Unremembered by Jessica Brody

Unremembered by Jessica Brody

ARC received from Macmillan Kids

On Shelves Now

Reviewed by:  Middle Sis Jenn

The Sisters Say:  First Half:  Exhilarating  Last Half:   Disappointing

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?

From popular young adult author Jessica Brody comes a compelling and suspenseful new sci-fi series, set in a world where science knows no boundaries, memories are manipulated, and true love can never be forgotten.

I was so happy when I got my ARC of Unremembered—a plane crash, an unknown girl with amnesia, and an alluring boy with all the answers.  It had so much going for it, and I was sure I was going to love it.  Unfortunately, by the end of the book, I found myself sorely disappointed.  There was so much potential, and it started out so great, but once answers started revealing themselves, it just fell flat for me.

This book starts out with a bang, and I was immediately hooked.  We see “Violet,” who has been rescued from a plane crash.  She is in a hospital for amnesia, but otherwise, she is perfectly fine.  Not a scratch on her.  Add to the fact that she can’t be identified by anyone and we have the makings of a perfect mystery thriller.  I really enjoyed the parts where Seraphina (her true name) is trying to find out who is she and where she came from.  I loved how the puzzle pieces just weren’t adding up, and the only one with answers is the strange boy, Zen.  These parts were full of mystery, and I found myself really enjoying them.  Seraphina was strong and, although broken and lost, she was still full of a strange type of confidence.  I really enjoyed this side to her. 

And then there’s Zen.  He didn’t really blow me away, but I still enjoyed him.  He truly cared about Sera, and you could see how much he wanted her to remember him.  You could see the love written all over his face.  Plus, there’s a mystery behind him, too, and I enjoyed trying to figure it out.  So, overall, I enjoyed the characters, although I doubt they will be memorable to me in a few months.

So what bugged me?

I really can’t pinpoint what it was that turned me off, but about half-way through I just lost interest.  The answers were starting to unravel, and I just didn’t like where the plot went from there.  I can’t say much about it because of spoilers, but I just felt like there was so much potential.  She could have been anyone, and I had high hopes that she would be more than what she ended up being.

I wanted for there to be some amazing explanation for the amnesia and Zen, but it just seemed like it wasn’t original.  I’m really struggling with pinpointing what it was that made me lose interest!

I also wanted more romance.  It felt dry and unbelievable to me, almost like Sera couldn’t feel.  I wanted to hear how her heart was aching for him, even though she didn’t know who he was, but I never got that emotion from her.  She was strong and kick butt, but everything else about her felt off.

From the reviews I’ve read, I’m in the minority.  Lots of people are loving the twists and turns, but I guess this book just wasn’t for me.   Sorry for the lack of eloquence in this review!

Overall, the first half was great.  I was immediately hooked and I couldn’t wait to find out all the answers, but somewhere along the way, the action slowed down, the mystery and romance dwindled, and the truth became a bit boring for me.