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Memoria Duology #2
Scars of Cereba
Sometimes I loved her.
Sometimes I hated her.
Sometimes I was her and wanted to die.
Falon’s mind is broken. By returning his memories, Sarilla fractured him into the man he was and the man he became after his memories were stolen. Now, he’s fighting to rejoin his two halves, but he’s locked up in the prison below the palace, his neck already fitted for the hangman’s noose. Time is quickly running out.
And it’s not just his memories that are fighting for control of his mind. He’s stuck with those of the memory thief who caused all his problems in the first place. The woman half of him loves, but the other half loathes. Her memories have stained his eyes black, making the people of Dranta and its new queen fear him. It’s up to Falon to find a way out of this mess, but it’s not going to be easy. Especially since all three of the people in his head have very different plans for how to go about it.
Scars of Cereba is the concluding book in the Memoria Duology, sequel to the SPFBO 2020 finalist, Last Memoria, a story about a memory thief on the run and desperate to be forgotten.
Trigger warnings: Grief, Forced captivity, Hanging, Loss of identity, Manipulation, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Public beatings, Violence.
If you want to ensure you don't miss news about Scars of Cereba, then sign up to my newsletter. You'll also get exclusive access to the short story When Cereba Fell. Sign-up link can be found on author profile.
Sometimes I hated her.
Sometimes I was her and wanted to die.
Falon’s mind is broken. By returning his memories, Sarilla fractured him into the man he was and the man he became after his memories were stolen. Now, he’s fighting to rejoin his two halves, but he’s locked up in the prison below the palace, his neck already fitted for the hangman’s noose. Time is quickly running out.
And it’s not just his memories that are fighting for control of his mind. He’s stuck with those of the memory thief who caused all his problems in the first place. The woman half of him loves, but the other half loathes. Her memories have stained his eyes black, making the people of Dranta and its new queen fear him. It’s up to Falon to find a way out of this mess, but it’s not going to be easy. Especially since all three of the people in his head have very different plans for how to go about it.
Scars of Cereba is the concluding book in the Memoria Duology, sequel to the SPFBO 2020 finalist, Last Memoria, a story about a memory thief on the run and desperate to be forgotten.
Trigger warnings: Grief, Forced captivity, Hanging, Loss of identity, Manipulation, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Public beatings, Violence.
If you want to ensure you don't miss news about Scars of Cereba, then sign up to my newsletter. You'll also get exclusive access to the short story When Cereba Fell. Sign-up link can be found on author profile.
302 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 10, 2021
2 people are currently reading
227 people want to read
About the author
Rachel Emma Shaw
7 books63 followersSlytherin author with a Hufflepuff soul. <3
https://linktr.ee/RachelEmmaShaw
Rachel Emma Shaw is a London based author. She started writing as an escape from her PhD in neuroscience and has never stopped. She lives in a house slowly being consumed by plants and loves being outdoors. She will frequently attempt to write her books in local parks, only to inevitably end up falling asleep in the sun. If you want her to hurry up and write more books then wish for rain. Her best work is done when it's stormy outside.
Her debut novel is Last Memoria, a story about love, lies and memory thieves.
Her website: https://rachelemmashaw.wordpress.com/
Her e-mail newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/b736c7485e1c/rache...
Her Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Rachelthesto...
Her Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rachel_emma...
Her Pintrest: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/paintedre...
Her Twitter: https://twitter.com/RachelEmma_Shaw
https://linktr.ee/RachelEmmaShaw
Rachel Emma Shaw is a London based author. She started writing as an escape from her PhD in neuroscience and has never stopped. She lives in a house slowly being consumed by plants and loves being outdoors. She will frequently attempt to write her books in local parks, only to inevitably end up falling asleep in the sun. If you want her to hurry up and write more books then wish for rain. Her best work is done when it's stormy outside.
Her debut novel is Last Memoria, a story about love, lies and memory thieves.
Her website: https://rachelemmashaw.wordpress.com/
Her e-mail newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/b736c7485e1c/rache...
Her Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Rachelthesto...
Her Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rachel_emma...
Her Pintrest: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/paintedre...
Her Twitter: https://twitter.com/RachelEmma_Shaw
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
February 6, 2022
I must say, I enjoyed Scars of Cereba even more than Last Memoria, which already enthralled me quickly.
Scars is another quick and fast read, however it is quite a bit darker and grittier than the first one. The story takes a turn to the grim side, and the banter and romance take a giant back step. Who on earth has time for that, if you see things crumble around you?
For me that actually made the story feel more real and gave it depth. I always hate when doom is right out the door, and every second counts - but characters just need to waste time on long drawn out romance scenes or such. So for me the difference in tone and style worked perfectly.
Falon's mind is broken in two and Sarilla is also stuffed into his head right along the two of them. This allows us to see the inner turmoil and thoughts of each of them way closer. They fight for and against each other, and are drawn in all sorts of directions. And again, we learn how much memories and experiences can shape our view.
Unlike Last Memoria, this book doesn't have a lot of traveling back and forth, rather we spent almost all of it at court. As the lack of direction was one of my major grievances in book one, I really enjoyed the more settled and clear setting.
And I especially loved exploring more of the history and world of the memori. The world also got a couple of new layers and depth and grew out of the foundations laid in Last Memoria!
The POVs and characters are very scattered. I actually loved the jumps between heads and varying viewpoints all the time. For me it made the characters and their lives feel a lot more three dimensional than they were in book one. It took me a bit to settle in and have a clear view of whose on page right now, but that only took me a few chapters. Once I was settled in the world, I had no problem whatsoever in knowing which POV I was in.
I think the mental repercussions and the effects of the way people are treated by society were really well and sensitively handled.
The end? I did like it! It is not one to give us full closure for every string of story. It's not overly dark, and neither is it rainbows and unicorns. Some characters make it to the end, some do not.
And it leaves quite some bits open ended. This does fit the story incredibly well in my eyes. It's supposed to make you think and maybe re-evaluate your own memories and experiences. So while it's not a comfort book that leaves you smiling, it also doesn't break you. And it does leave you wiser!
Scars is another quick and fast read, however it is quite a bit darker and grittier than the first one. The story takes a turn to the grim side, and the banter and romance take a giant back step. Who on earth has time for that, if you see things crumble around you?
For me that actually made the story feel more real and gave it depth. I always hate when doom is right out the door, and every second counts - but characters just need to waste time on long drawn out romance scenes or such. So for me the difference in tone and style worked perfectly.
Falon's mind is broken in two and Sarilla is also stuffed into his head right along the two of them. This allows us to see the inner turmoil and thoughts of each of them way closer. They fight for and against each other, and are drawn in all sorts of directions. And again, we learn how much memories and experiences can shape our view.
Unlike Last Memoria, this book doesn't have a lot of traveling back and forth, rather we spent almost all of it at court. As the lack of direction was one of my major grievances in book one, I really enjoyed the more settled and clear setting.
And I especially loved exploring more of the history and world of the memori. The world also got a couple of new layers and depth and grew out of the foundations laid in Last Memoria!
The POVs and characters are very scattered. I actually loved the jumps between heads and varying viewpoints all the time. For me it made the characters and their lives feel a lot more three dimensional than they were in book one. It took me a bit to settle in and have a clear view of whose on page right now, but that only took me a few chapters. Once I was settled in the world, I had no problem whatsoever in knowing which POV I was in.
I think the mental repercussions and the effects of the way people are treated by society were really well and sensitively handled.
The end? I did like it! It is not one to give us full closure for every string of story. It's not overly dark, and neither is it rainbows and unicorns. Some characters make it to the end, some do not.
And it leaves quite some bits open ended. This does fit the story incredibly well in my eyes. It's supposed to make you think and maybe re-evaluate your own memories and experiences. So while it's not a comfort book that leaves you smiling, it also doesn't break you. And it does leave you wiser!
May 23, 2021
This book is difficult for me to rate, partly because I quite loved the first book and partly because I felt this one would be a solid four stars from me, up until the last third, when the book took a darker turn that left me a bit unsettled. I am not the type of person who dislikes certain types of endings, but I’m not really sure how to process the ending of this one, nor what purpose it is meant to serve. This review will be pretty critical, but I want to point out that I really did enjoy this book overall, especially the first two-thirds of it, it just left me feeling unsatisfied with the story in the end, like several things were missing.
First, I feel as though much of the charm of the first book, with the quick banter, quest-like plot, and subtle romance was completely missing in this one, which was unfortunate because it’s what I loved most about the first book. That said, it is also understandable that much of those aspects would certainly be gone for at least the beginning of this book, considering the situation our characters are in.
However, that charm never returned and I felt like already established characters were overshadowed by new ones who were certainly fascinating, but whose arc seemed to fall short and completely stop during the latter third of the book. And boy was that latter third a lot. It left me pretty unsettled and the actions of one character in particular not only shocked me, but I feel as though they were never made to actually atone for what they did. Rather, it felt as though that aspect of the story was incomplete.
Craft-wise, the jumping between perspectives and memories was quite jarring at times, and it was difficult to grasp whose perspective we’re in. I certainly believe the story would have been better served if the moments in the “present” were in present tense, and the memories were in past tense, rather than past tense throughout.
And that just leaves me with a conundrum on how to rate this. Despite being a little confused at times, I came to really enjoy the exploration of Falon’s “split” mind and seeing him come to reconcile that, however I don’t feel that reconciliation was given enough time to breathe once it did come.
I was completely fascinated by Pharah and Lucan’s characters, but I had the impression they would play a much larger role than they do, only for their arc to seem to stutter out and die. I also loved learning more about the inherita ans the history of the memoria, but I feel as though that wasn’t explored as thoroughly as it should have been, either.
And for all of the comments on how you’re still “you” even if you don’t remember, I don’t know how to process that with Sari’s actions, which felt very un-Sarilla like. In fact, this and the ending are what left me most unsettled and caused me to drop a star rating.
Finally, the ending gave me some unsettling “bury your gays” vibes and I just am not sure how to feel about that, especially as it’s lacking closure on top of everything.
I wanted to love this so much and I hate being so critical of it – partly because I loved the first book and partly because I know this author is capable of writing great fantasy – unfortunately this seemed to fall short in several areas for me.
Nonetheless, thank you to the author for providing me an early copy to read in exchange for an honest review! I will certainly be reading more of Rachel Emma Shaw’s future works, no matter how I feel about this one!
First, I feel as though much of the charm of the first book, with the quick banter, quest-like plot, and subtle romance was completely missing in this one, which was unfortunate because it’s what I loved most about the first book. That said, it is also understandable that much of those aspects would certainly be gone for at least the beginning of this book, considering the situation our characters are in.
However, that charm never returned and I felt like already established characters were overshadowed by new ones who were certainly fascinating, but whose arc seemed to fall short and completely stop during the latter third of the book. And boy was that latter third a lot. It left me pretty unsettled and the actions of one character in particular not only shocked me, but I feel as though they were never made to actually atone for what they did. Rather, it felt as though that aspect of the story was incomplete.
Craft-wise, the jumping between perspectives and memories was quite jarring at times, and it was difficult to grasp whose perspective we’re in. I certainly believe the story would have been better served if the moments in the “present” were in present tense, and the memories were in past tense, rather than past tense throughout.
