Review of A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness and Illustrated by Jim Kay

Read for: Recently Added

Synopsis: "An unflinching, darkly funny, and deeply moving story of a boy, his seriously ill mother, and an unexpected monstrous visitor.

At seven minutes past midnight, thirteen-year-old Conor wakes to find a monster outside his bedroom window. But it isn't the monster Conor's been expecting-- he's been expecting the one from his nightmare, the nightmare he's had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments. The monster in his backyard is different. It's ancient. And wild. And it wants something from Conor. Something terrible and dangerous. It wants the truth. From the final idea of award-winning author Siobhan Dowd-- whose premature death from cancer prevented her from writing it herself-- Patrick Ness has spun a haunting and darkly funny novel of mischief, loss, and monsters both real and imagined."

My Review: I have heard so much about this book and I have eyeing it for quite a while, so when it went on sale at B&N I decided it was time to pick it up. I absolutely love the art in this book, it was stunning and adds so much to the story. As far as the story, it was a bit confusing at first but as the story goes along and we get more information, you really grow to care for the characters. I like how it depicts the stages of grief and the struggles of being a teen with an ill family member. Conor was a character so many can relate to and his emotions and actions as well. I do find that this book contained a lot of symbolism, which I was not interested in analyzing but it can be read and enjoyed at the surface or you can delve deeper into what lies beyond the words on the page. Truly a beautiful and emotional story that will have you riding that roller coaster right along with the characters.

My Rating: This was such an emotional story to read, beautifully written and the illustrations were beyond fantastic.  It was dark and mournful but still some lightness, really just a beautiful book whether you read it to the depths of the symbolism or for the surface story.  I give it a rating of Four Paws!