Here’s another fast-paced young adult novel to try. The main character is again a warrior girl, but instead of living in the time of knights and ladies, this story takes place closer to modern or near future times.
Miranda finds herself in a mall, with no memory of anything beyond her name. When she asks the mall cop for help, he thinks she’s just playing games with him. As she tries to explain, her head begins to hurt until at last the pain radiates outward. She is horrified to see people flee in fear. Unsure what’s going on, she scans the panicking crowd until she sees a guy her age just watching her.
He tells her his name is Peter, and that he knows her. Because he says he can explain what just happened, Miranda follows him to an underground bunker in the forest.
She discovers that she is part of a team of four genetically engineered kids who are being trained as “crowd control weapons.” One of the side effects of the gene therapy is memory loss, which is countered by taking medicine. She was taken off the medicine without her knowledge by one of her teammates, Noah. Noah and the fourth member of their team, Olive, have gone missing.
Miranda and Peter must locate their missing comrades and bring them back to the facility. But in the process they uncover the lies they have been told about their true purpose and how they came to exist. Lots of twists and turns and double-crosses keep the action moving. And the fight sequences are engaging and detailed.
False Memory is Dan Krokos’ debut novel. The story is definitely set up for a sequel, which I understand is due out in 2013, but don’t wait to pick up this exciting read.
Check the WRL catalog for False Memory
This book will be popular with teen readers who like science fiction and action. Miranda finds herself in a mall and does not remember who she is or ho she got there. She walks up to a mall security guard who thinks she is messing with him because really, you don’t remember anything! I can see where an adult would be suspicious of a teen claiming not to know who he is. Then everything goes berserk! Wow! A riot in the mall and people throwing themselves off the railings, running, panic, etc. What has Miranda done and how is she responsible for this? That happens within the first few pages.
Readers are going to be taken into a world that involves teens who are actually clones with superhuman powers who are designed to be used as weapons. Bit by bit Miranda’s history is revealed and the other members of the elite fighting team are introduced. My complaint about this story is that once again, there is to be a series. So the end is not the end! I’m getting tired of having to wait to find out what happens to characters I’ve grown to care about.
Sounds interesting. Cover is really cool, too.