Release Date: October 6, 2015
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 336
Received: ARC from Publisher
Star Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
What if you aren’t the Chosen One?
The one who’s supposed to fight the zombies, or the soul-eating ghosts, or whatever the heck this new thing is, with the blue lights and the death?
What if you’re like Mikey? Who just wants to graduate and go to prom and maybe finally work up the courage to ask Henna out before someone goes and blows up the high school. Again.
Because sometimes there are problems bigger than this week’s end of the world, and sometimes you just have to find the extraordinary in your ordinary life.
Even if your best friend is worshiped by mountain lions.[goodreads]
My Thoughts
Well, this novel was in my top ten most anticipated books of this year and by one of my favorite authors. I've read most of Patrick Ness's young adult work and I needed to read this one. It wasn't a contemporary, which I thought it would be, but it had a mythical aspect. I loved the author's note because of course we all feel like minor characters in someone else's story. But this story follows the story of said minor characters and it's amazing where these stories can go. There's a woman of color part of the cast, so I'm hooked. Also, there's a gay jock in the cast. This story was immensely interesting and dealt with mental issues that couldn't be worked out better.
Mikey is our narrator and he and his friends are about to graduate high school. He is going through your usual last month of high school, full of indie kids, asking the girl he likes out, and discovering truths within himself. I thought the concept of "indie kids" was cute and how they were common names like "Finn #1 and Other Finn". It's so fascinating to wonder about the kids in the background because aren't we all finding what makes ourselves special in this fantasy world?
The other characters, including Henna, she was more of a free spirit. She was very direct and sophisticated, which saved lots of my time. Mel is also a great character and she has gone through lots of her and Mike having mental health issues. Mike and Mel have a politician mom and we knew if she put her work or children first. I think it was all handled in the right way because these characters are main characters in a "minor character story".
It wasn't my overall favorite novel by Patrick Ness, but I applaud the diverse and sophistication on these subjects. I never stop believing that everyone out there has their own remarkable lives.
4/5 STARS
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