Unremembered (Unremembered, #1)

Feb 12, 2013 Emily May rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc, ya-na, sci-fi, 2013

2.5 stars
The problem with Unremembered is that it explores a concept which, though fascinating, has been done many times before in various ways and has also been done far better. What you have here is a simple, entertaining sci-fi novel about a girl who is more than what she seems, supposedly the sole survivor of a plane crash but unable to remember anything. Furthermore, her name isn't on the flight manifest and no one can find out who she is, where she came from or who her family are.

It's a f...more

2.5 stars
The problem with Unremembered is that it explores a concept which, though fascinating, has been done many times before in various ways and has also been done far better. What you have here is a simple, entertaining sci-fi novel about a girl who is more than what she seems, supposedly the sole survivor of a plane crash but unable to remember anything. Furthermore, her name isn't on the flight manifest and no one can find out who she is, where she came from or who her family are.

It's a fast-paced ride that will probably wow readers who are new to the young adult science fiction genre because the questions it asks are ones that many love to ponder: what is it that makes us human? If a person with a prosthetic limb can still be considered human, what about someone made up of prosthetic organs? If we were to create a robot that breathes, eats, thinks and feels like a human, is it still not human? And why or why not? But, when it comes down to it, this is hardly a new area and I think readers who enjoyed The Adoration of Jenna Fox could be disappointed by this similar but far more simplistic tale.

Unremembered is the "beach read" equivalent of The Adoration of Jenna Fox without the complexity or depth of emotion, it had enough action scenes, chases and well-placed surprises to keep me interested but I still see no reason to recommend this when there's a much better option available.

I also didn't like how this book relied on the romance to propel the plot forward. I've said it before many times and I find myself saying it again here: I love a good love story which complements the main plot but I do not like it when a book which is supposed to be about science, technology and ethics turns into one where there is more talk of "soul mates" and quoting poetry than the far more pressing matters. Unremembered has quite a heavy romantic focus from the very beginning when a "mysterious boy" *eye roll* turns up by Violet/Sera's hospital bed and appears to be the only one who knows her. A large portion of the novel focuses on Violet/Sera uncovering her memories about her love for this boy - not enough is about the cool stuff like the organisation that is conducting strange experiments with DNA.

This book isn't unenjoyable (yeah... not exactly a word) but it is a long way from remarkable. Quite disappointing.(less)

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Mar 06, 2013 Sam rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc-or-galley, science-fiction, romance, mystery, other

3.5 stars

“…[voids] can be as short as the blink of an eye, or they can be infinite. Consuming your entire existence in a flash of meaningless white. Leaving you with nothing. No memories. No names. No faces.”

Jessica Brody’s first venture out of the contemporary genre is a pleasingly sturdy one. While there is definite room for improvement, Unremembered, on the whole, is an engaging and satisfying read.

Memory loss is a key feature of this book, with a confused and appropriately naive main charac...more 3.5 stars

“…[voids] can be as short as the blink of an eye, or they can be infinite. Consuming your entire existence in a flash of meaningless white. Leaving you with nothing. No memories. No names. No faces.”

Jessica Brody’s first venture out of the contemporary genre is a pleasingly sturdy one. While there is definite room for improvement, Unremembered, on the whole, is an engaging and satisfying read.

Memory loss is a key feature of this book, with a confused and appropriately naive main character leading the way. Following a highly-publicised plane crash – Freedom Airlines’ Flight 121, of which our protagonist is the sole survivor – Sera finds herself living in foster care, with no recollection of the crash or her past before that. The memory loss is, for the most part, handled surprisingly well. Creating a plausible personality while taking into account the character’s lack of remembered experience isn’t, I imagine, the easiest of tasks, yet Jessica Brody does a commendable enough job. Sera, although initially uncomfortably close to being too inconsistent, is a refreshing main character whose story is instantly an intriguing one. Her lack of knowledge also provides moments of unexpected but welcomed entertainment. By and large, she is fascinating, and it is not at all difficult connecting with her.

As perhaps anticipated, much of the plot focuses on Sera’s mysterious survival and sudden amnesia. It is quickly apparent that she may not have even been a passenger on Flight 121, and with this, we are handed another boat load of exciting questions. Enter Zen, the boy with all the answers, and the romantic plot slowly weaves in. The romance is a believable and likeable one, with plenty of well-paced tender scenes and flashbacks. Admittedly, it is a little too clichéd and standard to really make much of a significant impression, but, despite that, it satisfies. As a character, Zen is less captivating the Sera, and could do with some refining personality-wise, but he is by no means unlikeable. It is easy to appreciate his role in the story as more than just the love interest.

The strengths of this book, funnily enough, also stem into areas of slight weakness. There is a science fiction element to the storyline that is aptly used to its full potential, even surpassing it in a few places. The ideas are gripping and atypical, and combine two areas of the genre in fascinating ways. These provide a complicated explanation for Sera’s situation, one that is easily admired from afar. The issue is, unfortunately, that it is not much of a challenge piecing the fragments together prematurely. Parts of the story are painfully easy to predict, and combined with the all too typical role of the antagonist, it results in moments of anti-climax. Still, the creativity in the plot twists are evident, even if the execution is in need of sharpening.

