What do you think?
Rate this book
The Demons Age #7
Anterograde
Can love subsist without memories of itself? When Calden wakes up – every time he wakes up – the last thing he can recall is a debilitating headache that even his extensive medical background failed to identify as anything more serious than a regular headache. He also remembers his decision to tell his best friend Eli about his long-standing feelings for him… despite the fact that Eli is married. He remembers June second. But it is not June second anymore. The tattoos on his arm and chest prove it. They also tell him why he doesn’t remember anything past June second. But they’re only the beginning of an explanation. Knowing he has a rare type of amnesia and can’t form new memories is something he can understand; on the other hand, wrapping his mind around the fact that Eli shares his bed never fails to leave him in awe. When Calden wakes up – every time he wakes up – he gets to discover Eli is in love with him for the first time all over again. But how long can this relationship last when Eli is the only one who remembers every step of it? _____________ Please note - while both protagonists of this novel are human, the broader world in which they exist includes paranormal elements such as vampires and demons, which are alluded to during the story. _____________ The Demons Age - Fangs & Lullabies (Lullabies series) - Demons & Lullabies (Lullabies series) - One Last Lullaby (Lullabies series) - No Crayons On The Front Line - Anterograde - His Sire's New Pet (His Dominant Sire series) - His Sire's New Game (His Dominant Sire series) - His Sire's New Rules (His Dominant Sire series) - Aria & Will - Blurred Nights (Blurred Trilogy series) - Blurred Bloodlines (Blurred Trilogy series) - Blurred Memories (Blurred Trilogy series)
200 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 28, 2014
15 people are currently reading
186 people want to read
About the author
Kallysten
134 books432 followersKallysten is a writer of romance novels and short stories, most of them with paranormal elements.
Her first eBooks were published by Linden Bay Romance in 2005. The defunct Venus Press subsequently published a few of her short stories. Because so many of her stories are linked as series and part of the same universe, she decided it would make sense to have them all in the same place, which is why she self-published, first with the co-op Alinar Publishing and now on her own. When she sees calls for submissions that speak to her muse, she sometimes tries for them, and was published this way by Samhain and Torquere.
Her first eBooks were published by Linden Bay Romance in 2005. The defunct Venus Press subsequently published a few of her short stories. Because so many of her stories are linked as series and part of the same universe, she decided it would make sense to have them all in the same place, which is why she self-published, first with the co-op Alinar Publishing and now on her own. When she sees calls for submissions that speak to her muse, she sometimes tries for them, and was published this way by Samhain and Torquere.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
March 13, 2017
*3.5 stars*
Anterograde is an interesting, well written book about an aloof, talented surgeon with anterograde amnesia and his relationship with longtime friend-turned-lover.
Kallysten is a new to me author, but I was so impressed by her writing skills that she will be on my radar in the future. The book is told in a non-linear fashion, but you also have the choice to read it chronologically. I chose to read it as the author presented it, and I have to say, I sort of regret that. I found the jumps in time to be pretty confusing, and I kept flipping back through my Kindle to check and compare dates. Part of the confusion is that the story has a pretty narrow focus so not many events transpire. That makes the days sort of blur together, in a way.
This book strongly reminded me of the movie Momento, which is discussed in the book, though not by name. It also reminded me of 50 First Dates, which I adore. It also reminded me a lot of The River Leith. I enjoy amnesia books- what?? I mean, it's a classic romance trope, but it just works for me. I liked how Calden and Eli had to win each other's trust time and time again, and their system of tattoos to remember important things. They were sweet together, though Calden is sort of dick.
I liked best that each time they knocked boots, it felt like the first time for Calden. The shyness was adorable, and it warmed me to him as a character.
What really bugged me, though, about the book was the lazy world-building. This book takes place in a dystopian future where demons (??) or something exist and the world is under attack, but that aspect of the book is really underdeveloped. We get nearly nothing in terms of world-building, which was very frustrating. Also, like I said, I found the format to be too jumpy for my taste and mildly confusing.
Overall, this was an interesting read in a trope that I will never get sick of. I think this was a great into to Kallysten, and I'm pretty pleased overall with the story. Nicely done.
**Copy provided in exchange for an honest review**
Anterograde is an interesting, well written book about an aloof, talented surgeon with anterograde amnesia and his relationship with longtime friend-turned-lover.
Kallysten is a new to me author, but I was so impressed by her writing skills that she will be on my radar in the future. The book is told in a non-linear fashion, but you also have the choice to read it chronologically. I chose to read it as the author presented it, and I have to say, I sort of regret that. I found the jumps in time to be pretty confusing, and I kept flipping back through my Kindle to check and compare dates. Part of the confusion is that the story has a pretty narrow focus so not many events transpire. That makes the days sort of blur together, in a way.
This book strongly reminded me of the movie Momento, which is discussed in the book, though not by name. It also reminded me of 50 First Dates, which I adore. It also reminded me a lot of The River Leith. I enjoy amnesia books- what?? I mean, it's a classic romance trope, but it just works for me. I liked how Calden and Eli had to win each other's trust time and time again, and their system of tattoos to remember important things. They were sweet together, though Calden is sort of dick.
I liked best that each time they knocked boots, it felt like the first time for Calden. The shyness was adorable, and it warmed me to him as a character.
What really bugged me, though, about the book was the lazy world-building. This book takes place in a dystopian future where demons (??) or something exist and the world is under attack, but that aspect of the book is really underdeveloped. We get nearly nothing in terms of world-building, which was very frustrating. Also, like I said, I found the format to be too jumpy for my taste and mildly confusing.
Overall, this was an interesting read in a trope that I will never get sick of. I think this was a great into to Kallysten, and I'm pretty pleased overall with the story. Nicely done.
**Copy provided in exchange for an honest review**
January 22, 2018
I genuinely enjoyed this story, which was originally released in mid-2014, but seemed to go largely unnoticed despite very good reviews and user ratings.
No, the story is not overly sexy or overtly affectionate, but the one thing sets this book apart from so many others is that it is extremely unique.
At 35, gruff, short-tempered and brilliant surgeon Calden Hayes developed an undiagnosed case of encephalitis, which wiped out his ability to retain new memories.
So every time that Calden went to sleep, his brain completely reset itself to the day that the encephalitis sent him into a coma. All memories after that date are simply gone.
Upon waking from the coma, Calden's best friend and fellow doctor, Eli Wright, was by his side and fully-committed to helping Calden live his life as fully as possible, which required that Eli move into Calden's home.
Calden began keeping a diary to help him acclimate more quickly each time that he awoke, followed by a series of tattoos, in his own handwriting to convince him that certain facts are true. Undeniable.
The main drama in the story, other than the obvious effects of Calden's amnesia, was the romance between Calden and Eli, which began after Calden's illness.
You'd think that a person's brain fully resetting every time they slept would prevent such a relationship entirely; however, Calden was in love with Eli before his illness, so those feelings experienced no such reset.
So confessions of feelings were divulged, and immediately reciprocated, which then led to more tattoos. I loved the use of the tattoos as both a reminder and an affirmation.
And as difficult and frustrating as the entire experience must have been for Eli, I was impressed by how his character coped with those feeling, always putting Calden first. Because, love.
