A short and poignant, emotionally powerful prequel featuring a Viola that seems too grumpy, unthankful and negative, but wih who I found it surprisingly easy to empathize, nodding all the way through her pessimistic elaborations on about everything. While at times I felt that her voice doesn't really sound like a girl (aged 13 at that; Todd and Viola will always be at least 15 or 16 to me), the mood, setting, and glimpse into her thoughts were captured so well that by the end I was not only on the verge of tears, but also am finally curious again to continue reading the series. I'm hoping to pick up [b:The Ask and the Answer|6043849|The Ask and the Answer (Chaos Walking, #2)|Patrick Ness|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347305027s/6043849.jpg|6219422], the second book, some time soon.
