The Forgetting Series by Sharon Cameron - Restarting March 8th 2018

[Ryn]

That's okay, I am too. Still trying to finish the Graceling Realm, so no worries :)

[Ryn]

The Knowing is interesting. It's not set right after the Forgetting, which I honestly expected, and it is extremely confusing. It's exactly the opposite issue from the prior book, in which everyone forgot everything every twelve years. Now there are people who can never forget anything, not even a little. Cameron is using a lot of details and such that I'm trying to make sense of but I still just keep saying, wait, what happened? What? I feel a little like I did reading David Baldacci's Vega Jane books. Once I got used to them, they were pretty decent but there was a learning curve. But Cameron did not disappoint last time and tied things together so nicely, so I have high hopes that this initial struggle will be worth it in the end.

[Ryn]

Okay, it's starting to make more sense. Sort of. But not entirely. I really, REALLY hope at some point we learn how they went from the end of the Forgetting to here because these folks are seriously messed up. (view spoiler)[I don't really understand why they left Canaan, assuming the Earth story is bogus. They keep talking about the Forgetting like it kept happening but at the end of that story the people were uprooting those trees like mad. I'm also not entirely sure why all the fuss about emerging civilization/don't interfere is going on -- this is an Earth colony and all the people on it are human. Yes their civilization has evolved differently, but it's not really like they're completely alien and undiscovered. The Prime Directive shouldn't necessarily apply in the same way. (hide spoiler)]

[Ryn]

Jill, I think (view spoiler)[ is trouble. Not that Cameron didn't make that obvious, but she's getting directive from somewhere else that Beck doesn't know about. Reminds me of the first book, you never know who to trust. (hide spoiler)]

[Ryn]

Okay so... didn't like this one quite as much as The Forgetting but it was still a really good story. We found out why they had to leave Canaan although (view spoiler)[ I do kind of feel like there were a lot of plot holes. Why didn't they uproot the trees instead. Even if that didn't work, they know the Forgetting is coming, just move the town underground or into the bunker -- they have twelve years to build something. I'm not really sure why or how they decided some people would be Knowing... I guess it's just another crazy like Janis Atan all over again but Samara's mother?? Really?? Well... it was unexpected at least. But I really have no idea still how they expect to take over earth or how Earth could even use them. You have to keep drinking the amrita to stay Knowing and it has to be distilled from plants that only grow there... this is not considered ever, that those plants would have to be brought back and cultivated in order to keep the Knowing useful or in power depending on which side wins. (hide spoiler)] So a good story, but not quite as well done as the other, I think.

[Aly]

Chapter 15 (view spoiler)[ I knew it was a direct sequel, but I still miss Nadia and Gray 😢 Sam and Beckett are okay so far, they haven't had much contact yet. I wonder about the Knowing. Like, they can remember every detail of their lives? That sounds terrible. (hide spoiler)]

[Aly]

Chapter 27 (view spoiler)[ I hope Jill will be okay, I wonder what bit her? And now something bad is happening on the ship. I'm guessing that some people thought they were just exploring and collecting data, but the real mission is to take what Canaan has and their best people back to Earth for experiments. (hide spoiler)]

[Aly]

Chapter 40 (view spoiler)[ So the 'bad' people of Canaan want to go to Earth, and the 'bad' people of earth want the same thing. Interesting. I hope Beck and his parents can figure out a plan to save everyone. And I still think they're injecting something in them to make them Knowing. (hide spoiler)]

[Aly]

Finished (view spoiler)[ I'm glad they figured out a way that worked for most people. Some got to go back to Earth, others stayed. I'm sad so many people died, especially Sam's dad. I wonder if Nadia and Gray ever had kids, since we didn't see their descendants. Overall it was good, but I liked the first book better (hide spoiler)]

[Ryn]

I did too! and I kind of missed Nadia and Gray as well.