And that just leaves me with a conundrum on how to rate this. Despite being a little confused at times, I came to really enjoy the exploration of Falon’s “split” mind and seeing him come to reconcile that, however I don’t feel that reconciliation was given enough time to breathe once it did come.
I was completely fascinated by Pharah and Lucan’s characters, but I had the impression they would play a much larger role than they do, only for their arc to seem to stutter out and die. I also loved learning more about the inherita ans the history of the memoria, but I feel as though that wasn’t explored as thoroughly as it should have been, either.
And for all of the comments on how you’re still “you” even if you don’t remember, I don’t know how to process that with Sari’s actions, which felt very un-Sarilla like. In fact, this and the ending are what left me most unsettled and caused me to drop a star rating.
Finally, the ending gave me some unsettling “bury your gays” vibes and I just am not sure how to feel about that, especially as it’s lacking closure on top of everything.
I wanted to love this so much and I hate being so critical of it – partly because I loved the first book and partly because I know this author is capable of writing great fantasy – unfortunately this seemed to fall short in several areas for me.
Nonetheless, thank you to the author for providing me an early copy to read in exchange for an honest review! I will certainly be reading more of Rachel Emma Shaw’s future works, no matter how I feel about this one!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 29, 2021
What a finish. I'm crying, the ending couldn't have been more perfect, no matter how chaotic and utterly confusing everything leading up to it was. Mind-blowing in its most literal sense...and devastatingly beautiful.
Honestly, the way the author thinks and the ideas that she has are really out of this world. I think the only time I read something even approximately impressive was the masterpiece that was "The 7 deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle" I have no idea how she could keep all the plots in her mind straight without splitting it, it's utterly and incredibly amazing. My brain's already gone up in smokes.
PS: Can you believe both books are self-published by the author? (that explains the typos and grammatical errors) That is so cool! I'm even more impressed now.
Honestly, the way the author thinks and the ideas that she has are really out of this world. I think the only time I read something even approximately impressive was the masterpiece that was "The 7 deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle" I have no idea how she could keep all the plots in her mind straight without splitting it, it's utterly and incredibly amazing. My brain's already gone up in smokes.
PS: Can you believe both books are self-published by the author? (that explains the typos and grammatical errors) That is so cool! I'm even more impressed now.
March 4, 2021
This Review is based on the ARC provided by the author. Thank you!
First of all, I have to say – Scars of Cereba is a book that’s 100% for me. Everything within it just screams at my favourite ideas and concepts. And these concepts are developed perfectly, they work, they seem alive. Reading this book was pure joy.
So let me tell you about what exactly left me awestruck about Scars of Cereba.
The concepts:
One of the main things I’d like to mention is that I love the memori. Original fantasy races are the main thing I love in the genre. The mentality is something that authors often don’t think about. What I adored in the Last Memoria, I saw here in even brighter colours: the memori are a different species. They’re not human. They think differently, they’re different in the very core. And this difference is so believable!
I love them. They’re alive.
Rachel is a brilliant author when it comes to creating new species. This is talent, this is skill.
The second concept in Scars that left me completely in awe was about split personalities. Split personalities of different people struggling in sharing the same body is a concept so difficult, so fascinating! This is the first time I see it done so powerful, so great. I was so enthralled! I kept re-reading some parts because I loved the difference in seeing the same things, I loved the way Falons intertwined, the trippiness, the confusion.
Characters:
And Sarilla! My god, since the first book my reaction to every Sarilla’s appearance, was just like “please just be mine, I’ll love you”. She’s one of the best female character’s I’ve read about. Her pain, the way she’s assured she’s right in her self-hatred. The calm way she’s accepted so, so many terrible things she’s endured. I’m slightly in love with her, she’s brilliant.
I really really adored the way Sari turned out to be. This is something not every author is brave enough to do. I love it. I loved Sari, her being evil, this edgy “it’s not me, it’s them”. She’s so real.
I adored Sari being hurt by unspoken comparisons. This was such a meaningful part of her motivation. A lot of people underestimate how abrupting, how devastating can it feel to be always compared to someone gone. This is the case where you never win, you can't win against someone who's left only in memories. Memories do no wrong. Memories never make mistakes, and sometimes even the bitter ones start to feel sweet after enough time's passed. And sometimes you don't even need that -- the bitterness is enough, you just learn to love the taste since it's all that's left from something or someone gone.
It never mattered that Sarilla was hated, feared, or had her wrongs. It's so painful, to have someone look at you and see someone else. This part was brilliant. Sari was brilliant.
Sari also adds to the idea of what the memori’s mentality is. What are they, what is in their nature, whether you can call them evil/good by nature, or it has nothing to do with the way little Sari turned out to be.
Falon. Poor Falon. I remember saying in my review of Last Memoria that Falon was violated. But what happened to him in Scars!.. 'violated' doesn't even come close to expressing what he had to endure. This is what I especially loved about Rachel’s writing -- these complex feelings Scars awakened in me, the feelings you don't have exact words for. Too much for words. This is, actually, what I try to reach in my own writing -- the overwhelming confusion, the feeling of being drowned in impulses and feelings that are too intricate to describe at first. I love it :)
Overall:
The second part of the book feels a bit rushed, but I think it also works. It adds to the feeling of everything being one second from falling apart. Also adds to the feeling of despair. I had so many feelings I could burst!
Except for the two moments , I can’t even see any flaws. I loved every moment or reading Scars of Cereba.
I thought it couldn’t be better than the Last Memoria was in showing how memories shape a personality. And now I see I was wrong – Scars of Cereba develops this concept even further. Rachel went so deep to show how important memories can be, and I believed every part of it. I wanted to believe it because this element is exactly what shapes the book’s universe, the setting. Makes it work.
Sometimes I thought that, maybe, I was overthinking it. Like, did I make a connection that wasn't intended? was it a coincidence? But I 100% believe that, with these books, there is always more than what lies on the surface. They are re-readable, discussable.
I am really, really happy that I had this chance to read this duology. This is one of my all-time favorites.
First of all, I have to say – Scars of Cereba is a book that’s 100% for me. Everything within it just screams at my favourite ideas and concepts. And these concepts are developed perfectly, they work, they seem alive. Reading this book was pure joy.
So let me tell you about what exactly left me awestruck about Scars of Cereba.
The concepts:
One of the main things I’d like to mention is that I love the memori. Original fantasy races are the main thing I love in the genre. The mentality is something that authors often don’t think about. What I adored in the Last Memoria, I saw here in even brighter colours: the memori are a different species. They’re not human. They think differently, they’re different in the very core. And this difference is so believable!
I love them. They’re alive.
Rachel is a brilliant author when it comes to creating new species. This is talent, this is skill.
The second concept in Scars that left me completely in awe was about split personalities. Split personalities of different people struggling in sharing the same body is a concept so difficult, so fascinating! This is the first time I see it done so powerful, so great. I was so enthralled! I kept re-reading some parts because I loved the difference in seeing the same things, I loved the way Falons intertwined, the trippiness, the confusion.
Characters:
And Sarilla! My god, since the first book my reaction to every Sarilla’s appearance, was just like “please just be mine, I’ll love you”. She’s one of the best female character’s I’ve read about. Her pain, the way she’s assured she’s right in her self-hatred. The calm way she’s accepted so, so many terrible things she’s endured. I’m slightly in love with her, she’s brilliant.
I really really adored the way Sari turned out to be. This is something not every author is brave enough to do. I love it. I loved Sari, her being evil, this edgy “it’s not me, it’s them”. She’s so real.
I adored Sari being hurt by unspoken comparisons. This was such a meaningful part of her motivation. A lot of people underestimate how abrupting, how devastating can it feel to be always compared to someone gone. This is the case where you never win, you can't win against someone who's left only in memories. Memories do no wrong. Memories never make mistakes, and sometimes even the bitter ones start to feel sweet after enough time's passed. And sometimes you don't even need that -- the bitterness is enough, you just learn to love the taste since it's all that's left from something or someone gone.
It never mattered that Sarilla was hated, feared, or had her wrongs. It's so painful, to have someone look at you and see someone else. This part was brilliant. Sari was brilliant.
Sari also adds to the idea of what the memori’s mentality is. What are they, what is in their nature, whether you can call them evil/good by nature, or it has nothing to do with the way little Sari turned out to be.
Falon. Poor Falon. I remember saying in my review of Last Memoria that Falon was violated. But what happened to him in Scars!.. 'violated' doesn't even come close to expressing what he had to endure. This is what I especially loved about Rachel’s writing -- these complex feelings Scars awakened in me, the feelings you don't have exact words for. Too much for words. This is, actually, what I try to reach in my own writing -- the overwhelming confusion, the feeling of being drowned in impulses and feelings that are too intricate to describe at first. I love it :)
Overall:
The second part of the book feels a bit rushed, but I think it also works. It adds to the feeling of everything being one second from falling apart. Also adds to the feeling of despair. I had so many feelings I could burst!
Except for the two moments , I can’t even see any flaws. I loved every moment or reading Scars of Cereba.
I thought it couldn’t be better than the Last Memoria was in showing how memories shape a personality. And now I see I was wrong – Scars of Cereba develops this concept even further. Rachel went so deep to show how important memories can be, and I believed every part of it. I wanted to believe it because this element is exactly what shapes the book’s universe, the setting. Makes it work.
Sometimes I thought that, maybe, I was overthinking it. Like, did I make a connection that wasn't intended? was it a coincidence? But I 100% believe that, with these books, there is always more than what lies on the surface. They are re-readable, discussable.
I am really, really happy that I had this chance to read this duology. This is one of my all-time favorites.
May 12, 2021
Scars of Cerebra is the final book in the Memoria duology. This is a dark and twisty fantasy with a unique and interesting magic system. We follow Sari, who is the new version Sarilla, now deprived of her memories. Without these memories Sari is not quite in control of her powers and does not realise the effects of taking in too many memories. Her experimentations with these powers are quite morally wrong and we learn how important memories can be.
At the end of the last book Sarilla transfers her memories into Falon and he is now trapped inside the minds of two other people; the imposter and Sarilla. The author showed great skill in writing the inner turmoil of these three characters and their warring against each other. However for the first half of the book the three different narratives were really confusing and I struggled to engage with the storyline. I had great difficulty deciphering whose voice was who, which slowed the pacing considerably.
In the second half the pacing definitely picked up and the story piqued my interest, but what I really missed in this novel was the action-packed adventure and the little hints of romance present in the first book. Sadly some of my favourite characters in Last Memoria didn’t play a huge part here either and I did miss that quirky group of bandits and their repartee and interactions. However, we do learn a lot more about the Memori in this novel, a race of memory stealers, and explore their history and the extent of a their powers.
There’s no doubt this author can write an amazing fantasy story, the book is beautifully written and although I found the start of the book confusing the author portrayed the characters�� thought processes and inner conflicts with great skill. The ending is a bit of a shocker and took me completely by surprise, however it is a good strong finish. An enjoyable and hugely entertaining read, this is certainly a unique series with some marvellous fantasy elements. I really enjoy this author’s writing style and I do hope she continues to write more fantasy novels in the future.
