Author: Cat Clarke
Series: N/A
Published: 3 April 2014 by Quercus
Length: 384 pages
Warnings: brings
up sexual assault
Source: publisher
Other info: Cat
has written Entangled, Torn, and Undone which I read and reviewed. She also
wrote Falling, a shorter story, which I read and enjoyed.
Summary : When
Alex meets Kate the attraction is instant. Alex is funny, good-looking, and a
little shy – everything that Kate wants in a boyfriend. Alex can’t help falling
for Kate, who is pretty, charming and maybe just a little naive… But one of
them is hiding a secret, and as their love blossoms, it threatens to ruin not
just their relationship, but their lives.
Graph: This is a
new feature I am trialling which I will use when my opinion of things or levels of devices like scares, tension, interest, fun, laughs (anything really) fluctuate throughout
a book. Tell me what you think of it and
if I should do more.
Review: Alex gets
to know Kate via the internet. Alex meets Kate at a concert. They start going
out. They're perfect for each other. Except Alex is a girl (I don’t feel bad
for telling you that because we learn this within the first 15 pages). And Kate
doesn't know.
Cat Clarke is one of the authors whose name guarantees I'll
read a thing. I wasn't sure what to expect from this, but it was totally
different to anything I may have wanted to expect.
Cat Clarke always manages to write perfectly real
characters, and those in A Kiss in the Dark are no exception. they interact and
react well, and all the minute of emotions that Alex and Kate feel
about being in love is valid and accurate.
I am in love with all characters in the Before. Alex
slightly less than Kate because while I see why she would do that, it's quite a
big thing to not be open about, and I prefer my romantic couples to not have
secrets this big. I didn't like Kate in the After. I get it, finding out your
boyfriend is a girl is quite big and she has the right to be upset with Alex for
keeping such a big secret. But I really dislike people who do what she did. she
redeems herself in the closing pages, but still. My favourite character was
Jamie Alex's brother. He's supportive, a
bit funny, and loyal. I found Astrid a little annoying.
The best thing in this was the tension, especially in the
first half. From the moment Alex chooses not to tell Kate she's a girl, and
they go out, as the romance builds, which I think is one of the most adorable
things ever despite my general wariness of romance when they’re keeping such huge
secrets from each other, you’re just thinking ahead to what's going to happen when she finds out; so every kiss
and every smile they share, is slightly tainted by the fact you just know it’s
going to broken and you just have to keep reading to see how it goes. and then ohmigosh Cat puts in 14 words that ramp
up the tension so much and then it all happens and ugh perfectness. The day I
read this, I highly disliked school. It stopped me reading this.
Overall: Strength 5 tea to a to a truly unputdownable
book.
Your chart made me laugh :) My feelings for Kate really nosedived in After as well. Whereas I continued to really like Alex. I thought the tension in both parts was amazing. I really didn't think it could end well at all and I really wanted that for them both.
ReplyDeleteI bought a copy of A Kiss in the Dark yesterday and cannot wait to read it! It sounds amazing and I've adored all of Cat Clarke's novels so far - no doubt I'll love this one too! Lovely review :)
ReplyDelete