Author: Dan Krokos
Publication: August 14, 2012
By: Hyperion
5 STARS! A MUST READ!
ROSES are red
a warning to you
False Memory; a sci-fi adrenaline rush
and Dan Krokos, I *hearts* YOU!
(in a purely, "you wrote an awesome book" kind of way) Thank you to Netgalley and Disney/Hyperion for this FANTASTIC read!
I have a self-imposed rule that I try to follow which is similar to a customer service recording you might hear:
"Your book will be read and reviewed in the order in which it was received, thank you. *beep*"
Why, do I have this rule? Fairness, really. Plus, it's very easy for me to get lured away from homeschooling, and ALL THE THINGS that need to be done, by a good book *as it flirts with me from my TBR pile*. ;)
Having said that, I have been know to break the rules, on occasion, which is EXACTLY what happened when I picked up False Memory. I only intended to "peek" at it and before I knew it, I was 6 chapters in and telling my kids it was another "Survivor" dinner! ("Survivor" dinner = fix yourself something for dinner if you want to survive until morning.) I could NOT put this book down!
When seventeen year old Miranda North wakes up on a park bench with no memory other than her name and age, she does what any normal amnesiac would do, she seeks help. Feeling threatened instead of helped, she panics, unleashing a mysterious energy which incites terror into everyone around her. Everyone, except Peter, the guy with the strange blue eyes who doesn't seem affected or surprised by what's going on. He tells her they're friends, he can help her, but she'll have to trust him. How can she though, he's a complete stranger, isn't he?
They set off for a place called, "home", that Miranda obviously has no recollection of and along the way Peter does his best to explain what's happened to her, and her memories. As they scale buildings and leap across roofs like it's child plays, he tells her there are in fact, four of them, including Noah and Olive (who she also can't remember). Together, they make up an elite force of genetically altered teens known as Roses. They all have kick ars combat skills and abilities that can paralyze a city in seconds. They "borrow" a car and as Peter continues to talk, he jams a syringe filled with a lemonade type goo into Miranda as they drive and she responds by punching him in the face. (I think this is when my girl crush started.)
See, one of the things that's crucial to a Roses' memory is the shot they need every few hours in order to maintain their memories. If they go too long without it, they lose whatever memories they've already stored and can only make new ones, which is what has happened to Miranda. (Peter might have thought to explain this before jamming the needle into her but he is a guy and sometimes they don't think before acting. *rolls eyes* In Peter's defense he was trying to help Miranda so I think he can be excused...not so sure Miranda sees it that way but, what-evs.)
The Roses are designed to be human weapons but like any weapon which is created for a good purpose, if it falls into the wrong hands, it can be used for evil. When Miranda and the rest of the team stumble upon a devious plan, one that has the potential to harm a lot of innocent people, they decide it's up to them to stop it. What they discover will make them question everything they've believed to be true, about their pasts and where they really came from. When they come face to face with their enemies, it will be unlike anything they've been trained for. *shivers* (I can't even repeat what I said when I got to this part because I will have to put money in the "potty mouth" jar - again.)
The past comes back to haunt Miranda, slowly, in bits and pieces and makes things a little awkward among the team members. Why? Well, because Noah is or was Miranda's boyfriend and they're in love or they were, but she has no memory of that which kinda sucks...for everyone. She has some feelings for Noah but struggles to work those out because she's also feeling a connection with Peter too and vice versa.
Lemme just take a minute and say that the romantical tension between Miranda, Peter and Noah is...Um, *clears throat* yeah, so...
Major props to Dan Krokos for:
a) Being a dude writing from a girl's POV & nailing it!
b) Being a dude who knows how to write romantical tension scenes. (This is harder than you think and some dudes just.don't.get.it.)
c) For making a bathroom stall seem so.very.hot. *fans face* Who knew?!
Here's what I enjoyed about the characters themselves...
I want to be Miranda North when I grow up!! She is made of AWESOME. Not only is she strong, and a 'lil bit reckless, but she doesn't take any snark from anyone and she can kill you.with.a.SWORD. It doesn't hurt that she's beautiful too but behind her tough exterior her compassion for others shines through. When she figures out the truth about herself, she is more concerned about how it will affect others then how it will her. All of these teens are sacrificial, willing to risk their lives for each other.
Peter is the Team Leader and the ruler follower. He's brave, fearless, and he's uber protective of the others, almost to a fault. When staring death in the face he doesn't even flinch. He's all kinds of hotsauce (ALL.KINDS.) with eyes as blue as the sky, a dry sense of humor and the guy knows how to work a bathroom stall to his advantage. *bathroom break anyone?*
Noah, Miranda's "boyfriend" is beautiful and ab-solute-ly SNARKILICIOUS (LOVE.HIM.) which can a deadly combination. *swoons* His mouth is always getting him into trouble one way or another and he's apparently really good with his hands too. (His is a weapon after all.) Of the four, Noah's the stealthiest, managing to finagle his way into and out of predicaments that are both life threatening and lifesaving. He always seems to be smiling but you can tell he's hurting as a result of Miranda not being able to remember any of their relationship and that breaks your heart for him. *offers hugs*
Olive rounds out the elite four and she's the quiet calm of the group. (Quiet can be deadly sometimes.) All of the teens are gorgeous and Olive is no exception plus, she can kill you with sticks. BIG ones. She is a faithful friend to Miranda, something we could all use.
I like that these teens are not only physically strong but that they also showed strong character too. Even in the midst of a bad situation, when it would seem really easy to be selfish, they were thinking of others besides just themselves. They were willing to sacrifice themselves for the greater good. Were they perfect? No. But they were making the best of the situation they were put in.
There is so much action in this book, one would think you'd be worn out just from reading but it's the exact opposite. I was so wired by the time I finished I felt like I needed to go for a run, or punch, kick, or shoot something. Better yet, slash a bad guy with a sword like Miranda does! (I'm pretty sure I would've gotten arrested if I did any of those considering it was almost midnight when I finished reading.)
I'm so glad I let myself be lured away into this fast paced, action packed story with it's interesting plot and twists and turns that literally had me on the edge of my chair right up to the last page! And I can't WAIT to find out what's in store for Miranda and the rest of her team in FM2!
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