False Memory

August 1, 2012
Teens with mysterious abilities and the possibly sinister people who seek to control them are the ingredients for this end-of-summer thriller. For 17-year-old Miranda North, waking up in Cleveland with the memory of nothing beyond her name and age is a bit disconcerting. But when she makes a crowded mall panic with nothing more than the power of her mind, she's left wondering exactly what she is. Peter, immune to her psychic ability, offers his help, both in understanding who she is and what she can do. Back at a secret bunker, Miranda learns that there are others with special abilities, but an attack on the base forces Miranda to confront the Beta team, a city in chaos and the unknown people who created her. Miranda and her fellow Roses are a rather generic mash-up of common superheroes: not space aliens, but orphans with strange powers and questions about their origins. The action is non-stop, and Miranda is a refreshingly kick-ass heroine, with a focus on accomplishing her mission instead of snagging a man. Fans of Joss Whedon's Dollhouse series will find many elements quite familiar, but Krokos adds twists to make it his own. Nothing new here, but readers more interested in plot than depth will find it an appealing segue from summer into school. (Action. 10-14)

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October 1, 2012

Gr 9 Up-"I don't know who I am, but I might be a badass." So says Miranda North when she wakes up on a park bench with no memory of who she is or where she came from. When she visits a mall, people react to her with stark fear, and in their haste to get away, they end up killing themselves. Peter explains that she is a Rose, a genetically enhanced human with super-soldier abilities and the power to inflict psychic fear on people. The purpose behind the Roses is to wield a new weapon in war, one that attains peace through chaos. Meanwhile, the creators of the Roses have a nefarious plan in mind; they want to release the Roses on Cleveland to see how much havoc can be wreaked. Peter is abducted by members of the Beta team-all clones of Miranda and her friends-and a rogue Rose named Rhys has plenty of unpleasant secrets up his sleeve. A love triangle adds to Miranda's confusion in this fast-paced sci-fi adventure. After a clunky beginning, the story picks up, and the stakes are heightened with the appearance of the cloned Beta team. A plot twist two-thirds of the way in, however, throws readers off and makes for a bit of confusion. Miranda is somewhat of an ambivalent character who handles her memory loss with remarkable acceptance. For fans of surface-level fast-paced stories.-Jamie Kallio, Orland Park Public Library, IL

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2012
Grades 8-11 Having recently woken up with few memories of her past, 17-year-old Miranda North quickly learns that she and three other teens (Peter, Noah, and Olive) have been genetically engineered to emit brain waves powerful enough to elicit mass hysteria and death. A significant side effect: memory loss. The antidote: a daily shot. As the teens discover that a buyer wants to test their abilities as a weapon, they flee their compound and seek out a rogue warrior who may know more about their condition. Their efforts are made even more challenging by the difficulty of finding their daily shots and battling an upgraded, emotionless beta team of their cloned selves. Torn between new feelings for Peter and a forgotten relationship with Noah, Miranda must also deal with phantom memories that creep in from her past selfbut which self? While keeping up with the characters' various versions and memories can be difficult, it's also part of the fun in this fast-paced series opener. Dramatic twists and turns add to this memorable thriller.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)