False Memory (edition 2012)

I liked it. When's the sequel out? ( )

Originally reviewed on A Reader of Fictions.

As is often the case, I had no clue whatsoever what False Memory was actually about when I started. Other than possibly, if the tag line was any indication, Mufasa.



My only real expectation was lots of action, because of the male author. Honestly, I probably didn't expect there to be much more than that, but, actually False Memory deals with identity, individuality and how our memories affect our personalities. Krokos' new series brims over with action scenes, badass characters and clever world building.

For the first few chapters of False Memory, I was pretty bored. Miranda's in this mall without a memory, and weird things are happening. Enter mysterious hottie to say enigmatic things and tell her to follow him. Sigh, I thought, another one of these?, but, thankfully, Miranda, despite her initial behavior, is NOT the kind of girl to take someone else's word just because they say so. If you struggle with the opening section, do push on, because once some of the questions were answered, I got all kinds of sucked into this book.

Miranda learns that she is a member of a group of four teens, The Roses, imbued with mind control powers. Two of the others escaped at the same time as she disappeared, memory gone. The team leader, Peter, found her and brought her back to their home. The Doctor in charge sends them to find the other two. When they do, they discover that their might be more to their powers (they can make people feel fear with their brains) than they ever expected. The world building was so cool, and I really hope to learn more about the scope of their power in the next book. Also, I would like to know why their power smells like roses...

There seems to be a new trend in dystopian fiction: male authors writing powerful heroines. I am seriously loving this; False Memory is at least the fifth book that fits that description I've read so far this month. Miranda really appealed to me. I love the logical way she focuses on what's important and practical, rather than letting the eerieness of her situation keep her from doing anything. Plus, she has crazy awesome fighting skills.

Oh yeah, those of you who love action scenes in your books will definitely want be all over False Memory. It is readily apparent that Krokos loves him some fight scenes. Honestly, I'm not that huge of a fight scene person, but his were really well done. I pretty much always had a very clear image in my head of what was going on at any given time, though not so detailed as to bore me. He kept up a quick pace throughout.

Love triangles are totally played out and awful, right? Well, not really, no. They can be THE WORST, when done incorrectly, but the reason people keep writing them is that they can be realistic and powerful. Krokos' love triangle (errr...square? pentagon? hexagon?...I can't keep track by the end) totally worked for me. Miranda, before her memory loss episode, was dating Noah, but, now, she feels much more pull towards Peter. Olive, the fourth member of the group also has a really obvious (to me from the first scene she was in) crush on Noah. What made the hackneyed and predictable relationships more interesting was the fact that Miranda was new. She was in a love triangle without any intention to be. As she is now, she would choose Peter without any difficulty, but flashes of memory and the knowledge of the others push her towards Noah. Without her memories, is she the same person? Will she recall everything and fall for Noah again? These dynamics kept me rapt.

After a skeptical start, Dan Krokos held me in his thrall. False Memory is a fast-moving book that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Also, if you like twists, get excited. ( )

A YA Bourne Identity. Miranda North wakes up without a memory, but with some pretty terrifying skills. A fast-paced page turner that has an ending that makes me want to read more. ( )

Loved the cover of False Memory, unfortunately, I didn't enjoy the pages within said cover quite as much. Miranda North wakes up on a bench in downtown Cleveland with no recollection of who she is or how she came to be there. She makes her way to a nearby mall and asks a security guard for help because she has lost her memory. The officer doesn't believe her story and sends her own her way. Miranda goes to shop for clean clothes and afterwards approaches the officer a second time for assistance. When he sees her bags he thinks she can't possibly that distraught if she went shopping. He grabs her arm to escort her from the mall and she reacts by flipping him over her shoulder. She realizes she is in trouble when he goes to pull his stun gun. Then the people who have witnessed the altercation erupt into mass panic with people fleeing the scene and falling to their deaths. Miranda notices one young man sitting alone in the food court seemingly unaffected by the mass hysteria. He waves her over to his table. She learns that Peter is a friend and they are both part of an elite group of teens that have been trained as weapons. This sounds interesting enough but what follows is an overly complex storyline and paper thin characters. The author doesn't give us any insight into any of the characters and I found it hard to connect with any of them. I know this is a plot driven book but even that fell short with no real reason given for this elite team to exist. ( )

This one starts off with a bang as Miranda wakes up in a mall with no memory of who she is. She releases a wave of energy that makes everyone around her terrified. They panic and many people are injured or killed. Then Peter shows up claiming to know who she is. She is a member of a crack team of genetically engineered teens that have the ability to unleash terror on people. Without preventative shots this power has the negative side effect of erasing memory. She returns with him to their home base only to meet Noah, who apparently she loved before she lost her memory. There is a major conspiracy in place that the team must overcome.

The action never stops and for readers looking for a thrill ride this story certainly will please. All the teens can certainly kick butt and it is much like watching a summer action film. However, it didn’t work for me. The characters were just so shallow that I never connected with any of them. Miranda spends a lot of time trying to decide between her phantom memory feelings for Noah and her current attraction to Peter, yet I never really felt any chemistry between any of them. There is a lot of back and forth musing about her feelings and the pieces of her memories, which she recovers at perfectly opportune moments. There are all sorts of doppelgangers and conspiracies in play which only made it worse.

The legal jargon: I received this advanced reader copy from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. ( )