Thank you so much to the author for the gifted eARC sent to me to review.
TWISTED IN PAGES BLOG
At the end of the last book Sarilla transfers her memories into Falon and he is now trapped inside the minds of two other people; the imposter and Sarilla. The author showed great skill in writing the inner turmoil of these three characters and their warring against each other. However for the first half of the book the three different narratives were really confusing and I struggled to engage with the storyline. I had great difficulty deciphering whose voice was who, which slowed the pacing considerably.
In the second half the pacing definitely picked up and the story piqued my interest, but what I really missed in this novel was the action-packed adventure and the little hints of romance present in the first book. Sadly some of my favourite characters in Last Memoria didn’t play a huge part here either and I did miss that quirky group of bandits and their repartee and interactions. However, we do learn a lot more about the Memori in this novel, a race of memory stealers, and explore their history and the extent of a their powers.
There’s no doubt this author can write an amazing fantasy story, the book is beautifully written and although I found the start of the book confusing the author portrayed the characters�� thought processes and inner conflicts with great skill. The ending is a bit of a shocker and took me completely by surprise, however it is a good strong finish. An enjoyable and hugely entertaining read, this is certainly a unique series with some marvellous fantasy elements. I really enjoy this author’s writing style and I do hope she continues to write more fantasy novels in the future.
Thank you so much to the author for the gifted eARC sent to me to review.
TWISTED IN PAGES BLOG
January 23, 2021
I was first introduced to Shaw’s writing when I was gifted a copy of ‘The Last Memoria’ in exchange for an honest review. I cannot express how completely and utterly blown away I was in reading a story which was imaginative, well-written and utterly captivating. So when I was offered a chance to read ‘Scar of Cereba’, I didn’t think twice, eagerly excited to delve back into the minds and lives of Falon, Sarilla and Havric.
From the first page I was transported back to the story I loved so much last year, for you are trapped inside the minds of the characters and are offered snippets into the confusion and memories of the destruction that had been left behind. Falon is no longer quite himself, for he is divided, split amongst imposter, Sarilla and a new version of himself. But what hasn’t changed, is his drive to attempt to right wrongs and get himself out of a bind.
When he awakes in a prison cell utterly divided, he knows he needs to locate Sari, Havric and attempt to put pieces back together, but as a prisoner he is handicapped somewhat. There’s a death sentence hanging over his head, and a guard who very much dislikes him.
Sari is a new memori, she is attempting to learn but in doing so causes further destruction. She cares deeply and believes she can rid the populations hatred of her kind by simply erasing it. But will she take it too far? And can Havric and Falon do what it takes to stop her?
This story was equally as addictive as the first book. Falon is a character who i have always had a soft spot for, and it was refreshing to read a book promoting LBGTQ relationships and lifestyles without prejudice or stereotyping. I loved learning more of his backstory from the flashbacks and snippets offered, to know of Lucan and what had transpired between them.
The memories and snippets were a great way of connecting a reader to the characters, for you felt like you were literally in the minds of these creations, and with each page I was desperate to learn more.
Shocker of an ending which I was not expecting! But I am incredibly excited to see where this story goes and if there will be more to what we have already learned.
This book is Incredibly imaginative, original and unique and Shaw has a real talent in how she depicts her characters and reels you in. I love fantasy as a genre which enables me to escape, and this book very much enabled me to become entangled in a fictional world so vividly.
I truly loved everything about this book, and it was one of those reads which I kept cursing every time I had to put it down to work, or do life admin etc, for it has had me hooked.
I am so excited for this book to be released and put out into the world, for it makes for a fast-paced and captivating read. This book is perfect for dark fantasy and fantasy lovers, or those who love getting their hands on a plot they have never encountered before. You will be incredibly glad you did and completely fascinated.
From the first page I was transported back to the story I loved so much last year, for you are trapped inside the minds of the characters and are offered snippets into the confusion and memories of the destruction that had been left behind. Falon is no longer quite himself, for he is divided, split amongst imposter, Sarilla and a new version of himself. But what hasn’t changed, is his drive to attempt to right wrongs and get himself out of a bind.
When he awakes in a prison cell utterly divided, he knows he needs to locate Sari, Havric and attempt to put pieces back together, but as a prisoner he is handicapped somewhat. There’s a death sentence hanging over his head, and a guard who very much dislikes him.
Sari is a new memori, she is attempting to learn but in doing so causes further destruction. She cares deeply and believes she can rid the populations hatred of her kind by simply erasing it. But will she take it too far? And can Havric and Falon do what it takes to stop her?
This story was equally as addictive as the first book. Falon is a character who i have always had a soft spot for, and it was refreshing to read a book promoting LBGTQ relationships and lifestyles without prejudice or stereotyping. I loved learning more of his backstory from the flashbacks and snippets offered, to know of Lucan and what had transpired between them.
The memories and snippets were a great way of connecting a reader to the characters, for you felt like you were literally in the minds of these creations, and with each page I was desperate to learn more.
Shocker of an ending which I was not expecting! But I am incredibly excited to see where this story goes and if there will be more to what we have already learned.
This book is Incredibly imaginative, original and unique and Shaw has a real talent in how she depicts her characters and reels you in. I love fantasy as a genre which enables me to escape, and this book very much enabled me to become entangled in a fictional world so vividly.
I truly loved everything about this book, and it was one of those reads which I kept cursing every time I had to put it down to work, or do life admin etc, for it has had me hooked.
I am so excited for this book to be released and put out into the world, for it makes for a fast-paced and captivating read. This book is perfect for dark fantasy and fantasy lovers, or those who love getting their hands on a plot they have never encountered before. You will be incredibly glad you did and completely fascinated.
March 29, 2023
This review is also featured on Behind the Pages: Scars of Cereba
Falon’s mind has been broken by the memories implanted in it. And while they may be remnants of his own past, he is a different man than when he first attained them. At war with himself, his two halves are in a constant battle for control. Memories twist his mind and force him to bounce between the old and the new Falon. To make matters worse, the memories of the memoria who caused the fracture resides in his mind as well. Time is running out for him and he must force his three selves to work together to escape execution.
Imagine being split asunder in your own body, unable to control when someone else takes it over. Rachel Emma Shaw brings Falon’s history into the story with such a clever plot device. To have three different people warring for control over one body, forcing it to change direction and purpose when each mind takes hold. It’s no wonder Falon is in such rough shape when the reader is reintroduced to him. The mental anguish Falon endures as the story progresses is so heart-rending, and yet you’ll also feel conflicted because of the various minds. Readers may side with the choices of one, yet disagree with the choices of another, but it is all the same person. Then again it begs to ask the question, who are we without our memories? Are we completely different people?
Scars of Cereba does explore who someone can become without their memories. Stripped of the past, Sari was Sarilla’s last chance at freedom and innocence. But when you can no longer remember your past mistakes, it is easy to make them once again. Lacking both the training and the wisdom of the past, Sari embraces her memoria powers in a way that would horrify Sarilla. And while Sari may be free of her past mistakes, it leaves plenty of room for her to make new ones.
This was a dark and disruptive story. With the switch in perspectives on almost every page, I had to pay careful attention to who was currently controlling Falon’s actions. But this added another layer to the story as the characters interacting with Falon had to do the exact same thing with less information at hand than the reader. I loved every minute of it! Scars of Cereba is a fantastic sequel to Last Memoria.
Falon’s mind has been broken by the memories implanted in it. And while they may be remnants of his own past, he is a different man than when he first attained them. At war with himself, his two halves are in a constant battle for control. Memories twist his mind and force him to bounce between the old and the new Falon. To make matters worse, the memories of the memoria who caused the fracture resides in his mind as well. Time is running out for him and he must force his three selves to work together to escape execution.
Imagine being split asunder in your own body, unable to control when someone else takes it over. Rachel Emma Shaw brings Falon’s history into the story with such a clever plot device. To have three different people warring for control over one body, forcing it to change direction and purpose when each mind takes hold. It’s no wonder Falon is in such rough shape when the reader is reintroduced to him. The mental anguish Falon endures as the story progresses is so heart-rending, and yet you’ll also feel conflicted because of the various minds. Readers may side with the choices of one, yet disagree with the choices of another, but it is all the same person. Then again it begs to ask the question, who are we without our memories? Are we completely different people?
Scars of Cereba does explore who someone can become without their memories. Stripped of the past, Sari was Sarilla’s last chance at freedom and innocence. But when you can no longer remember your past mistakes, it is easy to make them once again. Lacking both the training and the wisdom of the past, Sari embraces her memoria powers in a way that would horrify Sarilla. And while Sari may be free of her past mistakes, it leaves plenty of room for her to make new ones.
This was a dark and disruptive story. With the switch in perspectives on almost every page, I had to pay careful attention to who was currently controlling Falon’s actions. But this added another layer to the story as the characters interacting with Falon had to do the exact same thing with less information at hand than the reader. I loved every minute of it! Scars of Cereba is a fantastic sequel to Last Memoria.
March 31, 2021
Scars of Cereba by Rachel Emma Shaw is the second book in the Memoria duology. The book is uniquely written and it's what I adore about this series. From the first chapter I was transported back to the fiction world I enjoyed in book one. Falon's mind is broken, he now shares it with Sarilla and the other Falon.
Falon fights for his mind to go back to normality but he finds himself stuck between a rock and a hard place - prison. We get introduced to Sari (aka Sarilla) who is learning to become a memoria again after putting all her memories in to Falon. I don't want to give away to much of the plot to spoil this for everyone. I loved coming in blind with both books.
If you are looking for a fast paced and unique book you have come to the right place. Scars of Cereba is released on the 10th May 2021.
Thank you to Rachel for sending me an ARC copy for an honest review.
Falon fights for his mind to go back to normality but he finds himself stuck between a rock and a hard place - prison. We get introduced to Sari (aka Sarilla) who is learning to become a memoria again after putting all her memories in to Falon. I don't want to give away to much of the plot to spoil this for everyone. I loved coming in blind with both books.
If you are looking for a fast paced and unique book you have come to the right place. Scars of Cereba is released on the 10th May 2021.
Thank you to Rachel for sending me an ARC copy for an honest review.
April 5, 2021
“Memories are the balance of a knife edge, where too many can be just as cruel as too few. After having being made to steal them for so long, I know all too well how easily you can lose yourself either way you fall. Sometimes only for a while. Sometimes for longer. I ‘m still trying to find my way back. Perhaps in writing this down, I will get there at last but I doubt it.”
So where do I even start?.
Just wow Rachel has done it again with this incredible story telling. So many intricate details and the way she is able to differentiate between memories. I love though at times i like some of the characters had to question which Falon was talking. Confused? good. This is a book that seriously needs to be read and to be appreciated for what it is. A blooming masterpiece.
We continue where the last book left off. Sarilla has escaped with Havric, decided she needed to give Falon back his memories, but in doing so she does something else in her desperation to be free
But where does that leave Falon? Alone chained up in prison back in Drata. After being accused of killing the king and being associated with the Memoria he sentence is set.
