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Den of Shadows #5
Persistence of Memory
Sixteen-year-old Erin Misrahe just wants to be like everyone else in her new school. But Erin has more to worry about than passing AP Chemistry or making friends. In times of stress, she has always been overcome by her alter ego, Shevaun, whose violent behavior wreaks havoc on those around her. Erin can never remember anything about these episodes, and she's grateful to have been spared them for a while.
But when a protective friend comes back into Erin's life, he insists that Shevaun is a vampire who actually exists apart from Erin. Shevaun has dangerous allies, like the handsome witch Adjila--and they're determined to sever Shevaun's connection to Erin once and for all.
From the Hardcover edition.
But when a protective friend comes back into Erin's life, he insists that Shevaun is a vampire who actually exists apart from Erin. Shevaun has dangerous allies, like the handsome witch Adjila--and they're determined to sever Shevaun's connection to Erin once and for all.
From the Hardcover edition.
224 pages, Paperback
First published December 3, 2008
35 people are currently reading
2944 people want to read
About the author
Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
35 books3,432 followersI grew up in Concord, Massachusetts, where I matriculated through the public Concord-Carlisle school district from kindergarten until my graduation in 2001. The best part of school, from fifth grade until the year I graduated, was definitely chorus. I love music, and I love to sing, and though I never had the courage or the talent to participate in any of the high school plays as a performer, I enjoyed being involved at other levels; the music and drama community at CCHS was the highlight of my high school career. I was also on the fencing team for two years, an experience that actually inspired a couple storylines, and regret that I did not continue with that sport.
I now live in Massachusetts with several pets... as well as, of course, my family. I am a student at the University of Massachusetts, with an English/psychology double-major. I hope to work either as an English teacher at the secondary level, or in special education. I have strong opinions about literacy, education, and how our educational systems are treated- strong enough that most of my friends know not to get me started on the subject.
My non-writing hobbies are eclectic, and cover everything from rather domestic pastimes like cross-stitch and cooking to aquarium keeping, playing piano, gardening, carpentry, Harley-Davidsons, driving, and arguing- there are few things I enjoy more than a good debate with someone who knows how to argue, which might have something to do with a best friend who works in politics. I love to learn, so if I have down-time and nothing to do, it is not at all unusual to find me pouring over some book, website or video designed to teach me some new skill, from belly dancing (something I desperately want to learn but have not yet been brave enough to sign up for classes on) to JavaScript.
I now live in Massachusetts with several pets... as well as, of course, my family. I am a student at the University of Massachusetts, with an English/psychology double-major. I hope to work either as an English teacher at the secondary level, or in special education. I have strong opinions about literacy, education, and how our educational systems are treated- strong enough that most of my friends know not to get me started on the subject.
My non-writing hobbies are eclectic, and cover everything from rather domestic pastimes like cross-stitch and cooking to aquarium keeping, playing piano, gardening, carpentry, Harley-Davidsons, driving, and arguing- there are few things I enjoy more than a good debate with someone who knows how to argue, which might have something to do with a best friend who works in politics. I love to learn, so if I have down-time and nothing to do, it is not at all unusual to find me pouring over some book, website or video designed to teach me some new skill, from belly dancing (something I desperately want to learn but have not yet been brave enough to sign up for classes on) to JavaScript.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 170 reviews
March 27, 2017
For most of Erin Misrahe’s sixteen-year-old life, she has been constantly afraid of losing control. Erin has been diagnosed with schizophrenia at a very young age and her alter ego, Shevaun is highly dangerous and is prone to violent actions. Erin never remembers what happens when Shevaun takes over her body. In fact, Erin believes Shevaun to be a product of her mind but, in actuality, Shevaun does exist apart from Erin. Shevaun is a dangerous vampire who lived for quite a long time and has some dangerous allies including a powerful Triste witch, Adjila. When Shevaun and Adjila become aware of a tie between Erin and Shevaun, they head over to the Boston area to investigate. At the same time, Erin’s old friend from her time in the hospital ward, Sassy, reappears in her life. What happens is a novel of identity and illusion. What is real and what is not.
