Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Have you ever read a book that was so hard to get into because it forced you to question things and struggled at first to understand? Today I am sharing a young adult book that did just that for me. It was hard to read at first. It was hard to get into it. It was hard to comprehend--not understand but to truly comprehend what was happening. It is in a world where everyone has a magical power and people are being entirely erased from existence one by one. However, once I got far enough in, I was hooked and had a hard time putting it down. I wanted to solve the mystery. The book is The Forgotten Memories of Vera Glass by Anna Priemaza.
From the Publisher:
A mind-bending YA novel about a world where everyone has a bit of magic in them—but some magic is being used to change the world in unspeakable ways
Vera has a nagging feeling that she’s forgetting something. Not her keys or her homework—something bigger. Or someone. When she discovers her best friend Riven is experiencing the same strange feeling, they set out on a mission to uncover what’s going on. Everyone in Vera's world has a special ability—a little bit of magic that helps them through the day. Perhaps someone’s ability is interfering with their memory? Or is something altering their very reality? Vera and Riven intend to fix it and get back whatever or whomever they’ve lost. But how do you find the truth when you can’t even remember what you’re looking for in the first place? The Forgotten Memories of Vera Glass is a cleverly constructed, heartbreaking, and compelling contemporary YA novel with a slight fantasy twist about memory, love, grief, and the invisible bonds that tie us to each other.
From Me:
As I mentioned in my introduction, it took me awhile to get into this book. The first chapter was promising but then Vera's brother was no longer there and not only not there, but no one remembered him. His room was just a room they stored stuff in. It was strange. Then there were chapters about Vera and her friends and some of them disappeared. Each time someone disappeared it was like they never existed. Yet, Vera and her friends were feeling like something was missing or not quite right. They felt an emptiness left by the missing person. As Vera and her friends struggle, they want to solve the mystery of what is causing this.
It is so interesting to see how the lives change with each person disappearing. Some of the changes are severe. From friends to dating and so much more. Vera's mother also feels the loss but assumes it is her depression again. They look for scientific reasons after all the magic is all scientifically understood. The book talks depression, death, dealing with issues, helping friends, love, race, as well as ethics. Who has the right to decide who should exist and who should not? Is ending one life worth saving millions? There are so many ways a discussion could go with this book. In the first chapter some of the aptitudes (magic) are shared. What aptitude would you want? What aptitudes do some people actually have in our world today? This is a thought-provoking book that will have you questioning so much and considering more possiblities. I hope you will check it out!
