Glimmer by Phoebe Kitanidis

Series: STANDALONE

Genera(s): Paranormal Romance/Mystery

Subjects: supernatural, ghosts, small towns, memory loss, magic

Setting: Summer Falls, Colorado

POV/Tense: 1^st person POV, present tense, rotating between Elyse and Marshall

Age/Grade Level: Teen

Length: 347 pgs.

HC/PB: Hardcover

List Price: $17.99

Publisher: HarperCollins: Balzer and Bray

Summary/ product description: “When Marshall King and Elyse Alton suddenly wake up tangled in each other's arms with zero memory of how they got there or even who they are, it's the start of a long journey through their separate pasts and shared future.

Terrified by their amnesia, Marshall and Elyse make a pact to work together to find the answers that could restore their missing memories. As they piece together clues about their lives, they discover that they're in the idyllic mountain resort town of Summer Falls. Everyone seems happy there, but as Marshall and Elyse quickly learn, darkness lurks beneath the town's perfect facade. Not only is the town haunted by sinister ghosts, but none of its living inhabitants retain bad memories of anything—not the death of Marshall's mom, not the hidden violence in Elyse's family, not even the day-to-day anguish of being a high schooler.

Lonely in this world of happy zombies, Marshall and Elyse fall into an intense relationship founded on their mutual quest for truth. But the secrets they're trying to uncover could be the death of this budding love affair—and of everyone, and everything, they love in Summer Falls.”

My Review:  I’ve had Glimmer sitting on my shelf waiting to be read for year. It came out in 2013. I bought it because I liked the cover and I love a good mystery with paranormal elements. And nothing says paranormal mystery like amnesia, a strange small town and ghosts.

Glimmer was different from how I expected it. It wasn’t scary or dystopian or full of odd twists. It kept me guessing, and sometimes I was able to predict things correctly, but I liked it when I was surprised. I also really enjoyed the setting. I visited Colorado in 2003 on a family vacation and it was beautiful.

Summer falls is this magical made-up Colorado town in which it’s always balmy summer weather and tourist feel like they’re on a drug when they are there. It sounds great, except anyone who experiences anything negative, like a fight or sadness, suddenly passes out in a “heat nap” caused by ghosts. Only Elyse can see the ghosts are causing it.

I also enjoy stories about memory loss. It’s always interesting to see character deal with the present without knowing their pasts. Elyse and Marshall don’t even know their names when the wake up, but since their names are already in the book’s description, it’s not read a spoiler. They wake up in bed with each other, naked. They don’t know how they got there. Elyse think’s she was kidnapped, that Marshall drugged her. It’s a real mess and they find clothes and leave out the window. And soon after Elyse sees a ghost.

I really did enjoy the characters. They didn’t like it when they found out about their pasts. Things didn’t fit to them. But their personalities were pretty interesting. Elyse was stubborn and strong willed, but also honest. She didn’t like how everyone noticed her. She used to be popular apparently. Marshall had a strong ego, but everyone seemed to treat him like he was invisible. Everyone else in Summer Falls suffered from selective memory loss, and acted like happy zombies or pod people.

I recommend this book to those who enjoyed the Shadowlands series by Kate Brian, Blood Magic by Tessa Gratton, or books with ghosts or people with memory loss.

Cover Art Review: Pretty colors and I like the effect on the type, but I realize now that this it generic and kind of boring for a cover actually.

Silence by Becca Fitzpatrick

Series: Hush, Hush (bk. 3)

Genera(s): Paranormal Romance

Subjects: supernatural, angels, mystery, love, memory, amnesia

Setting: Cold Water, Maine

POV/Tense: 1^st person, past tense: Nora Grey

Age/Grade Level: Teen

Length: 438 pgs.

HC/PB: Hardcover originally, now Paperback

List Price: $9.99

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Summary/ product description:

“WHEN SILENCE IS ALL THAT'S LEFT, CAN THE TRUTH FINALLY BE HEARD?

Nora Grey can't remember the past five months of her life. After the initial shock of waking up in a cemetery and being told that she has been missing for weeks - with no one knowing where she was or who she was with - she tried to get her life back on track. Go to school, hang out with her best friend, Vee, and dodge mom's creepy new boyfriend.

But there is this voice in the back of her head, an idea that she can almost reach out and touch. Visions of angel wings and unearthly creatures that have nothing to do with the life she knows.

And this unshakable feeling that a part of her is missing.

