Undone by Cat Clarke [Review]

PLEASE NOTE, THAT IN THIS REVIEW THERE WILL BE SQUEEING, FANGIRLING, THE OCCASION HOLY COW MAYBE JUST A FEW EXCLAMATION MARKS! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!!

Written by: Cat Clarke.

Published by: Quercus.

Format: Paperback.

Released: 20th Dec 2012 (Kindle)/31st Jan 2013 (pback).

Rating: 5/5.

Official synopsis: "Jem Halliday is in love with her gay best friend. Not exactly ideal, but she's learning to live with it. Then the unspeakable happens. Kai is outed online ... and he kills himself. Jem knows nothing she can say or do will bring him back. But she wants to know who was responsible. And she wants to take them down. A searing story of love, revenge and betrayal from a bestselling author."

I actually, for the life of me, don't know how to start this review. There's so much I want to say. But as with all of Cat's previous work, you even so much as utter a couple of words and already something it a little spoilt. So tightly woven are her books, Undone, and of course her first two books, Entangled and Torn, that every page has fought a bloody battle and has earned it's place fair and square, it's there because it needs to be. Fair enough, there aren't revelations on every single page, but you can feel it building the whole time, always bubbling away gently until it gets a little too hot in the kitchen and it bubbles over and explosions begin to take place.

It's weird to say, but I think Kai is my favourite character in the book. Yes, he dies at the start, but the more you learn about him, the letters he leaves Jem, he just seems like the person you'd love to be friends with. Always happy, always smiling and trying to make sure that you're okay, that you're happy, often unintentionally neglecting himself.

I have been looking forward to Undone for so freaking long. From the moment I finished Torn, I just knew that I had to read whatever Cat wrote next. She is, quite frankly, a genius. She gets the reader. She gets the voice just right. She sucks you in with such skill and with such power that you're almost in a vice - you just can't tear your eyes away from the page no matter what is going on. So imagine the moment this dropped through my letterbox? Massive excitement. I did a little bit of a dance - I'm not proud of it, I most likely looked like a fool, but who cares? Not me! That's who! And after said dance, I ran upstairs to finish the book I was reading at the time so I could get started. And boy was it worth it.

I will be honest, Undone isn't what I expected. I didn't expect there to be massive twists, but there are! I should of known! You're a sneaky one Cat! Very sneaky! I should of guessed from her previous books that there'd be some kind of twists, but oh no! I expected a pretty straight forward story of revenge. And boy was I wrong! As per the Cat Clarke usual, you are kept guessing and guessing and guessing again. What's going to happen next? How is so and so going to react to this? Massive gasp... I didn't see that coming at all!

And the ending! WHAT?!!?!?!?! NO!!!!!! IT CAN'T END LIKE THIS! NO! NO! NOOOO! Argh! I cried. Not even going to cry. Tears. Felt like such a wreck at the end of this book but it is so worth it!

As per usual the writing is of the highest calibre. It's so beautiful. So fluid. So easy. So natural. You just want to read it all day long! I'll be honest, Undone could of been double the length (it's already 502 pages, yippeee!!!) and I'd of loved every second and still not of wanted it to end. There's just something about Cat's writing that is so intoxicating, so compelling it just makes me want to weep that I will never be that good! She's pure awesome!

I really don't know what else I can say. There's not much I can say... So I'll plead... PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE! JUST GO! GET THIS BOOK! NOW ON YOUR KINDLE, ON 31ST JANUARY IF YOU PREFER THINGS A BIT MORE PHYSICAL! JUST DO IT! PLEASE!

Okay, that's enough caps... I just cannot express my love for this book, for all of Cat's work! It's just so bloody awesome! So emotional, so raw, so real! That's the thing that I think makes this book all the better. It could of happened. It does happen. It's a sad fact of life that while there are gay men (and of course women) out there that are perfectly comfortable in their skin and don't hide it, there are others that may appear confident, or not, that hate it, hide it, try to shy away from it, and ultimately there are those that go to the extremes. That's what I think gives this book so much power, so much punch. Kai could be real. He is real. 

I'm going to cut this review here, I think, before I ramble on anymore. Just please get it in your life! It's heartbreakingly beautiful and made of awesome!! Thank you so much to Quercus for my review copy and for publishing such awesomeness! And of course thanks to Cat for writing such an awesome story... And for making me cry! Cheers mate! Cheers! Haha!

