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apendragon's review
4.0
Preferably I'd give this book 4 1/2 stars, just because it had a few too many cliches in it to reach full five star status. Saying what they are would spoil the plot completely, but overall I thoroughly enjoyed this book - in fact, I was addicted. I sat down and read it all in one go, with one break when my dog got trapped in the bathroom. Heart-warming and presented not just the protagonist's and narrator's side of the story, but also the view point of many others and really made me think about the consequences of our actions and debate some moral points with myself. Definitely recommend to others for the experience, and hats off to Cat Clarke for producing another spectacularly truthful novel that makes you actually feel.
emalea_snow's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Minor: Suicide
reeyabeegale's review
4.0
It was good cause I love a good thriller but I just think there's not much action and it was quite predictable.
8lueminn0w's review against another edition
4.0
“It's too weird to think about - how death seems to rewrite all the rules. People who never talked to each other can suddenly cry together. People who used to be close can hardly bear to be in the same room.”
sandeeisreading's review
4.0
Alice has a secret.
She has a big secret that is eating her up inside.
She knows something but she couldn’t bring herself to say it.
Something happened to Tara Chambers.
Tara is dead.
Alice knows how she died.
She knows.
But she and three other girls swore that they’ll keep their mouth shut about what happened.
Then Tara’s brother Jack enters the picture.
Alice likes Jack.
Her conscience is killing her.
Jack told her he likes her.
Alice was restless and confused.
Will her conscience win her over and tell Tara’s brother the truth or will she keep the truth hidden forever so that they wouldn’t get in trouble?
Torn was simple and direct to the point.
This book tackled not only the human nature of self preservation but also how human conscience works.
The main character Alice was torn between doing the right thing and protecting herself and her friends.
She knew that if she opens her mouth they all would get in trouble.
Someone ending up dead because of a stupid prank was serious stuff even if what happened was an accident.
Alice was the perfect example of how the author used both the human’s concept of self-preservation and the power of the human conscience.
I mentioned earlier that this book tackled self-preservation.
Alice and her friends kept silent on what really happened to Tara because they needed to protect themselves.
They needed to stir the spotlight away from themselves.
They needed to not let people know that they had something to do with it because if it happens they were going to be facing a major major problem.
They wanted to preserve themselves even if it means that they have to lie to everyone about what happened.
I wanted to slap Alice a couple of times throughout this book because she was a total pushover.
She knew that what Cass and Polly were planning was wrong but she didn’t argue strong enough.
She doesn’t know how to stand up for herself.
There were a lot of things I didn’t like about Alice which is why I loved this book.
It shows us how a teenager would react if given the same situation.
She was imperfectly perfect for this book.
It felt real.
Alice felt real.
Tara felt real.
All the characters seemed so real to me.
Reading this book was like watching a movie.
All the characters have dimension and meaning.
The book was not all about Alice and Tara and what happened.
All the characters had their part to play and they made this book great.
All of them were flawed but great.
Torn was written in a way that you’ll relate to each and every one of the characters.
The emotions were raw and powerful.
This book has so much going on in it.
There are tons of things to learn from this book one of which is to make sure you treat other people in a way you’d like to be treated.
I honestly don’t blame them for wanting to get back at Tara because I feel that she deserved it too but what happened here was just too wrong.
Tara was not all that bad.
I actually felt sorry for her not because she died but because she got carried away with popularity that she threw away a good friendship.
Lies, Secret, Guilt, Love and Friendship made this book.
Would I recommend it?
Absolutely!
I give this 4.5 stars!
She has a big secret that is eating her up inside.
She knows something but she couldn’t bring herself to say it.
Something happened to Tara Chambers.
Tara is dead.
Alice knows how she died.
She knows.
But she and three other girls swore that they’ll keep their mouth shut about what happened.
Then Tara’s brother Jack enters the picture.
Alice likes Jack.
Her conscience is killing her.
Jack told her he likes her.
Alice was restless and confused.
Will her conscience win her over and tell Tara’s brother the truth or will she keep the truth hidden forever so that they wouldn’t get in trouble?
Torn was simple and direct to the point.
This book tackled not only the human nature of self preservation but also how human conscience works.
The main character Alice was torn between doing the right thing and protecting herself and her friends.
She knew that if she opens her mouth they all would get in trouble.
Someone ending up dead because of a stupid prank was serious stuff even if what happened was an accident.
Alice was the perfect example of how the author used both the human’s concept of self-preservation and the power of the human conscience.
I mentioned earlier that this book tackled self-preservation.
Alice and her friends kept silent on what really happened to Tara because they needed to protect themselves.
They needed to stir the spotlight away from themselves.
They needed to not let people know that they had something to do with it because if it happens they were going to be facing a major major problem.
They wanted to preserve themselves even if it means that they have to lie to everyone about what happened.
I wanted to slap Alice a couple of times throughout this book because she was a total pushover.
She knew that what Cass and Polly were planning was wrong but she didn’t argue strong enough.
She doesn’t know how to stand up for herself.
There were a lot of things I didn’t like about Alice which is why I loved this book.