The story was told from an alternating point of view, which I enjoyed, so we were in one MC or the other's head throughout the book, but, thankfully, the guys actually spoke their thoughts to one another, too. Characters who continually repress tend to make me nuts, so the open exchanges in the book were appreciated.
There were only two niggles that I had with the story:
First, the story takes place in a city under siege by demon attacks. Uh, huh? The talk of paranormal beings was fairly irrelevant to the story. After all, the reader never *sees* a demon on-page, not even once, in the entire story. I found that odd and the demon plotline unnecessary, for me at least.
Second and more importantly, the story takes place from June through November; however, the alternating POV chapters were told in opposing orders. Calden's experiences were told beginning to end, while Eli's were relayed from end to beginning.
It was bizarre and slightly confusing for me, but the reader was provided with links at the end of each chapter to allow the book to easily be read in *chronological* order, if so desired.
In retrospect, I probably would have read the book by order of date for a more straight-forward read. Yes, it sounds bizarre and it kind of was.
But the book was well-written, smart and often funny, greatly enhancing a truly unique story, so this one rates a solid 4 stars for this read for me.
-----------------------------------------------------------
My copy of the book was provided by the publisher in exchange for a fair, unbiased review.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Read
September 27, 2015My Dear Hubby has the rather endearing habit to borrow DVDs for movies he’s never heard of. Sometimes, we watch half of it, look at each other and give whatever it is a pass. And sometimes, we sit there until the end and still talk about whatever it was a week later.
An example of the latter case happened a few years ago when we watched Memento. As the story goes back and for the between past and present, we were very confused for a little while, but the story was enthralling and that one DVD was granted a second showing before it was returned. Memento is a good movie, though not perfect, and the treatment of the story and the plot itself work wonderfully together.
I forgot all about the topic of Memento – anterograde amnesia, which is the inability to form new, lasting memories so that the person afflicted forgets everything that happens after the accident or illness that causes the amnesia – until I saw another movie with the same theme, 50 First Dates. It couldn’t have been more different from Memento, but the question was the same: how does a person live a meaningful life when they’re stuck reliving the same day or having to relearn the same thing all over again?
I don’t know what made me think of these movies and amnesia recently, but once I had anterograde amnesia in mind, I could hardly think of anything else. In Memento, the hero lost his wife before the movie started and is motivated by his desire for revenge; in 50 First Dates, the heroine was single before she lost her memories and the plot revolves around the hero falling in love with her and trying to get her to return the feeling even though they’d never met before so she has to relearn who he is every time they meet.
What if, I wondered, the memory-impaired character was already in love when the amnesia appears, and ready to tell the person he loves about his feelings? What if his feeling were returned? What would it be like to discover, day after day, that your biggest hope came true and you are loved, even if you’re not quite sure how it happened?
And that’s how I started writing Anterograde. Remembering Memento’s scrambled timeline, I tried to do something similar with the two heroes’ points of view. Calden, whose memory is impaired, takes us backward into his story, all the way back to the illness that struck him, while Eli witnesses Calden’s illness, recovery and slow progress from the beginning onward. That’s where having this story has an ebook is so much fun: I’ve added links at the end of each chapter, so the reader can decide how they want to discover the story: in chronological order, from beginning to end, or back and forth, with small mysteries being explained progressively.
If you give this story a try, I’d love to know which way you read it, in the order it was presented or chronologically… or maybe once each way?
An example of the latter case happened a few years ago when we watched Memento. As the story goes back and for the between past and present, we were very confused for a little while, but the story was enthralling and that one DVD was granted a second showing before it was returned. Memento is a good movie, though not perfect, and the treatment of the story and the plot itself work wonderfully together.
I forgot all about the topic of Memento – anterograde amnesia, which is the inability to form new, lasting memories so that the person afflicted forgets everything that happens after the accident or illness that causes the amnesia – until I saw another movie with the same theme, 50 First Dates. It couldn’t have been more different from Memento, but the question was the same: how does a person live a meaningful life when they’re stuck reliving the same day or having to relearn the same thing all over again?
I don’t know what made me think of these movies and amnesia recently, but once I had anterograde amnesia in mind, I could hardly think of anything else. In Memento, the hero lost his wife before the movie started and is motivated by his desire for revenge; in 50 First Dates, the heroine was single before she lost her memories and the plot revolves around the hero falling in love with her and trying to get her to return the feeling even though they’d never met before so she has to relearn who he is every time they meet.
What if, I wondered, the memory-impaired character was already in love when the amnesia appears, and ready to tell the person he loves about his feelings? What if his feeling were returned? What would it be like to discover, day after day, that your biggest hope came true and you are loved, even if you’re not quite sure how it happened?
And that’s how I started writing Anterograde. Remembering Memento’s scrambled timeline, I tried to do something similar with the two heroes’ points of view. Calden, whose memory is impaired, takes us backward into his story, all the way back to the illness that struck him, while Eli witnesses Calden’s illness, recovery and slow progress from the beginning onward. That’s where having this story has an ebook is so much fun: I’ve added links at the end of each chapter, so the reader can decide how they want to discover the story: in chronological order, from beginning to end, or back and forth, with small mysteries being explained progressively.
If you give this story a try, I’d love to know which way you read it, in the order it was presented or chronologically… or maybe once each way?
March 5, 2015
****Reviewed for Prism Book Alliance****
4.75 Stars
This is a very unique book. Presented in alternating view-points of the main characters in opposite chronological order; Calden’s working from the last day to the first he actually remembers and Eli’s working from the beginning to the last day. You can also choose to read in typical chronological order but I feel you would miss out greatly on the layers of nuance presented in the way the story unfolds in this narration.
Calden is not always a pleasant man to be around, he is arrogant and demanding, but within the pages of the book you discover another side to him, one that Eli could love. Eli is a saint with more patience than anyone I know but I am still amazed at how he handles what life has thrown at him. Together they fit, and finding out how someone with no ability to learn is able to grow is fascinating.
The science fiction element of the story was very low, so if scifi isn’t your thing, don’t let that stop you from picking up this great read!
Just a note, if you pre-order, from the links below you can save a little bit!
4.75 Stars
This is a very unique book. Presented in alternating view-points of the main characters in opposite chronological order; Calden’s working from the last day to the first he actually remembers and Eli’s working from the beginning to the last day. You can also choose to read in typical chronological order but I feel you would miss out greatly on the layers of nuance presented in the way the story unfolds in this narration.
Calden is not always a pleasant man to be around, he is arrogant and demanding, but within the pages of the book you discover another side to him, one that Eli could love. Eli is a saint with more patience than anyone I know but I am still amazed at how he handles what life has thrown at him. Together they fit, and finding out how someone with no ability to learn is able to grow is fascinating.
The science fiction element of the story was very low, so if scifi isn’t your thing, don’t let that stop you from picking up this great read!
Just a note, if you pre-order, from the links below you can save a little bit!
July 20, 2020
I loved this book! I've read similar books in the past about amnesia, but the MCs were just so good together and I absolutely loved Eli that Ir's probably one of my favorites.
Originally when it first started moving around from past to present I thought it would get confusing, but it was done in a logical sense that worked well. It wasn't confusing and the flow of the story was never disrupted.
However, I do have one little issue.
Anyway, highly recommend this one! Especially for anyone who loves a good medical romance with one self-centered and one absolutely selfless MC.