Buy for your Kindle (OUT NOW!!!)

Buy paperback (out 31/01/2013)

2013: Books of Interest (Part 1)

So as the year draws to a close, we start to look forward to what the New Year and the subsequent twelve months have to offer us in the book world, and today I'm highlighting some of the books that are piquing my interest and ones that I shall personally be counting down to! There are quite a few, so this will be Part 1 of a few... 

JANUARY is something of a bumper months for new released. Starting it all off in horrific, zombie-filled fashion is Darren Shan! The second book in his Zom-B series, titled Zom-B Underground is published on 3rd January and after the cliffhanger and revelations at the end of the first book I really cannot wait to see what is going to happen next! There are actually going to be 4 Zom-B books published next year, a three month wait inbetween each instalment! Although, as Mr. Shan is getting married in 2013, the release of the third book, Zom-B City is being bought forward to March, so there's that to look forward to too! Lots of Zom-B acction to keep Shan fans happy in 2013!

Another book also out on the 3rd is The Last Minute by Eleanor Updale. I only heard about this book a few days ago when I was just roaming through Amazon to see if there was anything I could get for my Kindle and I pre-ordered it straight away. From what I can gather the book takes place in one solitary, single minute before an un-explained explosion which will change the life of everyone in the immediate area forever. It sounds amazing and I am in love with the cover which is epic!

"9.21am: business as usual on a high street in England. 9.22am: the explosions are heard for miles around, and in the early confusion there is talk of a gas leak, a plane crash, and even terrorism . . . The people of Heathwick had been preparing for Christmas unaware that many would die, and the rest would be transformed for ever. Travel with them, second-by-second, through the hopes, fears, love, worries, gossip, cruelty, kindness and trivia that dominated their final minute before tragedy struck. And in the everyday story of an ordinary street, look for clues to what happened, and why."

On the 13th we get something I am very excited about. Kaleb Nation's Harken. He's been talking about for a while, for months it was known as #SecretKalebBook but this month we got the title, cover and release date, so info overload but from what's been revealed about the book so far (it covers supernatural conspiracy theories amongst other things) it's shaping up to be pretty awesome! We even have a blurb now...

"After surviving an assassination attempt, teenager Michael Asher discovers that he is at the centre of a worldwide conspiracy higher than any earthly power. A supernatural organization with authority over world leaders, celebrities, and the wealthy desperately wants him dead. He doesn't know why. Everyone who might have the answers has already been killed. Tumbling into a web of international secrets, Michael is forced to fight back and dig up the truth. He begins to question how much of the world is truly as people are led to believe it is. What is humanity not being told? Who is the puppet master? And how far into the maze can he venture before he is lost forever?"

On 29th January, we get the second book in Marie Lu's Legend trilogy! :D It's called Prodigy and I am so freaking excited about this book. I had thought I'd already reviewed Legend but it appears I haven't, so that will be up soon, then shortly the review for this little baby will be up. Cannot wait to get it. I had to pre-order the US hardback because the one for Legend was so cool. It had gold writing in it, and apparently according to Marie herself, the text inside Prodigy is blue! Can't wait!

"June and Day arrive in Vegas just as the unthinkable happens: the Elector Primo dies, and his son Anden takes his place. With the Republic edging closer to chaos, the two join a group of Patriot rebels eager to help Day rescue his brother and offer passage to the Colonies. They have only one request—June and Day must assassinate the new Elector. It’s their chance to change the nation, to give voice to a people silenced for too long. But as June realizes this Elector is nothing like his father, she’s haunted by the choice ahead. What if Anden is a new beginning? What if revolution must be more than loss and vengeance, anger and blood—what if the Patriots are wrong? In this highly-anticipated sequel, Lu delivers a breathtaking thriller with high stakes and cinematic action."

January will also see the release of a new Cat Clarke novel! Yay! Kindle owners can get the book from 20th December 2012, but for those that prefer their books a bit more physical, the paperback is due 31st January, but I get a strong feeling it will be worth the wait!

