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Without Merit
From the award-winning, bestselling author P.S. Meraux with John Green comes a supernatural, mystery-thriller.
She has no memory.
No fingerprints.
No parents.
No cellphone.
When this girl gets out of the hospital it’s going to be a helluva week.
Her hands are a wreck, fingers bruised, swollen and bandaged. Her parents are nowhere to be found. What’s a girl without an identity to do? It’s not like she’s Jason Bourne; there’s no clue implanted in her hip.
Even her supernatural gift is a mystery. How does it work? Where does the magic come from? And what’s causing sparks to shoot out of her fingers?
Targeted by a mysterious group of thugs, they want something they think she has. She has no clue what it is or where she may have stashed it.
Before she can solve the mystery of her past, she must get away from them, cross the border -- all without an identity, money or friends. Oh, and magic or not, she doesn’t have any particular skills to make it easier. She’s no blonde assassin. No government in the world would put a gun in the banged-up hands of this girl.
Racing for her life, fleeing capture-- someone calls her “Merit.” Who is she? Adopting the name may kill her. Yet, Without Merit -- she has no clue to follow at all.
She has no memory.
No fingerprints.
No parents.
No cellphone.
When this girl gets out of the hospital it’s going to be a helluva week.
Her hands are a wreck, fingers bruised, swollen and bandaged. Her parents are nowhere to be found. What’s a girl without an identity to do? It’s not like she’s Jason Bourne; there’s no clue implanted in her hip.
Even her supernatural gift is a mystery. How does it work? Where does the magic come from? And what’s causing sparks to shoot out of her fingers?
Targeted by a mysterious group of thugs, they want something they think she has. She has no clue what it is or where she may have stashed it.
Before she can solve the mystery of her past, she must get away from them, cross the border -- all without an identity, money or friends. Oh, and magic or not, she doesn’t have any particular skills to make it easier. She’s no blonde assassin. No government in the world would put a gun in the banged-up hands of this girl.
Racing for her life, fleeing capture-- someone calls her “Merit.” Who is she? Adopting the name may kill her. Yet, Without Merit -- she has no clue to follow at all.
522 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 14, 2018
27 people are currently reading
123 people want to read
About the author
P.S. Meraux
15 books76 followersP.S. Meraux writes books about paranormal chaos, sassy heroines, and creatures who are just a little unhinged (in the best way). She's an Indie and Amazon bestselling author—which sounds fancy until you realize it just means she drinks too much coffee and argues with fictional people for a living. Her stories mix sci-fi, mystery, romance, and a generous helping of “wait, did that just happen?”
P.S. has a thing for supernatural oddballs, morally gray weirdos, and badass women who save themselves (and occasionally punch vampires in the face). Her idea of worldbuilding is "let's break everything and see what grows back."
Originally from South Carolina, she now lives in Atlanta, Georgia, where her backyard is suspiciously full of fireflies and dubiously English for someone not living in a BBC period drama. There may or may not be faeries. There is definitely sarcasm.
P.S. has a thing for supernatural oddballs, morally gray weirdos, and badass women who save themselves (and occasionally punch vampires in the face). Her idea of worldbuilding is "let's break everything and see what grows back."
Originally from South Carolina, she now lives in Atlanta, Georgia, where her backyard is suspiciously full of fireflies and dubiously English for someone not living in a BBC period drama. There may or may not be faeries. There is definitely sarcasm.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
September 4, 2018
4.5 stars!
A young girl wakes up in a hospital bed with no recollection of who she is... it's a plot line we have seen before, but surprise, she has a secret that no one saw coming. I love this paranormal twist. It grabbed my attention right away. I was compelled not just by the mystery of who this girl is, but more importantly, where did that come from? And yes, you will have to read to find out what "that" really is. Already intrigued?
Here are the things I loved about this book... The pacing is good, and the setting changes as our young protagonist desperately searches for answers to her identity. The mechanics of P.S. writing are really good. I love the creative word choice and descriptions. The mountain scenery is particularly well done.
Now, there were some things that I was hoping to see but didn't. And this is just my preference as a reader. There were sub plots that didn't really develop in the first book, I think the idea was to leave us hanging, as this ending was abrupt. And I'm sure the author plans to explain more in the sequel. I also would have loved for more characters. It's single point of view which is well done, but this world seems really interesting and I'm curious about these paranormal beings.