A fantastic blend of fantasy and reality, Persistence of Memory is told in Atwater-Rhodes’ classic writing style. At certain times the storyline became predictable, the concept of illusion and identity is wonderfully put together. Atwater-Rhodes use of mental illusion fused with fantastical elements creates a realistic fantasy that very much is a reminiscent of her earlier works (In the Forests of the Night, Demon in My View).
A fantastic blend of fantasy and reality, Persistence of Memory is told in Atwater-Rhodes’ classic writing style. At certain times the storyline became predictable, the concept of illusion and identity is wonderfully put together. Atwater-Rhodes use of mental illusion fused with fantastical elements creates a realistic fantasy that very much is a reminiscent of her earlier works (In the Forests of the Night, Demon in My View).
August 9, 2020
The beginning was super slow but it just got better and better
December 1, 2014
I think the reason I didn’t like this one so much as the previous four in the Den of Shadows series, is that I just didn’t connect with the characters as well. Don’t get me wrong, I really loved it – I just think that perhaps with all the “schizophrenia” going on I got a little too confused before the ending came along. But it still gets five stars… just.
I found the premise of Persistence of Memory really intriguing, to begin with; a girl struggling with schizophrenia, trying to re-enter the real world, despite sometimes waking up in someone else’s consciousness. Erin was a nice girl, and you had to feel sorry for her at times for what she’s going through. The fact that she joined fencing with her friend Marissa was cool too.
Marissa was a very nice character as well – rather intense and fizzy, good at fencing, and with the hidden (or as it so happens, not so hidden) power of shape-shifting. It was both a “light-bulb” moment and an “Awww” moment, both at the same time, when you realized the shape-shifters killed in the first chapters were her family. Still, she seems to handle it remarkably well, aside from her little “turning into a tiger” episode. And it’s a shame that Shevaun was the one who killed them, but I suppose that’s what you get when you go after a vampire with murder on your mind. Still, the only person I can really hate in this book is Pandora (mentioned later in the review) – it was all her fault, really, she could have solved everyone’s problems long ago.
Shevaun (Erin’s so called alter ego)… I liked her, but she seemed a bit cuckoo, to be honest. Not all the time, she was just rather high strung when talking about anything to do with Erin. Seeing as Erin sometimes accidentally inhabited her body… who could blame Shevaun for being a little antsy? But aside from the crazy episodes, I liked how Shevaun was able to live in harmony with a witch as a mate (or whatever you want to call it), because in previous books we’ve seen how hard it was for a Daughter of Macht and a vampire to get together. And in this one Shevaun and Adjila are so clearly in love, both strong characters, and despite being a Triste and a vampire they manage to work everything out – which for me at least was an amazing thing to see.
Though Adjila seemed a bit unscrupulous in getting Shevaun back, you had to admire his attitude, his determination, his strong love, and his ability to just deal with it when his love turns into someone else. I mean, you’ve got to admit that would suck no matter whoever or whatever you were. And he just… deals with it. Amazingly, dedicated to his love, doing whatever is necessary.
Despite my rather glowing praises of, well, pretty much everyone else in the book, my favourite character was Sassy, and yes, that is his name. I probably liked him for very similar yet very different reasons that I did Aubrey in In the Forests of the Night, and Demon in My View - both of these characters have inherent flaws, and both of them are, in a way, proud of it. In Aubrey’s case it was that he was a cold, murderous, classy, scary son-of-a-bitch, and in Sassy’s case it was that he’s a compulsive liar with a devil-may-care attitude. His attitude was amusing, as was his romance with Erin. And his usual joking insincerity makes it all the more touching when he is sincere. And I felt terrible for his predicament as a shape-shifting hyena, un-looked after by Single Earth and forced to hurt himself by his powers.