Then Nora crosses paths with a sexy stranger, whom she feels a mesmerizing connection to. He seems to hold all the answers...and her heart. Every minute she spends with him grows more and more intense until she realizes she could be falling in love. Again.”

My Review:  I feel like a bad fan. Not because I didn’t love the book (I did), but because I waited so long to read this. This is the first time I read the third book, Silence. It’s been sitting on my shelf since it came out in 2011. It’s an autographed copy. I met the author twice. She’s awesome. Now I’m one book away from finish this series once and for all. I can’t completely recall what happened previously in Crescendo. I remember Hush, Hush because I have the graphic novel. Since Nora herself can’t remember the past five months because of amnesia, I kind of felt like I was figuring things out along with her.

I think the amnesia was an interesting choice for this book. It almost felt like a first book in a series. I’m not saying you shouldn’t read the first 2 books first. I still LOVE Patch. Nora couldn’t remember him. She actually runs into him a few times. He goes by a different name and is very secretive. Patch is so sexy. He’s one of my favorite male love interest characters of all time. He makes my heart flutter a little.

There’s just so much awesomeness in this book. I love the angel and nephilim stuff. The mythology, the powers. I love the setting. Maine definitely sets a great mood for a story like this. I loved the ending too. Nora is so badass now. She’s not helpless and I don’t think she’s a Bella knock-off. Patch is definitely way better and cooler than Edward. Now I’m going to read Finale. If you never read Hush, Hush, you are missing out. Also I recommend anything by Becca Fitzpatrick. She really makes thrilling stories.

Cover Art Review: I’ve always loved the covers in this series. I love the model who’s supposed to be Patch.

The Creeping by Alexandra Sirowy

Series: Standalone

Genera(s): Mystery/Horror

Subjects: kidnappings, murder, monsters, amnesia

Setting: Savage, Minnesota

POV/Tense: 1^st person POV, present tense: Stella

Age/Grade Level: Teen

Length: 387 pgs.

HC/PB: Hardcover

List Price: $17.99

Publisher: Simon & Schuster book for young readers

Summary/ product description: “Eleven years ago, Stella and Jeanie disappeared. Stella came back. Jeanie never did.

Now all she wants is a summer full of cove days, friends, and her gorgeous crush—until a fresh corpse leads Stella down a path of ancient evil and secrets.

Stella believes remembering what happened to Jeanie will save her. It won’t.

She used to know better than to believe in what slinks through the shadows. Not anymore.”

My Review: The Creeping is a pretty good horror story. It’s a standalone, so you don’t have to worry about waiting for sequels. It’s about a girl named Stella who was supposedly kidnapped with this other girl named Jeanie when they were six and Stella was the only one to return and she had amnesia. Stella is a pretty interesting narrator. A dead girl who looks like Jeanie is found in the cemetery and this set event into motion. Stella is more determined than ever to recover her memories of what happened when Jeanie was taken.

Stella’s current BFF is Zoey. They’ve been friends since they were kids and Zoey is very popular. Sam was  Stella’s old friend up until middle school. They see each other at a part and Stella tries to avoid the embarrassment of being seen with him because some leechy girls would start nasty rumors. Stella starts to get close to Sam again and romance blooms. I really like Sam. He’s a geek, but a very nice and good looking, even if poorly dressed, one. Also Daniel, Jeanie’s brother, is back in town.

I really liked the setting of this book. It’s set in Savage, Minnesota during summertime. It’s a real place, even though the author changed some stuff about the place. The real Savage, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis, has a lot less woods. I checked on Google Earth. 

Blackdog Lake is not a state park, but part of a Wildlife Refuge. There is no cemetery next to in, no houses so close to it and no beach. Prior lake is real too. I’ve never been to Savage, but I’ve visited Minneapolis a few times and the Minneapolis zoo isn’t too far from Savage. I actually when to the zoo the day the bridge collapse happened and we were camping in the Rochester KOA. Unrelated, I know. I just like book with real settings that I’ve been to or near.

This book has twists and turn and lot of dark and creepy moments, but it isn’t super scary. I was kind of disappointed by the lack of ghosts and paranormal stuff. There’s talk of a monster and murderers. It’s closer to a slasher flick like Scream than the Ring. I did remind me of Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by Genevieve Tucholke, minis the devil stuff. This book is a murder/kidnapping mystery at it’s heart. I enjoyed it and it’s a perfect as a summery horror story or a Halloween tale.

Cover Art Review: The type treatment is interesting. The way the title is woven and layered in the branches. I wish the cover was more creepy though.