I really can't say much more without giving anything away, other than, read it. You'll like it. Oh get ready, it's a slow burn mystery. And the author doesn't give anything away until the very end.
A young girl wakes up in a hospital bed with no recollection of who she is... it's a plot line we have seen before, but surprise, she has a secret that no one saw coming. I love this paranormal twist. It grabbed my attention right away. I was compelled not just by the mystery of who this girl is, but more importantly, where did that come from? And yes, you will have to read to find out what "that" really is. Already intrigued?
Here are the things I loved about this book... The pacing is good, and the setting changes as our young protagonist desperately searches for answers to her identity. The mechanics of P.S. writing are really good. I love the creative word choice and descriptions. The mountain scenery is particularly well done.
Now, there were some things that I was hoping to see but didn't. And this is just my preference as a reader. There were sub plots that didn't really develop in the first book, I think the idea was to leave us hanging, as this ending was abrupt. And I'm sure the author plans to explain more in the sequel. I also would have loved for more characters. It's single point of view which is well done, but this world seems really interesting and I'm curious about these paranormal beings.
I really can't say much more without giving anything away, other than, read it. You'll like it. Oh get ready, it's a slow burn mystery. And the author doesn't give anything away until the very end.
August 10, 2018
A teenage girl finds herself in the ocean with no memory of who she is or how she got there and a bunch of mysterious injuries. Thus begins a fascinating supernatural mystery that has a killer final act twist that you won't see coming.
P.S. Meraux and John Green do a good job of employing a slow burn reveal of the mystery surrounding the protagonist. She finds herself on the run from villains who have sinister designs in store for her, all while trying to uncover lost memories and evidence of her identity. The narrative is detailed and highly visual. It feels like you, as the reader, are planted firmly in the action from start to finish.
The narrator is easy to relate to as she comes to terms with her situation and what kind of person she really fears she is. Her fear is palpable and the chaos of her situation only enhances it, but these moments are balanced with humor at necessary times to keep the story from taking too dark of a turn.
If you like supernatural mysteries with twists and turns, this is a book made for you. It will keep you glued to each page as you work to unravel the mystery yourself.
P.S. Meraux and John Green do a good job of employing a slow burn reveal of the mystery surrounding the protagonist. She finds herself on the run from villains who have sinister designs in store for her, all while trying to uncover lost memories and evidence of her identity. The narrative is detailed and highly visual. It feels like you, as the reader, are planted firmly in the action from start to finish.
The narrator is easy to relate to as she comes to terms with her situation and what kind of person she really fears she is. Her fear is palpable and the chaos of her situation only enhances it, but these moments are balanced with humor at necessary times to keep the story from taking too dark of a turn.
If you like supernatural mysteries with twists and turns, this is a book made for you. It will keep you glued to each page as you work to unravel the mystery yourself.
July 9, 2018
I'm a sucker for a supernatural mystery and that is exactly what Without Merit provides. The author's detailed writing style puts you right in the thick of the action at all times. It is a compelling mystery that will keep you guessing to the end and beyond. I'm not a huge fan of cliffhanger endings, but felt that enough questions were answered by the ending and the set up for the next book is firmly in place. Great read!
April 25, 2020
One day, I will stop blindly falling for books with cool premises. Unfortunately, that day has not yet arrived.
Honestly, if I hadn’t committed to reviewing this book, I don’t think I would have finished it. I could have happily walked away after the first two chapters. Even getting into the action didn't improve things much.
The first - and by far the most pressing - problem that I encountered was that this book reads like an ARC (or like it didn’t have an editor). There were so many sentences where grammar is odd, incorrect, or just missing. I actually had to check several times that this book was, in fact, published two years ago.
For instance: “Off to the side...were three trawlers, similar in size and construction to the Mary-Beth, the captain headed toward them.” (The second comma should be a semicolon or period.)
“‘I just noticed Ella Social Security number.’” (Does it belong to her or is it her last name? Who knows?)
The very first sentence of the book: “I felt weightless like my body was rising while drifting with the rushing cold ocean that surrounded and carried me on a dubious trajectory toward safety.” (Comma somewhere. Please. Preferably after “weightless.” But frankly, the sentence still reads clunky even with one there.)
