I had seen lots of good reviews on this book, so I was really looking forward to reading it. Also, I'm a great fan on Patrick Ness and was expecting this book to be like the other ones he has written but, I must say, I was a bit disappointed.
The story begins with Seth drowning in the ocean off the coast of America. He dies, and then wakes up. He's in England, where he lived when he was a kid, before something terrible happened to his younger brother that forced his family to move to America. Only that the England he goes back to is a dusty, overgrown, deserted land. Seth considers this his personal hell. As he explores the city he finds himself in, lots of secrets about the world they live in are revealed.
I have very mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, the first part intrigued me immediately, because I've never read a book that starts with the protagonist dying. Furthermore I liked the flashbacks, which help us understand what happened before Seth died and why. Also, the unforgettable ending leaves you with some unanswered questions, which had me thinking about it for days after I finished it.
On the other hand, I am not a fan of sci-fi novels, and this could have been classified as such, which was something I wasn't expecting. What's more, the middle part was quite dull and repetitive.
Nevertheless, Ness's style of writing is beautiful, as it is in his other books, I could picture the story very well, and this makes his books very powerful.
Overall, even if this book wasn't really what I hoped it was going to be, I would rate it 3.5 out of 5.
• Buy this book at the Guardian Bookshop.
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