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3.53 AVERAGE
3.53 AVERAGE
Oh, where to even begin with this book. Let's start with how there is no remotely likeable character in this except for two side character whose appearances are extremely limited (Devon and Sophie). Let's continue with how the main character especially (Grace) is grating at the best of times. Let's then move on to how big, sensitive topics (teenage pregnancy, depression, self-mutilation, neglect, suicide) are treated as plot devices that have no impact expect to further the personal drama of the central characters. And let's end with how the big mysteries of the book are glaringly obvious long, very long, before they are "revealed" in the book.
I bought the book because I thought the prospect sounded like it could be exciting, with Grace waking up in a white room, imprisoned with a kidnapper who takes good care of her, but with nothing to do all day but write down her story. Except the author clearly had no idea how to use this device to narrate her story. Instead of a gripping, emotional tale I got poorly constructed teenage drama, and let's not even mention how we are supposed to believe we are reading what Grace "wrote down" when it reads more like her own inner narrative at the time things happened. Which would have worked much better than the whole "we read what she wrote down" thing when you can't suspend disbelief for more than half a dozen pages.
The story could have been beautiful and heartbreaking if it had been told differently. Cutting isn't treated as a real problem, but is once again just something a bored teenager with no real problems does to show how sensitive and emotional and troubled she is. Even when she really isn't. Pregnancy? Well, yeah, happens, but other than being a plot device to set up best friends and boyfriends acting shitty nothing comes of it anyway. Depression is apparently no real medical condition, it's just what happens when you fight with your best friend and your boyfriend is unhappy with you. I could go on, but I won't. This book isn't deep, mysterious, emotional, touching. It's just the typical teenage drama you can tune in to every night on every channel, with no originality or emotional impact whatsoever.
I bought the book because I thought the prospect sounded like it could be exciting, with Grace waking up in a white room, imprisoned with a kidnapper who takes good care of her, but with nothing to do all day but write down her story. Except the author clearly had no idea how to use this device to narrate her story. Instead of a gripping, emotional tale I got poorly constructed teenage drama, and let's not even mention how we are supposed to believe we are reading what Grace "wrote down" when it reads more like her own inner narrative at the time things happened. Which would have worked much better than the whole "we read what she wrote down" thing when you can't suspend disbelief for more than half a dozen pages.
The story could have been beautiful and heartbreaking if it had been told differently. Cutting isn't treated as a real problem, but is once again just something a bored teenager with no real problems does to show how sensitive and emotional and troubled she is. Even when she really isn't. Pregnancy? Well, yeah, happens, but other than being a plot device to set up best friends and boyfriends acting shitty nothing comes of it anyway. Depression is apparently no real medical condition, it's just what happens when you fight with your best friend and your boyfriend is unhappy with you. I could go on, but I won't. This book isn't deep, mysterious, emotional, touching. It's just the typical teenage drama you can tune in to every night on every channel, with no originality or emotional impact whatsoever.
Well that was a rollercoaster of suspense... with a ending that just, wow. I mean I saw it coming but it still hit hard. I don’t usually go for mystery or suspense but this, this was just wow. I was hooked from the beginning, unable to put it down (I only stopped for a bathroom break), the way that’s the story was told to the characters to the plot. Wow. It was just something else. A good something else.
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Suicide attempt
Trigger warning: suicide, self harm (graphic)
WOW, this book was intense! It sucked me right in from the start and I couldn't put it down it was soooo all-consuming.
As someone who struggled with self harm in the past, I never felt more understood in that aspect, EVER. And the story was so intriguing I just needed to know what had happened. This book made me fell so many emotions, I cried a lot reading it. Although I saw the ending coming, it still felt right for some reason, Idk how to explain it.
This will stay in my head for a long time.
WOW, this book was intense! It sucked me right in from the start and I couldn't put it down it was soooo all-consuming.
As someone who struggled with self harm in the past, I never felt more understood in that aspect, EVER. And the story was so intriguing I just needed to know what had happened. This book made me fell so many emotions, I cried a lot reading it. Although I saw the ending coming, it still felt right for some reason, Idk how to explain it.
This will stay in my head for a long time.
Wow. It's been ages since I've read a book that packs such an emotional punch. Entangled isn't just a jab in the gut, it's a full-frontal assault that just keeps on going.
The worst about it, I think, is that the book is often quite humorous and sarcastic in tone. At the same time, troubles are boiling away below the surface. Grace wakes up and finds herself in a white room with nothing but a bed, a table, and writing materials. As she continues to write what happened leading up to her captivity, she slowly uncovers thoughts, feelings, happenings that she would rather forget.
To be very honest, I did not enjoy Entangled. Halfway through I decided to read something else, because it was just too heavy for me. I could not digest all that it describes, and I needed a break. It is a testament to Ms Clarke that I did pick it up again and finished it. I'm not entirely glad that I did. Unlike The Bell Jar, an equally bleak book, Entangled does not offer any kind of comfort, not even of the coldest sort.
