It has been quite a long time since I read any Young Adult fiction, I had forgot just how twisty and, frankly, dramatic it can be! This was both a good and a bad thing for me. It was a fun change of pace, but I also got tired of villains and obstacles popping up every which way *just* as the heroes were about to get away with something.
.
As ever, it's difficult to review middle books in series for fear of spoiling the first book. But The Ask and the Answer sees Todd and Viola grappling with new challenges in a new town, learning as they mature that the choices we make define who we are. I thought Ness did an excellent job with character development in this book - and not everyone gets a particularly positive arc. It skews away from the goody-goody YA protagonist trope which can become grating. There's also the redemption arc Draco Malfoy deserved which honestly made me feel quite emotional 😂
.
I had ALSO forgot how DARK YA lit can go! Christ almighty, the 'Asking' some of the characters go through is difficult to stomach at times - and this won a Children's book award?! I guess it is good to forewarn kids that the world is shit, right? 😂 Ness really goes for it in teaching kids that governments can be corrupt and the criminal justice system fixed to make scapegoats out to be the real criminals.
.
But it did suffer a bit from second book pacing. It starts out strong and finishes even better, but there is an undeniable lull in the middle. Ness also has a penchant for describing action-
Like this-
To create-
A sense of-
Tension
Which is kind of effective but also kind of off-putting to read if you're used to a slower-paced narrative.
.
Overall I am glad I finally picked up the second instalment, and the third book seems like it's going to be even better than books one and two! Let's see if I can manage to pick it up within 9 months rather than 10 this time!