Although Unremembered is not free of faults, it is a fairly decent book overall, with moments of true charm. It certainly makes me curious about the rest of this series. In fact, after the way this instalment ended, I am very curious to see what will happen next.

(This review also appears on my blog)

(less)

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Feb 07, 2013 Renu rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: for-review-from-publisher

For me Unremembered was a "been there done that" kind of read. It brought nothing new to the fast-paced action thriller/chase story.

Let's start with the positive. I like Brody's writing style, at the beginning of each chapter the first sentence gets straight to the point, and sucks you in right away.

"Violet" was likable enough, but nothing really made her stick out amongst the crowd of YA heroines. When the love interest, Zen and "Violet" are re-united I didn't feel any spark between them. "Viol...more

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Mar 16, 2013 Mitch rated it 2 of 5 stars

Writing this review gives me no pleasure because, even though I don’t have many nice things to say about Unremembered, on a technical level Jessica Brody has done all the things required that this should have been pretty great. But it’s not, because the one positive thing I can say about Unremembered is also its greatest flaw - it’s well planned and well thought out, but to the point that it’s too well planned, too well thought out. And when the blueprints of a book are so obvious and followed s...more Writing this review gives me no pleasure because, even though I don’t have many nice things to say about Unremembered, on a technical level Jessica Brody has done all the things required that this should have been pretty great. But it’s not, because the one positive thing I can say about Unremembered is also its greatest flaw - it’s well planned and well thought out, but to the point that it’s too well planned, too well thought out. And when the blueprints of a book are so obvious and followed so religiously that an astute reader can predict everything that’ll happen chapters before it happens, can we really call this a thriller when there’s nothing thrilling about it?

I feel terrible for criticizing what is, in a way, good execution, because the alternative usually comes down to nonsensical plot twist after nonsensical plot twist, but I really wish Brody could’ve deviated a bit from her preplanned script, added something not quite so expected. Because from the moment ‘Violet’ gets pulled from the waters of the crash site, ends up in the hospital, and takes stock of what she knows about her past (very little) and what she has to figure out, I had a general sense of where Brody was taking her story. It’s not really a matter of liking it or disliking it, because what Brody does are the staples of the genre, questions like why Violet is the sole survivor of the crash, clues like her locket or the mysterious note in her pocket, and revelations like she speaks fluent Portuguese and can solve Goldbach’s Conjecture, but Violet’s story flows so naturally from the premise that every new event is anticipated even before I’ve read it - and once I got that sense of Brody’s master plan, all the questions fell into place and I saw all the answers that Violet couldn’t.

And knowing truly is a terrible curse. I saw the stuff with Zen coming a million miles away while Violet herself is in denial, stuck in her own insecurity, and while I suppose her initial ambivalence can be characterized as natural, by the time she knows something is definitely up but still unwilling to do something about it because of some paranoid line fed to her for completely different reasons, no, no, NO, why stretch out a plot to get to the same point as we would’ve otherwise gotten to, except we’re now subjected to a bunch of frustratingly filler chapters? Then again, the entirety of the first two parts of this three part book and its single minded adherence to an entirely predictable track (another ‘clue’ to Violet’s identity is revealed in an otherwise mundane setting, Violet’s thought process goes into overdrive, I confirm my theory of what’ll happen while Violet remains clueless, proceeds in her passive ignorance mode, and waits for more clues) is probably only one step up from filler anyway, there’s really nothing that can’t be foreseen just from the summary of the book.

Which is a shame, because the clues are fine, well besides the ‘S+Z=1609’ inscription which could’ve been awesome misdirection but turns out is exactly what I thought I’d be (hint: what do people normally inscribe on their lockets?). Stuff like the Shakespeare sonnets would’ve normally had me thinking about their relevance and significance, but in this case, since Violet’s Sera identity is exactly as what all the hints suggest it to be, nope. Even Goldbach’s Conjecture - normally it would’ve shown Brody’s skill at picking clues (it’s the one famous unsolvable mathematical theorem that’s easily explained to laypeople, as opposed to say, the Riemann Hypothesis) - in this case just felt selected for the sole purpose of adding another layer of ‘mystery’ that really isn’t there, so the whole thing feels like a calculated attempt to get to a finale that feels so preplanned it’s transparent.

Don’t believe me? Check out the previews for the two sequels to this trilogy at the end of the book (there’s going to be a triangle and everything). In most cases, planning is awesome, but the lesson here is, when you tip your hand, time to make new plans.(less)

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Mar 29, 2013 Steph Sinclair rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Fans of Eve and Adam or MILA 2.0

Shelves: sci-fi, macmillan, young-adult, 2013-release, 2013-reads, could-have-been-better, disappointment, pretty-covers, forbidden-love, time-traveling-and-all-that-shiz, totally-saw-that-coming, gave-away

Be warned: This review does contain mild spoilers.

You know that feeling when you are expecting one thing out of a book and it completely delivers something else, and not for the better? It's the kind of situation where you expectations completely sabotage your reading experience. That's what happened with Unremembered and I. Technically, there isn't anything wrong with the story. I fairly enjoyed the writing style and the characters, but in the end it's not very memorable. Itreminds me a lot of...more

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Mar 03, 2013 Ashley (Nose Graze) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc, e-arc

Unremembered by Jessica Brody - Do you remember? Yes. Always yes.