The Triste witch Pandora was an interesting addition to the story – she’s like the Dominique Vida of the Triste witches. And it was a total “light-bulb” moment when you realised that Adjila was….*drumroll* Alexander’s witch brother. Alexander is briefly in Persistence of Memory, and as soon as I saw his name my heart leaped, because I absolutely loved him in In the Forests of the Night, even if he was a bit overly-emotional. I was disappointed that, 1; Alexander didn’t play a bigger part in Persistence of Memory, and 2; That Amelia Atwater-Rhodes made him seem kind of wimpy in this one, which did annoy me quite a bit. I still <3 Alexander, just to clarify, even if he was wimpier. Aside from that, I thought it was really interesting to discover how his training to become a Triste would have been just as hard as his sister Rachel’s transition to being a worthy vampire.
Now I have to talk about the plot. This, strangely enough, was the reason I almost gave Persistence of Memory four stars rather than five. I suppose it’s reasonable that – seeing as the main character had a fragmented personality and therefore we had to follow two story-lines – the plot was a little bit confusing. But I just felt that Amelia Atwater-Rhodes could have slowed things down a bit at times, just to allow the readers (or maybe it was just me…) to catch up with what the hell was going on. It was confusing, maddening, and occasionally frustrating. With that being said, when my brain had stopped spinning – eventually – I did come to appreciate the brilliance of the ending.
The ending:
All in all, Persistence of Memory was a good read, but a little too confusing at times, and not quite as satisfying as Amelia Atwater Rhodes’ previous books. But it was enjoyable nonetheless, and highly recommended for any lovers of this wonderful author.
For anyone interested in discussing the Den of Shadows series with other people, or in role-playing the Den of Shadows world, here's the link to my group: http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/1...
Feel free to join! All welcome. :)
I found the premise of Persistence of Memory really intriguing, to begin with; a girl struggling with schizophrenia, trying to re-enter the real world, despite sometimes waking up in someone else’s consciousness. Erin was a nice girl, and you had to feel sorry for her at times for what she’s going through. The fact that she joined fencing with her friend Marissa was cool too.
Marissa was a very nice character as well – rather intense and fizzy, good at fencing, and with the hidden (or as it so happens, not so hidden) power of shape-shifting. It was both a “light-bulb” moment and an “Awww” moment, both at the same time, when you realized the shape-shifters killed in the first chapters were her family. Still, she seems to handle it remarkably well, aside from her little “turning into a tiger” episode. And it’s a shame that Shevaun was the one who killed them, but I suppose that’s what you get when you go after a vampire with murder on your mind. Still, the only person I can really hate in this book is Pandora (mentioned later in the review) – it was all her fault, really, she could have solved everyone’s problems long ago.
Shevaun (Erin’s so called alter ego)… I liked her, but she seemed a bit cuckoo, to be honest. Not all the time, she was just rather high strung when talking about anything to do with Erin. Seeing as Erin sometimes accidentally inhabited her body… who could blame Shevaun for being a little antsy? But aside from the crazy episodes, I liked how Shevaun was able to live in harmony with a witch as a mate (or whatever you want to call it), because in previous books we’ve seen how hard it was for a Daughter of Macht and a vampire to get together. And in this one Shevaun and Adjila are so clearly in love, both strong characters, and despite being a Triste and a vampire they manage to work everything out – which for me at least was an amazing thing to see.
Though Adjila seemed a bit unscrupulous in getting Shevaun back, you had to admire his attitude, his determination, his strong love, and his ability to just deal with it when his love turns into someone else. I mean, you’ve got to admit that would suck no matter whoever or whatever you were. And he just… deals with it. Amazingly, dedicated to his love, doing whatever is necessary.
Despite my rather glowing praises of, well, pretty much everyone else in the book, my favourite character was Sassy, and yes, that is his name. I probably liked him for very similar yet very different reasons that I did Aubrey in In the Forests of the Night, and Demon in My View - both of these characters have inherent flaws, and both of them are, in a way, proud of it. In Aubrey’s case it was that he was a cold, murderous, classy, scary son-of-a-bitch, and in Sassy’s case it was that he’s a compulsive liar with a devil-may-care attitude. His attitude was amusing, as was his romance with Erin. And his usual joking insincerity makes it all the more touching when he is sincere. And I felt terrible for his predicament as a shape-shifting hyena, un-looked after by Single Earth and forced to hurt himself by his powers.