“I...sucked in a mouthful of saltwater. Still it was hard to be indignant thinking as I did that I might laugh and drown at the same moment, instead I awoke with a start.” (I had to read that sentence probably ten times before it made any sense to me.)
This constantly happens throughout the whole book. And that was incredibly distracting (not to mention a huge pet peeve of mine). Nothing is more jarring than bad grammar when I’m trying to lose myself in a story.
Aside from that, the story dragged, even in the midst of the action. It seemed like every mundane detail of every moment was shared, when a time skip would often have been acceptable or even beneficial. I found myself skimming a lot of sections.
Everything happening to Merit () seemed to come with an incredible degree of convenience. Especially, for example, . I understand that that was probably done to demonstrate , but I think it could have been done with more plausibility.
And on top of all that, her vernacular annoyed me.
I was intrigued by the concepts and the mystery presented. But it was not very well executed and just did not work for me.
One star may be harsh, but I will level with you - the grammatical errors are primarily to blame. The other things I could perhaps write off as differences of opinion. But I personally believe that the lack of even a good proofreader is unacceptable in a published work.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Honestly, if I hadn’t committed to reviewing this book, I don’t think I would have finished it. I could have happily walked away after the first two chapters. Even getting into the action didn't improve things much.
The first - and by far the most pressing - problem that I encountered was that this book reads like an ARC (or like it didn’t have an editor). There were so many sentences where grammar is odd, incorrect, or just missing. I actually had to check several times that this book was, in fact, published two years ago.
For instance: “Off to the side...were three trawlers, similar in size and construction to the Mary-Beth, the captain headed toward them.” (The second comma should be a semicolon or period.)
“‘I just noticed Ella Social Security number.’” (Does it belong to her or is it her last name? Who knows?)
The very first sentence of the book: “I felt weightless like my body was rising while drifting with the rushing cold ocean that surrounded and carried me on a dubious trajectory toward safety.” (Comma somewhere. Please. Preferably after “weightless.” But frankly, the sentence still reads clunky even with one there.)
“I...sucked in a mouthful of saltwater. Still it was hard to be indignant thinking as I did that I might laugh and drown at the same moment, instead I awoke with a start.” (I had to read that sentence probably ten times before it made any sense to me.)
This constantly happens throughout the whole book. And that was incredibly distracting (not to mention a huge pet peeve of mine). Nothing is more jarring than bad grammar when I’m trying to lose myself in a story.
Aside from that, the story dragged, even in the midst of the action. It seemed like every mundane detail of every moment was shared, when a time skip would often have been acceptable or even beneficial. I found myself skimming a lot of sections.
Everything happening to Merit () seemed to come with an incredible degree of convenience. Especially, for example, . I understand that that was probably done to demonstrate , but I think it could have been done with more plausibility.
And on top of all that, her vernacular annoyed me.
I was intrigued by the concepts and the mystery presented. But it was not very well executed and just did not work for me.
One star may be harsh, but I will level with you - the grammatical errors are primarily to blame. The other things I could perhaps write off as differences of opinion. But I personally believe that the lack of even a good proofreader is unacceptable in a published work.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
June 27, 2018
Without Merit features a rather unique character named MaryBeth aka Merit. As a 16 year old girl who has lost her memory after a traumatic head injury, she winds up on an island off the coast of Georgia in an isolated clinic. Her fingers are also damaged and therefore no fingerprints can used to identify her.
I'll provide some of my feelings about Without Merit which may help in deciding if it is a book you'll want to buy. There is action, screw-ups, supernatural happenings and international travel. The pace of the book is good, it starts out fast, slows briefly and then builds again to a twist that genuinely surprised me.
Overall, there many positive aspects that far outweigh what I consider to be a key flaw.
On the positive side, the authors write in a brisk often humorous narrative style and had no difficulty composing dialogue that felt realistic for the characters. The plot is compelling, fast-paced and has an above-average amount of twists and turns. And, most importantly, the main character Merit and most of the secondary characters are very well-developed and absolutely likeable which served to keep me interested in going along with her on this journey of self-discovery and to determine why she has magical powers that she cannot control.