It shows us how a teenager would react if given the same situation.
She was imperfectly perfect for this book.
It felt real.
Alice felt real.
Tara felt real.
All the characters seemed so real to me.
Reading this book was like watching a movie.
All the characters have dimension and meaning.
The book was not all about Alice and Tara and what happened.
All the characters had their part to play and they made this book great.
All of them were flawed but great.
Torn was written in a way that you’ll relate to each and every one of the characters.
The emotions were raw and powerful.
This book has so much going on in it.
There are tons of things to learn from this book one of which is to make sure you treat other people in a way you’d like to be treated.
I honestly don’t blame them for wanting to get back at Tara because I feel that she deserved it too but what happened here was just too wrong.
Tara was not all that bad.
I actually felt sorry for her not because she died but because she got carried away with popularity that she threw away a good friendship.
Lies, Secret, Guilt, Love and Friendship made this book.
Would I recommend it?
Absolutely!
I give this 4.5 stars!
abbystapleton's review
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
pewterwolf's review
4.0
Review Taken From The Pewter Wolf (Four and a Half Stars - just so you know...)
Alice goes on a school trip to Scotland and she's fearing the worse. But that's nothing compared to her finding out she's sharing a cabin with Tara, queen of mean. So, when Tara and her groupies do something, Alice's best friend, Cass, decides to teach Tara a lesson she'll never forget. She ropes in social outcast, Polly, and moody emo, Rae, into her plans. But when it goes too far, all four girls must face living with the guilt with what they done...
Now, I'm pretty sure some of you are going "This sounds like Pretty Little Liars". It's not. Seriously, it's not. This is dark, twisted and gritty UK YA fiction at its best. It isn't ashamed to show teenagers is a light where, yes, they make mistakes, chicken out, get horny, swear, drink and question themselves. And Alice does a lot of questioning herself...
And Cat isn't afraid to write dark scenes where you feel uncomfortable. Like in Entangled, she throws these scenes at us and, while we fidget a little in our seats, you still keep reading.
What I found the most interesting about this book, is that Cat doesn't go down the normal route. The book's main story has been done time and time again, but Cat tackles it differently. She focuses on the guilt that these characters have to deal with. Alice has the guilt slowly eating up inside herself and starts seeing Tara, even though that's impossible. Cass tries to control the situation. Polly, if anything, seems to enjoy and feed off her guilt. And Rae goes more into herself...
I do have a few things that niggled at me. Alice mentioning her weight every now and then was one thing. Every now and then, she would say something about her weight and it made me want to shake her. There were other times I wanted to dive into the book and shake Alice because of reasons that, at the time of writing this, has gone straight out of my head. But I know that there were occasions I was going "What are you doing?! TELL SOMEONE, FOR GOD'S SACK!"
While this might not be as amazing as Entangled (which I still love), Cat Clarke has proven as being one of the voice for dark, gritty UK YA fiction (and we need more of this!). I can not WAIT for her next novel, Undone, which I heard is her most personnel and most heartbreaking read to wait, which shall be interesting, because, as I told Cat, I have never cried reading a book before so the gauntlet is thrown. BRING IT ON, CAT!
Alice goes on a school trip to Scotland and she's fearing the worse. But that's nothing compared to her finding out she's sharing a cabin with Tara, queen of mean. So, when Tara and her groupies do something, Alice's best friend, Cass, decides to teach Tara a lesson she'll never forget. She ropes in social outcast, Polly, and moody emo, Rae, into her plans. But when it goes too far, all four girls must face living with the guilt with what they done...
Now, I'm pretty sure some of you are going "This sounds like Pretty Little Liars". It's not. Seriously, it's not. This is dark, twisted and gritty UK YA fiction at its best. It isn't ashamed to show teenagers is a light where, yes, they make mistakes, chicken out, get horny, swear, drink and question themselves. And Alice does a lot of questioning herself...
And Cat isn't afraid to write dark scenes where you feel uncomfortable. Like in Entangled, she throws these scenes at us and, while we fidget a little in our seats, you still keep reading.
What I found the most interesting about this book, is that Cat doesn't go down the normal route. The book's main story has been done time and time again, but Cat tackles it differently. She focuses on the guilt that these characters have to deal with. Alice has the guilt slowly eating up inside herself and starts seeing Tara, even though that's impossible. Cass tries to control the situation. Polly, if anything, seems to enjoy and feed off her guilt. And Rae goes more into herself...
I do have a few things that niggled at me. Alice mentioning her weight every now and then was one thing. Every now and then, she would say something about her weight and it made me want to shake her. There were other times I wanted to dive into the book and shake Alice because of reasons that, at the time of writing this, has gone straight out of my head. But I know that there were occasions I was going "What are you doing?! TELL SOMEONE, FOR GOD'S SACK!"