As always I refuse outright to give spoilers. So I am going to review this like I always do, with Empathy, because if i am being honest unless you have that mind set and put yourself in the frame of reference of the characters( in their shoes), it's not to say you won't like the book because, like i have said it's a masterpiece. But you might not get Falon. Oh I totally love my Falon with all his brokenness and muddled mind. His hatred for what Sarilla did to him is palpable , yet I can see how his anger is so tensified with what else has happened to him, he lost the man he loved and let the one man who loved him the most slip through his fingers. So imagine having three way split personality and knowing certain memory triggers will bring up 1 of the three minds.
Literally this book has a deeper meaning behind it, memories and how precious they are and how private they are. Someone else’s pain should never be taken away, memories no matter how hard or traumatic they make ya, they make us stronger. I always thought that somewhere Inbetween the lines it’s written that we need to respect ours and other people’s pain and memories.
There was one part in the book that was just too close to home for me and it bought up so many feelings, but it’s a part of me and like in the book, it is who I am today because of it.
So where do I even start?.
Just wow Rachel has done it again with this incredible story telling. So many intricate details and the way she is able to differentiate between memories. I love though at times i like some of the characters had to question which Falon was talking. Confused? good. This is a book that seriously needs to be read and to be appreciated for what it is. A blooming masterpiece.
We continue where the last book left off. Sarilla has escaped with Havric, decided she needed to give Falon back his memories, but in doing so she does something else in her desperation to be free
But where does that leave Falon? Alone chained up in prison back in Drata. After being accused of killing the king and being associated with the Memoria he sentence is set.
As always I refuse outright to give spoilers. So I am going to review this like I always do, with Empathy, because if i am being honest unless you have that mind set and put yourself in the frame of reference of the characters( in their shoes), it's not to say you won't like the book because, like i have said it's a masterpiece. But you might not get Falon. Oh I totally love my Falon with all his brokenness and muddled mind. His hatred for what Sarilla did to him is palpable , yet I can see how his anger is so tensified with what else has happened to him, he lost the man he loved and let the one man who loved him the most slip through his fingers. So imagine having three way split personality and knowing certain memory triggers will bring up 1 of the three minds.
Literally this book has a deeper meaning behind it, memories and how precious they are and how private they are. Someone else’s pain should never be taken away, memories no matter how hard or traumatic they make ya, they make us stronger. I always thought that somewhere Inbetween the lines it’s written that we need to respect ours and other people’s pain and memories.
There was one part in the book that was just too close to home for me and it bought up so many feelings, but it’s a part of me and like in the book, it is who I am today because of it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 11, 2021
*Thanks to the author for the free E-ARC*
Book 1 was absolutely amazing and blew my mind, so I had high expectations for the sequel. This book was phenomenal and it was great at continuing from where the first book ended. I loved how the author took the story! The author is clearly skilled at creating a fantastic plot and knows how to torture their reader with the details.
Now, why did I give this book a 4.5 instead of a perfect 5? Part of the reason is the ending, it felt so abrupt for my tastes, and I wanted even more drama to happen. I do think the ending was a good ending, but I feel like we could have increased the dramatics and may be caused chaos for the other characters too. Another reason is just I felt like I needed something more. I did think that our two main characters had a mostly fitting ending, but I do wish some secondary characters had more developing or more of an understanding of their ending. I still highly recommend this book and series!
Book 1 was absolutely amazing and blew my mind, so I had high expectations for the sequel. This book was phenomenal and it was great at continuing from where the first book ended. I loved how the author took the story! The author is clearly skilled at creating a fantastic plot and knows how to torture their reader with the details.
Now, why did I give this book a 4.5 instead of a perfect 5? Part of the reason is the ending, it felt so abrupt for my tastes, and I wanted even more drama to happen. I do think the ending was a good ending, but I feel like we could have increased the dramatics and may be caused chaos for the other characters too. Another reason is just I felt like I needed something more. I did think that our two main characters had a mostly fitting ending, but I do wish some secondary characters had more developing or more of an understanding of their ending. I still highly recommend this book and series!
March 12, 2021
ARC provided by author in exchange for an honest review, thank you!!!
I’m gonna keep this spoiler free but...y’all! What a book! Everytime I picked it up I read sooo much of it! (What took so long is my still trying to get used to actually having a kindle). But anyways, I was instantly transported back into this story despite it being a minute since I read book one. Falon and Sarilla, and their...situation was such an experience to read about and I just could not get enough of that POV.
I will say, one of my biggest problems with this was the way it ended. There was nothing wrong with it per say, the story just led me to believe that something dramatic was gonna happen and it just didn’t? I was let down by that honestly. The ending was fine and I’m glad things worked out like they did...but I wanted more.
I will say that this book was slightly interesting in the way that Sari was displayed here. We knew after what happened in the first book that she was going to be different than Sarilla was but I didn’t expect her to be THAT different. The book did slightly go downhill for me when she became a central player. The way that story unfolded with Falon was...difficult to read. Shaw did what she set out to do. She gave us the story about how memories are so important and how, without those memories, we really are not ourselves BUT there was this one part that just took me out. The idea was...so hard to actually read and then it made it difficult to get in that mindset. There was another part that really drove home how terrible memories could be.
In general, I think everyone should read this book.
I’m gonna keep this spoiler free but...y’all! What a book! Everytime I picked it up I read sooo much of it! (What took so long is my still trying to get used to actually having a kindle). But anyways, I was instantly transported back into this story despite it being a minute since I read book one. Falon and Sarilla, and their...situation was such an experience to read about and I just could not get enough of that POV.
I will say, one of my biggest problems with this was the way it ended. There was nothing wrong with it per say, the story just led me to believe that something dramatic was gonna happen and it just didn’t? I was let down by that honestly. The ending was fine and I’m glad things worked out like they did...but I wanted more.
I will say that this book was slightly interesting in the way that Sari was displayed here. We knew after what happened in the first book that she was going to be different than Sarilla was but I didn’t expect her to be THAT different. The book did slightly go downhill for me when she became a central player. The way that story unfolded with Falon was...difficult to read. Shaw did what she set out to do. She gave us the story about how memories are so important and how, without those memories, we really are not ourselves BUT there was this one part that just took me out. The idea was...so hard to actually read and then it made it difficult to get in that mindset. There was another part that really drove home how terrible memories could be.
In general, I think everyone should read this book.
May 10, 2021
Absolutely sobbing by the end! This book was a trip. Whereas the first book had more adventure and travel, this book was incredibly psychological. I literally don’t know how to describe the story without giving too much away so I’ll settle for my reactions and impressions with just a bit of overview.
Falon is split into three parts, the imposter (in love with Sarilla), the fool (hates Sarilla), and Sarilla. He is a prisoner in both his mind and body while being in actual prison. The author seamlessly twists memories into the story as Falon changes between his many parts. Between the loss of self and the division of self, Falon struggles to free himself. In the fools attempt to survive, he dangles the naive Sari, what remains of Sarilla in Sarilla’s body, in front of the queen as a trade, one memori for his life. In so doing, he wreaks havoc on everyone he knows. But in doing so he grows and comes closer to who he became when he forgot who he was.
The level of character growth and exploration in this book was incredible and thorough. The story truly explores the soul, what makes you who you are. The story was especially poignant to me because my great aunt had dementia and her jumble of memories and the lack of them played out before my eyes.
The writing was incredibly evocative. I remember being at maybe 40% of the way through and honestly I felt trapped—like the story would forever be going down this same shifting dark path. And while that could be seen as a negative, it very much parallels the emotional turmoil of the book. It’s as if there exists a claustrophobia of the self that could be shared between me as the reader and the characters within the story. This book was fairly bleak, but emotionally it’s impact was incredibly powerful.
I’m a big fan of character driven stories—I don’t like flat characters and I generally am very picky about characterization because I become very invested within a story. To say this book was dangerous because it pulled me in so effectively would be an understatement. While I got off to a slow start reading it, I ended up devouring the whole book in several hours. The writing was fantastic, the story was compelling, and overall these books have been absolutely incredible reads. I highly recommend these books!!!!
TW it occurs to me that people struggling with body dysmorphia may be negatively impacted by reading this. On the one hand it could be helpful because there is somewhat of an exploration of it (being that characters are sharing one body that is not necessarily their own.) But on the other hand, it could obviously be harmful for the same reasons.
Falon is split into three parts, the imposter (in love with Sarilla), the fool (hates Sarilla), and Sarilla. He is a prisoner in both his mind and body while being in actual prison. The author seamlessly twists memories into the story as Falon changes between his many parts. Between the loss of self and the division of self, Falon struggles to free himself. In the fools attempt to survive, he dangles the naive Sari, what remains of Sarilla in Sarilla’s body, in front of the queen as a trade, one memori for his life. In so doing, he wreaks havoc on everyone he knows. But in doing so he grows and comes closer to who he became when he forgot who he was.
The level of character growth and exploration in this book was incredible and thorough. The story truly explores the soul, what makes you who you are. The story was especially poignant to me because my great aunt had dementia and her jumble of memories and the lack of them played out before my eyes.
The writing was incredibly evocative. I remember being at maybe 40% of the way through and honestly I felt trapped—like the story would forever be going down this same shifting dark path. And while that could be seen as a negative, it very much parallels the emotional turmoil of the book. It’s as if there exists a claustrophobia of the self that could be shared between me as the reader and the characters within the story. This book was fairly bleak, but emotionally it’s impact was incredibly powerful.
I’m a big fan of character driven stories—I don’t like flat characters and I generally am very picky about characterization because I become very invested within a story. To say this book was dangerous because it pulled me in so effectively would be an understatement. While I got off to a slow start reading it, I ended up devouring the whole book in several hours. The writing was fantastic, the story was compelling, and overall these books have been absolutely incredible reads. I highly recommend these books!!!!
TW it occurs to me that people struggling with body dysmorphia may be negatively impacted by reading this. On the one hand it could be helpful because there is somewhat of an exploration of it (being that characters are sharing one body that is not necessarily their own.) But on the other hand, it could obviously be harmful for the same reasons.
April 16, 2021
Falon's mind is no longer his own. Sarilla put his memories back, but the man he was before his memories were stolen and the man he became after are clashing, fighting to control him. He also has Sarilla to contend with since she put her memories inside him too. His mind wars between loving and hating her. Having her memories transformed his eyes into pure black, striking fear into everyone he comes across. This includes Dranta's new queen who is holding him prisoner and plans to eradicate the issue of the memoria, including him in her mission. Falon must find a way to save himself, but to do so, he will have to sort through the mess in his head and get all three people to come together.
Keep in mind that everyone has their own opinion. This review is only my opinion, and you may have your own, different one. I would take into consideration what I say, but do not make a decision about the book solely based off of this review. Additionally, the author sent me this book as a free advanced reading copy; however, this did not influence my review. This is 100% my honest opinion. Let's begin:
I absolutely loved the concept of having Falon's mind split in three. It was very interesting to watch the three people war with each other in a way and to see how their relationship progressed or changed based off the specific circumstance. I also enjoyed this because we didn't get to see how Falon was before his memories were taken in the first book. Yes, the truth of his dealings with Sarilla was revealed, but we didn't get in his head and have the opportunity to really see who he was. I like that we did in this book and that we had a direct comparison of him before and after the memories. The internal struggle Falon as a whole experienced was written very well in addition to the struggles of all of his parts separately. Shaw is certainly skilled at writing internal conflict. I also liked the character development that all three went through separately and together.
However, one of the biggest issue I had with the book also stemmed from this. There was no indicator of who was controlling Falon at the moment prior to a chapter starting. You could figure it out during the chapter, but I did find it a bit confusing at times. I'm not sure if this was for stylistic purposes (i.e. Falon is confused at who he is and sometimes who is in control, so the readers get to experience what he is going through), but it was definitely something that took me out of the story sometimes since it switched around so much.
I thought the new Sarilla was extremely fascinating. I loved seeing what a memoria who doesn't know the effects of taking memories are would act. Sarilla was always so cautious with her ability in the first book, so watching Sari experiment with the ability was very interesting. This was perhaps my favorite part of the novel. I think the author did a great job at showing the extent of a memoria's powers and I really liked everything that Sari did (not as far as morals go, but it was entertaining and added something to the book).
As far as the other characters go, I do wish that we got to see more of Havric. I adored his character in the first book and was looking forward to seeing more of him. I was a little sad that he seemed to get put to the side. He was still in the story, but not as much as I would have liked. I did, however, like the new queen and how her relationship with Falon worked. Lucan was another intriguing new character. It was fun to see his past with Falon, and I would love to be able to see into Lucan's head because his personality was very interesting. Pharah was my favorite new character. I know I use the word interesting a lot, but I'm going to do it again: she was very interesting. Her past, job, and personality all added to the story in a nice way and she was a great addition to the story. I enjoyed seeing where her loyalties truly lied as well.
The plot was once again very cool and unique. It had me invested in the story the entire time. The darkness of the story truly sets it apart from other fantasy novels. Most fantasy has a dark aspect to it, but this one truly embodies the dark fantasy genre. It makes the story so much more captivating and real. I love that the author does not shy away from negative emotions and situations. It made me love the story more and truly showed who the characters were.
Overall, this was a strong ending to the duology. Luckily, I would not say that it has a case of second book syndrome. I did give it 4 stars because of the confusion and for sidelining Havric when I think he would have been a good character to have around more, but I did still really really enjoy the book. I definitely recommend giving this duology a try, especially if you like darker novels.
Thank you to the author, Rachel Emma Shaw, for giving me an advanced reading copy in exchange for this review! Make sure to go subscribe to her newsletter to get your copy of When Cereba Fell, a short story related to the Memoria duology!
Rating: 4/5 stars
Author: Rachel Emma Shaw
# of Pages: 296
Genre: YA, Dark Fantasy, Thrillers
Series: Memoria Duology (Book 2)
Publication Date: May 10, 2021
Keep in mind that everyone has their own opinion. This review is only my opinion, and you may have your own, different one. I would take into consideration what I say, but do not make a decision about the book solely based off of this review. Additionally, the author sent me this book as a free advanced reading copy; however, this did not influence my review. This is 100% my honest opinion. Let's begin:
I absolutely loved the concept of having Falon's mind split in three. It was very interesting to watch the three people war with each other in a way and to see how their relationship progressed or changed based off the specific circumstance. I also enjoyed this because we didn't get to see how Falon was before his memories were taken in the first book. Yes, the truth of his dealings with Sarilla was revealed, but we didn't get in his head and have the opportunity to really see who he was. I like that we did in this book and that we had a direct comparison of him before and after the memories. The internal struggle Falon as a whole experienced was written very well in addition to the struggles of all of his parts separately. Shaw is certainly skilled at writing internal conflict. I also liked the character development that all three went through separately and together.
However, one of the biggest issue I had with the book also stemmed from this. There was no indicator of who was controlling Falon at the moment prior to a chapter starting. You could figure it out during the chapter, but I did find it a bit confusing at times. I'm not sure if this was for stylistic purposes (i.e. Falon is confused at who he is and sometimes who is in control, so the readers get to experience what he is going through), but it was definitely something that took me out of the story sometimes since it switched around so much.
I thought the new Sarilla was extremely fascinating. I loved seeing what a memoria who doesn't know the effects of taking memories are would act. Sarilla was always so cautious with her ability in the first book, so watching Sari experiment with the ability was very interesting. This was perhaps my favorite part of the novel. I think the author did a great job at showing the extent of a memoria's powers and I really liked everything that Sari did (not as far as morals go, but it was entertaining and added something to the book).
As far as the other characters go, I do wish that we got to see more of Havric. I adored his character in the first book and was looking forward to seeing more of him. I was a little sad that he seemed to get put to the side. He was still in the story, but not as much as I would have liked. I did, however, like the new queen and how her relationship with Falon worked. Lucan was another intriguing new character. It was fun to see his past with Falon, and I would love to be able to see into Lucan's head because his personality was very interesting. Pharah was my favorite new character. I know I use the word interesting a lot, but I'm going to do it again: she was very interesting. Her past, job, and personality all added to the story in a nice way and she was a great addition to the story. I enjoyed seeing where her loyalties truly lied as well.
The plot was once again very cool and unique. It had me invested in the story the entire time. The darkness of the story truly sets it apart from other fantasy novels. Most fantasy has a dark aspect to it, but this one truly embodies the dark fantasy genre. It makes the story so much more captivating and real. I love that the author does not shy away from negative emotions and situations. It made me love the story more and truly showed who the characters were.
Overall, this was a strong ending to the duology. Luckily, I would not say that it has a case of second book syndrome. I did give it 4 stars because of the confusion and for sidelining Havric when I think he would have been a good character to have around more, but I did still really really enjoy the book. I definitely recommend giving this duology a try, especially if you like darker novels.
Thank you to the author, Rachel Emma Shaw, for giving me an advanced reading copy in exchange for this review! Make sure to go subscribe to her newsletter to get your copy of When Cereba Fell, a short story related to the Memoria duology!
Rating: 4/5 stars
Author: Rachel Emma Shaw
# of Pages: 296
Genre: YA, Dark Fantasy, Thrillers
Series: Memoria Duology (Book 2)
Publication Date: May 10, 2021
April 5, 2021
"Whoever Falon had once been, he was now only a vessel for memories. A battleground of love and hate."
The sequel starts with Falon imprisoned to be hanged as a traitor. The three 1st person POVs (!) are parts of a man with 3 voices in his head: the man he was, the man he became and Sarilla's memories which are trapped inside him.
This inner turmoil was an incredible feat accomplished by the author with undeniable success. The difficulty of presenting the right tone for each one and still progressing the story at the same time. It could have been hokey or aggravating, but instead it gave you the bittersweet melancholy beauty of the author's writing you've come to expect.
I like how the story kept me on my toes. The attempts to escape and to solve the predicament of his fractured self, drive the protagonist and the narrative. As the action sparks, it's riveting to see who will be 'in charge' and how they will react.
We learn more of the memori, about their power and their past. And his knowledge amps up the suspense and the foreboding of what is to come.
It deals with the impact of memories on our psyche. Are we our memories? Another theme is forgiveness and the need to forgive ourselves is emphasized. Can you truly forgive someone and where do you go from there? Speculating that at the root of prejudice is fear, it ponders on the best way to deal with it.
With a wonderfully bizarre & impossible situation at its center, this book is a great example of how amazing fantasy can be, philosophical and adventurous at the same time, and create its own niche of awesomeness.
The sequel starts with Falon imprisoned to be hanged as a traitor. The three 1st person POVs (!) are parts of a man with 3 voices in his head: the man he was, the man he became and Sarilla's memories which are trapped inside him.
This inner turmoil was an incredible feat accomplished by the author with undeniable success. The difficulty of presenting the right tone for each one and still progressing the story at the same time. It could have been hokey or aggravating, but instead it gave you the bittersweet melancholy beauty of the author's writing you've come to expect.
I like how the story kept me on my toes. The attempts to escape and to solve the predicament of his fractured self, drive the protagonist and the narrative. As the action sparks, it's riveting to see who will be 'in charge' and how they will react.
We learn more of the memori, about their power and their past. And his knowledge amps up the suspense and the foreboding of what is to come.
It deals with the impact of memories on our psyche. Are we our memories? Another theme is forgiveness and the need to forgive ourselves is emphasized. Can you truly forgive someone and where do you go from there? Speculating that at the root of prejudice is fear, it ponders on the best way to deal with it.
With a wonderfully bizarre & impossible situation at its center, this book is a great example of how amazing fantasy can be, philosophical and adventurous at the same time, and create its own niche of awesomeness.
January 23, 2021
I was sent a copy of the ARC of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review.
This is the second book in the Memoria Duology and I was so excited to get a chance to read this book early after loving the first book.
From the first page of this book your thrown back into into a fast paced plot thats full of tension.
I absolutely adore Rachel’s writing style and the characters she has created. When I say you have to prepare yourself before you dive into this book I’m not joking it was a whirlwind that tore my emotions apart!
This is a duology that I would recommend to anyone who loves fantasy! It’s a hidden gem that doesn’t get enough love
This is the second book in the Memoria Duology and I was so excited to get a chance to read this book early after loving the first book.
From the first page of this book your thrown back into into a fast paced plot thats full of tension.
I absolutely adore Rachel’s writing style and the characters she has created. When I say you have to prepare yourself before you dive into this book I’m not joking it was a whirlwind that tore my emotions apart!
This is a duology that I would recommend to anyone who loves fantasy! It’s a hidden gem that doesn’t get enough love
May 9, 2021
I received an eARC from the author in exchange for my review.
What I Did Like:
-Morally grey characters. Just like in the first book, you can expect lots of characters who aren’t obviously villains or heroes. They’re morally grey and I LOVE THEM. I love that they pop off the page and feel real, I love that they struggle with choices.
-Emotional ending. I won’t say more (spoilers) but the ending tugs at your heartstrings and makes you FEEL things. Love that!
-Big themes. Again, this one explores big concepts. This time we’re dealing with whether you think your life is worth MORE than the life of another. If major events in your life can literally reshape you. If you are YOU without your memories. It’s BRILLIANT in the big themes and lessons it makes you look at.
Who Should Read This One:
-Fantasy fans. Like the first one, this one will appeal to anyone who likes to explore created worlds that have their roots in ours but go much further. Memori can read, pull, and share memories from a person. Fantastical concept, for sure.
-Science fiction fans. Hear me out. Science fiction often explores the realm just outside of what is possible. I believe this one does that. There’s no technology involved, so it’s not sci-fi by definition. But I do think if that sort of thing appeals to you, you’ll love where this goes.
My Rating: 5 Stars. Really, this is the PERFECT ending for these characters. The story will still appeal to fantasy readers and sci-fi readers who like to operate just outside the realm of possibility.
For Full Review: https://youtu.be/kc_ksncb7Wk
What I Did Like:
-Morally grey characters. Just like in the first book, you can expect lots of characters who aren’t obviously villains or heroes. They’re morally grey and I LOVE THEM. I love that they pop off the page and feel real, I love that they struggle with choices.
-Emotional ending. I won’t say more (spoilers) but the ending tugs at your heartstrings and makes you FEEL things. Love that!
-Big themes. Again, this one explores big concepts. This time we’re dealing with whether you think your life is worth MORE than the life of another. If major events in your life can literally reshape you. If you are YOU without your memories. It’s BRILLIANT in the big themes and lessons it makes you look at.
Who Should Read This One:
-Fantasy fans. Like the first one, this one will appeal to anyone who likes to explore created worlds that have their roots in ours but go much further. Memori can read, pull, and share memories from a person. Fantastical concept, for sure.
-Science fiction fans. Hear me out. Science fiction often explores the realm just outside of what is possible. I believe this one does that. There’s no technology involved, so it’s not sci-fi by definition. But I do think if that sort of thing appeals to you, you’ll love where this goes.
My Rating: 5 Stars. Really, this is the PERFECT ending for these characters. The story will still appeal to fantasy readers and sci-fi readers who like to operate just outside the realm of possibility.
For Full Review: https://youtu.be/kc_ksncb7Wk
January 20, 2021
I am a sobbing mess.
I’m gonna admit that i was confused in the beginning, but it quickly became clear and i was sucked into the story. I loved how the story got told, 3 minds into 1 is not that easy to pull of i imagine!
———————SPOILER——————————————————————————————
This book is brutal! I was so looking forward to the reunion, AND THEN THIS HAPPENED??? Fallon did not deserve this ending 😭😭😭
I’m gonna admit that i was confused in the beginning, but it quickly became clear and i was sucked into the story. I loved how the story got told, 3 minds into 1 is not that easy to pull of i imagine!
———————SPOILER——————————————————————————————
This book is brutal! I was so looking forward to the reunion, AND THEN THIS HAPPENED??? Fallon did not deserve this ending 😭😭😭
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 21, 2021
I was given an ARC copy by the author herself for an honest review. I was blown away from the first page. I’m glad to be back into the world and to see what became of everyone in Dranta. Being able to see more of certain characters and to learn about new ones. It was a book I couldn’t put down.
July 14, 2021
I have to admit that I was very surprised by Scars of Cereba. This book packed a serious punch. Continuing the duology from the ending of Last Memoria, Scars takes off running and doesn't really ever stop.
The pace is quite quick and the writing is really well crafted. There has been some growth in the author's writing style and I was totally thrilled to see this. The book moved so well and the plot really had me sucked in from quite early on.
This is a multiple POV tale and that can become a bit troublesome during the reading. Really this was my only struggle with the book. Though it is crafted to show when a memory (and POV) switch is occurring, it can still occasionally be difficult to figure out which character is doing the talking. Like the first installment, this approach does give quite a bit of dimension to the story and presents the events of the tale from very differing perspectives. Sometimes this made it hard to know who to root for and that confusion just hyped up the tension and the suspense for me even more.
The world is still quite interesting, with a little bit of darkness and a lot of mystery. I enjoyed the development of the characters and the plot in this second half of the duology and felt like things were really thought through quite well. The character arcs for Sarilla and Falon were fantastic, particularly Falon, and I found myself with a lump caught in my throat a few times.
There is a lot of cleverness in this writing and I really enjoyed the creativity of the world. The characters were well-bodied and the story really did carry on with a lot of strength. This was a solid book with an ending that I just cannot fault.
Shaw is really showing a lot of talent in her writing as well as her potential for growth and finesse. I very much look forward to her future reads.
* Disclaimer: I received a copy of this novel from the author in exchange for an honest review. *
The pace is quite quick and the writing is really well crafted. There has been some growth in the author's writing style and I was totally thrilled to see this. The book moved so well and the plot really had me sucked in from quite early on.
This is a multiple POV tale and that can become a bit troublesome during the reading. Really this was my only struggle with the book. Though it is crafted to show when a memory (and POV) switch is occurring, it can still occasionally be difficult to figure out which character is doing the talking. Like the first installment, this approach does give quite a bit of dimension to the story and presents the events of the tale from very differing perspectives. Sometimes this made it hard to know who to root for and that confusion just hyped up the tension and the suspense for me even more.
The world is still quite interesting, with a little bit of darkness and a lot of mystery. I enjoyed the development of the characters and the plot in this second half of the duology and felt like things were really thought through quite well. The character arcs for Sarilla and Falon were fantastic, particularly Falon, and I found myself with a lump caught in my throat a few times.
There is a lot of cleverness in this writing and I really enjoyed the creativity of the world. The characters were well-bodied and the story really did carry on with a lot of strength. This was a solid book with an ending that I just cannot fault.
Shaw is really showing a lot of talent in her writing as well as her potential for growth and finesse. I very much look forward to her future reads.
* Disclaimer: I received a copy of this novel from the author in exchange for an honest review. *
February 1, 2021
Read my full review here: https://lifesanovelty.blogspot.com/20...
Opinions: If there's one word to describe Shaw's attempt at Scars of Cereba, it's ambitious, but when has that ever been a bad thing? We want our fantasy to push the limits, to leave readers with a chill down their spine, to appear in our thoughts months later when a friend asks for a book recommendation. The dictionary's definition of ambitious is, "an earnest desire for an achievement or distinction." I insist on being the first reader to say to Rachel: you achieved your goal! Scars of Cereba was a thought-provoking and resonating sequel that makes fantasy meaningful. I guarantee that any reader, especially those looking for an illustriously written, dark fantasy adventure will begin to appreciate YA literature as much as they truly should after reading the Memoria Duology. In my opinion, Scars of Cereba sets a new standard for teen fantasy!
My Favourite Thing: What can I say? My love for Rachel Emma Shaw's work is consistent: my favourite part of Last Memoria was the world building and fantastical elements, and that appreciation stuck around while reading Scars of Cereba. Although the atmosphere was familiar from reading other fantasy novels, the conflict of a supernatural power was exceptional. Although I was thrilled to see the climax of Falon and Sarilla's tale, I wish there were a million books so I never had to set their story down.
Opinions: If there's one word to describe Shaw's attempt at Scars of Cereba, it's ambitious, but when has that ever been a bad thing? We want our fantasy to push the limits, to leave readers with a chill down their spine, to appear in our thoughts months later when a friend asks for a book recommendation. The dictionary's definition of ambitious is, "an earnest desire for an achievement or distinction." I insist on being the first reader to say to Rachel: you achieved your goal! Scars of Cereba was a thought-provoking and resonating sequel that makes fantasy meaningful. I guarantee that any reader, especially those looking for an illustriously written, dark fantasy adventure will begin to appreciate YA literature as much as they truly should after reading the Memoria Duology. In my opinion, Scars of Cereba sets a new standard for teen fantasy!
My Favourite Thing: What can I say? My love for Rachel Emma Shaw's work is consistent: my favourite part of Last Memoria was the world building and fantastical elements, and that appreciation stuck around while reading Scars of Cereba. Although the atmosphere was familiar from reading other fantasy novels, the conflict of a supernatural power was exceptional. Although I was thrilled to see the climax of Falon and Sarilla's tale, I wish there were a million books so I never had to set their story down.
March 14, 2021
❄️This is a honest review. I received the book from the writer for the cover reveal.
❄️All my opinions are my own.
❄️Synopsis:
Falon’s mind is broken. Sarilla returned his memories to him, but in doing so, she fractured him into the man he was before she took them and the man he became after they were stolen. He’s fighting to rejoin his two halves, but locked up in the prison below the palace with his neck already fitted for the hangman’s noose, time is quickly running out.
It’s more than just Falon's memories that are fighting for control of his mind, though. So are those of the memory thief who caused all his problems in the first place. Sarilla. The woman half of him loves, but the other half hates.
Her memories have stained his eyes black, causing everyone to fear what Falon has become. He needs to find a way out of this mess, but it’s not going to be easy. Especially since all three of the people in his head have very different plans for how to go about it.’
❄️Review: I give this book 4,5 stars.
❄️This is the second book in the memoria dualogy. And wow @rachel_emma_shaw definitely made a amazing book. There were so many plot twists that you just don’t know how it’s going to end. We follow Sari who is a new memoria, and is more a child that’s learning that her actions have consequences.
Fallon is also struggling, he has the memories of Sarilla in him, but also got his missing memories. Which has a resulted in a split personality. And you never know who is in control.
If you like a dark fantasy that’s, in a style written I have not seen. Fast paced, so many twists and turns that you just need to keep reading.
❄️All my opinions are my own.
❄️Synopsis:
Falon’s mind is broken. Sarilla returned his memories to him, but in doing so, she fractured him into the man he was before she took them and the man he became after they were stolen. He’s fighting to rejoin his two halves, but locked up in the prison below the palace with his neck already fitted for the hangman’s noose, time is quickly running out.
It’s more than just Falon's memories that are fighting for control of his mind, though. So are those of the memory thief who caused all his problems in the first place. Sarilla. The woman half of him loves, but the other half hates.
Her memories have stained his eyes black, causing everyone to fear what Falon has become. He needs to find a way out of this mess, but it’s not going to be easy. Especially since all three of the people in his head have very different plans for how to go about it.’
❄️Review: I give this book 4,5 stars.
❄️This is the second book in the memoria dualogy. And wow @rachel_emma_shaw definitely made a amazing book. There were so many plot twists that you just don’t know how it’s going to end. We follow Sari who is a new memoria, and is more a child that’s learning that her actions have consequences.
Fallon is also struggling, he has the memories of Sarilla in him, but also got his missing memories. Which has a resulted in a split personality. And you never know who is in control.
If you like a dark fantasy that’s, in a style written I have not seen. Fast paced, so many twists and turns that you just need to keep reading.
May 2, 2021
Disclaimer: I received the e-arc from the author. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book: Scars of Cereba
Author: Rachel Emma Shaw
Book Series: Memoria Duology (Book 2)
Rating: 4/5
Recommended For...: fantasy readers, ya readers
Publication Date: May 10, 2021
Genre: YA Fantasy
Recommended Age: 16+ (grief, kidnapping, TW suicide/suicidal thoughts, miscarriage TW, violence, gore)
Publisher: Indie Published
Pages: 300 (not an official number)
Synopsis: Falon’s mind is broken. By returning his memories, Sarilla fractured him into the man he was and the man he became after his memories were stolen. Now, he’s fighting to rejoin his two halves, but he’s locked up in the prison below the palace, his neck already fitted for the hangman’s noose. Time is quickly running out.
And it’s not just his memories that are fighting for control of his mind. He’s stuck with those of the memory thief who caused all his problems in the first place. The woman half of him loves, but the other half loathes. Her memories have stained his eyes black, making the people of Dranta and its new queen fear him. It’s up to Falon to find a way out of this mess, but it’s not going to be easy. Especially since all three of the people in his head have very different plans for how to go about it.
Review: For the most part I really liked this book. The character development improved from the first book and the world building was well done as well. The writing is easily one of my favorite parts of the book and I really felt like it greatly improved from the first book.
The only thing that I didn’t really like was that the pacing was pretty slow in a lot of places and I thought that some of the inner monologue parts, while great, went on a bit longer than necessary.
Verdict: Highly recommend for fantasy lovers!
Book: Scars of Cereba
Author: Rachel Emma Shaw
Book Series: Memoria Duology (Book 2)
Rating: 4/5
Recommended For...: fantasy readers, ya readers
Publication Date: May 10, 2021
Genre: YA Fantasy
Recommended Age: 16+ (grief, kidnapping, TW suicide/suicidal thoughts, miscarriage TW, violence, gore)
Publisher: Indie Published
Pages: 300 (not an official number)
Synopsis: Falon’s mind is broken. By returning his memories, Sarilla fractured him into the man he was and the man he became after his memories were stolen. Now, he’s fighting to rejoin his two halves, but he’s locked up in the prison below the palace, his neck already fitted for the hangman’s noose. Time is quickly running out.
And it’s not just his memories that are fighting for control of his mind. He’s stuck with those of the memory thief who caused all his problems in the first place. The woman half of him loves, but the other half loathes. Her memories have stained his eyes black, making the people of Dranta and its new queen fear him. It’s up to Falon to find a way out of this mess, but it’s not going to be easy. Especially since all three of the people in his head have very different plans for how to go about it.
Review: For the most part I really liked this book. The character development improved from the first book and the world building was well done as well. The writing is easily one of my favorite parts of the book and I really felt like it greatly improved from the first book.
The only thing that I didn’t really like was that the pacing was pretty slow in a lot of places and I thought that some of the inner monologue parts, while great, went on a bit longer than necessary.
Verdict: Highly recommend for fantasy lovers!
my-books
May 2, 2021With only seven days to go until Scars of Cereba comes out, I thought I might share this insight with you.
Although I cannot speak for other authors, I can say that, for myself, writing is both my salvation and my damnation. Never has this been truer than during 2020. In a year of pandemics and isolation, I found sanctuary in the pages of my books, escaping from our world and into the creation of others.
When I started writing Scars of Cereba, Last Memoria had yet to be released. There wasn't even a hint of the love it would receive from the incredible people who took a chance on an unknown author and her book.
All that changed partway through Scars of Cereba's first draft. The reviews of Last Memoria started coming in, then it made semi-finalist, and later, finalist in SPFBO6. All while I was quietly working on the sequel in a pandemic-induced lockdown, all too aware of the unexpected pressure that kept growing.
Although I'm still largely unknown as an author, there is a huge difference between where I am now and where I was before. While writing Last Memoria, the idea of anyone ever reading it was a pipe dream. I didn't have to worry what people would think because dreams can do many things, but preparing us accurately for reality isn't one.
So, halfway through Scars, I was met with the brick wall of expectation. As an author who reads every review, good or bad, I knew exactly what my readers were asking of me for book two. Just as I knew that wasn't the story I was writing. Sure, it's the same places and people (well, sort of, but more on that later), but I wanted to do more. I wanted to push both my ability as a writer and use memory-magic to attack the very boundaries of fantasy itself. For the first, I know I succeeded. I'm a better author now because of it. For the second, you'll have to read and let me know. Write a review. I'm sure the threat of a thousand lockdowns wouldn't stop me from reading it.
All that to say that I wrote a book knowing it wasn't the safe choice. Perhaps I could have done otherwise and written it differently, probably ending up with a higher rating on Goodreads for it, but I doubt I could have done that. I know what the safe choices are. I can plot those stories out, but I can't bring myself to write them. I've tried, but I can't shut off that part of me that needs to make the hard choices. I get too much thrill out of taking my readers into the unexpected. Scars of Cereba is the story of a man with too many memories. A man who is fractured into three and who believes for a good portion of the time that he is a woman because her memories are in his head. It is not a book written for market, nor is it a book that will gain wild success and take the world by storm. Instead, like all my books, it is the story I needed to tell.
Ambitious and imperfect, Scars drove me to the extremities of anxiety when it was time to send it out to reviewers. I fully believed it would be massacred by critique. But it wasn't. I made a mistake I will never make again, which was to underestimate my readers. I believed that since I walked a lonely road while writing it, nobody else would want to walk that path with me. How wrong I was.
In the months that followed, I watched and read as the reviews came in. Not all loved it. Some picked up on the slow pacing in the first third (something I had already long wished I had found a way to fix without breaking the rest of the story, but never managed to do). For so many others though, their response was better than I could have dreamed. They admired the ambition. Loved the places my words took them to. For me, that will be the legacy of this story, since now, whenever I sit down to write, whenever I fear I'm being too ambitious or too different, I no longer have the same terror I did while writing Scars of Cereba. Instead, I look forward to the day my readers get to join me on the strange roads I've dared to tread. I know that my stories aren't for everybody, but I also know that doesn't matter since they will always be right for some.
Although I cannot speak for other authors, I can say that, for myself, writing is both my salvation and my damnation. Never has this been truer than during 2020. In a year of pandemics and isolation, I found sanctuary in the pages of my books, escaping from our world and into the creation of others.
When I started writing Scars of Cereba, Last Memoria had yet to be released. There wasn't even a hint of the love it would receive from the incredible people who took a chance on an unknown author and her book.
All that changed partway through Scars of Cereba's first draft. The reviews of Last Memoria started coming in, then it made semi-finalist, and later, finalist in SPFBO6. All while I was quietly working on the sequel in a pandemic-induced lockdown, all too aware of the unexpected pressure that kept growing.
Although I'm still largely unknown as an author, there is a huge difference between where I am now and where I was before. While writing Last Memoria, the idea of anyone ever reading it was a pipe dream. I didn't have to worry what people would think because dreams can do many things, but preparing us accurately for reality isn't one.
So, halfway through Scars, I was met with the brick wall of expectation. As an author who reads every review, good or bad, I knew exactly what my readers were asking of me for book two. Just as I knew that wasn't the story I was writing. Sure, it's the same places and people (well, sort of, but more on that later), but I wanted to do more. I wanted to push both my ability as a writer and use memory-magic to attack the very boundaries of fantasy itself. For the first, I know I succeeded. I'm a better author now because of it. For the second, you'll have to read and let me know. Write a review. I'm sure the threat of a thousand lockdowns wouldn't stop me from reading it.
All that to say that I wrote a book knowing it wasn't the safe choice. Perhaps I could have done otherwise and written it differently, probably ending up with a higher rating on Goodreads for it, but I doubt I could have done that. I know what the safe choices are. I can plot those stories out, but I can't bring myself to write them. I've tried, but I can't shut off that part of me that needs to make the hard choices. I get too much thrill out of taking my readers into the unexpected. Scars of Cereba is the story of a man with too many memories. A man who is fractured into three and who believes for a good portion of the time that he is a woman because her memories are in his head. It is not a book written for market, nor is it a book that will gain wild success and take the world by storm. Instead, like all my books, it is the story I needed to tell.
Ambitious and imperfect, Scars drove me to the extremities of anxiety when it was time to send it out to reviewers. I fully believed it would be massacred by critique. But it wasn't. I made a mistake I will never make again, which was to underestimate my readers. I believed that since I walked a lonely road while writing it, nobody else would want to walk that path with me. How wrong I was.
In the months that followed, I watched and read as the reviews came in. Not all loved it. Some picked up on the slow pacing in the first third (something I had already long wished I had found a way to fix without breaking the rest of the story, but never managed to do). For so many others though, their response was better than I could have dreamed. They admired the ambition. Loved the places my words took them to. For me, that will be the legacy of this story, since now, whenever I sit down to write, whenever I fear I'm being too ambitious or too different, I no longer have the same terror I did while writing Scars of Cereba. Instead, I look forward to the day my readers get to join me on the strange roads I've dared to tread. I know that my stories aren't for everybody, but I also know that doesn't matter since they will always be right for some.
April 10, 2021
*4 stars
**I was sent an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I really enjoyed this sequel! The whole entire plot was so intriguing, there were times I couldn't put it down. It was so unique, I don't think I've ever read anything like it. I loved learning a bit more about the memori's history. The whole memory aspect in this duology was FASCINATING and I think the author wrote it very well.
(VERY MINOR SPOILERS IN THIS PARAGRAPH)
The ending was really satisfying. I wasn't wrapped up all in a nice neat package which isn't realistic, nor did it leave the story too open. I think endings are really hard to get just right and I think this one really nailed it.
If you are interested in hearing my thoughts on the first book as well, here is the link to my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
**I was sent an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I really enjoyed this sequel! The whole entire plot was so intriguing, there were times I couldn't put it down. It was so unique, I don't think I've ever read anything like it. I loved learning a bit more about the memori's history. The whole memory aspect in this duology was FASCINATING and I think the author wrote it very well.
(VERY MINOR SPOILERS IN THIS PARAGRAPH)
The ending was really satisfying. I wasn't wrapped up all in a nice neat package which isn't realistic, nor did it leave the story too open. I think endings are really hard to get just right and I think this one really nailed it.
If you are interested in hearing my thoughts on the first book as well, here is the link to my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
December 20, 2022
3.5 stars
This was a fitting follow-up to book 1, but I think the first book was definitely stronger.
There is a very significant event that happens at the end of book 1 which resulted in an... interesting storytelling situation here. All I can say without giving away spoilers, is that we are now dealing with a character that has a fractured mind, meaning that we are reading from a perspective with three different personalities that can switch multiple times per chapter.
I think the author handled this quite well, but there were some instances where I wasn't entirely clear which 'personality' was having the overhand and that kinda broke my immersion.
That said, the theme work was still quite strong, I liked the characters and I also continued to enjoy the writing, so overall this was an enjoyable reading experience.
This was a fitting follow-up to book 1, but I think the first book was definitely stronger.
There is a very significant event that happens at the end of book 1 which resulted in an... interesting storytelling situation here. All I can say without giving away spoilers, is that we are now dealing with a character that has a fractured mind, meaning that we are reading from a perspective with three different personalities that can switch multiple times per chapter.
I think the author handled this quite well, but there were some instances where I wasn't entirely clear which 'personality' was having the overhand and that kinda broke my immersion.
That said, the theme work was still quite strong, I liked the characters and I also continued to enjoy the writing, so overall this was an enjoyable reading experience.
April 10, 2023
Very very good very sad very unhinged, did not expect this story to end up being a tragedy but it was a wild ride the whole way through. I loved it! Also don't know how it could have ended differently. A very character-centric series. My head hurts.
Read
July 13, 2021DISCLAIMER: I have been given an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Much like the first book, it is hard for me to give this one any kind of star rating, as it has left me just as conflicted. I will therefore try my best to explain why that is.
Firstly, let me sum up what I loved about the entire Memoria Duology. In today´s copy&paste culture, where most stories feel like different versions of something you have read before, I can honestly say that this one is completely original. At no point can you predict what´s going to happen next, and the entire reading experience is pretty unique. The magic system is also fascinating and not something I have seen done in literature very often. The area where the author excels the most, however, is character work. In Scars of Cereba, she delves deeper into a rift in someone´s personality, desire to escape consequences and start over with a clean slate, and all the moral and ethical implications it involves. I have to take my hat off to the author for dealing with all these topics extremely well. Throughout the story, the characters are mostly driven by their own selfish motives, which means they are not a particularly likeable bunch of people, but they feel very real and solid. I feel that what we usually get from literature are either loveable scamps, selfless martyrs or cool antiheroes and villains. In Scars of Cereba, the author doesn´t shy away from showing the characters in their true colours - deeply flawed, somewhat despicable people trying to come to terms with their prejudices, their past and its consequences. This alone is a great reason to read this series.
