment. Both are great.

In addition, there are the same plot holes as in the first book. I still don't understand the "specialness" of Todd, there is still a lot of build-up and allusions to various secrets that end up being not that interesting or important. But seriously, where to start? I thought the last book was good. This one is better. Like, sell your aunt and your soul to the devil kind of good. It's just so full of stuff. OK, it’s no secret how much I love this series, so I’m not even going to pretend these low points are actually serious. These books just seem to be getting better and better and I am soooo excited for the final one. So, I’m scraping at the bottom of the barrel here… STOP WITH THE CLIFF HANGER, YOU’RE KILLING ME, NESS! And yeah ok, Angharrad was kind of cute… but she’s no Manchee *sniff* so, don't even try. See, clutching at straws here. I think Todd and Viola would both have come out of this a lot more damaged than they seem to be. I get that they love each other; I get that he's trying to say something about how powerful love is (I suspect Davy Prentiss is able to do good in the end because he loves Todd, even though it's never spelled out exactly). Yes, love is powerful. But hurt is also powerful, and I can't quite accept that they're able to forgive each other and be quite that unshakeably bonded after all that they've been through. but it is so well-handled. ness can actually write! viola and todd sound like two different characters! and fully developed characters with insights and psychologies all their own, at that! and i love them both so much. fangirl squeee!All issues are interesting, but I find myself surprisingly uninterested in them, mainly because in this book I am strangely detached from Todd and Viola. In these tough circumstances they are nothing more than naive petulant children used as pawns in various evil plans. They are described as so strongly attached that they are willing to do almost anything for one another and yet they are so easily led to mistrust each other.This mistrust constantly gets them and people around them in trouble, it's painful to read. I think pretty much in this book you simply can't find even one likable person. Todd is the one I dislike the most at this point. No matter how hard the author tries to make us believe that Todd still holds on to his innocence and thus is better than everybody else, it's pretty hard to swallow when you know what Todd has done for no good reason other than his dear girlfriend left him. I am not going to write a real review for this one, because if it continues in the same vain, I will have to repeat myself when I finish the third and last book in the series. I am just frustrated... If you're looking for answers, look elsewhere. The Answer is just the rebels made up of mostly women. The question, at least in my mind, is what causes men to turn into cattle, whether it's the mayor turning otherwise intelligent people into subservients or what really happened to all the others that are literally being kept in pens.

The Noise is still rife in this book - yet Mayor Prentiss has chosen to provide 'the cure' to some of his chosen favourites. I'm intrigued to see where Ness will go with the final book. This series seems to redefine genre - with elements of Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Dystopia and maybe even horror. The Pacing in book 1 was faster which is always a plus for me, the pace here is slower but not too slow so it is still enjoyable. Hewitt and Viola rush to stop the President, but he manages to disable them with Noise, capturing Viola again. Despite Hewitt’s betrayal, the President asks him to rejoin him, revealing his tactic for controlling Noise without the cure. Hewitt takes advantage of an incoming ship to point his gun at Davy, hoping it will force the President to let Viola go. Instead, the President kills Davy, who reveals as he dies that he killed Ben, Hewitt’s guardian, and asks for forgiveness. There weren’t many new characters but the characters we know developed and I expected the change in some characters which was awesome and devil!Except...holy moly, unexpected friendships (one of the best parts of this books… so beautiful and nearly moved me, no-soul-Jo, to tears) and unlikely alliances! But I am not imagining how upset I am at the turn of events. I really do choke up a bit at where the two end up. And I’m left feeling so many, many things: angry, sad, confused, a bit more sad, and whole lot more angry. No sophomore slump here. None. Because this book?! It actually made me think more than most of those I've read for years. And I read a lot. The Ask and the Answer gives rise to ethical reflection and disturbs us. There didn’t feel like a lot happened in this instalment… and it definitely suffered that second book syndrome. If you are still not sure then remember our ‘5 minute pledge’ that if you call and pay using your credit or debit card and you are not happy with your choice of reader or reading then if you hang up in the first 5 minutes then you will not be charged.

I enjoyed this one a lot more than the first. I was more invested in Todd and Viola's characters, and accustomed to the writing style so I could fully focus on the story. Yay for second books! Most of the things I had issues with in the first book aren't a factor here, except for one. And it's kind of a big one. I'm going to have to meditate upon this for a time before I can write a proper review. Over all, though, I liked this one much better. Ness does relentlessly horrible like nobody else, and I say that with all the love and respect in the world.

**We are looking for recap contributors!**

We see growth in every character. During first book I couldn't help but to think of Viola and Tod as single entity but here we get to see them separated and Viola gets her PoV so we see them develop as characters individually. Mayor (now president) Prentiss evolve from plain bad guy in first book into more subtle manipulator. Davy Prentiss is also no longer Joffrey under different name, we get to see him as person. Not particularly good person but real person nonetheless. Das bedeutet natürlich nicht, dass sie nicht auch Fehler machen. Vor allem Todd lässt sich von Prentiss erst erpressen und dann einlullen, obwohl er tief in seinem Inneren weiß, dass dem Mann nicht zu trauen ist. Er möchte so sehr an das glauben, was Prentiss zu Beginn öffentlich erklärt, „The war is over“, dass er nicht sieht, dass der physische Kampf vielleicht vorbei sein mag, die psychische Seite aber gerade erst begonnen hat. I guess you know the drill by this point, I usually compare the second book in a series with the first and see what improved and what didn’t.