BookNook — Young Adult book reviews

Unremembered has everything I love in a sci-fi: genetics, evil corporations, love, technology, and conspiracy. It's almost like it was made for me! However, I have to warn you. This story isn't exactly original. It's awesome, and I loved it, but it is one of those things that has been done many, many times. It just so happens to be a "cookie cutter" that I adore, so it didn't bother me in the slightest. But if that WOULD bother you, then this book is not for y...more

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Mar 30, 2013 ReadingToTheStarsAndBack rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013-book-challenge

Read FULL review at:
ReadingToTheStarsAndBack

This book had EVERYTHING in it! I just can’t tell you what EVERYTHING means because I want YOU to be as surprised by this book as I was.

And that’s the end of the review boys and girls!

Joke. Let’s talk about characters.

I’m going to call the main girl S for my review. I want you to find out her name on your own. (Are these enough hints for you to read the book? Don’t worry, there will be more.) She was difficult to form a personality about. For half of t...more

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Mar 31, 2013 Go Flash Go! rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: science-fiction, young-adult

This review and others are posted at Read, Rinse, Repeat.

I loved the concept of this book. In an online chat with Jessica Brody, she said that she got the idea from an actual plane crash that left only one survivor. This seems like fertile ground for an author, with some exciting options to explain how it could happen. There could be a sole survivor crash, similar to Unremembered, except there is no doubt that the person was a passenger. (I believe this was a Dean Koontz book from a long time a...more

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Mar 05, 2013 Rashika rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: futuristic, mystery-thriller, read-2013, sci-fic, series-i-wont-finish, totally-worth-it, ya

Actual Rating 3.5
Initial Reaction
PISS OFF!
A LOVE TRIANGLE IN THE SERIES??
Uh UH. Fairwell to you series.
Review to come soon when I can put my head together.
I need to go release my anger and frustration at yet ANOTHER love triangle. I think being near me is not a vise decision. I AM SO FREAKING FED UP OF LOVE TRIANGLES.
WHY?
Review
I seriously would have given this book 4 stars until I read the summaries of the other two books and saw that there was going to be a love triangle. I absolutely d...more

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Mar 05, 2013 Danny rated it 5 of 5 stars

Read Review at Bewitched Bookworms

Unremembered

Lost Memories and lots of Mysteries
Violet lost her memories! Even more, she seems to have no idea about the world we live in. She's alone. No one claims her as their lost child, so she is taken in by a wonderful heartwarming family who want to help her bring back her memories. But, it's not just the lostmemories there are so many mysteriessurroundingSeraphina that it was nearly impossible for me to put the book down!

Each page brought on a tiny revelation only...more

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Mar 02, 2013 Kara rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc, california, didn-t-live-up-to-expectations, for-review, romance, sci-fi, time-travel, young-adult

Unremembered actually started out great. I liked the idea of this girl being the only one found alive at sea amongst the wreckage and bodies of a plane crash. Then we learn that she wasn't on the passenger manifest at all, so how did she get there? She has amnesia and doesn't remember anything at all, so it's a complete mystery. I was involved in that and the book started out great for me and I couldn't wait to find out more.

Unfortunately, a little more than midway through the book, it all fell...more Unremembered actually started out great. I liked the idea of this girl being the only one found alive at sea amongst the wreckage and bodies of a plane crash. Then we learn that she wasn't on the passenger manifest at all, so how did she get there? She has amnesia and doesn't remember anything at all, so it's a complete mystery. I was involved in that and the book started out great for me and I couldn't wait to find out more.

Unfortunately, a little more than midway through the book, it all fell apart. I don't know what happened or why exactly, but it was the combination of the plot letting me down and the nausea of another instalove relationship that really got to me and made me start rolling my eyes in disgust. That's right, disgust.

Let's start with that then. I am not a fan of relationships in YA where all the couple does is dote on each other and act sappy and pathetic. I like strong people, some independence, outside interests, etc. I realize with a plot like this that's sort of difficult to accomplish, but I would have liked to see there be more to Sera and Zen other than each other. Not only that, but the chemistry between the two of them was totally not working for me. So yeah, the relationship was a bit nauseating and a lot pathetic.

I also had issues with the way the story arc was unraveled. The way this book started you would have thought that there was going to be a big reveal, a big shocker, some surprise, something. But that's not the way the author chose to unravel the story. Little by little, piece by piece things were revealed and it ended up being very anticlimactic. There was no big reveal. It ended up being like every other YA novel out there. I know readers that are big fans of R.J. Anderson's Ultraviolet, and I was sort of expecting something like that to happen here. But this ended up being a complete letdown.

I did like the author's writing style for the most part, but there were times when it was too choppy and didn't flow well. This happened mostly toward the beginning and I guess maybe I got used to it and then I didn't notice it as much anymore. I liked the tone of her writing and I liked her word choices, but the book was a little less vivid than I would have liked it to be.