*Edit: Just thought of this. The whole demon attacks and stuff seemed out of place they never really am mounted to anything. Wondered if maybe there was a book I missed or something?
I know now that this is part of a series I've never read...maybe I'll get to it someday and learn all about the demons.
Originally when it first started moving around from past to present I thought it would get confusing, but it was done in a logical sense that worked well. It wasn't confusing and the flow of the story was never disrupted.
However, I do have one little issue.
Anyway, highly recommend this one! Especially for anyone who loves a good medical romance with one self-centered and one absolutely selfless MC.
*Edit: Just thought of this. The whole demon attacks and stuff seemed out of place they never really am mounted to anything. Wondered if maybe there was a book I missed or something?
I know now that this is part of a series I've never read...maybe I'll get to it someday and learn all about the demons.
August 20, 2014
Oh Wow! Anterograde simple blew me away. I was initially drawn in by the blurb not realizing I should have paid more attention to the title. All the clue are right there...I just wasn't paying attention. Once I started reading the book I knew, I understood, and I had to grab a dictionary to see what I missed:
Anterograde amnesia is a loss of the ability to create new memories after the event that caused the amnesia, leading to a partial or complete inability to recall the recent past, while long-term memories from before the event remain intact.
YOWZA! It's 50 First Dates in book format without the comedy. Let me start with the characters. Calden is a arrogant butthead. Of course he is a brilliant surgeon which explains his arrogance. Nevertheless, to see such a proud, powerful character stumble along struggling in his new life is jaw dropping. I kept trying to put myself in his shoes and I just couldn't. As for Eli. That man is practically a SAINT! There were moments when I wondered WHY Eli would put up with Calden's shenanigans. But then it hit me...what a person will do for the one he loves. I think what makes this story so powerful and moving is how the book is presented with two different timelines. One for Calden which runs in reverse, one for Eli which runs forward. The author does provide the ability to read the book in a more chronological order however reading the book the way Kallysten has much more of a impact. The disorientation of reading this book as is gives much more meaning to what the characters had to go through in their day to day living. Finding out the best way for this to work watching both the forward as well as the reverse progression of how they learn to copy was very powerful to me to observe. There's so much more I would love to bring up but then it would spoil the story for others. So I will end my review here.
Kallysten is one of those author names I have seen out there but hadn't read yet. Oh boy was I glad I gave her a shot. Anterograde was simply amazing and little did I know it was part of The Demons Age series. That is probably the one thing that confused me thorough the whole book. No back story to the demon attacks. Now that I know this stand-alone that is part of a series I need to go back and start from the beginning. I'm hoping the rest of the series is just as good as Anterograde. By reading the blurbs to the other books, they don't seems to have that special twist that this books has but how could they when this is such a unique circumstance! If nothing else, Anterograde is definitely a book I would recommend.
I received this book from the JeepDiva for the express purposes of an honest review. The opinions and rating of this review are solely mine and in no way was I compensated.
Stars– 5, Flames – 3
Anterograde amnesia is a loss of the ability to create new memories after the event that caused the amnesia, leading to a partial or complete inability to recall the recent past, while long-term memories from before the event remain intact.
YOWZA! It's 50 First Dates in book format without the comedy. Let me start with the characters. Calden is a arrogant butthead. Of course he is a brilliant surgeon which explains his arrogance. Nevertheless, to see such a proud, powerful character stumble along struggling in his new life is jaw dropping. I kept trying to put myself in his shoes and I just couldn't. As for Eli. That man is practically a SAINT! There were moments when I wondered WHY Eli would put up with Calden's shenanigans. But then it hit me...what a person will do for the one he loves. I think what makes this story so powerful and moving is how the book is presented with two different timelines. One for Calden which runs in reverse, one for Eli which runs forward. The author does provide the ability to read the book in a more chronological order however reading the book the way Kallysten has much more of a impact. The disorientation of reading this book as is gives much more meaning to what the characters had to go through in their day to day living. Finding out the best way for this to work watching both the forward as well as the reverse progression of how they learn to copy was very powerful to me to observe. There's so much more I would love to bring up but then it would spoil the story for others. So I will end my review here.
Kallysten is one of those author names I have seen out there but hadn't read yet. Oh boy was I glad I gave her a shot. Anterograde was simply amazing and little did I know it was part of The Demons Age series. That is probably the one thing that confused me thorough the whole book. No back story to the demon attacks. Now that I know this stand-alone that is part of a series I need to go back and start from the beginning. I'm hoping the rest of the series is just as good as Anterograde. By reading the blurbs to the other books, they don't seems to have that special twist that this books has but how could they when this is such a unique circumstance! If nothing else, Anterograde is definitely a book I would recommend.
I received this book from the JeepDiva for the express purposes of an honest review. The opinions and rating of this review are solely mine and in no way was I compensated.
Stars– 5, Flames – 3
July 30, 2014
"Anterograde amnesia is a loss of the ability to create new memories after the event that caused the amnesia, leading to a partial or complete inability to recall the recent past, while long-term memories from before the event remain intact." -wikipedia
I’ve put off writing this review because I was quite sure how to do it. The books we love are always the hardest to review. Let’s start with this is a gay romance. Now I know a lot of people don’t care for that, but this story is about so much more. There are a few sex scenes that can easily be skipped if you prefer not to read that.
There are two things that make this story stick out from the romance crowd. It is hyper focused on the two men, their relationship and dealing with Calden’s medical condition. A few other characters float in and out but they are peripheral. There are mentions of a complicated history for these two but it doesn’t go into that. I think this story is set in her “The Demon’s Age” series world and people live in a post-apocalyptic world where demons are trying to destroy the human race.
The most interesting element of the book and what makes it so unique is the way it was written. The chapters alternate between Calden and Eli in first person POV, but the time line of the events aren’t the same. Eli’s side of the story starts in the past on June 2 into the present, Calden’s is told from the present back to the past when he got sick on June 2. It doesn’t seem like it would work but it does! There is the option to read both POVs on the same timeline, but you will lose some of the emotional and disconcerting impact of the story that gives the reader a better understanding of what the characters are dealing with.
These two characters touched me and they are beautifully written. Kallysten is a talented author.
5 “stepping stone” Sheep
http://www.ismellsheep.com/2014/07/bo...
I’ve put off writing this review because I was quite sure how to do it. The books we love are always the hardest to review. Let’s start with this is a gay romance. Now I know a lot of people don’t care for that, but this story is about so much more. There are a few sex scenes that can easily be skipped if you prefer not to read that.
There are two things that make this story stick out from the romance crowd. It is hyper focused on the two men, their relationship and dealing with Calden’s medical condition. A few other characters float in and out but they are peripheral. There are mentions of a complicated history for these two but it doesn’t go into that. I think this story is set in her “The Demon’s Age” series world and people live in a post-apocalyptic world where demons are trying to destroy the human race.
The most interesting element of the book and what makes it so unique is the way it was written. The chapters alternate between Calden and Eli in first person POV, but the time line of the events aren’t the same. Eli’s side of the story starts in the past on June 2 into the present, Calden’s is told from the present back to the past when he got sick on June 2. It doesn’t seem like it would work but it does! There is the option to read both POVs on the same timeline, but you will lose some of the emotional and disconcerting impact of the story that gives the reader a better understanding of what the characters are dealing with.
These two characters touched me and they are beautifully written. Kallysten is a talented author.
