Monsters of Men By Patrick Ness (4.5/5)

“Three armies march on New Prentisstown, each one intent on destroying the others. Todd and Viola are caught in the middle, with no chance of escape. As the battles commence, how can they hope to stop the fighting? How can there ever be peace when they're so hopelessly outnumbered? And if war makes monsters of men, what terrible choices await? But then a third voice breaks into the battle, one bent on revenge...”

My review of the previous book in this trilogy can be found Here. The wonderful world building and moral trials continue in this final installment.

There are so many positive aspects to this book, that I'm unsure if I can describe how I felt and still do it justice. I've had it on my bookshelf for a couple of months and even though I really wanted to own it, I hadn't yet felt in the mood to read it. I knew that it was going to be deep and painful and quite emotionally exhausting to immerse myself in that world again. Though when I did, time flew by. I read solidly for 6 hours without stopping. I could see it all, the suffering, the hard choices, how when people are at war nobody is innocent and everybody believes that they are fighting for the right reasons.

There are so many different sides to this book that it can make your head spin, but at the same time creates such a rich depth that you can fall into the world and be dragged through the emotional grinder along with all the characters that it follows. I loved the new perspective of the “Spackle” 1017, or The Return as he is known amongst his own people, “The Land”. His drive for revenge after the genocide at the end of the second book in this trilogy prompted The Land's entry into this war. His voice is the most raw and brutal one of this story, a voice of single minded vengeance , all aimed at Todd. The way The Return projects all of his rage at Todd, who he calls “The Knife” creates a pulse increasing, mind spinning ride that you can barely keep up with. His character is so three dimensional as he is portrayed as just one of the villains in this novel. His motivations and drives are so deep that you want him to get peace, you feel righteous indignation on his behalf. He deserves justice, but revenge against Todd is just unthinkable. The genocide of The Spackle was an awful moment, and Todd pulling 1017 out of a pile of the corpses of his fellow species is an amazing example of how dark and gritty this trilogy can be.

The continuation of the separation of Todd and Viola in this book was very well done. It allowed for both of their perspectives to be used and to provide opposing views from the different sides of the war, even though they were still technically on their own side, the side that wished for peace.

I love the whole idea of the series, as summarised by the title of this book, that in war nobody is innocent, everybody has to do things that they're not happy about or that goes against their morality for “the greater good”. War does indeed make monsters of men. Todd sees this better than most when he is involved in a rather brutal battle, fighting with the Mayor's men against “The Spackle”. Their weapons are intense and the men are nearly annihilated. Todd sees men burst into flames in front of him, he smells their flesh melt and sees their dying thoughts, the pain they feel at never seeing their loved ones again. Because of this when the tide turns and the surviving enemy is left to run away, Todd feels the buzz of defeating them. He experiences the thrill of chasing a losing enemy, of wanting to fire into their backs whilst they are fleeing. It's only when he sees the Spackle he was aiming at trip over the corpses of his people that his conscience returns, and he is reminded who he really is.

This book manages to show the opinions and morality of multiple characters, all with different tactics and limits and yet with each of them you can see them as human, see what has driven them to where they are now. You can see the horrible things that they do, and you can see how they justify their actions, and a lot of the time, you agree with them. You become so involved with this world and the people in it that you can understand and relate, and no matter what horrible things they do, in some ways you can't quite see what you would have done differently.

This book pulls you in and doesn't let you go until the very last page. You're dragged along with these characters and it hurts. You fear for them, you fear for their physical safety and for their identities when they risk compromising who they are. You'll gasp and you'll cry and when finished you'll feel exhausted, relieved and still slightly on the edge of your seat. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes stories that aren't black and white, and where the enemy of the tale is relative depending on which side of the war you're on.

The Iron Witch By Karen Mahoney (3.5/5)

“Donna is a freak. An outcast. Branded with iron tattoos that cover her hands and arms, she is cursed with a magically- enhanced strength that she does everything she can to hide. But now, the dark exiles of Faerie are coming and Donna must choose between saving her best friend – or betraying one of the world's greatest secrets.”

I've been following Karen's short stories and blog for a while now and I was eagerly awaiting her debut novel. I love seeing somebody who I admire become published and their talent being recognised. So it was with quite a bit enthusiasm that I found this book with it's shiny golden pages on the shelf at Waterstones.

I loved the start of this book, a girl's journal explaining her nightmares that recall the night her father died whilst saving her life. The mood that this brief scene creates is dark and heavy. It perfectly paints a picture of dream like terror balanced with memories, leaving the reader to try and choose which parts are genuine recollections and which are fabricated, due to the trauma that Donna experienced as a young girl. In some ways this mood is evident throughout scenes in the book, and it is this atmospheric style that made me read the book quickly over a couple of days.

In this style I loved the threat of the Wood Elves. I enjoyed the fact that the “villain” of the piece was one species of Faerie. I think when books contain Faeries it can be tempting to get overwhelmed by the amount of mythology to choose from and to pick many different varieties, whether friend or foe. I liked the simplicity that this book provided by picking only one type of creature to represent that world. The Wood Elves were almost made of nature themselves, and there was a certain rough quality to them that I really enjoyed. They seemed to be made of the forest itself, and as an extension, the feeling whenever our characters entered the forest was one of claustrophobia and paranoia. Then again, it's not really paranoia if they really are watching you.

I liked the character of Donna, I felt like when she was in everyday situations, for instance feeling left out at a party or remembering being excluded at school, she was very likeable. These qualities in a person could have seemed cheesy and clichéd, but Mahoney made them seem new and utterly realistic. It wasn't melodramatic suffering, it was real and unglamorous. Though I didn't feel as much of a connection with the character when she grew stronger and was able to fight almost single handedly to save her friend and mentor. It may be a reflection of me as a reader that I found the main character to have greater depth when she was suffering and acting out, as opposed to when she was able to defend herself sensibly and almost strategically.

A part of the book that I couldn't get used to was the character of Xan. He was attractive, he was rich, he was a little pretentious, he had a big insight into the world which Donna was absorbed in, making him a perfect confidant for her to lust after. He was perfect. I desperately wanted him to be evil. I don't enjoy stories as much when the characters get the things they want easily and without struggle, I don't like it when things work out for them. I guess I'm slightly sadistic, but I need my characters to have what they want torn away from them and really have to work to get it back again. Or I want them to realise they were wanting the wrong thing all along. It just doesn't feel right when things are wrapped up nicely.

I also didn't quite understand her relationship with her best friend Navin. There was too much chemistry between them for it to be purely platonic, they had so much closeness and affection that it would have been very satisfying to see some sort of love story form between them, particularly if it was unrequited. I love me some UST. : ) I still feel that this is possible, but I would have loved to have had some tension between them, instead of Donna loving the fact that she had a great friend, with whom she can share anything and yet lusting after the pretentious pretty boy in the corner.

In general I loved the mood of this book, and the background it was set in, it was gritty and I enjoyed it. My opinion of it was hindered by the love story unfortunately.