The book was a page turner alright, but I was never fully engaged, and the more I read on, the more the book lost me. I normally like books like this. But this one completely did not work for me. It started out as a 4 star book in my mind and there were times when I almost wanted to drop it to one. It wasn't quite THAT bad but it was pretty disappointing. So no, I cannot recommend this one, unfortunately. I wish I could say otherwise. I was anticipating this book more than I was anticipating most books this year. *sad face* (less)

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Apr 24, 2013 Misty Baker rated it 2 of 5 stars

There is this website online, one I’m sure very few of you know about (or at least that’s my hope) called Experienceproject.com. To be blunt, it’s a public avenue for those who have suffered from (or are currently in the throes of) amnesia to share their stories with like-minded individuals.

Now, I’m going to lay all of my cards on the table here and say that, until I read roughly 70 of these stories I thought amnesia was a big ol steaming pile of elephant poop. I mean..really? You can’t remember...more

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Apr 11, 2013 Amanda rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013, ya-adventure, ya-science-fiction, ya-light-romance

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Mar 24, 2013 Michelle rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-2013

A sixteen year old wakes up as the only survivor of an air crash, with no memory of who she is, or where she’s come from. The media latch on to her unusual coloured eyes, and she takes on the name Violet. Fostered by a family and their teen son, she starts to realise that there are other unusual things about her. She meets a mysterious boy who claims to know who she is.. but who can she trust?

It’s an interesting premise to start a story with, and could have gone in lots of different directions....more

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Mar 23, 2013 Sarah rated it 3 of 5 stars

(This review may contain spoilers).

I've seen this book a few times, but only just decided to read it. I liked Sera/Violet as a character - I thought her thoughts and feelings came across well and I liked that she wasn't a character who was incredibly powerful, able to fell the bad guys in one swoop.

I didn't feel her relationship with Zen worked. There should have been more building up of it in the book, rather than just 'insta-love, perfect relationship' which I am getting absolutely sick of. Th...more

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Mar 07, 2013 WeaklingNo14 rated it 4 of 5 stars

Also at: http://weaklingno14.blogspot.co.uk

Unremembered (Unremembered #1) - Jessica Brody

This book...was just wow. I don't know how I'm going to portray to you exactly how awesome it is without spoilers, but I'll try.

Basically, Unremembered is about a girl who wakes up in the middle of the ocean, with no memories and no idea how she got there. The rest of the book is about how he works on getting that memory back and understanding what is happening to her.

The way Jessica Brody tells this story...more

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Mar 04, 2013 Booksword.co.uk rated it 5 of 5 stars

Reviewed by Colleen Winter

The only thing worse than forgetting her past… is remembering it.

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.
As soon as I read the summary of Unremembered , the first in a new trilogy by Jessica Brody, I knew I would enjoy reading it, and I wasn’t disappointed. This intriguing sci-fi has l...more Reviewed by Colleen Winter

The only thing worse than forgetting her past… is remembering it.

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.
As soon as I read the summary of Unremembered , the first in a new trilogy by Jessica Brody, I knew I would enjoy reading it, and I wasn’t disappointed. This intriguing sci-fi has likable three dimensional characters , an enthralling plot and a dash of romance. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll read most books, but romance isn’t my preferred genre and the level of romance in this book for me is perfect and I really enjoyed all the twists and turns in the plot.

Unremembered is about a young girl, described as an “amnesiac supermodel” , who remembers nothing from before she is discovered in a plane crash wreck in the Pacific Ocean miraculously unharmed and the only survivor. She has purple eyes, and people soon start to call her Violet, as she can’t remember her real name, and she doesn’t appear to exist in any records at all. So while the police are searching for some family or friends of Violet’s she lives with a lovely foster family, with the adorable Cody, Violet’s new 13-year-old foster brother.

Jessica Brody’s book centres mainly around Violet (AKA Sera) trying to understand what has happened to her memory and her trying to figure out how to get it back. You’ll find yourself trying to piece together the pieces of her life as she discovers them and this makes the book that bit more intriguing. I loved Sera and how her character developed through confusion and growing to trust people. Thrown into this confusing world of mystery is a boy, Zen, who claims to know Sera, and be in love with her. Zen comes across as sweet if a little bit pushy but we have to consider he is only trying to make his loved one remember him and protect her whilst doing that.

The unique and distinctive plot had me up all night finishing the book (trust me I tried to put it down and sleep, but I’d find myself awake five minutes later reading again); the ending was just brilliant, it had me guessing right up until the last page. Some parts of the book you can guess, but then just as you think you’ve predicted the ending, another twist appears.

My only problem with the book is, I’m left unsure of the gender of one of the characters at the end, probably because it’s and uncorrected proof, but Dr Maxxer is introduced as a ‘she’ and then referred to later on as ‘he’. Other than that, it’s a fantastic read and I highly recommend it when it comes out (March 14th 2013 in the UK), especially if you enjoy a bit of mystery to try and figure out when reading. I really cannot wait for the next part of the series, which unfortunately has just been announced to be released in Winter 2014 (too long away).

