As I Wake by Elizabeth Scott
"Ava is welcomed home from the hospital by a doting mother, lively friends, and a crush finally beginning to show interest. There's only one problem: Ava can't remember any of them - and can't shake the eerie feeling that she's not who they say she is.
Ava struggles to break through her amnesiac haze as she goes through the motions of high-school life, but the memories that surface take place in a very different world, where Ava and familiar-faced friends are under constant scrutiny and no one can be trusted. Ava doesn't know what to make of these visions, or of the boy who is at the center of them all, until he reappears in her life and offers answers . . . but only in exchange for her trust."- summary from Amazon
I really admire Elizabeth Scott for always seeming to branch out into new genres with almost every one of her books. With this one, she takes on the world of dystopia with a tiny bit of magic thrown in as part of the big reveal. It's a very compelling book and I flew through it pretty quickly. I really wanted to know what happened to Ava and what was going on with that other world.
Characterization is a bit on the low side what with two worlds full of the same people, but slightly different personalities so it was hard to really identify with anyone. For me, this book is mainly about the crazy-ass plot which ended confusingly for me. I was reading the last chapter and had absolutely no idea what had happened. And then there was a question left unanswered about Ethan, which made me a bit upset. I was just confused.
So overall, while it is a compelling book, the ending left much to be desired from me. I love Elizabeth Scott and her books, but this one just baffled me when I finished. Maybe I'm just stupid for not getting the ending (highly true) so perhaps you guys will do better. If anyone else has read this and wants to discuss the ending (i.e. explain it to me), please email me!
FTC: Received ARC from publisher. Link above is an Amazon Associate link; any profit goes toward funding contests.
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Is it part of a series? I've noticed a growing tendency for authors to have muddled Book 1 endings. It sometimes justifies the obligatory Book 2/Book 3.
ReplyDeleteI'm fairly sure this is a standalone. Elizabeth Scott hasn't done any series before, so I don't know why she would start now. Plus, I don't see where the story could go next. It definitely ends, you know, but it's just confusing, lol.
ReplyDeleteI still need to read an Elizabeth Scott book, but I guess I won't start with this one.
ReplyDeleteI'm really looking forward to reading this one. Sad to hear it's confusing! Maybe I'll wait a while before buying this to read a few more reviews. Thanks for yours!
ReplyDeleteMy best guess is that Clementine not only removed Ava from her old world into a new one, but messed with time in doing so. Maybe that's why she took away Jane's memory of how her daughter died, because it would be in the future. But that theory has one glaring loophole and that would be, where did the other Ava go so that there would be room for the new Ava? Did Clementine off her? The only reason I thought of this was when she mentioned that she thought her grandson would be stupid enough to try and mess with time if she killed Ava in her old world. Gaah! I also do not understand the ending, the moments leading up to it made me extremely upset.
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