5 “stepping stone” Sheep
http://www.ismellsheep.com/2014/07/bo...
December 31, 2015
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley to review for honesty. This is my very first book I recieved from them and I am so excited because it was so smashing! This book is amazing! The flow, the transitions and the dialogue were all spot on. Just breathtaking the way they were all combined perfectly to create a symphony of feelings in me. The timeline was not written in chronological order but has the option to read it that way at the end of each chapter. I chose to read it as the author wrote it and I am glad I did. It had romance without having too much sex in it. It was full of intimacy and hope. I love when the theme is hope. The dialogue, my goodness, this dialogue! I may compare all other books to this one from now on.
It had some background tones of dystopian in it which helped to make his doctor status more believable. The memory process of Calden was highly detailed and gave insight into his brilliance as a doctor. Eli's compassion and patience was a treat for me to read. Its easy to think of how difficult it would be if you were the one with the anterograde amnesia, but my mind drifted to Eli's more often than not. I kept thinking how easy it would be for him to just walk away and not have to deal with all the same conversations repeated but he surprised me with his steadfastness. What a great love story! I may cry honestly.
It had some background tones of dystopian in it which helped to make his doctor status more believable. The memory process of Calden was highly detailed and gave insight into his brilliance as a doctor. Eli's compassion and patience was a treat for me to read. Its easy to think of how difficult it would be if you were the one with the anterograde amnesia, but my mind drifted to Eli's more often than not. I kept thinking how easy it would be for him to just walk away and not have to deal with all the same conversations repeated but he surprised me with his steadfastness. What a great love story! I may cry honestly.
April 19, 2022
When I first started this, and even now, I wished this book didn't contain any of these fantasy elements, all this talk of demons and walled cities. Things could have been explained fairly easily in other ways— maybe they could have been living during WW2, explaining why Calden is so needed to perform these surgeries. As someone who didn't read the rest of the series and read this as a standalone, this is my take.
This and I suppose the fact that , are really all my critiques with this book.
I usually hate books that don't progress's chronologically. But it just made sense here. Calden wakes up every morning in the same mindset, confused and feeling guilty that he missed his lunch with Eli. So even if for us as readers, time has passed, Calden is always back at square one, at a blank slate. With this progression in chapters we're able to see Caldens progress with his illness, followed by how he was able make that progress, and the chapters gave us little tidbits here and there with what was going on and the how's and why, instead just overloading the reader with all the information at the start of the book. I might go back and read the book in chronological order though, see how the experience differs.
I'll keep the rest of my thoughts to myself, I doubt they'll be any different to what other readers think, I'll just say Calden was sort of an insufferable bastard in this, and I loved him for it.
This and I suppose the fact that , are really all my critiques with this book.
I usually hate books that don't progress's chronologically. But it just made sense here. Calden wakes up every morning in the same mindset, confused and feeling guilty that he missed his lunch with Eli. So even if for us as readers, time has passed, Calden is always back at square one, at a blank slate. With this progression in chapters we're able to see Caldens progress with his illness, followed by how he was able make that progress, and the chapters gave us little tidbits here and there with what was going on and the how's and why, instead just overloading the reader with all the information at the start of the book. I might go back and read the book in chronological order though, see how the experience differs.
I'll keep the rest of my thoughts to myself, I doubt they'll be any different to what other readers think, I'll just say Calden was sort of an insufferable bastard in this, and I loved him for it.
i-own-you-so-wait-patiently
November 27, 2017Free on Amazon right now 11/27/2017
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LDW4CG2
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LDW4CG2
January 5, 2015
Most of the time I don't write a review when I rate a book with 4 or 5 stars because I don't have anything to criticize or very little which is not worth mentioning.
But in this case I just have to say how amazing this story is. The characters are not perfect, they have flaws, Calden can really be an arrogant ass but in the end you love them just the same because they seem real and you can feel with them.
When I watched "Memento" (the movie mentioned) for the first time I was very impressed because the reverse timeline gave a whole new experience in addition to the amnesia. It works in this book, too, although I have to admit that I got a little confused at times. The beautiful thing is...it doesn't really matter. If you are not sure if you are going forwards or backwards in the timeline or both, then you get a good impression of someone who always wakes in the past although he is already in the future. At least I felt that way and it made me understand Calden a bit better. Not that I could ever imagine how terrifying it must be to forget nearly everything every time you fall asleep. I'm really glad the author created a strong personality for Calden, someone who wouldn't give up and just tries to deal with it.
Although you might think it gets repetitive everytime Calden wakes...it doesn't. I couldn't wait to see what happens next (or before if you go backwards), how he copes with it, how Eli finds ways to help him. How they interacted with each other.
I loved the idea with the tattoos and the diary (okay, the idea is probably from the movie but I really like the new touch here, that they both get tattoos and they mean something). It's very sweet and meaningful in this context.
I can't really find anything to criticize but if I had to think really hard it would be 1) the longest time Calden was awake. I'm not sure that this is humanly possible, although if you google it there seems to be one guy who even did 11 days. Still, to go that long without anybody noticing it? I think that's a bit unlikely. But hey, if you are determined enough...2) I understand that the author created a world and wrote several (all?) stories set in this world. Anterograde seems to be one of them. Still, I thought the whole demon thing completely unnecessary because they had no real impact on the story. Even if you needed a town under siege it could have been humans attacking, a different nation or something like that. But demons? It gave a contemporary story an urban fantasy touch which it didn't need. It might have been different if other creatures were mentioned or played some role but it still seemed misplaced to set the book in this universe.
But because it had so little effect on the story I didn't mind in the end.
I read the book out of order (how it is supposed to read) but I think I'll try the chronological way next time, too, just to see if it makes a difference in how I experience the story.
Very glad I found this gem ^.^
But in this case I just have to say how amazing this story is. The characters are not perfect, they have flaws, Calden can really be an arrogant ass but in the end you love them just the same because they seem real and you can feel with them.
When I watched "Memento" (the movie mentioned) for the first time I was very impressed because the reverse timeline gave a whole new experience in addition to the amnesia. It works in this book, too, although I have to admit that I got a little confused at times. The beautiful thing is...it doesn't really matter. If you are not sure if you are going forwards or backwards in the timeline or both, then you get a good impression of someone who always wakes in the past although he is already in the future. At least I felt that way and it made me understand Calden a bit better. Not that I could ever imagine how terrifying it must be to forget nearly everything every time you fall asleep. I'm really glad the author created a strong personality for Calden, someone who wouldn't give up and just tries to deal with it.
Although you might think it gets repetitive everytime Calden wakes...it doesn't. I couldn't wait to see what happens next (or before if you go backwards), how he copes with it, how Eli finds ways to help him. How they interacted with each other.
I loved the idea with the tattoos and the diary (okay, the idea is probably from the movie but I really like the new touch here, that they both get tattoos and they mean something). It's very sweet and meaningful in this context.
I can't really find anything to criticize but if I had to think really hard it would be 1) the longest time Calden was awake. I'm not sure that this is humanly possible, although if you google it there seems to be one guy who even did 11 days. Still, to go that long without anybody noticing it? I think that's a bit unlikely. But hey, if you are determined enough...2) I understand that the author created a world and wrote several (all?) stories set in this world. Anterograde seems to be one of them. Still, I thought the whole demon thing completely unnecessary because they had no real impact on the story. Even if you needed a town under siege it could have been humans attacking, a different nation or something like that. But demons? It gave a contemporary story an urban fantasy touch which it didn't need. It might have been different if other creatures were mentioned or played some role but it still seemed misplaced to set the book in this universe.
