Book Thoughts: Unremembered

Title: Unremembered
Author: Jessica Brody
Series: Unremembered #1
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Let’s talk about Unremembered for a minute. I am not sure how to describe this book without spoilers, but I’m going to give it a try: a girl wakes up with no memory of anything, knowing only that the year is 1609. Except she’s just been pulled as the only survivor from the wreckage of a plane crash. There’s a boy who seems to know her and men who seem to be out to get her, but she doesn’t even know her own name. So she’s in for a huge shock when she figures out who she is.

I adored the way this was done. The sci-fi is awesome, and this is SO not your typical amnesia story. The way the memory recovery process was done was awesome, the whole story behind her identity made me have ALL the feelings, and — okay, one minor spoiler that you can probably guess from the fact that she thinks it’s 1609 on page two — there’s some time travel involved, and it is the *coolest* time travel I’ve ever seen. Transession is so awesome.

Definitely pick this one up, guys. You’ll love it. (And be awaiting the sequel as eagerly as I am.)

Book Thoughts: Across the Universe

Title: Across the Universe

Author: Beth Revis

Series: Across the Universe #1
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Okay so let’s talk about Across the Universe by Beth Revis. I’ve had this one sitting on my bookshelf for a couple of years now and just never got around to actually reading it until this week — and now I’m kicking myself for waiting so long.

It’s basically an intergalactic, high-technology dystopian murder mystery. Sort of. Amy, along with her parents and several others, has been cryogenically frozen and is to be one of the new inhabitants of “Centauri-Earth," a distant planet that should take 300 years to reach. But she is woken 50 years before the ship Godspeed reaches Centauri-Earth, almost the victim of a murder. Working with the ship’s future leader, Elder, she must try to find the killer before he kills again.

So yeah, it’s a murder mystery set on a spaceship several hundred years in the future. And there is some seriously great discussion of the nature of dystopias, the meaning of family, what it takes to be a true leader, all kinds of stuff. It’s excellent. I’m kind of mad at myself for not reading this sooner. The plus side? The sequels are already out, so I don’t have to wait for them.

(Also, a side note! I got the chance to meet Beth at a signing and she is SUPER NICE and also a fan of Doctor Who, Sherlock, and Firefly like me! So that was super cool.)

Book Thoughts: What's Left of Me

Title: What's Left of Me
Author: Kat Zhang
Series: Hybrid Chronicles #1
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Um, wow. This is such a cool idea.

Every body is born with two souls. By the time they’re in first grade, one of them -- the “recessive" soul -- has faded. Or at least, that’s how it’s supposed to be, but Eva never faded. Doctors have tried and tried to take her away and leave Addie in sole possession of their body, and they mostly have. Addie controls the body's physical movements, but Eva is still there, an observer trapped at her twin soul's mercy. But when she finds out she might be able to move again… Eva will do anything.

I loved the way this world was built. I am just fascinated by this concept and I think Kat Zhang does an awesome job of pulling it off. I thought the writing was brilliant and the characters were wonderful and I can't gush enough about how much I enjoyed it. What's Left of Me is a complete story in itself but also sets up the rest of the series (trilogy? I don’t know) well. I devoured it - read it in one sitting, with one break to eat dinner. If you’re a fan of scifi or if you’ve ever just felt invisible, definitely check this one out.

Book Thoughts: Vesper

Title: Vesper
Author: Jeff Sampson
Series: Deviants #1

Vesper surprised me, and it confused me. It bothered me in places. It made me laugh out loud, and it made me shudder. It definitely was not what I was expecting, but I enjoyed it.

Our story begins with shy, geeky Emily Webb dressed in an outfit she would never wear and attempting to climb out of her bedroom window. A few minutes later, she snaps back to reality, horrified by what she has almost done. Then she gets a phone call: Emily Cooke, a girl from her school, has been shot and killed. Her body was found barefoot, pajama-clad, three miles from her home.

Emily Webb is affected in a way she can't explain by the death of the other Emily, and even as she grieves the loss of a classmate she barely knew, she is changing. Each night, she is hit with a crippling pain, and then she changes into someone different - still Emily, but an Emily who is bold and brazen and maybe even a little slutty. And then she changes even more, into something that may not even be human. Mixed in with the story are transcripts of a conversation Emily has with someone called "F. Savage" describing her adventures.

At first, based on the transcripts, I was expecting a straight-up science fiction novel, but that wasn't what I got. It's a mystery - a murder mystery and a who-am-I mystery all wrapped into one. The plot was excellent. I just kept turning pages, eager to find out what was going on and what would happen next. I hope it doesn't take too long for the sequel, because I want it (a problem, since this one isn't even out until next week).

The only problem I had was Megan. I'm not sure why Emily and Megan were actually friends; it definitely wasn't the kind of friendship I'd want to have. I just didn't like her at all, and I wished we had gotten to know a little more about who she was.

Despite that, Vesper was an intriguing story that kept me reading and left me wanting more. I recommend it, especially if you like a nice dark blend of fantasy, science fiction, and murder mysteries...