(less)

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Feb 25, 2013 Jenny rated it 4 of 5 stars

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...more

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Feb 07, 2013 Valentina rated it 3 of 5 stars

This was an interesting book with some good moments and a more original premise than a lot of other young adult books out at the moment.
The writing is on the simple side, so don’t expect it to change your life or anything of the sort. It’s just a fun book that you can read in an afternoon. The plot is, as I said, pretty different, though not unique, so at least it brings a bit of fresher air to the genre. There are some holes in the plot, though. I’m sure this is the first in a series, but some...more

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Feb 03, 2013 Rachael rated it 4 of 5 stars

No one expects to find any survivors in the wreckage of Freedom Airlines flight 121, so it’s a strange shock to everyone when they find her. She’s a sixteen-year-old girl, mysteriously uninjured from the plane crash. She doesn’t remember anything, not her name or even that she was on that flight. What’s eerier is that no one else remembers her either—the airline has no record that she was a passenger. Unfamiliar with the ways of the world and unsure of who she can really trust, Violet, so called...more

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Jan 07, 2013 Colleen rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Unremembered
By Jessica Brody
Publication Date: 14th March 2013
Reviewed by me for www.booksword.co.uk

As soon as I read the summary of Unremembered , the first in a new trilogy by Jessica Brody, I knew I would enjoy reading it, and I wasn’t disappointed. This intriguing sci-fi has likable three dimensional characters , an enthralling plot and a dash of romance. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll read most books, but romance isn’t my preferred genre and the level of romance in this book for me is perfect and...more Unremembered
By Jessica Brody
Publication Date: 14th March 2013
Reviewed by me for www.booksword.co.uk

As soon as I read the summary of Unremembered , the first in a new trilogy by Jessica Brody, I knew I would enjoy reading it, and I wasn’t disappointed. This intriguing sci-fi has likable three dimensional characters , an enthralling plot and a dash of romance. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll read most books, but romance isn’t my preferred genre and the level of romance in this book for me is perfect and I really enjoyed all the twists and turns in the plot.

Unremembered is about a young girl, described as an “amnesiac supermodel” , who remembers nothing from before she is discovered in a plane crash wreck in the Pacific Ocean miraculously unharmed and the only survivor. She has purple eyes, and people soon start to call her Violet, as she can’t remember her real name, and she doesn’t appear to exist in any records at all. So while the police are searching for some family or friends of Violet’s she lives with a lovely foster family, with the adorable Cody, Violet’s new 13-year-old foster brother.

Jessica Brody’s book centres mainly around Violet (AKA Sera) trying to understand what has happened to her memory and her trying to figure out how to get it back. You’ll find yourself trying to piece together the pieces of her life as she discovers them and this makes the book that bit more intriguing. I loved Sera and how her character developed through confusion and growing to trust people. Thrown into this confusing world of mystery is a boy, Zen, who claims to know Sera, and be in love with her. Zen comes across as sweet if a little bit pushy but we have to consider he is only trying to make his loved one remember him and protect her whilst doing that.

The unique and distinctive plot had me up all night finishing the book (trust me I tried to put it down and sleep, but I’d find myself awake five minutes later reading again); the ending was just brilliant, it had me guessing right up until the last page. Some parts of the book you can guess, but then just as you think you’ve predicted the ending, another twist appears.

My only problem with the book is, I’m left unsure of the gender of one of the characters at the end, probably because it’s and uncorrected proof, but Dr Maxxer is introduced as a ‘she’ and then referred to later on as ‘he’. Other than that, it’s a fantastic read and I highly recommend it when it comes out (March 14th 2013 in the UK), especially if you enjoy a bit of mystery to try and figure out when reading. I really cannot wait for the next part of the series, which unfortunately has just been announced to be released in Winter 2014 (too long away).(less)

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Dec 30, 2012 Carina Olsen rated it 4 of 5 stars

I just heard about this book yesterday, when it arrived in the mail. And I wanted to read it right away. So I did. And I enjoyed this book very much. Found the writing to be very good. And I liked the characters a lot. And the plot is just amazing, really. I even liked the ending. Yeah. This book was pretty amazing :) While I can't find anything I didn't like about it, it's still a four star for me. Because while I loved it a whole lot, there were a few things that could have been better for me....more I just heard about this book yesterday, when it arrived in the mail. And I wanted to read it right away. So I did. And I enjoyed this book very much. Found the writing to be very good. And I liked the characters a lot. And the plot is just amazing, really. I even liked the ending. Yeah. This book was pretty amazing :) While I can't find anything I didn't like about it, it's still a four star for me. Because while I loved it a whole lot, there were a few things that could have been better for me. But not much. This book was nearly perfect, and I'm pretty sure a lot of other people will love it as well :) They must. Because it's awesome.

Unremembered is about this girl with purple eyes. She wakes up at a plane crash, where she is the only survivor. But she doesn't remember anything. Like nothing. She doesn't know regular things, like tv and a computer. She's not quite normal. And I found that to be so amazing. She doesn't remember anything about who she is, if she was a passenger on the crashed plane. She doesn't know what happened. And she's very confused, and no one is coming to claim her at the hospital, because no one knows who she is, since she doesn't show up at any DNA tests. Which kind of sucked. But also amazing.