"Jem Halliday is in love with her gay best friend. Not exactly ideal, but she's learning to live with it. Then the unspeakable happens. Kai is outed online ... and he kills himself. Jem knows nothing she can say or do will bring him back. But she wants to know who was responsible. And she wants to take them down. A searing story of love, revenge and betrayal from a bestselling author."

And then we go in to FEBRUARY!

On 14th February, Valentine's day, no less, Simon and Schuster will publish Infinite Sky by C.J. Flood. This book sounds great, the cover looks great so should be a good read!

"A truly beautiful book about the summer that changed one girl's life, as her mum leaves home, travellers set up camp in the family's field, her older brother goes off the rails, and she falls in love for the very first time. Opening with a funeral, Iris is mourning the boy in the casket - but who is it? Sam, her tearaway brother, or Trick, her tentative boyfriend? Over one long hot summer, we find out just how their three lives were turned upside-down."

February also brings along the new book from Ruta Sepetys. Ruta's first book, Between Shades of Gray is a haunting, beautifully written book about the holocaust - she causes so many emotions in me that I cannot wait to read Out of the Easy, which is out on the 12th!

"It’s 1950, and as the French Quarter of New Orleans simmers with secrets, seventeen-year-old Josie Moraine is silently stirring a pot of her own. Known among locals as the daughter of a brothel prostitute, Josie wants more out of life than the Big Easy has to offer. She devises a plan get out, but a mysterious death in the Quarter leaves Josie tangled in an investigation that will challenge her allegiance to her mother, her conscience, and Willie Woodley, the brusque madam on Conti Street. Josie is caught between the dream of an elite college and a clandestine underworld. New Orleans lures her in her quest for truth, dangling temptation at every turn, and escalating to the ultimate test. With characters as captivating as those in her internationally bestselling novel Between Shades of Gray, Ruta Sepetys skillfully creates a rich story of secrets, lies, and the haunting reminder that decisions can shape our destiny."

Something from across the pond now... I'm not sure if it has a UK release date yet, or even if there's a UK publisher for it, but Pulse by Patrick Carman sounds like a sure-fire hit and I freaking love the cover art! Please someone publish it over here. I've already pre-ordered a US hardback copy, but it'd be nice to be able to get it a bit closer to home...

"In 2051, some teens have a “pulse,” the power to move objects with their minds. Compulsively readable, with thrilling action scenes and a tender love story. The year is 2051, and the world is still recognizable. With the help of her mysterious classmate Dylan Gilmore, Faith Daniels discovers that she can move objects with her mind. This telekinetic ability is called a “pulse,” and Dylan has the talent, too. In riveting action scenes, Faith demonstrates her ability to use her pulse against a group of telekinesis masters so powerful they will flatten their enemies by uprooting street lights, moving boulders, and changing the course of a hurtling hammer so that it becomes a deadly weapon. But even with great talent, the mind—and the heart—can be difficult to control. If Faith wants to join forces with Dylan and save the world, she’ll have to harness the power of both. Patrick Carman’s Pulse trilogy is a stunning, action-filled triumph about the power of the mind—and the power of love."

And finally in February, Altered by Jennifer Rush. Again, not sure if this has a UK publisher but the cover is awesome and the book itself sounds fantastic!

"When you can't trust yourself, who can you believe? Everything about Anna's life is a secret. Her father works for the Branch at the helm of its latest project: monitoring and administering treatments to the four genetically altered boys in the lab below their farmhouse. There's Nick, solemn and brooding; Cas, light-hearted and playful; Trev, smart and caring; and Sam . . . who's stolen Anna's heart. Reserved and always controlled, Sam does everything with purpose. When the Branch decides it's time to take the boys, Sam stages an escape, killing the agents sent to retrieve them. Anna is torn between following Sam or staying behind in the safety of her everyday life. But her father pushes her to go, making Sam promise to keep her away from the Branch, at all costs. There's just one problem. Sam and the boys don't remember anything before living in the lab -- not even their true identities. Now on the run, her father's warning in her head, Anna begins to doubt everything she thought she knew about herself. She soon discovers that she and Sam are connected in more ways than either of them expected. And if they're both going to survive, they must piece together the clues of their past before the Branch catches up to them and steals it all away."

