Annette's Book Spot: amnesia

Showing posts with label amnesia. Show all posts

Tuesday, October 17, 2017

Book Review: The Midnight Dance by Nikki Katz

The Midnight Dance by Nikki Katz book cover and review

Have you ever tried to write a review for a book for which you just don't have much, good or bad, to say? The Midnight Dance is that book.

Penny goes to a school that specializes in ballet. She is part of twelve elite dancers that have the privilege of attending this prestigious school, compliments of their mysterious Master. They are never allowed to leave and must perform as the Master wishes.

Weird things begin to happen to Penny. She realizes she is forgetting periods of time. She starts to have memories that don't mesh with what she has been told was her life. When she touches the handsome kitchen boy, Cricket, her memories come back, and they are horrific. She realizes that Master has been manipulating their minds, but how?

She and Cricket are out to discover the truth and figure out a way not only for Penny, but for all of the dancers, to escape.

The Midnight Dance is an enjoyable, creepy read. However, I never really connected with the characters. I felt like an observer rather than a participant that was fully invested in the story. I'm not sure what makes a story resonate with a reader -- I'm not a writer. This is one that I appreciated while reading, but it won't stick with me for long. The writing is fine; the pacing seemed okay. I didn't really buy all the technical stuff and the Master's ability to create such a hold on these girls. There are flashbacks of the Master and his past, which were effective. I just didn't feel the drama or pulse-pounding trepidation that I was supposed to feel.

I wouldn't hesitate to recommend The Midnight Dance to teens. Others may have a different reaction than I did.

Published by Swoon Reads, October 17, 2017
eARC obtained from NetGalley
320 pages

Rating: 3/5

Thursday, January 26, 2017

Book Review: Always by Sarah Jio

Always by Sarah Jio book cover and review

I have read most of Jio's novels, and after reading Always, I'm not going to change that.

Kailey and Ryan are about to be married. Ryan's family is rich, and he's the perfect guy. Kailey couldn't be happier. Then she encounters a homeless man and after looking into his eyes, realizes he is Cade, the man she was hopelessly in love with until he suddenly disappeared without a trace a few years ago.

You can see where this is going, right? So I don't have to say too much more about the plot.

Now, this is a far-fetched premise. To think that someone popular, wealthy, and successful would disappear on the streets of Seattle without anyone ever finding him is a stretch. I mean, people don't become homeless overnight. It just doesn't add up. Oh well, just get past that.

Because these characters are lovable. All of them. You know that either Cade or Ryan is going to get hurt because Kailey truly loves both of them. She is so caring, and Ryan is so understanding, and what happened to Cade is just so unfair. It's all very "good."

Another beef is that we don't really ever learn what happened to Cade. Not entirely. Especially the part about him leaving the hospital. That's all I'll say. I just wish all the loose ends were tied up. It would have made it more believable if there was more of an explanation.

But Jio's stories are full of warmth and romance and these characters stole my heart. If you are in the mood for a bit of a sappy love story, try Always. Her books are appropriate for teens who are romance fans, and I'll be sure to tell them about this one. Jio's books always hit the spot with me, and I look forward to the next one.

Published by Ballentine, February 7, 2017
eARC obtained from NetGalley
288 pages

Rating: 4/5

Wednesday, June 8, 2016

Book Review: With Malice by Eileen Cook

With Malice by Eileen Cook book cover and review

With Malice reveals an exciting and interesting premise, but the resolution just fizzled.

Jill wakes up in a hospital severely injured, and her first concern is will she still be able to make her planned trip to Italy. She is shocked to find out that her injury occurred in Italy, and that she has lost the memories from the last several weeks of her life.

She also wants to see her lifelong best friend, Simone, and soon finds out that they were both in a car accident. Jill was driving and Simone was killed. Her father had Jill jetted back to the US presumably to receive the best medical care, but also to receive the best legal advice. It seems the Italian authorities think the car crash may not have been an accident.

Jill spends the rest of her time in the hospital and then in rehab trying to figure out what happened. The reader gets police interviews and blog posts from those that were witnesses or those that were close to the girls. While the interviews reveal some details, the truth still isn't clear to the reader.

Jill is convinced there's no way she would have harmed Simone, no matter what they were arguing about. Even if it was about the Italian tour guide that Jill had a huge crush on and Simone tried to steal. But as the truth comes out...

Well, I'm not going to say any more. The ending is ambiguous and the expected twist really didn't materialize. There is an interesting revelation that any savvy reader could have predicted. With Malice has been compared to We Were Liars but doesn't pack nearly the punch. I didn't experience any attachment to Jill. Maybe I'm not supposed to. I didn't dislike her, but I didn't really feel myself pulling for her.

The writing is easy, and With Malice is a quick read. The story is intriguing, and maybe teens will be more shocked at the revelations than I was.

Published by HMH BFYR, June 7, 2016
eARC obtained from Edelweiss
320 pages

Rating: 3/5

Monday, September 29, 2014

Book Review: Tabula Rasa, by Kristen Lippert-Martin

Tabula Rasa is a great teen survival story that is action packed.