While this might not be as amazing as Entangled (which I still love), Cat Clarke has proven as being one of the voice for dark, gritty UK YA fiction (and we need more of this!). I can not WAIT for her next novel, Undone, which I heard is her most personnel and most heartbreaking read to wait, which shall be interesting, because, as I told Cat, I have never cried reading a book before so the gauntlet is thrown. BRING IT ON, CAT!
zarabethofficial's review
5.0
read this in one day one sitting (wow i’m on a reading streak atm)
ngl this was such a gripping book, i was hooked from the first page and accidentally read it all at once
i couldn’t put it down
it was gory but not too much, thrilling but still romance-filled and innocent even though darker topics were discussed
i loved it
it’s 100% put me in a thriller/murder phase and im here for it because that’s difficult to do!! i recommend
ngl this was such a gripping book, i was hooked from the first page and accidentally read it all at once
i couldn’t put it down
it was gory but not too much, thrilling but still romance-filled and innocent even though darker topics were discussed
i loved it
it’s 100% put me in a thriller/murder phase and im here for it because that’s difficult to do!! i recommend
cleah's review
5.0
I have devoured another book by Cat Clarke. What? You've never heard of her? Check out my review of her first book, Entangled. Then go and get your own copies to read!
Torn is a serious and engaging novel. I read it in one sitting. It tackles the issue of school-bullying that goes too far, a topic that is all over the news these days. I really liked how Tara was portrayed as being such the total bitch, but then Alice also saw some of the more human and kind side to her as well. It made me wonder if Tara really didn't deserve what she got. But I guess that was the point, because Cass was a horrifying girl. And Polly too, with her quiet rage. All of these girls were very real though, very true to life. The way they spoke, and felt - with Alice struggling between the horror over Tara and her budding love with Jake - so very well written. They could have been in any high school, in any city. My heat ached for Alice, turned to ice around Cass and Tara, and wanted a hug from Alice's Dad that told me everything was going to be okay. The signs of a great writer is when I feel so many emotions while reading a book.
I found the story to be much like Sisters of Mercy, by Megan Kelley Hall. Fans of hers will definitely like this book. And stay tuned for my review of her next book, whenever it gets published. Please hurry, Cat Clarke, I want more!
Torn is a serious and engaging novel. I read it in one sitting. It tackles the issue of school-bullying that goes too far, a topic that is all over the news these days. I really liked how Tara was portrayed as being such the total bitch, but then Alice also saw some of the more human and kind side to her as well. It made me wonder if Tara really didn't deserve what she got. But I guess that was the point, because Cass was a horrifying girl. And Polly too, with her quiet rage. All of these girls were very real though, very true to life. The way they spoke, and felt - with Alice struggling between the horror over Tara and her budding love with Jake - so very well written. They could have been in any high school, in any city. My heat ached for Alice, turned to ice around Cass and Tara, and wanted a hug from Alice's Dad that told me everything was going to be okay. The signs of a great writer is when I feel so many emotions while reading a book.
I found the story to be much like Sisters of Mercy, by Megan Kelley Hall. Fans of hers will definitely like this book. And stay tuned for my review of her next book, whenever it gets published. Please hurry, Cat Clarke, I want more!
ashleighmacro's review
4.0
Bullies, bad decisions and consuming guilt, this brilliant book is one for Pretty Little Liars fans.
Originally posted on my blog Ashleigh Online
This book made my heart drop. It’s an incredible exploration of guilt, anxiety, grief and regret, and I felt every one of those emotions as if they were my own. To begin with, I thought that this book was simply a teen drama that wouldn’t hit me too hard, but it’s actually heartbreaking, terrifying and thought-provoking.
I found Alice hard to connect with at the beginning. She’s insecure and often foolish, but I quickly realised that these flaws made her believable and kept me invested in her story. She’s consistent and brilliantly developed.
I loved Jack, and Alice’s complicated relationship with him only added to the battering this book gave my heart. Another favourite of mine was Rae – her story is probably the most important of them all.
And then there’s the ending, which is perfect yet frustrating. Even though I’d have loved to have found out more about what happened to Alice after the book’s ending, I love that Cat Clarke chose to end it where she did. It’s about the journey to that point and nothing else, and it’s the journey that carries the most important message. Going beyond that could have changed or clouded the entire meaning of this book, so I’m glad that Cat was brave enough to leave things open.
Originally posted on my blog Ashleigh Online
This book made my heart drop. It’s an incredible exploration of guilt, anxiety, grief and regret, and I felt every one of those emotions as if they were my own. To begin with, I thought that this book was simply a teen drama that wouldn’t hit me too hard, but it’s actually heartbreaking, terrifying and thought-provoking.
I found Alice hard to connect with at the beginning. She’s insecure and often foolish, but I quickly realised that these flaws made her believable and kept me invested in her story. She’s consistent and brilliantly developed.
I loved Jack, and Alice’s complicated relationship with him only added to the battering this book gave my heart. Another favourite of mine was Rae – her story is probably the most important of them all.
And then there’s the ending, which is perfect yet frustrating. Even though I’d have loved to have found out more about what happened to Alice after the book’s ending, I love that Cat Clarke chose to end it where she did. It’s about the journey to that point and nothing else, and it’s the journey that carries the most important message. Going beyond that could have changed or clouded the entire meaning of this book, so I’m glad that Cat was brave enough to leave things open.