Trailer: Cat Clarke's Undone

I am a massive fan of Cat and her work, regular readers of EoB will no doubt of seen her mentioned somewhere, be is a cover post, review, anything. I love her! She's awesome and her books have such a feel to them, this massive sense of captivation that sucks you right in! Undone is the third book she will publish with Quercus, and it's out on Kindle on 20th December, but physically in paperback at the end of January 2013!

To celebrate the release, and to gear up Cat's fans into a frenzy, Quercus have released this brilliant trailer to give readers a little taster of what Undone has in store for us all!

Jem Halliday is in love with her gay best friend. Not exactly ideal, but she's learning to live with it. Then the unspeakable happens. Kai is outed online ... and he kills himself. Jem knows nothing she can say or do will bring him back. But she wants to know who was responsible. And she wants to take them down.

Cannot wait to read it! Not long now! 

Undone cover reveal!

Car Clarke, author of the incredible Entangled and Torn is gearing up for the release of her third book through publisher Quercus, Undone and with a new book comes a new cover!!

And boy is this cover a beauty! A far cr from the close up face shots for her previous books, this cover is simply stunning! Really cannot wait to read it! Roll on January 2013!!!

Jem Halliday is in love with her gay best friend.Not exactly ideal, but she's learning to live with it.Then the unspeakable happens.Kai is outed online...and he kills himself.
Jem knows nothing she can say or do will bring him back.But she wants to know who was responsible.And she wants to take them down...
A searing story of love, revenge and betrayalfrom a bestselling author,UNDONE will take your breath away. 

Torn by Cat Clarke [Review]

Written by: Cat Clarke.

Published by: Quercus.

Format: Paperback.

Released: 22nd December 2011.

Rating: 5/5.

Official synopsis: "Four girls. One dead body. A whole lot of guilt. Alice King isn't expecting the holiday of a lifetime when she sets off with her classmates on a trip to the Scottish wilderness, but she's not exactly prepared for an experience beyond her darkest nightmares... Alice and her best friend Cass are stuck in a cabin with Polly, the social outcast, and Rae, the moody emo-girl. Then there's Tara - queen of mean. Powerful, beautiful and cruel, she likes nothing better than putting people down. Cass decides it's time to teach Tara a lesson she'll never forget. And so begins a series of events that will change the lives of these girls forever..."

Last September, I reviewed Cat's first book, Entangled, and the review began with the following sentence: "This book is amazing! There. I've said it. Entangled is amazing." And it's true! And unfortunately, I have to begin the review of Torn in exactly the same way. Because it also is amazing... So...

This book is amazing. There. I've said it. Torn is amazing! (Is this going to become a Cat Clarke tradition?!). I've said before that the pink-ness of the Entangled proof putting me off a bit, and to be honest the use of pink, did again have a little effect on me. Not really a fan of pink, and to be honest, pink doesn't fit the story, but, a cover is a cover, there to get attention, and no doubt, this cover will. But having read Cat's work already, the cover was the least of my worries! I was fretting about what was inside.

Entangled took things to a fantastic new level and I wondered whether Cat could do it again. 

Well...

With masterful skill, Cat takes us on yet another earth-shattering ride as Alice King fights with her conscience and her best friend. Does she do the right thing and compromise her relationship with Cass, or does she keep the secret, despite the fact that it's getting harder and harder to keep?

I knew Cat was amazing, but Torn, for me only proves that even more. The writing is so addictive and one-hundred percent teenage. Cat gets right into the mind of her characters - in particular those of a narrative nature - and never once does the voice of Alice faultier. It's constant and oozes along naturally. It doesn't read like "adult writing for a teenager from a teenagers point of view but obviously not written by a teenager..." If you didn't know Cat, you would think this book had been written by a fifteen year old, no doubt about it. 

The five main characters, Alice - who we've already spoken about.., Cass the best friend, Rae the girl that doesn't really speak to anyone because she's too into her music, Polly the girl that, sadly, rightly or wrongly, we all know - no real friends, a kind of outcast. And then of course we've got Tara. The popular girl. Queen Bee. This book could be real, because it takes five girls who could go to any school, anywhere in the country, no doubt in the world.

