Friday, February 22, 2013

Review: Unremembered

UNREMEMBERED
Unremembered #1
Jessica Brody
Young Adult/Science Fiction
320 pages
Farrar, Straus + Giroux
Available March 5th
Received from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
When Freedom Airlines flight 121 went down over the Pacific Ocean, no one ever expected to find survivors. Which is why the sixteen-year-old girl discovered floating among the wreckage—alive—is making headlines across the globe.

Even more strange is that her body is miraculously unharmed and she has no memories of boarding the plane. She has no memories of her life before the crash. She has no memories period. No one knows how she survived. No one knows why she wasn’t on the passenger manifest. And no one can explain why her DNA and fingerprints can’t be found in a single database in the world.

Crippled by a world she doesn’t know, plagued by abilities she doesn’t understand, and haunted by a looming threat she can’t remember, Seraphina struggles to piece together her forgotten past and discover who she really is. But with every clue only comes more questions. And she’s running out of time to answer them.

Her only hope is a strangely alluring boy who claims to know her from before the crash. Who claims they were in love. But can she really trust him? And will he be able to protect her from the people who have been making her forget?


MY THOUGHTS
Unremembered starts with a shock of cold water and a slew of questions and from there barely gives us a moment to breathe, catapulting us forward as a young woman with a blank canvas for a mind struggles to fill it once again with color. What's instantly noticeable and infinitely more intriguing than the amnesia alone is that Sera doesn't simply struggle to remember her past, she struggles to understand her environment as well; technology, slang, food and so many other things utterly foreign to her when they should be familiar. The classification of this story as sci-fi tips us off to the fact there's more at play with Sera than memory loss, so her curiosity with regard to day to day life after her release from the hospital has our minds churning out possibility after possibility as to what exactly it all means, and we eagerly turn the pages to hurry alongside Sera as she attempts to find out.

Sera is a young woman it's nearly impossible not to like, an innocence and utter guilelessness to her that charms us immediately and brings a smile to our faces as she attempts to sort out what she doesn't understand in her head, often arriving at an amusingly incorrect conclusion. For all that she is brilliant intellectually, she's awkward socially, inexperienced with the nuances of conversation and often stumbling her way through face to face interactions much to our delight. She does have some serious trust issues, but as the story unfolds it's not difficult to understand why, and we find our own ability to trust something we clutch to our chests and protect fiercely, waiting for certain characters to earn it and recognize it for the gift it is.

Zen is someone we don't come to know all that well over the course of this first book, but we what we do know is enough to satisfy the romantic in us, his deep abiding love for Sera apparent to us long before it is to her. Their relationship is an interesting one, neither new nor old, but something in between; Sera's broken memory making their every interaction a first for her even as her heart recognizes the familiarity of every smile, every meaningful glance, and every whispered plea to try and remember. As a result there's a certain level of comfort that exists side by side with the tense newness of it all, a combination that has us fairly vibrating with the desire to peek inside Zen's head in order to help us fill in the blanks we find in Sera's.

Overall, Unremembered is an extremely quick read with a protagonist we look forward to spending a great deal of time with despite the swirling mass of confusion that is her head for most of this first installment. There are certainly unanswered questions by the time we reach the last page, but they are more the kind that stem from simple want rather than need, and so we find ourselves content to wait for the next book when we close the back cover.

Rating: 4/5

42 comments:

  1. *jumps up and down* loooved this book! And you are right, it's impossible not to like Sera... Cannot wait for the next book... need to know more!

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    1. I just adored it Danny! She was so cute and awkward at times, I really liked her:)

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  2. Sounds very strange, I like it, but I am also getting this Lost feeling

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    1. It did have a little bit of a Lost feeling to it, but luckily it didn't end the same way!

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  3. Oohh impossible not to like Sera? I WANT TO MEET HER! And Zen as well<3 I've mostly read mixed/negative reviews for this but after reading your review, I think I'll give this a try! I DO love the premise after all :D

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    1. I really liked them both Shirley! I did want to know more about them since we don't get to know them all that well in this first book, but I loved what I did know:)

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  4. Ohh I simply can't resist a memory loss book when it's done well, and this one seems excellent. My favorites are thos ein which characters don't remember simple, mudane things like, and not just their pasts (Thyla is an awesome one)
    I truly love the sound of this one, Jenny! I'll just go ahead and pre-order, I know it'll be exactly my thing
    Great review!

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    1. Yay! I really hope you like it Maja! I loved the added sci fi element, it was subtle and just enough to have me really curious as to what was going on:)

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  5. I think the reason I didn't get on with this is because I've read too many like it. Glad you enjoyed it though, Jenny. Lovely review!

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    1. It's not necessarily blazing a trail plot-wise, but it's a really quick and entertaining read:):)

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  6. I haven't read this one but it's definitely different from Brody's previous fun contemp novels. I'm glad you liked it though, Jenny; not every author does well when switching genres. I have e-ARC of this and hopefully can read it before it expires.

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    1. This is the first book of hers I've read and it will definitely not be the last:) Really enjoyed it Z!

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  7. Sera sounds like someone I would really like :) I can't wait to try this one out!

    Mel@thedailyprophecy.

