When I first started reading this I had to wonder what I was getting into. The writing style was a little weird at first.But I became more engrossed as the story went on.Todd Hewitt is a boy, who is about to become a man, that lives in a New World called Prentisstown, a town that has no women. Todd is the last boy child and represents something to the Mayor of the town. But the town isn't what it seems and he goes on the run with a girl named Viola and his dog called Manchee.The world Todd lives in isn't normal and is filled with 'noise' from other men and animals, but other than that I have a really hard time trying to describe how it was. It was like old world history met new current one.As I read on, I realized that it had reminded me of Across the Universe by Beth Revis - not in the way that they were traveling across the universe, but that the people of Prentisstown had already done that and they were the settlers.The characters were interesting. First, there was Todd, who seemed to be unaware of what it would truly mean the day he became a 'man'. He was snarky, loving, angry and scared. He really did show a wealth of emotions in this book. I really liked him. He's a reluctant hero type.Viola is a girl who crash-landed into New World and ends up going on the run with Todd and Manchee when Todd realizes the town is after them. Viola is more quiet. She's strong, resourceful and caring. And Manchee - oh, I loved that dog! He was funny, protective, caring and an unsung hero. He was what put the humor into the book. I don't think the story would have been the same without him.There was a fair share of evil characters as well, such as Aaron. He was fanatical in his beliefs, quite a scary character.The people I would recommend this book to would be those who liked sci-fi/dystopia and who don't mind their characters having an unique dialect. It's a wonderful dialect, but one that takes a little to get used to.I would have loved to have given more than three stars based on what I've said above, but if I did that the rating wouldn't be fair. I liked the book, but, to me, there was an element missing that prevented me from really loving it and it having the 'wow' factor. I think it was the trouble I had connecting with the characters when I first started reading it. All the same, I do plan on reading the next installment.
A Reader's Heart
Focuses on reviews of Young Adult novels with honesty and integrity. My ratings and reviews vary on how I feel about the book.
When I first started reading this I had to wonder what I was getting into. The writing style was a little weird at first.But I became more engrossed as the story went on.Todd Hewitt is a boy, who is about to become a man, that lives in a New World called Prentisstown, a town that has no women. Todd is the last boy child and represents something to the Mayor of the town. But the town isn't what it seems and he goes on the run with a girl named Viola and his dog called Manchee.The world Todd lives in isn't normal and is filled with 'noise' from other men and animals, but other than that I have a really hard time trying to describe how it was. It was like old world history met new current one.As I read on, I realized that it had reminded me of Across the Universe by Beth Revis - not in the way that they were traveling across the universe, but that the people of Prentisstown had already done that and they were the settlers.The characters were interesting. First, there was Todd, who seemed to be unaware of what it would truly mean the day he became a 'man'. He was snarky, loving, angry and scared. He really did show a wealth of emotions in this book. I really liked him. He's a reluctant hero type.Viola is a girl who crash-landed into New World and ends up going on the run with Todd and Manchee when Todd realizes the town is after them. Viola is more quiet. She's strong, resourceful and caring. And Manchee - oh, I loved that dog! He was funny, protective, caring and an unsung hero. He was what put the humor into the book. I don't think the story would have been the same without him.There was a fair share of evil characters as well, such as Aaron. He was fanatical in his beliefs, quite a scary character.The people I would recommend this book to would be those who liked sci-fi/dystopia and who don't mind their characters having an unique dialect. It's a wonderful dialect, but one that takes a little to get used to.I would have loved to have given more than three stars based on what I've said above, but if I did that the rating wouldn't be fair. I liked the book, but, to me, there was an element missing that prevented me from really loving it and it having the 'wow' factor. I think it was the trouble I had connecting with the characters when I first started reading it. All the same, I do plan on reading the next installment.
