Todd and Viola are caught in the middle, with no chance of escape. Three armies march on New Prentisstown, each one intent on destroying the others. It also ends on the most ridiculous (not in a good way) cliff-hanger ever.

In general, The Ask and the Answer suffered a bit from middle book syndrome. By the end of book 2, I was heartily tired of it.

I did mention in book 1 that it took time for me to get into the writing style. There also wasn’t much of a mystery, because both parties relate everything that happens, and both are reliable narrators. Normally, I love multiple voices in a book, but somehow here it seemed a bit too much.

Both Todd and Viola got to have their own viewpoints in this book – one chapter related by Todd, and another one by Viola, and so on.

It was such a ridiculous naming convention that the book lost whatever credibility it had built in book 1. Minor point, but I just couldn’t take a terrorist group with a name like Answer seriously.

The whole Ask and Answer thing – This may be a bit of a spoiler, but the Answer is a terrorist group, the Ask is the office of the President (against whom the terrorists are rebelling).

Why then did I dislike? Well, three reasons: This book introduces new characters, and expands on the world in a wholly believable way. The two characters Todd and Viola have a great character arc. I don’t know why I had a problem with this book. But what secrets are hiding just outside of town? And where is Viola? Is she even still alive? And who are the mysterious Answer? And then, one day, the bombs begin to explode. Immediately separated from Viola and imprisoned, Todd is forced to learn the ways of the Mayor’s new order. Fleeing before a relentless army, Todd has carried a desperately wounded Viola right into the hands of their worst enemy, Mayor Prentiss.

Chaos walking book 2