The Triste witch Pandora was an interesting addition to the story – she’s like the Dominique Vida of the Triste witches. And it was a total “light-bulb” moment when you realised that Adjila was….*drumroll* Alexander’s witch brother. Alexander is briefly in Persistence of Memory, and as soon as I saw his name my heart leaped, because I absolutely loved him in In the Forests of the Night, even if he was a bit overly-emotional. I was disappointed that, 1; Alexander didn’t play a bigger part in Persistence of Memory, and 2; That Amelia Atwater-Rhodes made him seem kind of wimpy in this one, which did annoy me quite a bit. I still <3 Alexander, just to clarify, even if he was wimpier. Aside from that, I thought it was really interesting to discover how his training to become a Triste would have been just as hard as his sister Rachel’s transition to being a worthy vampire.
Now I have to talk about the plot. This, strangely enough, was the reason I almost gave Persistence of Memory four stars rather than five. I suppose it’s reasonable that – seeing as the main character had a fragmented personality and therefore we had to follow two story-lines – the plot was a little bit confusing. But I just felt that Amelia Atwater-Rhodes could have slowed things down a bit at times, just to allow the readers (or maybe it was just me…) to catch up with what the hell was going on. It was confusing, maddening, and occasionally frustrating. With that being said, when my brain had stopped spinning – eventually – I did come to appreciate the brilliance of the ending.
The ending:
All in all, Persistence of Memory was a good read, but a little too confusing at times, and not quite as satisfying as Amelia Atwater Rhodes’ previous books. But it was enjoyable nonetheless, and highly recommended for any lovers of this wonderful author.
For anyone interested in discussing the Den of Shadows series with other people, or in role-playing the Den of Shadows world, here's the link to my group: http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/1...
Feel free to join! All welcome. :)
November 4, 2012
Reviewed by LadyJay for TeensReadToo.com
Since she was a child, Erin has been plagued with mental illness. Her schizophrenic episodes have kept her in and out of various institutions for most of her life. Now, at age 16, Erin's therapist has decided she must re-enter the real world.
Public school is a little frightening - lots of kids, larger classes, more stimuli to trigger an outburst. Erin attempts normal teenage activities; making new friends and trying out for the fencing team, but nothing is able to stop her alter-ego from rearing her ugly head.
Erin believed that Shevaun had finally disappeared, but now she is back with a vengeance. Erin must find a way to control Shevaun before it's too late.
Amelia Atwater-Rhodes has been writing about the paranormal since she was thirteen. Her stories involve vampires, shape-shifters, witches, and magic, and PERSISTENCE OF MEMORY is chock full of all of these elements.
The story is fast-paced, which makes it a quick read. Those readers who enjoy the supernatural will definitely want to give this book a try.
Also, look for sequels on the horizon. Atwater-Rhodes' final chapter is open-ended, leaving room for future stories about Erin and Shevaun.
Since she was a child, Erin has been plagued with mental illness. Her schizophrenic episodes have kept her in and out of various institutions for most of her life. Now, at age 16, Erin's therapist has decided she must re-enter the real world.
Public school is a little frightening - lots of kids, larger classes, more stimuli to trigger an outburst. Erin attempts normal teenage activities; making new friends and trying out for the fencing team, but nothing is able to stop her alter-ego from rearing her ugly head.
Erin believed that Shevaun had finally disappeared, but now she is back with a vengeance. Erin must find a way to control Shevaun before it's too late.
Amelia Atwater-Rhodes has been writing about the paranormal since she was thirteen. Her stories involve vampires, shape-shifters, witches, and magic, and PERSISTENCE OF MEMORY is chock full of all of these elements.