She gets the name Violet, though. And I kind of liked that. I liked this book a lot. I liked learning things with her. Liked that she was confused most of the time. I won't spoil that much about this book. But I should mention a few things ;p While the police is searching for her family, she gets placed in a foster family, as she is only sixteen. And I liked her foster family. I think. They did seem nice enough. And I do suppose that I loved Cody, her thirteen year old foster brother :) He was kind of cool ;p I did like him.

There is a boy in this book. Zen. Who is the love interest. If you have read the summary, then this won't be a spoiler :) He is a boy that shows up where Violet is. Who claims to know her, that they were in love. He also says her name is Sera. Short for Seraphina. Oh. I very much liked Zen. He was amazing. A great love interest. He's kind and sweet. Might seem a bit pushy, but he's only trying to make her remember him :D And I liked that a lot. I liked reading about him. He's also very protective.

The plot in this book is very amazing. It's unique as well. And I liked it a whole lot. It centers around Sera and her memory loss. She and Zen is working on getting her memory back, and finding those who took it. There is a lot of exciting things in this book. Some action. Some funny moments. Lots of sweet moments. I found the romance in this book to be really good. Wish it had been more at times, because that's just who I am ;p But I also thought it was perfect. It was also very sweet and real. Liked it a lot.

I really don't know what to include in this review of mine. I really don't. I don't won't to spoil anything, so I really shouldn't say anything else about the plot :D I liked the plot very much, though. Some things surprised me. But I also enjoyed it. Lots of surprises. I felt like the book might have been too short. I wish it had been longer. But it is a series, thankfully, so there will be more. I cannot wait to read the next book(s). I liked the ending a lot. It's perfect. But it's also kind of a cliffhanger ;p

Unremembered is an amazing book. I'm very glad I read it. And I cannot wait for you to read it as well. The writing is perfect, and the story is amazing, and the characters are really great. There was one thing that kind of annoyed me. A tiny bit. At the ending there is this character called Maxxim, which I liked, kind of. We get to know that Maxxim is a she, a woman. But in every other word she is called a he. That was confusing. But this was only an ARC copy, so I'm sure it will get fixed later on :)

Either way, I enjoyed this book very much. I really did. Cannot wait for the next one. So many things I want to know. I want to know more about Zen. Felt like we didn't get to know him enough. So many unknown things about him. And yeah. I need more of that. I also need to know more about Sera. She was just so interesting. So yes. I loved her. Also need more romance ;p Hih. Anyway. Super excited for the sequel :) Thank you so much to Ksenia/Macmillan for the chance to read and review this book. <3 (less)

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Apr 18, 2013 Kelly Mazzonne rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya, sci-fi, love-story

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. So I first got the five free chapters of this book on an e-reader, and they did pull me in enough to want to buy the whole thing. Which is a good start. The book is fast-paced, and a quick read, and definitely entertaining. Is it the best book I've ever read? No. Is it an original story? No. (Although, in fairness, not much is these days). Oh, and fair warning, there might be some spoilers in here...duly noted via spoiler font.

When I started reading the excerpt, I was drawn in by the mystery, su...more So I first got the five free chapters of this book on an e-reader, and they did pull me in enough to want to buy the whole thing. Which is a good start. The book is fast-paced, and a quick read, and definitely entertaining. Is it the best book I've ever read? No. Is it an original story? No. (Although, in fairness, not much is these days). Oh, and fair warning, there might be some spoilers in here...duly noted via spoiler font.

When I started reading the excerpt, I was drawn in by the mystery, sure lots of people have amnesia, but typically they remember some basics...but not our mystery girl. (view spoiler) And while the story isn't unique, it had enough twists and turns in it to keep me reading. I did enjoy the book, although I did feel it was predictable in many points (like the main one, unfortunately).

The story between Zen and Sera was a little...contrived. Phrases like "true love" and "soul mates" got thrown around A LOT, but with Sera's memory issues, I just wasn't buying it. I wanted to pull for them, but even by the end of the story I didn't seem to care what happened to their "love story". And, quite frankly, I was a little irritated with Zen, because it seemed that there was nothing else going on for him, until she remembered who he was. It seemed like he should have helped her figure out some other memories, like who was after her, why they were after her, etc. However, in typical teenage boy fashion, I guess...there was nothing more important than "the girl".

Now, I realize this is the first in a series, and to be fair, I'm new to reading Jessica Brody, so much more could happen in future books, but I also felt like the story didn't end with a cliffhanger, so that it could have been a standalone book as well.

There were a few things that were left sort of up in the air, like (view spoiler) I'm sure most of this will be answered in the upcoming books (or should be).

So, will I read the second book? Yes. Am I dying not knowing what's gonna happen next? No.(less)

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Mar 25, 2013 Shay (Shannon) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Actually 3.5 stars!
I got a little worried when I saw all of the one and two star ratings but decided not to read the reviews. I tend not to read low rated reviews so that's not uncommon. It's not that I don't respect those opinions. I just like to go into a book with a neutral attitude.
One of my negatives about the book is that there were times when I got a little confused with the plot, but the more I read the more those kinks seemed to smooth out. The other thing would have to be that I didn't...more

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Mar 13, 2013 Isamlq rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc-galley

She’s Unremembered.
I’m Unimpressed.