Sarah is in a hospital in the middle of nowhere. She's having all her memories erased via an experimental procedure called Tabula Rasa (latin for "blank slate".) She believes that she somehow was a bad person, or is suffering from debilitating PTSD, so she has been sent here to have this procedure done.

Things go wrong during one of her procedures; the hospital becomes under attack and Sarah is running for her life in the middle of one of the worst blizzards ever. She teams up with a boy who helps her survive. Sarah has taken two pills given to her anonymously, and her memories have started to come back. But they must find the third pill that Sarah needs to take in order to get all her memories back, or else she will be brain damaged. And she must take the pill 24 hours after the last one.

Tabula Rasa moves. There's always something going on, and some new danger to face. There's some scary bad guys, and also some characters that keep you guessing. And a romance slowly develops, but doesn't take over the story. Sarah slowly figures out her past, and of course she was being deceived. But why?

My issue with Tabula Rasa is the entire premise. It's way out there--not really easy to believe. But once you go with it and just enjoy the survival story and the characters it is very entertaining.

The ending of Tabula Rasa comes together nicely, and things are resolved. Teens who love a fast-paced adventure and a heroine who just won't give up will enjoy Tabula Rasa.

Published by EgmontUSA (September 23, 2014)
eARC obtained from Edelweiss
352 pages

Rating: 4/5

Monday, September 8, 2014

Book Review: Blackbird by Anna Carey @AnnaCareyBooks

Blackbird certainly kept me on the edge of my seat.

The opening scene is our main character waking up on the subway tracks right before a train runs over her. She is stunned and cut, but mostly unharmed. As rescuers try to take care of her, she realizes she has a backpack and in it there's a phone number that says she needs to get away and call as soon as possible. She remembers nothing from before this moment.

So she goes on the run, gets framed for a burglary, and runs from someone trying to murder her. She also realizes she's being followed.

She runs into a boy, Ben, in a supermarket who takes pity on her, and ends up giving her his phone number. She eventually uses this number, and this is where the romantic interest occurs.

The whole book is this girl narrowly escaping death, trying to figure out who she is and what has happened to her, and trying to keep Ben and others she has contact with safe. She's not very successful.

She's had a few flashbacks but they don't make much sense. She's clever and finds out she has some surprising abilities that help her fight off her attackers.

Notice I've called her "she?" Blackbird is written in the second person so that you feel like you are right there with her. I found this effective, and it didn't bother me, but I'm not sure it was necessary. I'm kind of indifferent, but not having read the book written in a different POV, I can't really compare it.

I don't want to say too much more about the story, except that it ends in a huge cliffhanger which only brings up more questions and no answers. I won't give my usual rant, but just say that I really think authors should write entire stories before they publish. Even if it's a series, each book should have an ending that ties up the issues in that episode. Otherwise it should all be one book. OK. I guess I did rant a bit....

I liked the main character. My heart pounded for her, and I sympathized with her confusion. I thought she was fairly intelligent and didn't make stupid decisions (like so many stories where the tension is based on those decisions), so I bought into her world.

Carey's blog says this is a two book series and the second book will be released in the spring of 2015. This is a compelling and entertaining read, but you might want to wait until the second book is out so you can read the entire story. I'll be enthusiastically recommending Blackbird to my teens.

Published by HarperTeen, September 16, 2014
eARC obtained from Edelweiss
256 pages

Rating: 4/5

Thursday, July 24, 2014

Book Review: Conjured, by Sarah Beth Durst

Conjured wins the prize for the most unique premise of any book I've ever read. I love that. When you read as much as I do, an uncommon book is appreciated.

Eve is being brought to her new home at the beginning of the story. Malcolm, who she is obviously familiar with, and Aunt Nicki, who she doesn't know or trust, are her companions. Eve doesn't remember anything about her past. Not only that, but she doesn't know anything about the world. Like how to undo her seat belt, or what pizza is. Malcolm has been trying to teach her these things for several months.

Eve has visions. After these visions, she blacks out. She doesn't know if the visions are true or just dreams. She knows she's in a witness protection program and that she's had painful surgeries to change the way she looks. The magical killer is still after her. She meets some other kids in the program, but doesn't know whether to trust them or not. They all have weird magical abilities too. Malcolm and Nicki are trying to get Eve to remember what happened during these brutal murders so she can testify.

They get Eve a job as a page at the library, and she meets another page named Zach. Eve and Zach eventually become romantically involved and Zach learns some of Eve's secrets.

There is a lot more to Conjured, but it's best left for you to discover. Conjured is very confusing at times because Eve is confused, and we are hearing the story through her. So we discover all the weirdness right along with Eve.

And Conjured does get weird. About the last 100 pages get very strange and very magical. I really didn't like how steeped in fantasy the resolution turned out to be, but once again, it's really unique. I'm not a huge high fantasy fan, so the otherworldly parts seemed like somewhat of a cop out to me.

If you like books with a lot of unique magic and quite a bit of suspense at the end, you will enjoy Conjured. Just realize that the confusion is all part of the experience.

Published by Walker, 2013
Purchased copy
358 pages (qualifies for my Books You Can Read in a Day Challenge!)

