Book Review: Entangled by Cat Clarke

Title: Entangled
Author: Cat Clarke
Date of Publication: 6th January 2011
Pages: 373
Source: Bought
Series: N/A
Synopsis from Goodreads.com:
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 a table, pens and paper - and no clue how she got here.

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 dark secrets, intense friendship and electrifying attraction.


My Thoughts:
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.

My Rating:

I give it 5 Feet!

Challenges:
2011 Debut Author Challenge #3
2011 100+ Reading Challenge #8