But because it had so little effect on the story I didn't mind in the end.
I read the book out of order (how it is supposed to read) but I think I'll try the chronological way next time, too, just to see if it makes a difference in how I experience the story.
Very glad I found this gem ^.^
May 19, 2015
This book was very good. If you have ever seen the movie Memento or 50 first dates and liked it, you will definitely like this book. An arrogant surgeon suffers from anterograde amnesia. He can remember everything up to June 2nd, after that...not so much. Every time he sleeps his brain resets to June 2nd. Fortunately he has a great friend who helps him. Eli is just fantastic. Like the movie Memento the story jumps from date to date, anywhere between June and November. I was never lost. A credit to the author for that, although it is possible to read the story in chronological order. The connection between the characters was very believable. Even though Eli had to tell their story (friends to lovers) every three/four days (depending how long Calden could go without sleep), I really had the feeling Eli didn't mind. He is very devoted to Calden, while for him everything about their relationship is always new. I just wish it had a little more steam. The sex was short and not very descriptive.
In case you were wondering about the sci-fi shelving: the world suffers from demon attacks. Eli & Calden live in a city constantly under attack. There are many casualties. There is a short supply of medical staff, so Calden gets to keep operating in the OR, despite his condition. The sci-fi part of the story is very much in the back round of the story. If you don't like sci-fi you will hardly be bothered.
In case you were wondering about the sci-fi shelving: the world suffers from demon attacks. Eli & Calden live in a city constantly under attack. There are many casualties. There is a short supply of medical staff, so Calden gets to keep operating in the OR, despite his condition. The sci-fi part of the story is very much in the back round of the story. If you don't like sci-fi you will hardly be bothered.
January 19, 2016
This book was fantastic.
I have not seen the movie"Memento", but I do remember the commercials for it. I kept thinking of the movie "50 first dates" without the laughs. Which, I don't think someone suffering from this type of memory loss would find it funny either.
Eli was a saint. Full of patience. Of course it was hard on him, but he never considered leaving...even as a threat.
I liked that Calden's and his mother relationship didn't change, yet she still stayed very involved, and loved her son. I think there were moments that you could see that Calden loved his mother too.
Just great story telling. The only complaint I have....why the hell are there DEMONS? WTF, it made no sense. But I guess this story is supposed to fit into a "world" that has already been created in previous books, that I haven't read...so I'll dismiss that complaint. Because really, even though when the demon attacks are mentioned, I'd always stop and say WTF? it didn't take away from the story at all.
If you are looking for something different. Give it a try. Don't worry about the demons, they are barely a bleep on the radar.
I have not seen the movie"Memento", but I do remember the commercials for it. I kept thinking of the movie "50 first dates" without the laughs. Which, I don't think someone suffering from this type of memory loss would find it funny either.
Eli was a saint. Full of patience. Of course it was hard on him, but he never considered leaving...even as a threat.
I liked that Calden's and his mother relationship didn't change, yet she still stayed very involved, and loved her son. I think there were moments that you could see that Calden loved his mother too.
Just great story telling. The only complaint I have....why the hell are there DEMONS? WTF, it made no sense. But I guess this story is supposed to fit into a "world" that has already been created in previous books, that I haven't read...so I'll dismiss that complaint. Because really, even though when the demon attacks are mentioned, I'd always stop and say WTF? it didn't take away from the story at all.
If you are looking for something different. Give it a try. Don't worry about the demons, they are barely a bleep on the radar.
October 2, 2015
I was lucky enough to receive a copy of Anterograde by Kallysten in exchange for an honest review. This book is pure poetry especially if you choose to read it in the order in which the author intended. This is a beautiful book that lies somewhere between Sherlock Holmes and 50 first dates. A contemporary romance filled with such an intense love that transcends the pages of the book and had me staying up all night unable to put this book down.
This isn't your every day romance book as the main Calden is suffering from a medical condition called Anterograde which effectively means every time he goes to sleep he forgets everything that has happened that day. However, Calden has been in love with Eli for years before this condition begins so every morning he is the first person he thinks of. Eli is also a very loveable character as when Calden becomes ill he never even hesitates before dropping everything and devotes his life to taking care of Calden. These two characters are so realistic that at times my heart broke for the unfair situation they found themselves in and with no cure for Calden's condition.
I would recommend this book to anyone in search of a good love story.
This isn't your every day romance book as the main Calden is suffering from a medical condition called Anterograde which effectively means every time he goes to sleep he forgets everything that has happened that day. However, Calden has been in love with Eli for years before this condition begins so every morning he is the first person he thinks of. Eli is also a very loveable character as when Calden becomes ill he never even hesitates before dropping everything and devotes his life to taking care of Calden. These two characters are so realistic that at times my heart broke for the unfair situation they found themselves in and with no cure for Calden's condition.
I would recommend this book to anyone in search of a good love story.
June 8, 2018
interesting structure - READ the ‘Read This First’ before reading. Beautiful story
Well written, fascinating, informative, delightful, moving story of two Drs whose lives are transformed by the remaining effects of a brain illness. The love shines through
Beautifully written, not quite enough links into the The Demons Age and what’s going on there - could be any war torn setting really.
Personally I’d have liked a link to other characters from the Fangs & Lullabies. Although I loved the story I don’t feel as if I’m reading any kind of series which isn’t what I was expecting. Even Nocturne Falls has more links and connections than this. A series is a great way to provide updates on earlier characters and paint a really big picture, so far this series hasn’t got that.
I still give it 5 stars for itself because it really is a great story and very well written.
Well written, fascinating, informative, delightful, moving story of two Drs whose lives are transformed by the remaining effects of a brain illness. The love shines through
Beautifully written, not quite enough links into the The Demons Age and what’s going on there - could be any war torn setting really.
Personally I’d have liked a link to other characters from the Fangs & Lullabies. Although I loved the story I don’t feel as if I’m reading any kind of series which isn’t what I was expecting. Even Nocturne Falls has more links and connections than this. A series is a great way to provide updates on earlier characters and paint a really big picture, so far this series hasn’t got that.
I still give it 5 stars for itself because it really is a great story and very well written.
March 6, 2026
This book is a science fiction novel that takes an innovative approach to the concept of memory. The protagonist suffers from a rare condition that causes her to lose her memories on a daily basis, forcing her to rebuild her identity every morning. Kallysten crafts a futuristic world filled with scientific intrigue and psychological tension.Kallysten's diction is brilliant. The novel is structured in a way that mirrors the protagonist’s confusion, creating a disorienting yet immersive experience for the reader. While the plot is complex and some elements require close attention, the exploration of memory, identity, and human resilience is powerful. This is a thought-provoking read for fans of psychological sci-fi.
March 29, 2021
Good
This book is set in the demon invasion timing but there is no fighting or dealing with them as in the first 3 in the series. It can actually be a stand alone. It deals with a type of amnesia and the love that builds between them along with the frustrations. I found the whole amnesia thing so informational and also frustrating for anyone who deals with it and loves some one with it.
