False Memory (False Memory #1)

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Author(s)

Dan Krokos

Publisher

Hyperion

Genre(s)

Science Fiction

Age Range

12+

Release Date

August 14, 2012

ISBN

9781423149767

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Miranda wakes up alone on a park bench with no memory. In her panic, she releases a mysterious energy that incites pure terror in everyone around her. Except Peter, a boy who isn’t at all surprised by Miranda’s shocking ability. Left with no choice but to trust this stranger, Miranda discovers she was trained to be a weapon and is part of an elite force of genetically-altered teens who possess flawless combat skills and powers strong enough to destroy a city. But adjusting to her old life isn’t easy—especially with Noah, the boyfriend she can't remember loving. Then Miranda uncovers a dark truth that sets her team on the run. Suddenly her past doesn’t seem to matter...when there may not be a future. Dan Krokos' debut is a tour-de-force of non-stop action that will leave readers begging for the next book in this bold and powerful new series.

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4 reviews

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5.0

Plot

5.0(2)

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5.0(2)

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5.0(2)

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One of the Best Books of the Year

July 21, 2012 (Updated: July 22, 2012)

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5.0

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False Memory, how do I even begin to explain this one? It was fast paced, action packed, and was host to an awesome cast of characters. To get to the point, False Memory was one of the best books I have ever read.

Science fiction is a very downplayed genre in YA I feel like, but it is one of my favorite genres. So when I learned False Memory was sci-fi-, I was already excited. Only to get MORE excited over the wicked sounding premise. False Memory was one of the coolest, twistiest, mindblowing science fiction ever.

I read False Memory by Dan Krokos in a period of about two and a half hours. I was simply glued to my chair. And mind you, this was in a pre-finals period of insane amount of homework. The story Dan Krokos tells was so intriguing. I just loved the world building and discovering what everyone’s plans were. I could never quite peg how the story would go, with all the twists and turns Dan Krokos throws at readings.

It was probably really comical watching me read the last 40 pages or so. They were so intense! I was literally on the edge of my chair the entire time, trying not to yell really loud every time I was worried something bad was going to happen since I was reading at work. It builds up to a really satisfying ending which ties up the story from book 1, and opened up a ton of questions for book 2.

I want to be Miranda North. She was such a badass heroine, and I loved her. I also super loved both the main guys in False Memory – Peter and Noah.They were so different from one another, but I still loved them both. Noah was quite snarky and hot. And Peter was also uber hot and sincere and sweet. All the other characters brought such a mix to False Memory as well, and I always loved seeing when another character would pop up.

False Memory is a simply brilliant debut from Dan Krokos, and I have already begun counting down until book 2 releases. If you don’t read this book, you are an idiot. Everyone needs to read this one, as it was an all around awesome kind of read. This is definitely one of the best books of the year.

Erica Top 50 Reviewer 192 reviews

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False Memory is a Sci-Fi adrenaline rush that I could NOT put down!

April 04, 2012 (Updated: July 19, 2012)

Overall rating

5.0

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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 rule 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 be 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!

Good Points

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)

Jen Top 10 Reviewer 415 reviews

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5 reviews

Overall rating

3.9

Plot

4.2(5)

Characters

3.6(5)

Writing Style

3.8(5)

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A Thrill Ride xx

January 05, 2014

Overall rating

4.0

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This book had me reading a mile a minute. It is so face paced I finished it in one sitting. The action is exciting and well written so it's easy to follow and picture the scenes in your head. I really enjoyed this book, however:

Because it is so face paced it doesn't take enough time to slow down and get personal. The main character, Miranda, whose POV the story it told from, is great. She's smart and brave and truly a kick-ass heroine. Her character is the sole reason this book is so readable. You want to follow her.

...and then there are the other characters. Or, lack of character, characters. Hardly any of the other characters in the book are developed enough to truly care about them. Any feelings I had towards them were because of how they affected Miranda, not because I had any feelings for the characters themselves. They are so paper thin that anything could have happened to any of them and I would not have cared. Slowly, by the end, they start to grow but then the book is over, because it just does not stop moving. You would think that would be a good thing, and don't get me wrong it WAS thrilling to read, but it disappointed as a story I could emotional invest in. It is equivalent to a summer action movie, awesome to watch but doesn't really leave much to think about afterwards.

The story itself has a very cool concept with twists and turns you couldn't see from a mile away. That's another reason it was so enthralling, you couldn't predict what would happen next. When what ever happened happens another twist would just blow it away leaving you with your mouth open and turning to the next page. The author did a great job of making the book constantly readable even though it was so shallow. Same as with the characters, because he doesn't slow down the story suffers from being superficial. The world itself has an outline but never really develops into a picture.