It’s just the ending smacks of something I saw recently a .gif summarizing just about everything that’s wrong in YA today. New mysterious guy says, ‘I love you.’ Wait, make that hot new mysterious guy who knows everything the girl doesn’t know saying, ‘I love you.’ Then said guy asks, ‘Do you trust me?’ Then there’s the girl with thoughts of, ‘He’s in my blood.’ All of which culminate in some drastic doings on their part. Oi! That ending! It’s not that it ends...more She’s Unremembered.
I’m Unimpressed.

It’s just the ending smacks of something I saw recently a .gif summarizing just about everything that’s wrong in YA today. New mysterious guy says, ‘I love you.’ Wait, make that hot new mysterious guy who knows everything the girl doesn’t know saying, ‘I love you.’ Then said guy asks, ‘Do you trust me?’ Then there’s the girl with thoughts of, ‘He’s in my blood.’ All of which culminate in some drastic doings on their part. Oi! That ending! It’s not that it ends in cliffy (though I take issue with that, as well,) it’s the build up there to. Also, I’ve a thing about names that if you don’t sound real, I don’t believe you and have a hard time buying the struggle that Ze or X or Y are supposedly going through. But really, who would have thought that (view spoiler) names suck? Alixter! and Rio and Zen /Lyzender ... Begs for an ass kicking, I thought. And that’s a teeny side thing in one of my many, many problems with this; the biggest of which was me, BORED.

The way things happened was all simply too convenient, how things came together and how some things were answered or how this response answers that and how doing this takes care of that problem WHEN in fact no explaining actually takes place! It’s in the genes said one, and I’m wondering in the genes, how? Then barcodes that grow back and there I was having flashbacks of Jessica Alba and her leather jacket with the lion looking dude, except this one was nowhere close to how awesome that one was. Unremembered was just so meh. At this point I’d normally throw out an “it could have been more.” Except were it “more,” I don’t think I’d pick it up again… as there’s NOTHING new offered!

Simply, think of everything that was wrong in STARTERS, of how a lot of people were able to do something, and how some other people just knew something and then how other people were so conveniently wherever they were and just in the nick, too to provide some “clarity.” Though really, there’s is NO clarity in this one, just a whole bunch of conveniently ordered events that tempted me to start skimming.

Then that ending! Gah. As said, it sums… Well, it sums up something is what it does. Yeah.

Thank you, Net Galley!
2/5
(less)

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Mar 06, 2013 Catie Taylor rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book surprised me in a lot of ways. First of all, before I read the description I thought it was going to be just straight contemporary. Girl loses memory in plane crash, boy finds girl, boy tries to convince girl they were in love, girl eventually remembers (probably after another blow to the head), everyone goes home happy. Cut and dry, simple. That's what I was expecting. That is not what happened. I started reading this book at around 2 A.M. As I read the last words of the prologue I sh...more This book surprised me in a lot of ways. First of all, before I read the description I thought it was going to be just straight contemporary. Girl loses memory in plane crash, boy finds girl, boy tries to convince girl they were in love, girl eventually remembers (probably after another blow to the head), everyone goes home happy. Cut and dry, simple. That's what I was expecting. That is not what happened. I started reading this book at around 2 A.M. As I read the last words of the prologue I shot up in bed (like literally sat straight up) and said to no one in particular "What?!". Then I was hooked.

LIKES:

WTF just happened: as mentioned previously this book was full of surprises and I love it when a story can keep me guessing. Most of the surprises were well-timed and exciting and I loved that. Some of them could have been left out as well but overall I was happy with the level of excitement in the story.
Great Pacing: at no point while reading this book was I bored. The microscopic chapters probably helped with this. There are 46 chapters in this book but they fly by at lighting speed, in a good way. Brody obviously knows how to tell a story without unnecessary padding.
Sera and her crazy brain: I really don't want to give anything away so you'll have to excuse me if this review is a bit vague, but let me just say that I really liked Sera's voice. She isn't a normal amnesiac. She's actually always been a little different. Therefore she has a unique world-view and when you throw in a crippling case of amnesia, trust issues and all kinds of strangers the outcome is pretty intense. This isn't a "sit down and cry" kind of story, but it is one that makes you question what makes us who we are and Sera is a great example of that.

DISLIKES:

My brain hurts: this is a problem i often have with sci fi books. Some of it was a bit convoluted and a lot of it was hard to grasp. Perhaps if I had more of a background in science (or even science fiction) for that matter, I would have "gotten it" more easily. As it was, I struggle through understanding a lot of the technological stuff that was going on in the story. I think it could have been done more simply.
Not exactly insta-love: Okay, so Zen and Sera have known each other for awhile and they are in love, at least until she loses her memory, but the intensity of Zen's feeling and Sera's willingness to reciprocate just didn't impress me. I guess I just didn't see the plausibility of the extent that Zen went to to get Sera back. That sounds heartless (and I will have you know that a certain college professor of mine used to say I was "cold" when it came to logic - I think we were talking about nuclear war at the time) but I just wasn't feeling it.
Don't rush the ending: I really felt like the author piled way too much information into the last several chapters, tied up loose ends and then boom, it was over. Unfortunately, I didn't feel like there was much of a pay-off in the end and it didn't sit well with me.
There are supposed to be at least two more books in this series. Honestly I'm not sure how I feel about that. I think that if the ending were different this could have been a stand alone novel and that would have been fine. However, I will most likely pick up the next one as I did really enjoy the writing style and the story, for the most part, was entertaining.
(less)