Could've known, with this kind of opening sentence.
I met Ethan on the night I was planning to kill myself.
* Trigger warnings:suicide, graphic self-harm
The worst about it, I think, is that the book is often quite humorous and sarcastic in tone. At the same time, troubles are boiling away below the surface. Grace wakes up and finds herself in a white room with nothing but a bed, a table, and writing materials. As she continues to write what happened leading up to her captivity, she slowly uncovers thoughts, feelings, happenings that she would rather forget.
To be very honest, I did not enjoy Entangled. Halfway through I decided to read something else, because it was just too heavy for me. I could not digest all that it describes, and I needed a break. It is a testament to Ms Clarke that I did pick it up again and finished it. I'm not entirely glad that I did. Unlike The Bell Jar, an equally bleak book, Entangled does not offer any kind of comfort, not even of the coldest sort.
Could've known, with this kind of opening sentence.
I met Ethan on the night I was planning to kill myself.
* Trigger warnings:
'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. From Amazon UK
When I received this book for review, I was extremely excited. Not only did it sound brilliant, but I've met Cat Clarke - she came along to the book bloggers meet up back in May, and is active enough in the blogosphere that many consider her "one of us". But I was also worried. What if I didn't like it? I pride myself on my honest reviews, but how could I possibly be negative about a book someone I know wrote. It scared me.
Fortunately, I was hooked from the very first page. Why was this girl locked in a room? Will she ever get out? What is her abductor planning? But after a while, I worried some more about negative review writing as it looked likely. I did not like Grace. She was too much of a typical teenager; she was loud and brash and had didn't seem to have a nice word to say about anything. She really wound me up, and I kept wanting to tell her to shut up. Yet I couldn't put the book down. Her circumstanced were just too strange, and I needed to know what was going on.
As the pages turned, my feelings towards Grace changed. As I got to know her better, understood her better, I liked her more - even if she did/said things that still annoyed me. But her story was so intriguing. The secrets, the strange behaviour. I read and read and read. Since I've started work, it has taken me well over a week to finish a book, but I was so caught up in Grace's story, it took four days. And now I'm finished, and I can really only say... wow.
The plot is just fantastic! Such a great way to tell a story, having Grace write it all down almost like a journal. The twist is just awesome, I didn't entirely see it coming. I had theories and assumptions, but they weren't completely correct, and I was just blown away with the actual outcome; just why Grace was abducted. But the story of all that happened before she was abduted really touched me. I laughed, I cried, I sympathised, I fell in love, I got mad, I had fun. It was just fantastic!
In total, there were seven characters in the book, but the three main ones are Grace, Sal, and Nat. Sal is Grace's best friend, and as nice enough as she seemed, I never really liked her. Not that I disliked her, I just didn't feel I knew her well enough to base an opinion on. Grace is the narrator, so we only know what she tells us, and as she's writing months after most of the events happen, so we don't get every detail. We don't need every detail, I just didn't feel enough of a connection to Sal to like her, though there was enough for me to care what happened to her.
Nat on the other hand you couldn't ask for me detail on. And I think I might just have to say, move over every other fictional guy I've ever read about, I have a new fic-guy to have a lit crush on. It's like Clarke crawled into my head, saw who my perfect guy would be - well, pretty much - and put him in her book. He was just so lovely! He was just awesome! The only thing I can complain about really, is not having enough conversations with him about nothing. They're not necessary for the story, but I would have enjoyed them!
Then came the end. Oh my god, the end. When everything fell into place, and we knew what was what. Some of it I was hoping desperatly wouldn't turn out like I thought it would, but it did, and there were tears, and a whole lot of anger. And the actual end! Simply amazing, but I wish it hadn't ended there! I wanted more! What happens next, Cat?
Entangled is simply fantastic! I loved it! I want to pick it up and read it over. I want to climb into the pages. Seriously, this book is just amazing, a stunning debut, and if you don't get yourself to a bookshop in January and grab yourself a copy, well, I suggest you go see a doctor. Another to add to the list of favourites. I can't wait to read whatever Clarke brings us next!
From Once Upon a Bookcase - YA book blog
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. From Amazon UK
When I received this book for review, I was extremely excited. Not only did it sound brilliant, but I've met Cat Clarke - she came along to the book bloggers meet up back in May, and is active enough in the blogosphere that many consider her "one of us". But I was also worried. What if I didn't like it? I pride myself on my honest reviews, but how could I possibly be negative about a book someone I know wrote. It scared me.
