Review: More Than This by Patrick Ness

More Than This by Patrick Ness
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Published September 10, 2013
Hardcover, 472 pages

Overview:

A boy named Seth drowns, desperate and alone in his final moments, losing his life as the pounding sea claims him. But then he wakes. He is naked, thirsty, starving. But alive. How is that possible?

He remembers dying, his bones breaking, his skull dashed upon the rocks. So how is he here? And where is this place? The street seems familiar, but everything is abandoned, overgrown, covered in dust. 

What's going on? Is it real? Or has he woken up in his own personal hell? Seth begins to search for answers, hoping desperately that there must be more to this life, or perhaps this afterlife...

Review:

I've been trying to get through some of my ever-growing TBR list this summer since I have some extra time, but lately I've been in a reading slump. I picked up More Than This from the library because I've been meaning to read it since it came out and I thought I'd finally give it a try.

The synopsis is vague and doesn't reveal much about the book, so starting More Than This, I wasn't sure what to expect. From the first page, I was hooked. When Seth wakes up at the beginning of the story, the reader knows exactly what he does: nothing. Part of the story's intrigue is following Seth as he figures out where he is and what he's supposed to do. I loved being surprised by More Than This, and I definitely think this is a book that, going into it, the less you know, the better.

At first, More Than This is a story about life after death. More than anything, though, the book is about questions. The story makes the reader think, and it raises more questions than it answers. More Than This is a thoughtful, provoking read--a stark difference from many of the books I've read lately. I thoroughly enjoyed this one, and I've been thinking about it even weeks after I've finished it.

Overall rating: 4 out of 5 stars.