For me, these aspects override a number of the actions of Mistress Anne, one of the villains in this book. Some of her motivations I considered to be far-fetched. She basically lies to the girl. Her "den of supernatural gambling" pushed me to the very edge of my ability to suspend belief. This flaw was not enough to deduct any stars from my overall rating but it is worth noting.
If you accept the plot about a girl with magical abilities who has lost her memory which is fun and compelling even though one villain has some credibility issues, than I think Without Merit is a book worthy of your consideration. I for one, found Without Merit to have enough merit, pun intended, to keep me turning the pages well after I should have called it a night.
I'll provide some of my feelings about Without Merit which may help in deciding if it is a book you'll want to buy. There is action, screw-ups, supernatural happenings and international travel. The pace of the book is good, it starts out fast, slows briefly and then builds again to a twist that genuinely surprised me.
Overall, there many positive aspects that far outweigh what I consider to be a key flaw.
On the positive side, the authors write in a brisk often humorous narrative style and had no difficulty composing dialogue that felt realistic for the characters. The plot is compelling, fast-paced and has an above-average amount of twists and turns. And, most importantly, the main character Merit and most of the secondary characters are very well-developed and absolutely likeable which served to keep me interested in going along with her on this journey of self-discovery and to determine why she has magical powers that she cannot control.
For me, these aspects override a number of the actions of Mistress Anne, one of the villains in this book. Some of her motivations I considered to be far-fetched. She basically lies to the girl. Her "den of supernatural gambling" pushed me to the very edge of my ability to suspend belief. This flaw was not enough to deduct any stars from my overall rating but it is worth noting.
If you accept the plot about a girl with magical abilities who has lost her memory which is fun and compelling even though one villain has some credibility issues, than I think Without Merit is a book worthy of your consideration. I for one, found Without Merit to have enough merit, pun intended, to keep me turning the pages well after I should have called it a night.
September 25, 2018
A teenage girl is plucked unconscious and drowning from the sea by a fisherman off the coast of Georgia and is taken to an island medical clinic. Not long after, she wakes up from a nightmare only to discover that she suffers from complete amnesia. She has no idea who she is. Add to that is the fact that she is seriously injured, including what appear to be intentional injuries to her fingers that have destroyed her fingerprints.
With this compelling opening, Without Merit launches us into a suspenseful adventure with some serious plot twists and a cast of intriguing characters. The girl finds friends who turn out not to be so friendly, she is taken in and helped by others with whom she has only a tenuous connection, and she is constantly bedeviled by some villains who mean her harm. She fairly quickly discovers that she has some magical powers that she can’t seem to control as she goes forward unsteadily but with determination to discover her true identity. Vague impressions of memories lead her to abandon her east-coast surroundings, and she heads for Vancouver. Trouble follows.
The authors have a masterful way of building tension and suspense throughout this story, an ability that Meraux has demonstrated in earlier works. In fact, Without Merit could easily fit into the adult mystery-suspense-thriller genre (minus the paranormal aspects). In addition, the girl’s character and personality are expertly drawn. She demonstrates exactly what one might expect from a young person under such duress - moments of anxiety, depression, despair, and occasional elation. Overriding this are her qualities of inventiveness, resiliency, and fortitude. Also we appreciate the ability of the authors to describe the natural world that the young girl navigates, including coastal waters and the forests of British Columbia.
Ultimately, this is a book about the search for self-identity. The girl does find some answers by the end of Without Merit. But a door is left open to sequel where she will no doubt continue her search for self-knowledge.
With this compelling opening, Without Merit launches us into a suspenseful adventure with some serious plot twists and a cast of intriguing characters. The girl finds friends who turn out not to be so friendly, she is taken in and helped by others with whom she has only a tenuous connection, and she is constantly bedeviled by some villains who mean her harm. She fairly quickly discovers that she has some magical powers that she can’t seem to control as she goes forward unsteadily but with determination to discover her true identity. Vague impressions of memories lead her to abandon her east-coast surroundings, and she heads for Vancouver. Trouble follows.