Fortunately, I was hooked from the very first page. Why was this girl locked in a room? Will she ever get out? What is her abductor planning? But after a while, I worried some more about negative review writing as it looked likely. I did not like Grace. She was too much of a typical teenager; she was loud and brash and had didn't seem to have a nice word to say about anything. She really wound me up, and I kept wanting to tell her to shut up. Yet I couldn't put the book down. Her circumstanced were just too strange, and I needed to know what was going on.
As the pages turned, my feelings towards Grace changed. As I got to know her better, understood her better, I liked her more - even if she did/said things that still annoyed me. But her story was so intriguing. The secrets, the strange behaviour. I read and read and read. Since I've started work, it has taken me well over a week to finish a book, but I was so caught up in Grace's story, it took four days. And now I'm finished, and I can really only say... wow.
The plot is just fantastic! Such a great way to tell a story, having Grace write it all down almost like a journal. The twist is just awesome, I didn't entirely see it coming. I had theories and assumptions, but they weren't completely correct, and I was just blown away with the actual outcome; just why Grace was abducted. But the story of all that happened before she was abduted really touched me. I laughed, I cried, I sympathised, I fell in love, I got mad, I had fun. It was just fantastic!
In total, there were seven characters in the book, but the three main ones are Grace, Sal, and Nat. Sal is Grace's best friend, and as nice enough as she seemed, I never really liked her. Not that I disliked her, I just didn't feel I knew her well enough to base an opinion on. Grace is the narrator, so we only know what she tells us, and as she's writing months after most of the events happen, so we don't get every detail. We don't need every detail, I just didn't feel enough of a connection to Sal to like her, though there was enough for me to care what happened to her.
Nat on the other hand you couldn't ask for me detail on. And I think I might just have to say, move over every other fictional guy I've ever read about, I have a new fic-guy to have a lit crush on. It's like Clarke crawled into my head, saw who my perfect guy would be - well, pretty much - and put him in her book. He was just so lovely! He was just awesome! The only thing I can complain about really, is not having enough conversations with him about nothing. They're not necessary for the story, but I would have enjoyed them!
Then came the end. Oh my god, the end. When everything fell into place, and we knew what was what. Some of it I was hoping desperatly wouldn't turn out like I thought it would, but it did, and there were tears, and a whole lot of anger. And the actual end! Simply amazing, but I wish it hadn't ended there! I wanted more! What happens next, Cat?
Entangled is simply fantastic! I loved it! I want to pick it up and read it over. I want to climb into the pages. Seriously, this book is just amazing, a stunning debut, and if you don't get yourself to a bookshop in January and grab yourself a copy, well, I suggest you go see a doctor. Another to add to the list of favourites. I can't wait to read whatever Clarke brings us next!
From Once Upon a Bookcase - YA book blog
What worked: Entangled is a very difficult book to review. If it weren't for my stubborn streak, I would have ditched it but I had to find out how everything unraveled.
You know when you're doing a giant puzzle and you're working on the big blue sky? Imagine you find a piece that doesn't quite fit but from afar looks perfectly fine. But you can't leave it, you need to find that piece because if you don't, you'll always wonder what it would have looked like as a completed puzzle on your floor. Entangled was that kind of book for me. I had a vague idea of what would happen but all of the story threads were so tangled I wanted to know exactly how it worked out.
The only thing I enjoyed about Entangled was the big question of why Grace was in that room and that it kept me guessing.
What irked: I couldn't connect with Grace at all, I mean I knew that she was a bit broken but I didn't exactly know why. She's incredibly manipulative and cruel without even realising it. She has to gain something from every conversation, whether that's praise or a secret from someone. It's like other people owe her. Grace is selfish and destructive but when push comes to shove, she'd rather bury her head in the sand and pretend everything's peachy keen.
Yes I did feel awful for her during some parts of Entangled but the vast majority of the time, I wanted her to give her a bad ass papercut.
It was obvious fairly early on what would happen with Grace and another character. What I don't understand is that if Cat Clarke had gone to such great lengths to hide the reality of how Grace came to be in that room, why wasn't the same mystery applied to the run-up? When you're skimming through the bulk of a book just to find out the solution of one plot line, that doesn't make for a happy Rebekah.
Recommended to: Personally, I wouldn't recommend this book because it frustrated me and the main character drove me up the wall. The main mystery is the only thing making me give Entangled... ***2 Stars - It was ok I suppose but I won't read it again.***
You know when you're doing a giant puzzle and you're working on the big blue sky? Imagine you find a piece that doesn't quite fit but from afar looks perfectly fine. But you can't leave it, you need to find that piece because if you don't, you'll always wonder what it would have looked like as a completed puzzle on your floor. Entangled was that kind of book for me. I had a vague idea of what would happen but all of the story threads were so tangled I wanted to know exactly how it worked out.
The only thing I enjoyed about Entangled was the big question of why Grace was in that room and that it kept me guessing.
