The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness

This sequel to The Knife of Never Letting Go takes readers deeper into Patrick Ness's treacherous New World.

Todd and Viola reached Haven only to find that it was not the place of safety they expected. They've been separated, and they're being manipulated by opposing sides in an oncoming war. Todd and Viola will each have to do unspeakable things in order to survive, and to find one another again.

The Knife of Never Letting Go was the story of two young people running for their lives. As such, it was a fast-paced thriller full of action and danger. The Ask and the Answer, however, is more political intrigue than action story. The danger and suspense are still present on every page, but the narrative moves a little more slowly than its predecessor. Possibly the most brilliant decision Mr. Ness made in writing this novel was the addition of Viola's first person narrative. Books written in first person tend to make the reader certain that the character doing the narration will survive. In splitting the story between two narrators, Ness upped the danger quotient, and had me convinced that no character was safe.

The Ask and the Answer is book 2 in the Chaos Walking series. If you're a fan of suspense novels, this series is for you.