The authors have a masterful way of building tension and suspense throughout this story, an ability that Meraux has demonstrated in earlier works. In fact, Without Merit could easily fit into the adult mystery-suspense-thriller genre (minus the paranormal aspects). In addition, the girl’s character and personality are expertly drawn. She demonstrates exactly what one might expect from a young person under such duress - moments of anxiety, depression, despair, and occasional elation. Overriding this are her qualities of inventiveness, resiliency, and fortitude. Also we appreciate the ability of the authors to describe the natural world that the young girl navigates, including coastal waters and the forests of British Columbia.
Ultimately, this is a book about the search for self-identity. The girl does find some answers by the end of Without Merit. But a door is left open to sequel where she will no doubt continue her search for self-knowledge.
July 16, 2018
Cool story! What an entertaining and in-depth book. I hope it’s the start of a new series. We first meet Merit as she struggles to survive, scared out of her wits in the ocean. This book starts with that scene and then she awakens in the hospital without her memory, meeting all kinds of eccentric characters.
Merit discovers she has this hidden magic that all these villains are trying to steal. She accidentally becomes involved with these girls who help her. Chaos, and funny things happen after that. She doesn’t know who ordered this attack on her or why she has magic. Everyone says she’s not a witch but what else can she be?
The book goes at a pretty good pace. However, I did think some of the moments in the hospital were a little long. When she gets out of the hospital that when the action ramps up and I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. The authors don’t complicate Merit’s world with spells or anything and the magic that Merit does ‘accidentally’ is put in there for authenticity. Her reaction to it is spot on.
I don’t want to give away all the best parts of the book but one of my favorite LOL moments is when Merit starts to think she’s an actual psycho. I mean basically she discovers this flair for lying.
At 500+ pages, I feel like this is a full-fledged, stand-alone book. It certainly reads like one. Merit learns the truth about herself and most of the villains get their just desserts as it were, although one villain does manage to flee. That’s why I’m hoping there’s another book to explore if the villain is ever caught. Regardless of that one loose end, I thought the ending was very satisfying, I mean I was cheering.
P.S. Meraux and John Green again produce pure adolescent irreverence that makes me eager for future releases. I had heard of Green but Meraux is a fairly recent addition to my library. And one that I’m glad to have found.
Merit discovers she has this hidden magic that all these villains are trying to steal. She accidentally becomes involved with these girls who help her. Chaos, and funny things happen after that. She doesn’t know who ordered this attack on her or why she has magic. Everyone says she’s not a witch but what else can she be?
The book goes at a pretty good pace. However, I did think some of the moments in the hospital were a little long. When she gets out of the hospital that when the action ramps up and I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. The authors don’t complicate Merit’s world with spells or anything and the magic that Merit does ‘accidentally’ is put in there for authenticity. Her reaction to it is spot on.
I don’t want to give away all the best parts of the book but one of my favorite LOL moments is when Merit starts to think she’s an actual psycho. I mean basically she discovers this flair for lying.
At 500+ pages, I feel like this is a full-fledged, stand-alone book. It certainly reads like one. Merit learns the truth about herself and most of the villains get their just desserts as it were, although one villain does manage to flee. That’s why I’m hoping there’s another book to explore if the villain is ever caught. Regardless of that one loose end, I thought the ending was very satisfying, I mean I was cheering.
P.S. Meraux and John Green again produce pure adolescent irreverence that makes me eager for future releases. I had heard of Green but Meraux is a fairly recent addition to my library. And one that I’m glad to have found.
April 22, 2020
This book started off with a bang, a teenage girl wakes up in the hospital with no memory of who she is, she’s badly injured and shows signs that she’s been tortured. Although the time in the hospital moved slow at times I was really intrigued with the mystery of finding out who she was and how she got there. Along the way though the story lost me, there are lots of unnecessary details in the writing that slowed the pace. Even when things were supposed to be action packed there seemed to be a lot of focus on unnecessary details. I found myself wanting to skim a bit of the mundane everyday things and get to the story. There is a lot left unanswered and hopefully the author intends to fill that in with the next book. Why so much mention of the missing chapstick and other items? There were times the author made a big deal out of little things and I expected them to pan out into some kind of reveal but in this book they never did.