What irked: I couldn't connect with Grace at all, I mean I knew that she was a bit broken but I didn't exactly know why. She's incredibly manipulative and cruel without even realising it. She has to gain something from every conversation, whether that's praise or a secret from someone. It's like other people owe her. Grace is selfish and destructive but when push comes to shove, she'd rather bury her head in the sand and pretend everything's peachy keen.
Yes I did feel awful for her during some parts of Entangled but the vast majority of the time, I wanted her to give her a bad ass papercut.
It was obvious fairly early on what would happen with Grace and another character. What I don't understand is that if Cat Clarke had gone to such great lengths to hide the reality of how Grace came to be in that room, why wasn't the same mystery applied to the run-up? When you're skimming through the bulk of a book just to find out the solution of one plot line, that doesn't make for a happy Rebekah.
Recommended to: Personally, I wouldn't recommend this book because it frustrated me and the main character drove me up the wall. The main mystery is the only thing making me give Entangled... ***2 Stars - It was ok I suppose but I won't read it again.***
I have to admit, I didn't get what I was expecting, and I really, really appreciated that. But... the story was quite boring and that's why i give it 3 stars
mysterious
medium-paced
Wow. This book was amazing. Not what I was expecting, at all, but still it was awesome. Don't let the pretty cover fool you though. (I know, it's gorgeous) It's definitely not a pretty story.
The story is told by Grace, who has been kidnapped, and is trapped in a white room with only paper and pens in it. There is nothing else she can do, so she writes. She's forced to remember everything, and we find out along with her.
Grace is a strong, well thought out and complex character. I really enjoyed reading about her, but I couldn't really relate to her all that well. I could relate to her friendship troubles with Sal, as I've experienced friendship troubles too, but I couldn't understand why she cuts herself, and why she enjoys going out and getting wasted every day. It's never happened to me before, but I felt sorry for her, and I just wanted to give her a big hug, and tell her everything is going to be okay, even though I knew she thought it wouldn't. Although I couldn't really relate to her all that well, I loved her narrative, and I was glued to the page.
The plot wasn't too complex, but wasn't really simple. A lot happened in a short space of time, but I didn't feel that the book had been rushed at any point, I felt it was well-paced and well-written. I think there may have been a little too much drinking and talking about drinking for me, but I can see why it's there, and I'm pretty sure the story wouldn't be quite the same without it.
The last 10 pages or so really made the book for me, the bit where the book is summed up and it's revealed as to why Grace had been kidnapped. I didn't see it coming at all, and it was a really great way to find out what happened, and who did things and why. It was a great way to finish, and I couldn't imagine the ending any other way.
Overall, Entangled was a really good book. I read it all in one day. There were times I hated it, but there were more times I loved it, and that's what I think makes a good book, one that makes you feel things, and one that will stay with you for a long time after you've finished. I'll never forget Grace's story, and it definitely left a mark on me, which is how I know it was so good. It was powerful and emotional, and I was glued to the pages. It has everything, secrets, love, betrayal, and at the end, there is a little glimpse of hope. It's awesome, and I recommend it to everyone.
Originally published at www.cheezyfeetbooks.blogspot.com
The story is told by Grace, who has been kidnapped, and is trapped in a white room with only paper and pens in it. There is nothing else she can do, so she writes. She's forced to remember everything, and we find out along with her.
Grace is a strong, well thought out and complex character. I really enjoyed reading about her, but I couldn't really relate to her all that well. I could relate to her friendship troubles with Sal, as I've experienced friendship troubles too, but I couldn't understand why she cuts herself, and why she enjoys going out and getting wasted every day. It's never happened to me before, but I felt sorry for her, and I just wanted to give her a big hug, and tell her everything is going to be okay, even though I knew she thought it wouldn't. Although I couldn't really relate to her all that well, I loved her narrative, and I was glued to the page.
The plot wasn't too complex, but wasn't really simple. A lot happened in a short space of time, but I didn't feel that the book had been rushed at any point, I felt it was well-paced and well-written. I think there may have been a little too much drinking and talking about drinking for me, but I can see why it's there, and I'm pretty sure the story wouldn't be quite the same without it.
The last 10 pages or so really made the book for me, the bit where the book is summed up and it's revealed as to why Grace had been kidnapped. I didn't see it coming at all, and it was a really great way to find out what happened, and who did things and why. It was a great way to finish, and I couldn't imagine the ending any other way.
Overall, Entangled was a really good book. I read it all in one day. There were times I hated it, but there were more times I loved it, and that's what I think makes a good book, one that makes you feel things, and one that will stay with you for a long time after you've finished. I'll never forget Grace's story, and it definitely left a mark on me, which is how I know it was so good. It was powerful and emotional, and I was glued to the pages. It has everything, secrets, love, betrayal, and at the end, there is a little glimpse of hope. It's awesome, and I recommend it to everyone.
Originally published at www.cheezyfeetbooks.blogspot.com