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    1. She was just so guileless, I really liked that about her. No playing games, no emotional manipulation of any kind, she just is who she is:)

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  8. Brilliant review, Jenny! I really enjoyed this one too so it's great to see that you liked it. I agree about the unanswered questions. I had a couple, but they weren't pressing and I was mostly satisfied with what we got in this book. I can't wait to see what happens next. :)

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    1. YES!!! I loved that I was curious at the end, but not drowning in questions:) So excited for book 2!

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  9. Oh, the socially awkward heroine! My favorite. (Mostly because I can completely relate. Ha.)

    *pets your blog*

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    1. I don't know what you're talking about Amanda. I can't relate to being social awkward at all. I'm the epitome of social grace. Obviously. I never flail or fail to form coherent sentences in public. Ever. I'm just that awesome ;-)

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  10. I'm with Amanda -- there's just something about a socially awkward heroine that pulls at my heartstrings (and, like her, I can totally relate!). Plus, I love the mystery of it all...very intriguing!

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    1. I hope you get a chance to read this one Mary, I blew right through it in one sitting:)

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  11. Great review! I loved this book too! I thought it was so much fun and definitely easy to breeze right through. I thought the end was fabulous. It wrapped things up pretty well, but still had us wanting more!

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    1. YAY! *high five* I was really happy with the book from start to finish, I can't wait to get my hands on the next one!

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  12. I think you just found my birthday gift to my friend Wendy. I know this isn't on her radar and I think she would LURVE it!

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    1. YAY! Glad I could be of birthday assistance:)

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  13. Huh, this one sounds interesting. Writing memory loss can be really hard to do. Sera sounds like she could easily be a friend of mine. Looking forward to meeting her and Zen. Have a great weekend, Jenny!

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  14. I saw another review for this book and wasn't 100% sold. I am now.

    Unlike Amanda, I'm not always a fan of the awkward heroine. Mostly because it seems overdone. However, this sounds really intriguing.

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  15. Oh my gosh! I've been seeing this cover around but nere read the blurb! I just assumed it was YA Contemp which I don't read...but this sounds awesome!! Adding it to my wishlist this minute!!

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  16. Ooo I think I want to totally read this, your review is lovely and i need to know all the secrets!

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  17. I'm reading this now and REALLY liking it. I love the air of mystery surrounding the whole thing. :) I'm totally enjoying the ride and it sounds like it'll be a good one.

    My goal is to finish this weekend, so you'll know my thoughts next week. :) Fantastic review, Jenny!

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  18. Oh Zen sounds intriguing. Hm... I'm really curious about this one. I don't know about that ending. I know you said you were okay waiting, but I'm not sure the unanswered questions will not bug me too much. Still, what a interesting premise!

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  19. I am happy to hear this has a protagonist that is easy to like. I have been struggling a bit with my heroine. I like that there is confusion and supsense and no dramatic cliffie! Happy weekend, Jenny!

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  20. I haven't heard too much of this one, but I love the premises! Plus, I'm thrilled that the romance is utterly satisfying too. I'm going to have to check this out when it releases for sure!(:

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  21. Wow, I love the sound of this premise! Your description of Sera's struggles to not just remember her life, but to just function minute to minute reminds me a little of Jenna's struggles in The Adoration of Jenna Fox. Now I'm dying to find out what happened to her, and what the truth is!

    Lovely review, as usual! :-) I really want to pick this up when it comes out.

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  22. I remember reading one of Jessica Brody's contemporary novels and really enjoying myself reading it. I'm excited for the release of Unremembered. I like the sound of the premise. I'm glad to hear that you're satisfied with the read. It's great that the protagonist is easy to like. Zen sounds like a very intriguing character. I can't wait to meet him.
    Lovely review, Jenny! :)

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  23. Just the fact that this book sounds so different from Jessica Brody's other books makes me want to give it a try.

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  24. I have this one and am really excited to read it! When I got it at ALA the publicist was super excited and her enthusiasm was contagious. So hopefully I can read it before it's out!

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  25. I'm terrible I read this a while ago, forgot to review it right away, and when it came tie to review it last week I realized I forgot everything. Even after discussing it with a friend who had just read it it wasn't coming back so I had to skip reviewing it haha. I remember the start though--her coming out of the ocean and stuff, and I remember a big info dump at one part. I also remember reading it super quickly so I agree it was a definite quick read. But like, I don't remember Zen at all! O_O Overall I didn't love it but I did find it was fun from what I recall LOL. Glad you enjoyed it Jenny! You kind of make me want to read it again to see what the heck I forgot haha.

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  26. I've got the feeling that every time I turn around this book poops out of somewhere. Well that certainly means that I should read it. I've seen few reviews for this book...some weren't so great but your review gives me hope. I hope I'll enjoy this book too. Great review Jenny :)

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  27. I do love a good fast YA read...this one sounds a bit different, so that's a bonus. :) Adding it to my wishlist.

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  28. YAY! So glad you enjoyed this book. I really like how it all come together in the end. Nice review Jenny :)

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  29. Not reading because I'm reading it right now, but I'm getting the feeling you liked it. I see a bit of inconsistency in her forgetfulness, but I can overlook it. I am really dying to get to know who she is!!

    Heather

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  30. Ugh, I'm sad I didn't like this one as much as you did. I thought the first half was great, but after that I couldn't even finish it. I do agree with all the good things you said about it though. But it still fell short.

    Thanks for the review.

    Sara @ Just Another Story

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