I enjoyed the heroine, though I think the fact that she really didn’t know herself showed and I found I never really got to know her as a character. Did I like her, not like her? I honestly don’t really know. She was enjoyable but not so much I found myself really invested in her character, not like I was at the very beginning., There are certain plot points that help send her on her way to finding out who she really as that I felt were far too convenient. I was doing a bit of eye rolling at how easy it was for her to find money, transportation, etc.
So this book was just kind of ‘meh’ for me, I’m not sure I’ll read the next. The pacing is just too slow and clogged down with a lot of mundane daily life details that were unnecessary, IMHO.
I enjoyed the heroine, though I think the fact that she really didn’t know herself showed and I found I never really got to know her as a character. Did I like her, not like her? I honestly don’t really know. She was enjoyable but not so much I found myself really invested in her character, not like I was at the very beginning., There are certain plot points that help send her on her way to finding out who she really as that I felt were far too convenient. I was doing a bit of eye rolling at how easy it was for her to find money, transportation, etc.
So this book was just kind of ‘meh’ for me, I’m not sure I’ll read the next. The pacing is just too slow and clogged down with a lot of mundane daily life details that were unnecessary, IMHO.
April 15, 2020
Without Merit will leave you breathless.
I finished reading Without Merit at 4:00 a.m.: It's now a few minutes after 5:00 a.m., and I have been driving myself crazy looking for the promised sequel. This story is absolutely amazing and will keep you riveted in your seat! The beginning has a shocking similarity to the first (I believe) Jason Bourne movie that opens with him being rescued from the ocean and is found to have amnesia when he awakens. Unfortunately for Merit, though, there is no microchip with her identifying information found on her body. Nothing gives her the slightest clue to even her name... until a chance viewing of a mountain that she recognizes on a poster, that is in Canada. From the very beginning, Merit's tumultuous journey to find out about herself and her life will keep you in breathless, heart-pounding, spell-binding suspense and anticipation that doesn't end with the last page of this first book. Many may be deterred by the length of this book (560 pages), but it's not long enough in my opinion, and I believe you will come to agree with me. It is also because of the length and depth of this story that, even in my greed and eagerness to have the second book in hand, I can understand the importance of patiently waiting for Ms Meraux to finish the story in a completely satisfying way that will respect the characters and us, the readers. In lieu of that, however, Ms Meraux, would it help to hasten the process if we got down on our knees and begged? P.S.: Speaking for myself, I am quite serious! 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏 A definite 5 stars and thumbs-up! Thank you so much for this great read! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 👍👍👍👍👍
I finished reading Without Merit at 4:00 a.m.: It's now a few minutes after 5:00 a.m., and I have been driving myself crazy looking for the promised sequel. This story is absolutely amazing and will keep you riveted in your seat! The beginning has a shocking similarity to the first (I believe) Jason Bourne movie that opens with him being rescued from the ocean and is found to have amnesia when he awakens. Unfortunately for Merit, though, there is no microchip with her identifying information found on her body. Nothing gives her the slightest clue to even her name... until a chance viewing of a mountain that she recognizes on a poster, that is in Canada. From the very beginning, Merit's tumultuous journey to find out about herself and her life will keep you in breathless, heart-pounding, spell-binding suspense and anticipation that doesn't end with the last page of this first book. Many may be deterred by the length of this book (560 pages), but it's not long enough in my opinion, and I believe you will come to agree with me. It is also because of the length and depth of this story that, even in my greed and eagerness to have the second book in hand, I can understand the importance of patiently waiting for Ms Meraux to finish the story in a completely satisfying way that will respect the characters and us, the readers. In lieu of that, however, Ms Meraux, would it help to hasten the process if we got down on our knees and begged? P.S.: Speaking for myself, I am quite serious! 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏 A definite 5 stars and thumbs-up! Thank you so much for this great read! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 👍👍👍👍👍
June 12, 2020
I love a good supernatural mystery- and this certainly did not disappoint!
The Author does a great job explaining everything in full detail- it can feel as though the plot seems thick with many different people and factors going on - but it is well thought out. Each person has a connection to someone else, and most importantly makes an impact on Merit. Merit is trying to find her memories, her personality, likes/dislikes- everything about herself again, so naturally each person she meets will seem important in their own way. The author does a great job of detailing the impact each person makes on Merit- awakening feelings, memories and clues as to who she may be.
