This is an extremely beautiful book and the illustrations were just !! Which is how you write a super good review, kids, by saying your opinion is "!!!" ahem. Anyway. This isn't really like any of the other Patrick Ness books I've read. I thought, since it had illustrations, it was going to be like A Monster Calls, but eh? Not really. It's extremely metaphorical and basically a fable that talks about war turning people into monsters, and how sometimes you make monsters by forever pursuing violen...

3.5/5 stars!This was my ninth Patrick Ness read and I sure wasn’t disappointed. Usually his books are a hit or miss for me but that still keeps him as one of my favourite authors of all time. I also got my copy personally signed by the author as I was very lucky he toured near me and I got to meet him!I love how each and every book he writes explores different genres and ideas making each one unique in its own way. And the Ocean was our Sky has definitely done just that.This was a retelling of M...

Plot ~ Concept: ★★★★★ ~ Execution: ★★★★☆Pacing: ★★★☆☆½Writing style: ★★★★★Characters: ★★★★★World: ★★★★★Enjoyment: ★★★★☆½Illustrations: ★★★★★Cover: ★★★★★★★★★★ (yes I just did that)Note: I haven’t read Moby Dick and only have a vague idea of its plot, so I had no true point of reference while reading this book. Pros: ○ The writing style is so completely unique and one of the biggest highlights for me. Writing from the perspective of a whale allows Patrick Ness to get creative with his prose and st...

"But now, here, once and for all, I set down my tale. I am not who I was then. I said I was ignorant, and I am not wrong, though by that point I had learned that men lived upside down from us, that for them the ocean was below, the Abyss above, our gravities only meeting at the surface." pg 15Patrick Ness weaves a re-telling of Moby-Dick, or, the Whale from the point of view of the whales. It falls some what short of his usual magic.I think the trouble with re-telling major stories or fairy tale...

An interesting message but, unfortunately, it seems no amount of interesting messages can make a story about a pod of whales not boring. Sorry.I've definitely said this before but I'd like to stress it again: I love that Patrick Ness gets creative. He thinks outside of the box. He doesn't care for tropes or trends; he simply looks to tell an interesting and unique story. That's why I will keep reading his books. And The Knife of Never Letting Go is still one of my all time favourites.That being

This review and other non-spoilery reviews can be found @The Book Prescription🌟 This is a short story by Patrick Ness, in under 160 pages, we have a kind of “Moby Dick” re-telling. It also has great illustrations which helped understanding the quirkiness of this story. If you are already familiar with Patrick, then you know that he has the strangest ideas and I am always rooting for creative authors! I like that this was from Whales POV because it is all about the symbolism. The story is confusi...

*whisper* patrick ness is writing a new book.*jump on a table* Patrick Ness is writing a new book.*bang pots and pans* PATRICK NESS IS WRITING A NEW BOOK.

3.5 StarsCW: (view spoiler)[Death of whales and people, some of which are loosely depicted in the drawings (hide spoiler)]Well Patrick is certainly a remarkable writer!This is literally an upside down reimagining of Moby Dick. The whales are hunting the elusive human, Toby Wick, and the whale captain's obsession with fulfilling the prophecy of killing him, mirrored that of Ahab's in the original story. The images are darkly beautiful as they follow the path of blood and destruction brought abou...

It was Okay, but seriously?? This is not a retelling of moby dick. The only similarity is.... you guessed it, WHALES.And whatever that creature called toby wick that i wont even talk about cause its name is way too extra. It could've been better if A) It had nothing to do with moby dick. or B) It had everything to do with mobydick, they could've stuck with the name and everything but the only difference is that it would've been from the whale's perspective (I would totally dig that even though i...

Retelling of Moby Dick with a twist.Not a full length novel in either page count or ambition but it's nevertheless well written and illustrated book. A good showcase of Ness's magical realism side of writing.

DNF at page 56.

'for there are devils in the deep, but worst are the ones we make.'there is no doubt that patrick ness is gifted when it comes to writing. every word he puts to paper is a thing of beauty, if not poetry. the way he tells stories is unparalleled and this book was no exception. this was a uniquely told reverse retelling of moby dick, where the whales hunt humans. and even though i admire the creativity that went into creating this story, im not sure the content matter was for me. if i had prior ex...

'scuse me all I wanna say is OH MY GOD THIS COVER OH MY GOD thanks for your attention.

This is a lovely illustrated graphic novel about the need to analyze war beyond simple prophecy. Patrick Ness really shines when given a basic thematic core to live off of; even a simple story like this feels super engrossing in the context of the gorgeous art. So what I like about this story is the commentary on war and prejudice. Within this story, the primary dynamic is between the whale world and the human world - the human world resents the whales as killers, and the whale world resents the...

Whoever sets out to fight the Devil will eventually find him - inside!Monsters are Patrick Ness' expertise. And they come in various shapes, and tell stories from different perspectives. In this novel he lets the whales tell the story of hunting and vengeance that we all know from the unforgettable Captain Ahab. There is a Moby Dick in each society if there are people who believe in his power and are willing to turn into a mirror of him in order to fulfil the prophesy of hatred, fight and exclus...

Books are so weird. Art in general is like that. I loved this one to pieces. And, as I sometimes do, after I finished it I went straight on Goodreads to read both the positive and the negative reviews. Especially the negative ones. The 1 stars. Because, of course, "how could someone rate this less than 5 stars?". Well, I believe you, people. I do believe it was a strange concept. But boy I loved it so much. I feel like it was so much more than just the story of some whales, than just a re-tellin...

Book Reviewed by Nia on www.whisperingstories.comI’m not going to analyse this book too hard in search deeper meanings beyond a vague ‘enemies aren’t always who/what you expect’ and ‘war sucks’ because it’ll only give me a headache and I always wonder if authors are really putting that much thought into subtext when they write or if they’re just enjoying spinning a good yarn for readers to enjoy at face value (I have no definitive answer to this, I just prefer face value).The story is a switched...

Holy fuck, whale feels are real feels.This is like a second coming of A Monster Calls, except not. The art, the themes, the collision of everything at the end to give us Ness' usual one-two punch of truth. My goodness are the visuals in this book is stunning. I may have been iffy with "Release", but damn it all, Ness has brought the good stuff in this Moby Dick re-telling.(Also a non-review but sea otters are still my fave.)thoughts prior to reading:yes, i hope the whales win. humans suck.- Full...

‘’For there are devils in the deepBut the worst are the ones we make’’ 3.5/5 stars As with most of Patrick Ness' books, I'm not sure if this premise spawned from the mind of a genius, a mad-man, or perhaps a little bit of both... And the Ocean Was Our Sky is a sort of flipped Moby Dick retelling, from the perspective of the whales, and it's as original and bizar as that sounds. I'm not even sure how best to review this, as it's a book that is best experienced, instead of talked about. So I guess...

*Thank you to Edelweiss and HarperCollins for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!*"Will the world end in darkness because it is foretold? Or becasue there will be those who believe is so strongly they will make it so? In the fear that I always try to hide in my heart, I wonder if there is even a difference."This was a complete whirlwind of a novel. I have no idea where Patrick Ness's book ideas come from, but there was no way his previous novel, Release, could have prepared me for this one...