There are a lot of characters and they all have complex emotional journeys, but the balance is masterful. I shouldn’t be surprised by how tightly plotted, well written, and thematically surprising it is considering Ness’ phenomenal body of work, but… wow. She is unaware that a teenage assassin, a member of a dragon-worshipping cult, is coming to kill her and that the hired claw has come because of a prophecy that predicts that she will save the world. Having fallen on hard times, Sarah and her father are forced to hire a dragon for some cheap farm labor. They’re feared and disliked, but there has long been a truce. In an alternate universe, dragons have lived alongside humans for as long as anyone can remember. I was not wrong to be excited, because Burn is vaulted over my high expectations. I’ll read literally anything he writes, but I was especially excited for Burn because I adore fantasy and I’ve been on a major fantasy kick lately.

Dalloway and A Monster Calls is about a young boy making sense of his mother’s imminent death), but they’re all absolutely amazing. All his books are extremely different ( The Rest of Us Just Live Hereis a hilarious meta take on fantasy And the Ocean Was Our Skyis essentially Moby Dick from the whales’ perspective Releaseis at once a contemporary coming-of-age and a fantasy retelling of Mrs.

A Monster Callsis one of the best books I’ve ever read, and I am endlessly amazed by Ness’ creativity and pure talent. Patrick Ness is one of my all-time favorite writers.

The rest of us just live here plot