This book is set in the demon invasion timing but there is no fighting or dealing with them as in the first 3 in the series. It can actually be a stand alone. It deals with a type of amnesia and the love that builds between them along with the frustrations. I found the whole amnesia thing so informational and also frustrating for anyone who deals with it and loves some one with it.
February 15, 2018
Not my usual but very good
I don’t read books like this really but I actually really enjoyed it. This is a timeline story that goes back and forth and switches point of view, the author gives you the opportunity to read it chronologically and that’s how I read it. When I reread this I will read it the way it was intended
I don’t read books like this really but I actually really enjoyed it. This is a timeline story that goes back and forth and switches point of view, the author gives you the opportunity to read it chronologically and that’s how I read it. When I reread this I will read it the way it was intended
April 3, 2018
Amnesia and demons
This seems like a weird combo but it is a good story. I don't really see where demons fit in with this story but I see there are stories to explain it better. I am drawn in with the story as these two men struggle daily with the amnesia. Its about the daily struggle but love is winning even if Calden doesn't remember it from day to day.
This seems like a weird combo but it is a good story. I don't really see where demons fit in with this story but I see there are stories to explain it better. I am drawn in with the story as these two men struggle daily with the amnesia. Its about the daily struggle but love is winning even if Calden doesn't remember it from day to day.
December 15, 2016
4.5 stars.
Doctors, amnesia, angst.
'Nuff said - this was a win.
p.s. also I wouldn't mind the author elaborating on the world-building...demons, attacking people - and nothing on them? :/
Doctors, amnesia, angst.
'Nuff said - this was a win.
p.s. also I wouldn't mind the author elaborating on the world-building...demons, attacking people - and nothing on them? :/
November 28, 2017
That was sooooooo good. I had to read it both ways. Eli was the best, I don’t know if I could have ever been that patient. I need to check out the rest of the series as I didn’t understand the whole demon issue. Even though they didn’t play a big part, it was all about Calden and Eli.
June 7, 2023
3.5/5
This is a hard one to review. I’m so spilt. I found the out of order date sequence hard to follow. I probably read 75% of the book out of order only to quit and restart in chronological order for it to make more sense. I think it’s a more beautiful romance in order, but you get more of a feel for what life is like for the MC out of order since it’s so disorienting like staring over his life every would be.
Yet, out of order I love Eli so much more. He’s just the most compassionate, patient, and caring MC/ individual.
Now I only read this book in this series since I was looking for a M/M amnesia romance to read, but with that said, the whole demon war, fantasy world building was literally four sentences in this book. I think it would have been better to be a stand alone, and just put into a regular war zone if you wanted a reason the hospital needed doctors so badly. The mention of this fantasy world had me wondering when I should have been focused on the plot. Plus, I can imagine someone reading for the Fantasy world aspect would hate this book in the series since it does nothing to continue the storyline for that.
It is a very slow romance reading it in order. Almost approaching slow burn territory.
Definitely not the normal spicy level of most m/m novels, I actually would rate this as a PG 13 type romance. Anyone who’s had basic sex education, could read this.
The character development was paced well given the amnesia troupe here. I also love/hate this take on the troupe. Very fifty first dates but I haven’t read anything like that yet so loved that but also hated that there wasn’t a fix for them at the end. This was the rest of their life’s. Very bittersweet since you can’t grow old together but get to fall in love and have firsts every since day all over. Eli’s relationship will literally never level the honeymoon phase, which 😍 is so cute. But leaves little opportunities for their future.
All in all that leaves is hard to rate, I did not like the lazy world building but glad I didn’t have to here about the other novels since I didn’t care about them, really should have been it’s own book.
I didn’t care about ANY of the side character in this; I didn’t like any of the other doctors or towns people (restaurant owner?/waitress? or the tattoo owner). No one was even remotely likable to be in the next book to continue the series. The mom, Lana or Lena, was such a bitch, not to read just in general-not like hated character-, but like the book version of a real Karen. She just also happened to be his mom. Bummer.
All that said I still liked it, cute romance very grumpy sunshine troupe vibes which I didn’t except but loved. I was deciding what to rate and settled on 3.5 since was endearing but added the extra half for originality. I rounded up to a four on the stars since I figured anyone reading the series in order would probably down score this one and I wanted it higher for anyone looking for, exactly as I was, a m/m amnesia romance.
This is a hard one to review. I’m so spilt. I found the out of order date sequence hard to follow. I probably read 75% of the book out of order only to quit and restart in chronological order for it to make more sense. I think it’s a more beautiful romance in order, but you get more of a feel for what life is like for the MC out of order since it’s so disorienting like staring over his life every would be.
Yet, out of order I love Eli so much more. He’s just the most compassionate, patient, and caring MC/ individual.
Now I only read this book in this series since I was looking for a M/M amnesia romance to read, but with that said, the whole demon war, fantasy world building was literally four sentences in this book. I think it would have been better to be a stand alone, and just put into a regular war zone if you wanted a reason the hospital needed doctors so badly. The mention of this fantasy world had me wondering when I should have been focused on the plot. Plus, I can imagine someone reading for the Fantasy world aspect would hate this book in the series since it does nothing to continue the storyline for that.
It is a very slow romance reading it in order. Almost approaching slow burn territory.
Definitely not the normal spicy level of most m/m novels, I actually would rate this as a PG 13 type romance. Anyone who’s had basic sex education, could read this.
The character development was paced well given the amnesia troupe here. I also love/hate this take on the troupe. Very fifty first dates but I haven’t read anything like that yet so loved that but also hated that there wasn’t a fix for them at the end. This was the rest of their life’s. Very bittersweet since you can’t grow old together but get to fall in love and have firsts every since day all over. Eli’s relationship will literally never level the honeymoon phase, which 😍 is so cute. But leaves little opportunities for their future.
All in all that leaves is hard to rate, I did not like the lazy world building but glad I didn’t have to here about the other novels since I didn’t care about them, really should have been it’s own book.
I didn’t care about ANY of the side character in this; I didn’t like any of the other doctors or towns people (restaurant owner?/waitress? or the tattoo owner). No one was even remotely likable to be in the next book to continue the series. The mom, Lana or Lena, was such a bitch, not to read just in general-not like hated character-, but like the book version of a real Karen. She just also happened to be his mom. Bummer.
All that said I still liked it, cute romance very grumpy sunshine troupe vibes which I didn’t except but loved. I was deciding what to rate and settled on 3.5 since was endearing but added the extra half for originality. I rounded up to a four on the stars since I figured anyone reading the series in order would probably down score this one and I wanted it higher for anyone looking for, exactly as I was, a m/m amnesia romance.
October 4, 2015
Anterograde, Kallysten
Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews
Genre: LGBTQIA, Romance
I read Kallysten’s Out of the Box series when I first bought a kindle - some years back now - somehow I’ve never got round to anymore but seeing this thought I’d try it. Was one that just didn’t work for me though, it’s not a bad book, its a great read for many but just that I didn’t connect with it.
I started by reading in the order its written, which is not chronological, but by the time I’d got to about 40% I was totally confused. It doesn’t help that this is a side book from another series, something I hadn’t realised, and maybe it would make more sense to me if I’d read others in the series. I was so lost that I restarted and did the Chronological option and that worked better for me.