This book is good, but it could have been great. Miranda is a great character that forces you to follow her even though everything else is lacking. Everything about it has the potential to be great if only it were a little more developed. Hopefully the sequel that I have yet to read will change that and turn the story from a popcorn movie into an epic series that you don't want to put down just because it's exciting, but because you actually care and have an emotional investment in the story.

I would give this book only 3 stars each but because it has such potential and I know that there is a sequel I'm giving it the benefit of the doubt.

If you want a quick, fun read with an interesting story then I'd absolutely recommend this book. But if you want something to delve into with all your heart, skip it.

Right now I'm on the border of wanting to start a new series but still emotionally tramatized from Allegiant that I'm not looking for anything too serious at the moment. In that case, I'm going to pick up the sequel and happily chase Miranda even further as she rides on her motorcycle, wherever it ends up going.

Elena Luxx 1 reviews

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False Memory review

August 05, 2013

Overall rating

3.7

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en romantic. I couldn't get into the romance because it all felt too fake. I believe it was real for the guys, but it was almost like Miranda was just going with the flow. In the end, I like the guy she (kind of) chose, but more for myself than for her.

And while I did like the characters, I just didn't get attached enough feel more than a little sad at the deaths. Hopefully more time with them will help me care for them a bit more.

I really liked the overall story. It was a great blend of mystery, action, and surprising reveals. I didn't feel lost or bored at any point in the story. The flashbacks were done in a way that wasn't too convenient yet still important to the plot.

One of my favorite elements was the surprising twists. Just when I'd think I was getting a hang of things Krokos would throw in something new that both explained some things and left me with plenty of questions.

I'm hoping future books focus a little more on the "science" of it all because I love fictional science. And hey, if it's realistic science but you explain it in a way that sounds fantastic, I'm down with that too. It's kind of funny how much I love that element in a story considering Science was my least favorite subject in school...

The Nutshell: False Memory is a promising start to the series. There were some aspects that didn't work for me too well (the weird romance), but the story was engaging and fast-paced. I am hoping for a little more depth (characters, relationship, crazy science, etc.) with book two, but I'm definitely looking forward to reading it.

Jasmine Top 50 Reviewer 326 reviews

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What do you do if you can't remember anything?

December 16, 2012

Overall rating

4.3

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All throughout this book, I was thinking "What will happen next?!" First we need to find out who Miranda is, then we need to find out about her "family", then we need to find out..... yep, I will stop now.

It is really easy learning about Miranda, because we are discovering it with her, since she lost her memories. That made it much easier to find out things about her. The more we find out about Miranda's life, the more fascinating it all becomes. And then there are those little twists, that just throw everything you thought you knew off track, and keep you on your toes.

Miranda North has no idea who she is. She woke up on a random park bench, unsure who she was, why she was there, and what happened before that. She asks help from a cop, but when he starts getting snippy with her, she panics and the unthinkable happens. Suddenly the mall is filled with terrified people, even committing suicide, and Miranda has no idea what's going on. And in the middle of it all is a guy called Peter. He takes her in and Miranda learns that she was part of a group of four: her, Peter, Noah and Olive. They called themselves the Roses (umm... yeah... they need a better name). And then just as Miranda thinks she might be getting a hold on things, they are plunged into chaos. And Miranda also has to deal with a boyfriend she doesn't even remember...

Miranda was a great protagonist. She was independent, yet still femminine, she might have the capacity to wipe out a whole city, but she still had girl problems, and even though she had no idea what was happening around her, she didn't cry in a corner and wait for Prince Charming to come and save her, she faced the unknown with her head held high and learned to cope with it and make new memories instead of miss the old ones. Which is what I'd like to be like if I ever completely lost my memory.

From the start I knew Peter was going to be great. He was sweet, smart and compassionate, and just lend a hand to Miranda when she needed help. Although he was a great leader to their group, when it came to personal things he was kind of shy. I also liked Noah, even though he was sarcastic, and a bit arrogant. Noah was Miranda's boyfriend before she lost her memory. It was obvious how much he worried about Miranda and how upset he was that she couldn't remember him, even though it was his fault in the first place. I also like Olive, who seemed to be just like Miranda.

Arg! Love triangles are so difficult! It's really hard to decide between Noah or Peter. Both guys have their own reasons for being with Miranda, and they are both great in different ways (at least it's not like those love triangles where with one guy you're just like "ewww... don't you dare choose him!") Actually, scratch that, I've decided. I want her to be with Peter. It seems that Noah is really just grasping at the past, and not really seeing what the new Miranda is like.

I liked all the twists of the plot. They were unanticipated, for me, which was great. There was also a balanced mix between action, suspense and romance.

Krokos nailed the female voice on this one. Sometimes male authors don't quite get the narrating female voice right, which is really annoying. But with Krokos, it's like it was written by a female, Miranda's voice is so genuine.

This book is really great and I would recommend it to anyone who likes a fast paced interesting novel. I can't wait for False Sight!!!

