This YA dystopian trilogy is not one that I’d consider in my wheelhouse, but sometimes when you open yourself up to something new, great things happen. This is what I said about the books when I read them…

When I started reading this one I hated it.  I disliked Todd and I didn’t understand why some of it was written phonetically.  By the end I still had the phonetic question, but Todd turned into a character that I loved.  Todd is being raised by two dads in Prentisstown, a town in the New World made up only of men, when he is forced to flee for reasons he doesn’t understand.  He is the last boy in town.  As he escapes he finds what he thinks is a girl, but doesn’t understand how this can be since all of the women were killed by the Spackle in the war.  And he is accompanied by his faithful dog Manchee whose thoughts you can also hear.

The unlikely threesome run for their lives and the chase takes them to new towns with facts long hidden from Todd and astonishing to the girl, Viola.  The men and women they encounter change their view of the world and shed light on the inclinations of people that is truly alive and well today.  Manchee, my favorite character, is all things a good dog is, loyal, clever, and loving.

This may not sound like it’s in your wheelhouse and I get that.  I remember reading all of the rave reviews when this came out 12 years ago, but didn’t think it sounded like something I’d be interested in.  I was wrong.  I got sucked in and the book kept it’s hooks in me the entire time.  

The appeal of the first book of the series lay in large part with the relationship between Todd and Viola as they learn to trust each other to stay alive.  This book has them separated most of the book, so it’s the hope they’re holding on to and the trust that they have in each other that sell the story.

Todd is being kept captive, watched, and groomed by the man he’d spent all of the first book trying to escape.  He also is being partnered with Davey Prentiss, the same Davey who has been trying to kill him.  Viola is put in a hospital for and run by women and when she recovers must figure out what is going on in the town and how she can reach Todd.  The two end up on opposite sides.

I loved continuing the journey of these two teens and hope that the next book brings them the happy ending they deserve, but I’m skeptical.  Way too many of the bad guys seem to survive and desperate times call for desperate allies, so it’s hard to say what lines will be drawn and crossed in the finale.  I look forward to finding out!

This last book brings the same fight for good, with Todd and Viola doing much of it apart. Todd is with the Mayor who grows more powerful every day. Viola is with the women healers who are fighting the Mayor for control. A scout ship from earth brings reinforcement and weapons, but on a small scale. The Spackle get their own, prominent storyline so that we can see what gifts they can bring to the peace process. There is a lot going on.

And I was rivetted for all of it. There was a ‘resurrection’ and a rebirth and the end was not what I expected, it was better. I loved the short story that ended the series and how it added to and closed the trilogy.

Who should read it? Dystopian/Sci-Fi lovers, YA readers, and those who want to immerse themselves in 1724 pages of top notch storytelling.