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Mar 05, 2013 Sandra "Jeanz" rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

MY REVIEW
I received this paperback ARC from Macmillan in exchange for my honest review.
I’ll start with the cover, I really like the UK one the most. The bright orange and the blue back ground make it a striking image on a store book shelf. Though I have to admit I really liked the cover of my ARC too! They both have the by-line "The only thing worse than forgetting your past is remembering it." and you all know I love a good by-line especially if its fit the book as well as this one does! The on...more MY REVIEW
I received this paperback ARC from Macmillan in exchange for my honest review.
I’ll start with the cover, I really like the UK one the most. The bright orange and the blue back ground make it a striking image on a store book shelf. Though I have to admit I really liked the cover of my ARC too! They both have the by-line "The only thing worse than forgetting your past is remembering it." and you all know I love a good by-line especially if its fit the book as well as this one does! The one negative I have about the cover pictured above (incidentally not on my ARC) is the quote from PC Cast of "An Awesome Book" I'm pleased you too enjoyed the book as I did PC Cast but I don't need to read about the fact on the otherwise perfectly beautiful cover of my book!
The story is about a girl. This girl is found in the wreckage of a plane accident but her name doesn’t appear on the passenger list, so no one knows who she is or who her family is. Then this boy appears who says he knows “Jane Doe” as the hospital have named her. Only he appears when no one else is around and then disappears just as suddenly as he appears . .. who is he? Is he even real? The people in the hospital are nice, one even nicknames the girl Violet as her eyes are such an unusual shade of violet. The name sticks and when Violet is released from hospital that is the name that the social services give to her foster family to call her. Everyone thinks Violets memories will come back on their own soon, but Violet isn’t so sure.....things feel odd...to some people she seems robotic and she has inhuman strength which scares her foster family.
Wow I read the first 162 pages in one go and if I hadn’t been ill I know I would have just gone on and read the whole book in one sitting. It gets a little confusing at times but that’s good as it allows you to think of plot possibilities and explanations yourself before they are eventually revealed. And when they are revealed? Well I was like What? Oh Wow yeah that’s really good!
The books well written, and keeps you hooked into the story wanting to know more and more. It definitely falls into the category of one of those books you don’t want to put down. I think it has humour, danger, and mystery as well as having some sci-fi and futuristic elements in it too. So lots to appeal to different genre lovers.
So did I enjoy the book? Oh Yes” Would I read a BK#2? Yes please! Would I recommend? Yes as I said it will appeal to lovers of all types of genre in my opinion. Would I read more by Jessica Brody? Yes I intend to. Books it reminded me of or I would compare it to? Loosely compare it to Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, Tempest & Vortex by Julie Cross and maybe a little Divergent.(less)

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Feb 24, 2013 Maria Bavin rated it 5 of 5 stars

A very exciting, energetic novel that kept me engaged throughout.

A definite must read for fans of action, adventure, mystery and secrets, Jessica Brody has captured all these aspects cleverly and expertly to present an unforgettable story that leaves you wanting more and more. The main Character, Sera, is portrayed like a newborn, not knowing much about anything in the modern world, but we soon learn that she’s not as fragile as she may seem as we see a strong and confident side to her.

Throughou...more

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Apr 25, 2013 Asheley rated it 4 of 5 stars

I was really excited to start Unremembered by Jessica Brody - I found it pretty easy to read and engaging, which is like a formula for HECK YES! Somewhere toward the end, though, I got a little confused - which I suppose isn't all that difficult for me. But, yeah, there was some confusion.

This excerpt is taken from my review on Into the Hall of Books. Read more here: http://www.intothehallofbooks.com/201...

Unremembered begins as our 16-year-old protagonist is floating in the ocean along with al...more

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Mar 04, 2013 Sobia rated it 3 of 5 stars

Unrembered

Okay, I'll Admit it. I only finished this so it would count towards my gr reading challenge. Havng said that, tis wasn't a terrible book,but it had more potential to be awesome than any awesomeness in its own rite....

My issues with the book:

On one level I felt like Unremembered was trying to do too many things at once,. Also some stuff made no sense...Iike we'd be told the world worked one way, then the MC's would act in the direct opposite way...okay that's sorta vague I know, but bei...more

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topics	posts	views	last activity
Never Too Old For...: Win an ARC of Unremembered by Jessica Brody (giveaway hop)	1	12	Mar 05, 2013 08:07am
Book Haven: Win an ARC of Unremembered by Jessica Brody (giveaway hop)	1	4	Mar 05, 2013 08:05am
The Indie Exchang...: Win an ARC of Unremembered by Jessica Brody (giveaway hop)	1	9	Mar 05, 2013 08:04am

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