Rating: 3.5/5

Monday, June 16, 2014

Book Review: Complicit, by Stephanie Kuehn

Complicit kept me guessing until the end. Even though I knew the narrator was "unreliable," I still wasn't sure what was really going on.

Jamie and Cate Henry have had a disturbing past. Their mom was shot in front of both of them. They were living a life of poverty, then were put into foster care. They were very lucky to both be adopted by a couple who had lost their two children in an accident.

So, yes, the first issue is that these are "replacement" kids for the Henrys, and some issues surely come with that. Secondly, two years ago Cate was put in juvenile detention for burning down a horse barn, killing some horses and severely injuring a girl. Jamie felt nothing but relief when this happened, because Cate had really scared him with the way she was acting.

Now Cate has been released and she's coming for Jamie.

Jamie has his own issues. When he gets stressed he has panic attacks. And sometimes his hands go numb. It could be for hours or for days. So, when he hears that Cate has been released, his hands immediately go numb. Jamie is a straight-A student and an excellent pianist. He has everything going for him. He's even developing a relationship with a girl. But all is not as it seems.

There are a lot of secrets that are slowly exposed as the story progresses. And there's one big secret revealed at the end, that most readers will guess, but it's still fun getting to that point. And oh, what a sinister ending. Would not have predicted that, but I thought it was perfect.

Complicit is a quick read that's full of surprises. I would recommend it to readers who enjoy twisted stories with unreliable narration.

Published by St. Martin's Griffin, June 24, 2014
eARC obtained from NetGalley
256 pages (qualifies for my Books You Can Read in a Day Challenge!)

Rating: 4/5

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Book Review: We Were Liars, by E. Lockhart

We Were Liars is well written with a great main character, but I'm disappointed that I missed out on the "big surprise" at the end because I had it figured out for most of the book.

Sometimes we say we won't give any spoilers, but the fact that there's a "big surprise" turned out to be a spoiler. I don't think the plot was poorly constructed, but when you KNOW there's something to figure out -- well -- I figured it out.

Cadence is our main character and narrator. She is "A Sinclair," from a wealthy eastern family, and spends each of her summers on Beechwood Island. She is joined by a girl cousin, a boy cousin, and her aunt's boyfriend's nephew, Gat. They are all the same age, and Cadence refers to the group as The Liars. Cadence and Gat begin a romantic relationship. During the fifteenth summer, there is an accident and Cadence nearly drowns and suffers from amnesia about all the things that happened during that summer.

She doesn't get to go back to the island for two years, and then only for a couple of weeks. She suffers from migraines and her doctors and family are worried that going back to the island will cause her too much stress. Cadence can't wait to see the other Liars, and soon finds herself at home again in their company. But she still can't remember, and they aren't telling her. She spends time with them, as well as her other cousins, aunts, and grandfather, and tries to fit into life on the island.

That's pretty much all you're going to get about the plot. Because I had figured it out, the middle of the book really dragged for me. I enjoyed the ending since even though I knew the outcome, I didn't know all the details.

I still enjoyed reading We Were Liars, I just wish it wasn't spoiled for me. I think teens will love these quirky characters and will enjoy trying to help Cadence get well. Anyone who picks We Were Liars up without knowing anything about it is in for a treat.

Published by Delacorte, May 13, 2014
eARC obtained from NetGalley
240 pages

Rating: 3.5/5

Monday, August 5, 2013

Book Review: The Meme Plague, by Angie Smibert

As I’m sitting here preparing to write my review of Meme Plague, I’m asking myself, “What was important in this book?” And, unfortunately my answer seems to be, “Not much.” After really enjoying Memento Nora and The Forgetting Curve, I found the third book, Meme Plague to be somewhat of a filler. We experience some character development, but not much action, and not much has changed for our characters. this happens in the middle book, but Meme Plague is the finale!

Most of Meme Plague involved our characters trying to get their memories back – those that they’ve lost from the TFC – the Therapeutic Forgetting Clinic. If you aren’t familiar with this series, you should probably click on the previous titles above and read my reviews, but the way that the population is controlled is by the Therapeutic Forgetting Corporation giving them pills to forget all their “bad” memories. Also, now chips have been implanted in the citizens so that the TFC can feed them memories, or make them forget things without any pills.

Our characters are rebels. They are also involved in making routers and planting them all over the city, so that they can have a secret internet. And, the MemeCasts are being broadcast again – including new issues of the graphic/comic books that Nora created to let people know what is really happening.

There are a few other story lines. Nora’s dad is trying to get sole custody from her mom – and plans to move Nora to France. Aiden is trying to make “dummy” chips that will be able to pass the authority’s checks, but won’t be susceptible to their programming. There’s an election coming up, and of course TFC is controlling the vote very carefully.

All of this makes an interesting story, but not very exciting or tense. Nothing seemed to move forward and there is little action. And we are left with not much of an ending. It's a surprise, and I guess it is hopeful, but I needed a bit more resolution. This is supposed to be the final book, but I'm left feeling like, "So, now what?"

Published by Skyscape, August 13, 2013
Copy obtained from the publicist through NetGalley
178 pages

Rating: 2.5/5