Good Points

- Good twists for the plot
- Balanced mix between action, suspense and romance
- Well defined characters that each have their pros and cons
- Authentic female voice

Louisa Top 50 Reviewer 119 reviews

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An Fast, Action-Packed Story

October 04, 2012 (Updated: October 04, 2012)

Overall rating

3.3

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I wanted to read False Memory because Dan Krokos was going to be at the Austin Teen Book Festival and I wanted to be familiar with as many of the authors as possible (and also my sister had an ARC). What I was not expecting is that I would sit down and read this entire book without stopping!

Right off the bat, I was pulled into Miranda’s situation, wondering what the heck was happening right along with her. I loved it because she and I were learning about her together, and I think it did well to really suck me in. It also helped that she was apparently a very interesting person living an exceptional life.

Miranda quickly met up with her family and things started to get crazy. I seriously don’t want to give any spoilers beyond this point, because the synopsis is so perfectly intriguing as it is. The secondary characters were interesting, diverse, and despite Miranda’s lack of memory, each one of them grew on her (and subsequently on me) as time went on. I was impressed by Krokos’s ability to foster these relationships, explore a range of personal questions, and put Miranda to the test, all while keeping the story moving at a quick pace.

Sometimes when you read a book in one sitting, it’s over before you really had a chance to digest it fully. The thing that sticks with me from False Memory is how much it explores existential issues. Who do you trust when you don’t remember anything? Where do you go when you don’t know who you are? How do you know if your memories are real? How do you know what your own convictions are? What do you do when things aren’t how they seem? How hard will you fight to preserve your self? How well do you even know yourself? Is what you know about yourself even true?

I enjoyed reading False Memory, and I look forward to its sequel, False Sight. I’d recommend it to anyone looking for an interesting, quick read.

Good Points

Fast-paced, lots of cool sci-fi inventions, unique premise, raises many questions

Kelley Top 500 Reviewer

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Wonderful Fight Scenes and a Love Triangle That Works

August 28, 2012

Overall rating

4.0

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As is often the case, I had no clue whatsoever what False Memory was actually about when I started. Other than possibly, if the tag line was any indication, Mufasa.

My only real expectation was lots of action, because of the male author. Honestly, I probably didn't expect there to be much more than that, but, actually False Memory deals with identity, individuality and how our memories affect our personalities. Krokos' new series brims over with action scenes, badass characters and clever world building.

For the first few chapters of False Memory, I was pretty bored. Miranda's in this mall without a memory, and weird things are happening. Enter mysterious hottie to say enigmatic things and tell her to follow him. Sigh, I thought, another one of these?, but, thankfully, Miranda, despite her initial behavior, is NOT the kind of girl to take someone else's word just because they say so. If you struggle with the opening section, do push on, because once some of the questions were answered, I got all kinds of sucked into this book.

Miranda learns that she is a member of a group of four teens, The Roses, imbued with mind control powers. Two of the others escaped at the same time as she disappeared, memory gone. The team leader, Peter, found her and brought her back to their home. The Doctor in charge sends them to find the other two. When they do, they discover that their might be more to their powers (they can make people feel fear with their brains) than they ever expected. The world building was so cool, and I really hope to learn more about the scope of their power in the next book. Also, I would like to know why their power smells like roses...

There seems to be a new trend in dystopian fiction: male authors writing powerful heroines. I am seriously loving this; False Memory is at least the fifth book that fits that description I've read so far this month. Miranda really appealed to me. I love the logical way she focuses on what's important and practical, rather than letting the eerieness of her situation keep her from doing anything. Plus, she has crazy awesome fighting skills.

Oh yeah, those of you who love action scenes in your books will definitely want be all over False Memory. It is readily apparent that Krokos loves him some fight scenes. Honestly, I'm not that huge of a fight scene person, but his were really well done. I pretty much always had a very clear image in my head of what was going on at any given time, though not so detailed as to bore me. He kept up a quick pace throughout.

Love triangles are totally played out and awful, right? Well, not really, no. They can be THE WORST, when done incorrectly, but the reason people keep writing them is that they can be realistic and powerful. Krokos' love triangle (errr...square? pentagon? hexagon?...I can't keep track by the end) totally worked for me. Miranda, before her memory loss episode, was dating Noah, but, now, she feels much more pull towards Peter. Olive, the fourth member of the group also has a really obvious (to me from the first scene she was in) crush on Noah. What made the hackneyed and predictable relationships more interesting was the fact that Miranda was new. She was in a love triangle without any intention to be. As she is now, she would choose Peter without any difficulty, but flashes of memory and the knowledge of the others push her towards Noah. Without her memories, is she the same person? Will she recall everything and fall for Noah again? These dynamics kept me rapt.

After a skeptical start, Dan Krokos held me in his thrall. False Memory is a fast-moving book that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Also, if you like twists, get excited.