I struggled though with seeing the two in a romantic light, I just didn’t feel any real connection between them most of the while, though there were odd moments when I saw a flash of it, of tenderness there. Its quite a harrowing read, how Calder would feel being so stubborn, so independent, so proud of his brain and skills, to be so reliant on others even though Eli says he doesn’t think of him as a burden. He must have been scared it would be too much at some point, and that conversation was really emotional, as was the tattoo that resulted. Actually all the tattoos were very special, the reasoning Calder gave to them, not just the purpose of them but how he would recognise that he wrote them and held the feelings they told. It made me think how awful it would be to know nothing about the present and your place in the world every time you woke. Scary, very, very scary. Eli was a saint – he put up with so much from Calder, much of it understandable ranting, but sometimes Calder is just plain arrogant and selfish. I guess that made the times when he showed his love to Eli more beautiful though.
The sci-fi element isn’t really present here – the hospital where they both work is dealing with constant Demon attacks, but there’s no interaction or direct contact with any supernatural entity.
Stars: This is difficult for me, it was an interesting read in that it made me think about Calder and his situation but as a book it didn’t really grip me and at times I struggled to continue with it. For me I think its a 2.5 – 3.
ARC supplied by Netgalley and publishers
If you enjoyed my review I'd love it if you would please click “Like” and if you didn't I'd love to know why, so I can make future reviews more helpful.
Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews
Genre: LGBTQIA, Romance
I read Kallysten’s Out of the Box series when I first bought a kindle - some years back now - somehow I’ve never got round to anymore but seeing this thought I’d try it. Was one that just didn’t work for me though, it’s not a bad book, its a great read for many but just that I didn’t connect with it.
I started by reading in the order its written, which is not chronological, but by the time I’d got to about 40% I was totally confused. It doesn’t help that this is a side book from another series, something I hadn’t realised, and maybe it would make more sense to me if I’d read others in the series. I was so lost that I restarted and did the Chronological option and that worked better for me.
I struggled though with seeing the two in a romantic light, I just didn’t feel any real connection between them most of the while, though there were odd moments when I saw a flash of it, of tenderness there. Its quite a harrowing read, how Calder would feel being so stubborn, so independent, so proud of his brain and skills, to be so reliant on others even though Eli says he doesn’t think of him as a burden. He must have been scared it would be too much at some point, and that conversation was really emotional, as was the tattoo that resulted. Actually all the tattoos were very special, the reasoning Calder gave to them, not just the purpose of them but how he would recognise that he wrote them and held the feelings they told. It made me think how awful it would be to know nothing about the present and your place in the world every time you woke. Scary, very, very scary. Eli was a saint – he put up with so much from Calder, much of it understandable ranting, but sometimes Calder is just plain arrogant and selfish. I guess that made the times when he showed his love to Eli more beautiful though.
The sci-fi element isn’t really present here – the hospital where they both work is dealing with constant Demon attacks, but there’s no interaction or direct contact with any supernatural entity.
Stars: This is difficult for me, it was an interesting read in that it made me think about Calder and his situation but as a book it didn’t really grip me and at times I struggled to continue with it. For me I think its a 2.5 – 3.
ARC supplied by Netgalley and publishers
If you enjoyed my review I'd love it if you would please click “Like” and if you didn't I'd love to know why, so I can make future reviews more helpful.
October 16, 2015
Given copy by publisher from Net Galley for honest review.
First, I have to say that the author did a great job writing this book. The story and characters were both well developed and interesting. But for me, I had a hard time reading this book. We will get to that in a minute though. This book had an awesome love story! You could feel the love and dedication pouring off of Eli as he cared for Calden. Having to explain your relationship to the person that you are in love with EVERY TIME he wakes up… man, I just… I don’t know if I could be able to do that. Eli does it with such grace and patients though. And Calden, to have to go through all of this, in starting over everyday and the half way mark in your like. Can you imagine waking up one morning thinking that you are going to see your 30 year old, fresh face in the mirror, but what you really see is a wrinkly and gray haired version of that self. You have to have an inner strength and power about yourself in order to go through that every day! And you can tell he does.
One of the reasons why I had a difficult time reading this book could be on how it was pieced together. There are two ways that you can read this book: how the author wrote it and in chronological order according to date of when Calden's amnesia started. I chose to read the book on how the author wrote it and I feel that was a mistake for me. But this is also a really cool format that I have never seen before. I like that I have the option to read the book the way that I'd want to. I feel that I had a harder time reading this story because it was more difficult to keep track from one chapter to the next. But again, it was my choice on how to read the book are the author wrote it. The other problem I had was that it kept reminding me of one of my favorite movies, 50 First Dates (aside from the Demon attacks).
Kallysten did a great job with this story but I feel it was too confusing at times to keep up with how the story was written.
-Billi, Rock Star Review Team
First, I have to say that the author did a great job writing this book. The story and characters were both well developed and interesting. But for me, I had a hard time reading this book. We will get to that in a minute though. This book had an awesome love story! You could feel the love and dedication pouring off of Eli as he cared for Calden. Having to explain your relationship to the person that you are in love with EVERY TIME he wakes up… man, I just… I don’t know if I could be able to do that. Eli does it with such grace and patients though. And Calden, to have to go through all of this, in starting over everyday and the half way mark in your like. Can you imagine waking up one morning thinking that you are going to see your 30 year old, fresh face in the mirror, but what you really see is a wrinkly and gray haired version of that self. You have to have an inner strength and power about yourself in order to go through that every day! And you can tell he does.
One of the reasons why I had a difficult time reading this book could be on how it was pieced together. There are two ways that you can read this book: how the author wrote it and in chronological order according to date of when Calden's amnesia started. I chose to read the book on how the author wrote it and I feel that was a mistake for me. But this is also a really cool format that I have never seen before. I like that I have the option to read the book the way that I'd want to. I feel that I had a harder time reading this story because it was more difficult to keep track from one chapter to the next. But again, it was my choice on how to read the book are the author wrote it. The other problem I had was that it kept reminding me of one of my favorite movies, 50 First Dates (aside from the Demon attacks).
Kallysten did a great job with this story but I feel it was too confusing at times to keep up with how the story was written.
-Billi, Rock Star Review Team
January 26, 2016
anterograde
adjective
directed forwards in time.
of or denoting a form of amnesia which involves inability to remember information encountered after its onset.
Calden wakes up - every time he wakes up - thinking it's June 2nd, the day he decided to tell his long term friend Eli that he has feelings for him but missed the lunch date because of a debilitating headache.
A friends to lovers m/m romance that had a lot of potential but fell a little short. I liked the writing, the characters and for the most part enjoyed the story, finding it interesting and unique.
However I did have a couple of problems:
The story was told from alternating POV chapters AND in opposing orders. Calden's experiences were told beginning to end, while Eli's were relayed from end to beginning.
While this kept the story interesting, it also had the potential to become quite confusing - especially as there was no chapter heading informing you which pov you were reading from. I ended up having to make notes and taking a couple of minutes to make sure my head was in the right timeline for each chapter.
Also there was a strange inclusion of a Dystopian plotline with so called demon attacks to the city, even though we never once "see" a demon throughout the whole of the story. It was completely unnecessary to the plot and could have quite easily been a contemporary (and mainly read that way anyway).
The combination of the opposing, alternating POV with Demons lurking in the background made you think some kind of plot twist / mystery to work out .... there wasn't.
