REVIEW: ENTANGLED

Entangled
Author: Cat Clarke
Series: No, standalone
UK Publisher: Quercus Publishing
UK Release date: January 2011
Genre: Contemporary YA

17 year old Grace wakes up one morning in a strange room, being held hostage by a mysterious young man. She has no idea why she is there, and her only reprieve is the pen and paper left for her, on which she tries to untangle and remember the events that lead her up to this point. But as much as she tries to recall the past, there still seems to be something missing...

Review: Entangled is an emotional story that delves into cutting, self harm, sex and teenage pregnancy. During her time imprisoned, Grace recalls the events that led up to her meeting with the mysterious Ethan; from meeting Nat, falling out and making up with her best friend Sal, and trying to stop the self harming that is an instinctive and unstoppable way of making herself feel better. The weaving of past events with her present imprisonment was written really well, keeping the mystery and suspense of the story, making me want to know what else happened to Grace.

I've never read a book that touches on self harming, and at first I was a little surprised. But it does so in such a real and understandable way. I felt really sad for Grace, especially as we learn more about her family life. Sometimes in her narrative she came across as a little bit of a bitch, because her thoughts were honest, self centred and uncensored, but as I thought more about it her voice and thoughts are just what we really feel and think and its probably one of the most genuine teenage narratives I've ever read in the YA genre. I definitely related to Grace despite not being that alike to her, and as I read her story I couldn't help but picture myself back at school and in her shoes. Cat Clarke is one of those few writers that actually makes you feel like you're in the characters head, and I really respect the ability and skill needed to do this.

The other characters, Sal and Nat, also felt so real. Sometimes they were nice, and sometimes you just couldn't figure out what was going on in their heads, but that is exactly what real life is like. I wasn't a huge fan of Sal, who wouldn't let Grace into her life, but then I guess Grace wasn't always the easiest person to get on with either.

The story was really fast paced, even though the story is very introspective. It's one of those few books that you pick up and don't want to put down, and before you know it you've read it all. Although I guessed where the plot was going to end, it was done really well, with very subtle changes and shifts and it wasn't disappointing in any way. I was expecting something good from this book, but I wasn't expecting it to be this good. Entangled is definitely one of my top reads of this year.

I don't want to give any plot or too many details away, and really to understand this book you just have to read it. But I guarantee you won't regret reading it.

Rating: 5*