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.