A good dystopia. ( )

Let me say first off that Memento Nora blew me away in the best way possible. Don't be fooled by it's small size. This book packs a massive punch! In fact it had me so hooked in that I didn't set it down at all until I was completely through it. Trust me, this book is one that you'll want to pick up.

The plot of this story unashamedly grabs you by the shoulders and pulls you straight in. Nora's world is fascinating, a world that is built around the ability to forget. Anytime that something bad happens, anytime something might scar your otherwise happy life, you can take a pill and start over from square one. Completely care free and new. "Glossy" as Nora calls it. The government even gives the people incentives to use the service. Control anyone? This concept really drove the book home for me.

Add in the fact that Nora is a fabulous main character, and there's no turning back. Nora is bold, vivid and strong. Her choice to remember everything is really what made me appreciate her. The strength that she radiates is admirable. In a world where everyone else wants to forget, Nora chooses to remember. I was totally smitten with her! Nora's two friends each also have their own quirky and fantastic personalities. I don't want to give anything away, but it is these two people who really bring out the best in Nora. I really enjoyed how much they complimented her, and yet challenged her at the same time. Angie Smibert has built a gorgeous trifecta of character personalities, and I guarantee they'll draw you in too.

I know that I've already been gushing, but let me share with you what really made me love Memento Nora. It is all about the power of comic books. Nora and her friends use their skills and their ingenuity to host a revolution, based on a simple homemade comic book. I can't explain how much that struck me. It might seem a bit silly, but I think this book really shows what you can do if you put your mind to it. It may not be the main focus of the book, but the simple fact that these three characters were willing to put their lives at stake to accomplish something massive really struck me.

I'll end my rambling here and simply say that I loved this book. I 100% recommend it to you. Beg or borrow a copy! You won't be sorry that you did. Angie Smibert has built a unique and engaging world that is sure to pull you in and not let you go. ( )

3.5

A solid book. Interestingly unique plot. Okay characters. Didn't really faze me, though. ( )

Set in a future dystopia, Memento Nora by Angie Smibert is a short, action packed page-turner. Everything seems fine in Nora’s society until she took her first trip to the Therapeutic Forgetting Clinic. In Nora’s world, these clinics exist to help people forget traumatic experiences by taking a pill at the TFC.

While waiting with her mother, Nora notices Mitch, a boy from her school, in the waiting room; a simple message (memento) and a spur of the moment decision, as well as her mother’s best kept secret, urges her to hid the pill, leaving her with the memory of the explosion she witnessed and her mother’s pain.

Memento Nora was extraordinary right from the beginning. As Nora becomes exposed to the inner workings of her society and witnesses things that she would rather forget, the reader is taken on a whirlwind adventure, ending in an unexpected little twist. The only flaw I noticed when finishing this story was the length. I think that Smibert could have developed the relationships and the society a bit more, she engaged the reader the reader from the beginning and I don’t think a bit more on either of those things would have taken away from the story. If anything, it would have added to the richness of the plot.

Memento Nora is a book that fans of dystopia would want to read.
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*Won ARC through a giveaway hosted by the author. This book will be released April 28, 2011*

When I first heard about this book, I was intrigued. There have been so many dystopian books published lately, and I wondered if this one would take things in a similar direction as the recent additions.

Nope. I was wrong. Flat out wrong. I finished this book in a couple of hours, couldn't put it down, and ended up with a big old WHHHAAAAAATTTTTTT going through my brain.

Here's the story, in brief: in Nora's society, terrorism is commonplace. Bombings are at least a weekly occurrence and people are dying all over. A wack-job group called The Coalition claims responsibility for the bombings. The citizens are so freaked out that they take special pills to 'forget' certain memories. They live their lives in a 'glossy' state, knowing that they can always take a pill to forget what they don't want to remember. They'll just go on extra-special shopping trips to make up for it all. Sounds perfect, right? No unwanted memories and lots of shopping? Read on, my friend.

Nora witnesses a bombing one day, and a body falls to the ground right at her feet. Prime candidate for forgetting, right? Nora's mom takes her to the TFC to get her first forget pill. While there, Nora makes eye contact with a boy from school just leaving. He sticks his tongue out, and the pill is there. He trashes it and mouths 'remember' to her. Nora is intrigued. She goes through the forget doctor's rhetoric and makes the decision to trash her pill as well. What follows? Well, you'll have to read the book. And you should. You definitely should.

Here's the thing: I was terrified throughout this book. It's not that there were horribly graphic things going on like in The Hunger Games. It's not like Nora didn't have a choice. It's not like the big bad wolf was breathing down her neck. In fact, it was what Angie Smibert DIDN'T say that scared me the most. This is a book where you can read between the lines from the get go and it's terrifying. You'll find yourself asking questions, and you may not like the answers you come up with. I know I didn't.

I thought I had things figured out. I didn't. I thought I had people pegged. I didn't. I thought there was NO way that this one character was involved. He/she was. Whaaaaaaaaaatttttt!? Mess with my brain!

See, I could see our society degenerating into this very kind of behavior reeeeaaaaalllly easily. And it scares me to death. It would be SO easy to fall prey to the hyped beauty of not having to remember certain things. There are definitely things in my life that I'd rather forget about. The question is, what's the ultimate price you pay for forgetting? Do I really want to know the answer to that? And the ending?! WHHHHHAAAAAAAAATTTTTTT?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

The characters were STRONG. I could never make myself remember that they were young teens. They were mature beyond their years, which would be totally expected from living in the society they live in. At the same time, they were SO vulnerable and so fragile at times. There wasn't a single unimportant character in there. Some that seemed to just flit across the page came back later and played a role. I love when that happens.

Memento Nora was perfectly set to have a sequel, which I understand is in the works. I can't wait. I'll be preordering the minute it's available. (and keep in mind, this is Angie Smibert's debut novel. If the debut is this good, just wait for things to come. And I kind of feel like a fortune teller.)

This really is one of the best dystopian novels I've ever read. I highly recommend it, and I give it my 'Pick Me' rating.

You should preorder before you forget. ( )