What you got was a lovely love story, it's just a shame it wasn't shown that way.
adjective
directed forwards in time.
of or denoting a form of amnesia which involves inability to remember information encountered after its onset.
Calden wakes up - every time he wakes up - thinking it's June 2nd, the day he decided to tell his long term friend Eli that he has feelings for him but missed the lunch date because of a debilitating headache.
A friends to lovers m/m romance that had a lot of potential but fell a little short. I liked the writing, the characters and for the most part enjoyed the story, finding it interesting and unique.
However I did have a couple of problems:
The story was told from alternating POV chapters AND in opposing orders. Calden's experiences were told beginning to end, while Eli's were relayed from end to beginning.
While this kept the story interesting, it also had the potential to become quite confusing - especially as there was no chapter heading informing you which pov you were reading from. I ended up having to make notes and taking a couple of minutes to make sure my head was in the right timeline for each chapter.
Also there was a strange inclusion of a Dystopian plotline with so called demon attacks to the city, even though we never once "see" a demon throughout the whole of the story. It was completely unnecessary to the plot and could have quite easily been a contemporary (and mainly read that way anyway).
The combination of the opposing, alternating POV with Demons lurking in the background made you think some kind of plot twist / mystery to work out .... there wasn't.
What you got was a lovely love story, it's just a shame it wasn't shown that way.
October 12, 2015
This was a hard one to both read and review. First, I have to say my father-in-law has a form of anterograde amnesia. Communicating, relating, dealing... are all difficult. There is nothing you can do about it which is so frustrating. Frustrated is how this book left me feeling.
It's not that there wasn't real skill used in putting together this book-- and I realize the forward/backwards telling was intentional and probably benefits some readers in getting a sense of what anterograde amnesia must be like; it's just that I found this story sad and depressing. Just like this condition-- always seeming to be stagnate, in one place,then need for constant repetition; I felt the same about the story when I finished. I didn't feel like it had really taken me anywhere.
I never really got to know any of the characters. So much focus had to be placed on the situation that I feel like the complexity of the actual characters was ignored. The author forces us to just accept things about the characters without any real reasoning as to why they are who they are. I also didn't understand the 'demon attack' story line (that was pretty vague)and had to assume that the author used this fictional scenario to justify why Caden would be allowed to continue working as a surgeon.
I really enjoyed the first few chapters but then felt it became labored-reading to get through the rest. I don't want to discourage anyone from reading this-- for some, it is probably quite a fascinating read.
Don't get me wrong, Kallysten is a talented writer. For me personally, I just feel this story missed its mark.
I received an ARC copy through NetGalley.
It's not that there wasn't real skill used in putting together this book-- and I realize the forward/backwards telling was intentional and probably benefits some readers in getting a sense of what anterograde amnesia must be like; it's just that I found this story sad and depressing. Just like this condition-- always seeming to be stagnate, in one place,then need for constant repetition; I felt the same about the story when I finished. I didn't feel like it had really taken me anywhere.
I never really got to know any of the characters. So much focus had to be placed on the situation that I feel like the complexity of the actual characters was ignored. The author forces us to just accept things about the characters without any real reasoning as to why they are who they are. I also didn't understand the 'demon attack' story line (that was pretty vague)and had to assume that the author used this fictional scenario to justify why Caden would be allowed to continue working as a surgeon.
I really enjoyed the first few chapters but then felt it became labored-reading to get through the rest. I don't want to discourage anyone from reading this-- for some, it is probably quite a fascinating read.
Don't get me wrong, Kallysten is a talented writer. For me personally, I just feel this story missed its mark.
I received an ARC copy through NetGalley.
August 1, 2017
Oh wow. This book was so good. It was so different from anything I've ever read and I loved it. I'll try to keep the review brief, even though I'm pretty sure I could write quite a bit about how pleasantly surprised I was by this book.
First off, Eli was adorable. He was such a good man and I loved his never ending faith in Calden. He supported his career and was honest with him. He didn't tiptoe around him and was willing to get mad and fight with him. This seems like a weird thing to praise, but if Eli was always trying to placate Calden or treating him like an invalid, nothing would work for them.
Calden. Wow. I love this arrogant man. Seriously, when reading the synopsis, I had no idea how infuriating he would be. But his backstory, his love of his sister, his past issues, were all so amazing. I love him.
Instead of writing forever about their relationship, I just want to mention that I absolutely loved
One last thing. I definitely did not realize this was a standalone set in a demon-filled universe, so that came out of nowhere for me. This whole book seems like a pretty modern day, normal book, except that apparently there are demon attacks that occur. I'm not complaining, and it was definitely a unique side detail, I just feel that it was so unexpected that I needed to mention it.
First off, Eli was adorable. He was such a good man and I loved his never ending faith in Calden. He supported his career and was honest with him. He didn't tiptoe around him and was willing to get mad and fight with him. This seems like a weird thing to praise, but if Eli was always trying to placate Calden or treating him like an invalid, nothing would work for them.
Calden. Wow. I love this arrogant man. Seriously, when reading the synopsis, I had no idea how infuriating he would be. But his backstory, his love of his sister, his past issues, were all so amazing. I love him.
Instead of writing forever about their relationship, I just want to mention that I absolutely loved
One last thing. I definitely did not realize this was a standalone set in a demon-filled universe, so that came out of nowhere for me. This whole book seems like a pretty modern day, normal book, except that apparently there are demon attacks that occur. I'm not complaining, and it was definitely a unique side detail, I just feel that it was so unexpected that I needed to mention it.
February 26, 2020
4.5 stars!
I absolutely loved this! ♥ ♥ ♥
It gave me all the Feels! So much so that I'm sure I'll re-read this book someday.
I, also, absolutely loved both MCs. Calden was so intelligent, smart and witty; and Eli was so loyal, dedicated and so very patient with Calden.
And, an Important Note: Even though this is part of a Series, it can totally be read as a Standalone!
This is definetly one I'd recommend reading if you like Sweet M/M Romances. It's such a lovable and heartfelt book!
Full Review to come...
I absolutely loved this! ♥ ♥ ♥
It gave me all the Feels! So much so that I'm sure I'll re-read this book someday.
I, also, absolutely loved both MCs. Calden was so intelligent, smart and witty; and Eli was so loyal, dedicated and so very patient with Calden.
And, an Important Note: Even though this is part of a Series, it can totally be read as a Standalone!
This is definetly one I'd recommend reading if you like Sweet M/M Romances. It's such a lovable and heartfelt book!
Full Review to come...
September 18, 2020
I'm gonna have to come back to this again in the future. I probably would've liked it but, the non-chronological order was very confusing that I kept wondering "ok, so at this point in time, did XYZ already happen or does it happen after this" and so on. Another reviewer mentioned it's possible to read it chronologically, which I didn't know, so I'll try this again someday and I might find it more enjoyable.
November 9, 2018
Reread: Nov/2018
I'm bumping down a star, the shifting timeline was irritating and I kind of wanted Calden to push Eli away a bit, but he never did.
*****************
The demons threw me off, but I was into it. Thumbs up.
I'm bumping down a star, the shifting timeline was irritating and I kind of wanted Calden to push Eli away a bit, but he never did.
*****************
The demons threw me off, but I was into it. Thumbs up.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews