Review: Glimmer by Phoebe Kitanidis
Author: Phoebe Kitanidis
Series: None
Publisher: Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers
Publication Date: April 17, 2012
Pages: 344
Format/Source: ARC/Won from Jen @ YA Romantics
Age Group/Genre: Young Adult/Fantasy, Paranormal
What if you forgot your identity and had to rely on other people to tell you who you were?
And what if to discover your true self, you first had to unravel a mystery so big and terrifying you were not sure you’d survive solving it?
When Marshall and Elyse wake up in each other’s arms with zero memory of how they got there or who they are, it’s the start of a long journey through their separate pasts and shared future.
Terrified by their amnesia, the two make a pact to work together to find the answers that could jog their missing memories. As they piece together clues, they discover they’re in the idyllic mountain resort town of Summer Falls, where everyone seems mysteriously happy, 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 shame in Elyse’s family, not even the day-to-day anguish of high school.
Lonely in this world of happy zombies, Marsh and Elyse fall into an intense relationship…but the secrets they uncover could be the death of this growing love—and the death of everyone, and everything, they love in Summer Falls. (From Goodreads)
My Kind of Book…
I put this book on my Goodreads TBR list in August of 2011, and I was ecstatic to win an ARC from Jen @ YA Romantics (thanks again, Jen!). This book just sounded like it was right up my alley. Mysterious amnesia? Yes! Crazy town where nothing seems normal? Yes, please! Sinister ghosts? Well, not so much my thing, but bring it on!
This book reminded me of so many of the books and movies and TV shows that I love. It had a kind of The Maze Runner-feel to it at the beginning, and then it reminded me of the cancelled-too-early TV show, FlashForward. Then, the creepy town itself brought to mind The Village and The Lottery. All great things to resemble, in my opinion! And then it reminded me of Memento, and let me tell you, that secured this book with a 5 star rating from me! Plus, Kitanidis gets bonus points for a Harry Potter reference.
Full of Good-ness…
There was a lot of action in this book, which I am a big fan of. Fill your book with suspense and action and twists and I’ll eat it up. And even though I knew about the whole ghost thing, when they figured it out, I got chills. Total chills. And there were some nice humorous moments as well. For example, one of my favorite lines in the book comes after Elyse has just had a dream: “That dream was so shallow and stupid, I actually feel like booing my subconscious.”* Love the sarcasm!
I liked the fact that, even though Marshall and Elyse wake up with amnesia and really have no clue who they are, you still get a sense of their personalities, and they end up being pretty complex characters who have a lot more to them than just being a mystery-solving duo. Plus they spend a lot of time doubting themselves and worrying that they might not be very nice people. It was really quite interesting to read.
My rating for Glimmer by Phoebe Kitanidis:
Five big stars. I could totally see this book being turned into a movie or a TV show, and I’ll definitely be picking up Kitandis’s other books. I’d highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys paranormal stories, especially those who like any of the books, movies, and TV shows I mentioned above.
*This quote is from the ARC. I was not able to find a finalized copy to check it against, so this quote might be different in the finalized copy.
Related Posts
Kimberly @ On the Wings of Books
April 24, 2012 at 11:22 amGlimmer sounds good and Kate really liked it too and she made it sound really good so I was thinking about checking it out (in ebook format because the cover creeps me out) but then I read your synopsis (I totally skipped in on Kate's blog) and there are zombies? Now I'm not so sure I want to read it. But I'm really glad you liked it!
Andrea @ The Overstuffed Bookcase
April 25, 2012 at 3:25 amNope, no zombies, just people who are kind of walking around in a fog because they've lost their memories. You should totally read it!
Kimberly @ On the Wings of Books
April 25, 2012 at 1:24 pmI am so going to read it! Phoebe Kitanidis tweeted me yesterday and I was so flipping excited about it that I purchased the ebook as soon as I got home.
Andrea @ The Overstuffed Bookcase
April 25, 2012 at 9:55 pmThat's awesome! I love when authors get involved with readers!
Kate@Midnight Book Girl
April 24, 2012 at 12:09 pmThere are no zombies, Kim! It's just that people act all Stepford and mindless like. Trust us, it's good.
Great review, Andrea! There were so many funny moments, especially with Elyse discovering her memories. But I just thought it was a pretty unique read.
Andrea @ The Overstuffed Bookcase
April 25, 2012 at 3:25 amThanks! Yeah, it was really unique! Glad you enjoyed it too!
Andrea @ Cozy Up
April 24, 2012 at 4:54 pmGreat review, I love the idea that everyone is all Stepford wife in the book acting all happy. I definitely want to check this one out, it sounds really unique and the humour sounds just up my alley, I love sarcasm from characters in books.
Andrea @ The Overstuffed Bookcase
April 25, 2012 at 4:02 amYeah, it was really good! I'll be interested to see what you think!
fakesteph
April 24, 2012 at 7:14 pmI want to read this one. I'm so glad you liked it. It definitely sounds like my kind of book. I've wanted to read it since I read the first review of it. I love that they are more than just a mystery-solving duo. I love a good mystery, but characters are what is important to me.
Andrea @ The Overstuffed Bookcase
April 25, 2012 at 4:03 amYeah, I really enjoyed the characters. I mean, it was hard to really get a sense of who they were because they didn't even know themselves, but you still kind of figured out who they were by their actions. I'll look forward to hearing what you think of it!
Bittner
April 25, 2012 at 7:15 pmI'm glad you liked the book so much. It does sound like your kind of read! The characters do sound interesting so I could see where I might like the book but I will probably hold off reading it for a bit.
Andrea @ The Overstuffed Bookcase
April 25, 2012 at 9:56 pmYep, totally right up my alley! I'd be interested to see what you think of it!
Bengal Reads
April 25, 2012 at 8:25 pmGlimmer sounds really really good, your review has made me very curious to read it!!! The characters sound fabulous and I love to solve a mystery :D Thanks for sharing your review!
Andrea @ The Overstuffed Bookcase
April 25, 2012 at 9:57 pmThanks! Yeah, you should read it! I'll be interested to see what you think!
Sally@Always Lost in Stories
April 26, 2012 at 7:46 pmI want to read this book so badly, it sounds amazing! I had ordered it online but they cancelled it because it was out of stock :(
Great review!
Andrea @ The Overstuffed Bookcase
April 26, 2012 at 8:26 pmThanks! Yeah, it's really good. Hopefully you'll be able to find a copy soon!
LHughes
May 15, 2012 at 2:49 amAwesome! I'll definitely check this one out! The cover didn't really grab me, so I'm glad I read your review because I wouldn't want to miss out on something great :)
Lauren @ Hughes Reviews
Andrea @ The Overstuffed Bookcase
May 16, 2012 at 7:10 pmIt's so funny how different people have different reactions to the same cover. For me, I was kind of like you, like, "Meh, it's an okay cover." But I was drawn in by the synopsis. But then I have seen how some people think it's the most awesome cover ever. And then I know that my blogger friend Kim is creeped out by the cover! It's so cool how we can all have such different reactions, and how our reactions can totally shape our thoughts about the book. I hope you give it a try – I really enjoyed it even though I wasn't wowed by the cover, either!