I really appreciated the ending of this book as it was far less predictable than the premise made it seem. You do go through the book (as does the character) certain there is 1 or 2 possibilities to her who she really is, and I sometimes felt myself wanting the plot to move along and confirm what I thought I knew. I was very happy to learn that I was wrong!
This book has a lot of interesting factors that would make a great sequel- but leaves in a spot where if one is never written you still feel as the book made a whole arc and does not leave you completely in the dark. I would love to see another book - hopefully it is in the works!
The Author does a great job explaining everything in full detail- it can feel as though the plot seems thick with many different people and factors going on - but it is well thought out. Each person has a connection to someone else, and most importantly makes an impact on Merit. Merit is trying to find her memories, her personality, likes/dislikes- everything about herself again, so naturally each person she meets will seem important in their own way. The author does a great job of detailing the impact each person makes on Merit- awakening feelings, memories and clues as to who she may be.
I really appreciated the ending of this book as it was far less predictable than the premise made it seem. You do go through the book (as does the character) certain there is 1 or 2 possibilities to her who she really is, and I sometimes felt myself wanting the plot to move along and confirm what I thought I knew. I was very happy to learn that I was wrong!
This book has a lot of interesting factors that would make a great sequel- but leaves in a spot where if one is never written you still feel as the book made a whole arc and does not leave you completely in the dark. I would love to see another book - hopefully it is in the works!
July 10, 2018
This novel was a fun and unique ride - a thriller with a fantastical bent.
The novel begins with a girl named Merit. Merit had an accident that is rumored to be foul play and no longer knows who she is or remembers anything about her life. Thus begins a pretty ordinary thriller (victim runs from those chasing her, trying to piece together her past at the same time), until you find out that Merit has a special gift (I won’t say any more on that due to spoilers). This is when the narrative becomes original and incredibly engaging.
The aspect of this novel I liked the most were the characters. Every character had an important role to play in Merit’s journey, whether it be having information Merit needed to piece together her identity or physically helping her get to where she needed to be. No character was wasted, which it feels like so often happens in novels.
For the technical stuff - The novel was well paced (maybe a little slow at points, but it picks up with something completely unexpected and that makes up for any issue in pacing). The narrative is in the first person, which allows the narrative to flow more coherently than other perspectives (in my opinion).
I really enjoyed this book and look forward to more from this author(s).
The novel begins with a girl named Merit. Merit had an accident that is rumored to be foul play and no longer knows who she is or remembers anything about her life. Thus begins a pretty ordinary thriller (victim runs from those chasing her, trying to piece together her past at the same time), until you find out that Merit has a special gift (I won’t say any more on that due to spoilers). This is when the narrative becomes original and incredibly engaging.
The aspect of this novel I liked the most were the characters. Every character had an important role to play in Merit’s journey, whether it be having information Merit needed to piece together her identity or physically helping her get to where she needed to be. No character was wasted, which it feels like so often happens in novels.
For the technical stuff - The novel was well paced (maybe a little slow at points, but it picks up with something completely unexpected and that makes up for any issue in pacing). The narrative is in the first person, which allows the narrative to flow more coherently than other perspectives (in my opinion).
I really enjoyed this book and look forward to more from this author(s).
September 4, 2018
The writing in this book is truly stunning! Every word flows naturally and the first person narrative is really immersive and compelling. I truly felt like I was in this girl's head, seeing what she saw through her own eyes. Perhaps that was one of the reasons why I ended up being so frustrated at times while reading it! Everything was so vivid that at some point I was yelling at my tablet; I was so certain that I had the plotline figured out that I would get angry at the heroine for not seeing the obvious. But it turned out the joke was on me! I DID NOT see the plot twist coming, but I thoroughly enjoyed it!
All in all, I found this to be a great book. It has a strong plot and it leaves you wanting for more! The writing is amazing and the main character is well-developed. The one thing that jarred me a bit is that she can be unsympathetic at times; making snap judgments, always being in a state of distress. The story necessitated it for sure, but at times it still felt to me that she was thrust from one situation to the next too quickly, always in a whirlwind, never taking the time to reflect. As far as I am concerned though, that was the only thing that stopped me from giving this book a five-star review. I would definitely recommend it!