However, it wouldn't be an honest review without a "but". For me personally, where this series falls a bit short is the lack of information. The author has created this really cool world with a fairly unique magic system, but I constantly felt on a back foot for some reason. I would have appreciated it more if the world had been fleshed out a bit better and its history and the rules of its magic explained in more detail. This has become even more apparent in the second half of Scars of Cereba because some of the actions had not been introduced before, and it felt a touch random - more like a plot device than a natural progression of the story.
Also, while splitting the narrative into three separate POVs within the same character was something completely new to me, I would have appreciated some indication as to who was in the forefront at any given moment (either adding a header with the name of the character or some sort of formatting change). I understand that this was probably a deliberate choice to illustrate the character´s own confusion, and I always caught on pretty quickly. Still, it felt a little draining at times, especially when the change was more frequent.
Overall, the Memoria Duology is a very interesting take on the role memories play in our very existence, how they shape our lives and dictate our choices, and how manipulating with them can upset a delicate balance in our minds and the minds of others.
Much like the first book, it is hard for me to give this one any kind of star rating, as it has left me just as conflicted. I will therefore try my best to explain why that is.
Firstly, let me sum up what I loved about the entire Memoria Duology. In today´s copy&paste culture, where most stories feel like different versions of something you have read before, I can honestly say that this one is completely original. At no point can you predict what´s going to happen next, and the entire reading experience is pretty unique. The magic system is also fascinating and not something I have seen done in literature very often. The area where the author excels the most, however, is character work. In Scars of Cereba, she delves deeper into a rift in someone´s personality, desire to escape consequences and start over with a clean slate, and all the moral and ethical implications it involves. I have to take my hat off to the author for dealing with all these topics extremely well. Throughout the story, the characters are mostly driven by their own selfish motives, which means they are not a particularly likeable bunch of people, but they feel very real and solid. I feel that what we usually get from literature are either loveable scamps, selfless martyrs or cool antiheroes and villains. In Scars of Cereba, the author doesn´t shy away from showing the characters in their true colours - deeply flawed, somewhat despicable people trying to come to terms with their prejudices, their past and its consequences. This alone is a great reason to read this series.
However, it wouldn't be an honest review without a "but". For me personally, where this series falls a bit short is the lack of information. The author has created this really cool world with a fairly unique magic system, but I constantly felt on a back foot for some reason. I would have appreciated it more if the world had been fleshed out a bit better and its history and the rules of its magic explained in more detail. This has become even more apparent in the second half of Scars of Cereba because some of the actions had not been introduced before, and it felt a touch random - more like a plot device than a natural progression of the story.
Also, while splitting the narrative into three separate POVs within the same character was something completely new to me, I would have appreciated some indication as to who was in the forefront at any given moment (either adding a header with the name of the character or some sort of formatting change). I understand that this was probably a deliberate choice to illustrate the character´s own confusion, and I always caught on pretty quickly. Still, it felt a little draining at times, especially when the change was more frequent.
Overall, the Memoria Duology is a very interesting take on the role memories play in our very existence, how they shape our lives and dictate our choices, and how manipulating with them can upset a delicate balance in our minds and the minds of others.
March 19, 2021
(Actual rating: 3.5/5)
Scars of Cereba by Rachel Emma Shaw is the sequel to The Last Memoria. Thanks to the author for providing me an ARC in return for an honest review!
If you read my review of the last book, you’ll know that The Last Memoria was an incredibly dark book. This one is no different. If you struggle with depression or self-harm, this book might not be the best choice for you. It opens in a bleak setting, with Falon hanging from a pillar for public humiliation. He’s spent months imprisoned, with Sarilla long gone. Well, almost gone.
At the end of the last book, Sarilla poured some of her memories into Falon. This resulted in a rather confusing format for the first portion of the book. Sarilla and two versions of Falon existed in his head, and it wasn’t always easy to tell which one was narrating, as it switched quite often. Personally, I think it might have been easier if each chapter for that portion was titled after whose PoV it was.
It consists mostly of inner monologue, giving you a front-seat view to bleak, raw emotions and reactions throughout Falon’s imprisonment and his long, arduous journey after. If I’m being honest, this book didn’t particularly resonate with me, but I recognize talent, and there’s a lot here. Shaw wields her words to great effect, turning fictional events into an almost real punch in the gut. I didn’t find any of the characters to be particularly likable (except for Lucas. He’s a delight.), but characters don’t have to be likable. They have to be interesting, and even if it was confusing to read, seeing the different sides of Fallon and the memories of Sarilla was definitely interesting. Their choices made sense, even if the reasoning behind them was sometimes less than moral.
Moreover, this book presented a very interesting moral dilemma that I think I’ll be dwelling on for quite some time: if someone has no memory of committing a crime, can they still be held accountable for what they did? That’s a central theme of this book, but there is no answer. That’s fine, though. That’s a question that might not have a concrete answer even in real life.
As a whole, Scars of Cereba matches The Last Memoria in tone, continuing the thread of the story through a bleak, sad world. If you’ve already read and enjoyed The Last Memoria, then this one is worth picking up as well.
Scars of Cereba by Rachel Emma Shaw is the sequel to The Last Memoria. Thanks to the author for providing me an ARC in return for an honest review!
If you read my review of the last book, you’ll know that The Last Memoria was an incredibly dark book. This one is no different. If you struggle with depression or self-harm, this book might not be the best choice for you. It opens in a bleak setting, with Falon hanging from a pillar for public humiliation. He’s spent months imprisoned, with Sarilla long gone. Well, almost gone.
At the end of the last book, Sarilla poured some of her memories into Falon. This resulted in a rather confusing format for the first portion of the book. Sarilla and two versions of Falon existed in his head, and it wasn’t always easy to tell which one was narrating, as it switched quite often. Personally, I think it might have been easier if each chapter for that portion was titled after whose PoV it was.
It consists mostly of inner monologue, giving you a front-seat view to bleak, raw emotions and reactions throughout Falon’s imprisonment and his long, arduous journey after. If I’m being honest, this book didn’t particularly resonate with me, but I recognize talent, and there’s a lot here. Shaw wields her words to great effect, turning fictional events into an almost real punch in the gut. I didn’t find any of the characters to be particularly likable (except for Lucas. He’s a delight.), but characters don’t have to be likable. They have to be interesting, and even if it was confusing to read, seeing the different sides of Fallon and the memories of Sarilla was definitely interesting. Their choices made sense, even if the reasoning behind them was sometimes less than moral.
Moreover, this book presented a very interesting moral dilemma that I think I’ll be dwelling on for quite some time: if someone has no memory of committing a crime, can they still be held accountable for what they did? That’s a central theme of this book, but there is no answer. That’s fine, though. That’s a question that might not have a concrete answer even in real life.
As a whole, Scars of Cereba matches The Last Memoria in tone, continuing the thread of the story through a bleak, sad world. If you’ve already read and enjoyed The Last Memoria, then this one is worth picking up as well.
April 6, 2021
I was sent a reviewer copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review. After reading the first in this duology (Last Memoria) last year, I was excited to get my teeth into this YA fantasy.
This book picks up where the first left off and this time we are in the mind of Falon, but not just Falon. After Sarilla gave him back his memories, Falon‘a mind fractured into 2 versions of himself plus Sarilla. This book follows his journey puzzling his way through the memories to get his life back.
The book is written from 3 different POV: Old Falon, New Falon and Sarilla. Although an interesting concept, and on reflection really well done, the persona switches were very confusing and I found the first third of the book very frustrating trying to figure out which personality was in control. I suppose that’s the point to make the reader as discombobulated as Falon feels but I found it difficult to follow what was going on as well as work out the POV from little gestures and quirks of each character.
I know that Falon is the focus of this book and really the whole series it turns out, but I much preferred being in Sarilla’s head. I found him to be such a pitiful character and the woe is me routine rolled on from the first book (insert eye roll here). His character arc from the first book is completely trampled on with the return of his “fool” personality and he’s just one of those characters I don’t like.
On the other hand, the new version of Sarilla, Sari, was such a good character whom you love to hate! Her naivety resulting in pure destruction was just *chef kiss* and I think she was a really complex and interesting character.
Overall, I enjoyed this ending to the duology and I think the concept was very clever and original.
Rating: 💭💭💭
This book picks up where the first left off and this time we are in the mind of Falon, but not just Falon. After Sarilla gave him back his memories, Falon‘a mind fractured into 2 versions of himself plus Sarilla. This book follows his journey puzzling his way through the memories to get his life back.
The book is written from 3 different POV: Old Falon, New Falon and Sarilla. Although an interesting concept, and on reflection really well done, the persona switches were very confusing and I found the first third of the book very frustrating trying to figure out which personality was in control. I suppose that’s the point to make the reader as discombobulated as Falon feels but I found it difficult to follow what was going on as well as work out the POV from little gestures and quirks of each character.
I know that Falon is the focus of this book and really the whole series it turns out, but I much preferred being in Sarilla’s head. I found him to be such a pitiful character and the woe is me routine rolled on from the first book (insert eye roll here). His character arc from the first book is completely trampled on with the return of his “fool” personality and he’s just one of those characters I don’t like.
On the other hand, the new version of Sarilla, Sari, was such a good character whom you love to hate! Her naivety resulting in pure destruction was just *chef kiss* and I think she was a really complex and interesting character.
Overall, I enjoyed this ending to the duology and I think the concept was very clever and original.
Rating: 💭💭💭
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 25, 2021
Thank you so much to the author for gifting me an arc in exchange for an honest review.
I enjoyed the first book in the Memoria duology so was looking forward to being back in this world.
We pick up a few months after the events in Last Memoria and this book is told from the POV of 3 people but in one body. It took me a little while to get used to this as there is a lot of switching from each "person" fights for control and memories are resurfaced. This is a book that is very different from my "usual" read which is why I have given it 3 stars. It is very much a case of "it's me not you" because It is such an original, imaginative and different story! Romance plays a massive part in the books I read and its only very slightly touched on in this. I really felt sorry for Falon and was raging at Sari for most of the book! It was great to see all the different perspectives on the same situation and how each "person" thought they were right. Awesome to see LGBTQ being represented in the story and definitely not your usual ending! Wow I was not expecting that!
I feel this is a brilliant story, and would definitely recommend it to others.
I enjoyed the first book in the Memoria duology so was looking forward to being back in this world.
We pick up a few months after the events in Last Memoria and this book is told from the POV of 3 people but in one body. It took me a little while to get used to this as there is a lot of switching from each "person" fights for control and memories are resurfaced. This is a book that is very different from my "usual" read which is why I have given it 3 stars. It is very much a case of "it's me not you" because It is such an original, imaginative and different story! Romance plays a massive part in the books I read and its only very slightly touched on in this. I really felt sorry for Falon and was raging at Sari for most of the book! It was great to see all the different perspectives on the same situation and how each "person" thought they were right. Awesome to see LGBTQ being represented in the story and definitely not your usual ending! Wow I was not expecting that!
I feel this is a brilliant story, and would definitely recommend it to others.
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