To be honest, saying anymore would really spoil the book. It's so finely woven and beautifully crafted that trying to tweaser out tidbits it so freaking hard and anything I say could give the game away, quite literally. Just know that from start till finish, you'll be hooked - addicted to every word from the North London, main setting, and the field trip in Scotland that kickstarts the terrible events that take place... Characters you can actually believe in, fall for, feel for, and at the same time dispse. Twists and turns. This whole book is an experience that should not be missed.

I just wish I could forget it all to read it again! More please!

My thanks to Quercus for my copy!

Buy from Amazon UK

Cover Art News: Torn by Cat Clark!!! ZOMG!

Now anyone that was skulking around EoB towards the end of 2010 will of seen me rave about Cat Clarke's debut novel, Entangled, which was published this January. It had a looovely cover and now Cat has revealed the cover for her next book, Torn, which is due early next year. I saw this on my lunch break earlier today and had a little freak attack. I loved Entangled and have been counting down to this. Cat just has such an amazing voice in her writing that I cannot help but melt! Cannot wait for this book. Check out the beaut below! And be sure to get Entangled now!!! (Review here). Anyway... beautiful cover!!!!

Entangled by Cat Clarke [Review]

Written by: Cat Clarke.
Published by: Quercus.
Format: Paperback.
Released: 6th January 2011.
Rating: 5/5.


Official synopsis: "'The same questions whirl round and round in my head: 
What does he want from me? 
How could I have let this happen? 
AM I GOING TO DIE?' 

17-year-old Grace wakes up in a white room, with table, pens and paper - and no clue how she got there. As Grace pours her tangled life onto the page, she is forced to remember everything she's tried to forget. There's falling hopelessly in love with the gorgeous Nat, and the unravelling of her relationship with her best friend Sal. But there's something missing. As hard as she's trying to remember, is there something she just can't see? Grace must face the most important question of all. Why is she here? A story of dangerous secrets, intense friendships and electrifying attraction."

This book is amazing! There. I've said it. Entangled is amazing.

When it first came through my postbox I was a bit sceptical. I am not the biggest fan of pink, and seeing so much pink was shocking! But they always say "never judge a book by it's cover" so it didn't affect my reading experience. And boy what an experience! This book is more twisty than any book I think I have ever read. So many times, when little tidbits were revealed, I'd make a guess, connect the dots, and then something else would happen and I'd change my guess. And then again. And again. And by about the fifth time I decided to give up guessing. But I have to say, I didn't guess the ending. Not at all. This book kept me guessing right until the very end. It is very clever and perfectly written.

It's so engaging. Right from the first page I was drawn in. It was annoying whenever I had to put the book down as I just wanted to read on! Why was this girl locked in a room? Why has she been given a seemingly endless supply of pens and paper? Who is Ethan and what does he really want?

Grace's voice is perfect. Absolutely perfect. Some books, when narrated by one person, in first person, the narration is a bit sketchy, not always consistent. But in Entangled it is perfectly clear that Grace is on every single page. The perfect voice of a teenage girl. I know Cat herself was a teenage girl at some point, but to get it into written word cannot of been all that easy. So this is testament to what an amazing writer she is. (Yes Cat, you're amazing!). 

I wasn't that much of a fan of Grace in the beginning however. She was loud, and brash and to start off with, she kind of annoyed me. Every time something good was happening, she spoilt it. But as I read on, I really started to empathise with her, and began to connect with her, to understand her. I understood that her behaviour and attitude has a hidden reason, and that underneath she's just as vulnerable and worrisome as the rest of us. 

I like that the cast for this book is pretty small. It allows us to focus on them all the more rather than have to keep remembering who this person is, what that person did and why this person is where they are. There are 7 characters in total but only 3 main ones. Nat. Sal, and of course, Grace.

One thing that I really liked about this book is that it showcases just how much your opinions on someone can change with the slightest event. Entangled is certainly thought provoking and made me think  a lot about how I view my family and friends.

I cannot stress enough just how much I love this book, and Cat for writing it. It actually touched me. I really don't know what more to say, other than do not miss this. Please! It's just too brilliant to miss! It's out on 6th January (2011) so put that date in your diaries, pre-order it, save Christmas money. Whatever you have to do to get this book. Do it! You will not regret it! A stunning debut that is beautifully and lovingly crafted! I cannot wait to see what Cat writes next!

Thanks to Parul at Quercus for my copy!