All in all, I found this to be a great book. It has a strong plot and it leaves you wanting for more! The writing is amazing and the main character is well-developed. The one thing that jarred me a bit is that she can be unsympathetic at times; making snap judgments, always being in a state of distress. The story necessitated it for sure, but at times it still felt to me that she was thrust from one situation to the next too quickly, always in a whirlwind, never taking the time to reflect. As far as I am concerned though, that was the only thing that stopped me from giving this book a five-star review. I would definitely recommend it!
August 17, 2018
What would you do if you woke up seriously maimed and with a serious case of amnesia?
For M, being plucked out of the Gulf of Mexico is the beginning of her existence - as she knows it. After convalescing in a smaller-than-small community of Georgians, she heads to Savannah to get some real answers. Only coming by answers is not a straightforward process for this mysterious young Jane Doe. With the help of her ‘spidey sense,’ she realizes all too quickly the dangers she’s in and travels to the only place she’s had a flash of familiarity with - the mountainous region of Squamish, British Columbia.
For amnesia being such a cliche trope, I felt that P.S. did a refreshingly good job - the mystery kept me page turning, and I fully expected to have figured it out half-way through, BUT to my surprise, the mystery kept on giving and I even got a nice juicy twist at the end. :)
The only reason I took away one star was that I felt some of the situations M was in were solved too easily and became unbelievable when attributed to her ‘spidey sense.’ The writing had good flow and was immensely detailed.
For M, being plucked out of the Gulf of Mexico is the beginning of her existence - as she knows it. After convalescing in a smaller-than-small community of Georgians, she heads to Savannah to get some real answers. Only coming by answers is not a straightforward process for this mysterious young Jane Doe. With the help of her ‘spidey sense,’ she realizes all too quickly the dangers she’s in and travels to the only place she’s had a flash of familiarity with - the mountainous region of Squamish, British Columbia.
For amnesia being such a cliche trope, I felt that P.S. did a refreshingly good job - the mystery kept me page turning, and I fully expected to have figured it out half-way through, BUT to my surprise, the mystery kept on giving and I even got a nice juicy twist at the end. :)
The only reason I took away one star was that I felt some of the situations M was in were solved too easily and became unbelievable when attributed to her ‘spidey sense.’ The writing had good flow and was immensely detailed.
April 19, 2020
I received an ARC in exchange for a review.
I am not sure how to feel about this novel. It was quite unrealistic how the story went. the book felt like a whirlwind of incidents. I was lost as to what was happening and where was the story going. Even though the story is interesting, the author did not manage to keep me engaged.
The end was also somehow very rushed. I did not expect it to end where it ended. I wanted to have more information on what was going on. but I guess I will have to wait for the next book to figure that part out.
I am not sure how to feel about this novel. It was quite unrealistic how the story went. the book felt like a whirlwind of incidents. I was lost as to what was happening and where was the story going. Even though the story is interesting, the author did not manage to keep me engaged.
The end was also somehow very rushed. I did not expect it to end where it ended. I wanted to have more information on what was going on. but I guess I will have to wait for the next book to figure that part out.
April 28, 2020
Supernatural, mystery, thriller... yep that’s exactly this book! The book opens with a teenage girl fighting for her life in turbulent waters. Which way is up or down?! The book continues on this wild ride keeping the reader wondering and guessing until the end. I LOVE that the entire book focuses on the ONE main character and all the people she meets on her journey of finding out who she is! I enjoyed the author’s descriptive writing style, it really fit with the mystery of the storyline. This book had a different feel than the books I’ve found myself reading lately, a very nice change of pace. Looks like I have a new author to follow!
October 13, 2018
Jeez what a waste of time. Not only the annoying endless diverting tracks (Kim and Nolan, Dr Tory, Scooby, the idiot initials MC for EVERYONE) and the holes but the stupid mske believe detective weak girl and... well I hated it. Sorry.
November 30, 2024
This was a slow burn. The beginning got me hooked, but eventually I found myself wondering what the author was trying to get at. But I also wanted to know where the story would go. The last 1/3 of the book was where I found myself most interested.
April 18, 2019
An exciting mystery filled with the supernatural. A young girl loses her memory and while trying to find out who she is she must fight to survive. A real page-turner that you will enjoy.
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