The story is fast-paced, which makes it a quick read. Those readers who enjoy the supernatural will definitely want to give this book a try.
Also, look for sequels on the horizon. Atwater-Rhodes' final chapter is open-ended, leaving room for future stories about Erin and Shevaun.
November 2, 2017
“White pill, blue pill, yellow pill, purple pill; its like swallowing a rainbow every bedtime.”
I'm really digging these Den of Shadows books. I like all they all about different people but still somehow seem to flow. I don't know if that makes sense yet because I just started drinking my first cup of coffee.
Now for some spoilers.
I'm really digging these Den of Shadows books. I like all they all about different people but still somehow seem to flow. I don't know if that makes sense yet because I just started drinking my first cup of coffee.
Now for some spoilers.
June 21, 2014
First of all I want to say this is number five in Den of Shadows series and I have not read any of the others but that does not matter, they are more companion Novels set in the same world, and I have been told some characters show up in different ones so that's neat, but this book on it's own gave me all the information I needed and it read like a book one not a book five and I am really glad for that since this book caught my eye and I got it cheap and really wanted to read it before having to buy and read four others lol. The story definitely held my attention first because I wanted to know if Shevaun was real and then because I wanted to know how it was possible that she could be real.
The world contained Witches, Vampires and Shape shifters but I really liked the little twist each of them have in this book and I was glad to see new ideas on an old concept. I raced through this book and I enjoyed how things were wrapped up, I am a sucker for a happy ending and this book delivered a cute one. I would really like to read others in this series as I really enjoyed the writing and the world the characters live in and I think it would be fun to see more of it.
The world contained Witches, Vampires and Shape shifters but I really liked the little twist each of them have in this book and I was glad to see new ideas on an old concept. I raced through this book and I enjoyed how things were wrapped up, I am a sucker for a happy ending and this book delivered a cute one. I would really like to read others in this series as I really enjoyed the writing and the world the characters live in and I think it would be fun to see more of it.
April 14, 2017
Enjoyable read.
I think that the books in the Den of Shadows series are a bit short, so some of the depth is missing, but I still enjoy reading them through once.
I think that the books in the Den of Shadows series are a bit short, so some of the depth is missing, but I still enjoy reading them through once.
June 2, 2015
I decided to return to Amelia Atwater-Rhodes's Den of Shadow Series. It took me awhile to realize she had return and now I have five additions to read! Persistence of Memory was an interesting story. Not as incredible as her earlier books that I fell in love with long, long ago, but still an entertaining enough tale!
Erin has problems, she's schizophrenic and has been since she was a child. But things have been getting more complicated in her life lately. Shevaun, her alter identity seems to be taking over more often than not. And now she suddenly finds herself in Shevaun's body at times and there's a guy named Adjila who may or may not be a friend. But life gets even crazier when she finds herself face to face with Shevaun and Adjila when she long thought them to just be dreams. Shevaun is a centuries old vampire and Adjila is a powerful witch.
This was definitely an interesting story. I thought it would be more that Erin has a vampire alter ego rather than Shevaun actually being a real vampire on her own. She and Erin are connected somehow, but the connection must be severed for their own good. Each of them wants to live a life unhindered by the other and it almost feels like a kill or be killed situation. Though things were not as dire as that.
Erin's friends Sassy, who she hadn't seen in years returns and comes to help her, and her friend Marissa has her own secrets as well, but yet there definitely seems to be strong bonds between them and Erin. I just wish we could've seen more of it in the story. Which was rather short at 212 pages, it was almost a one day read, but alas I had to clean the house yesterday and it interrupted my reading flow!
While Persistence of Memory wasn't the best I've read from the author, it was still a unique and enjoyable read. I hope that the next few books in the series can recapture the magic I found in them oh so long ago!
Overall Rating 3.5/5 stars
Erin has problems, she's schizophrenic and has been since she was a child. But things have been getting more complicated in her life lately. Shevaun, her alter identity seems to be taking over more often than not. And now she suddenly finds herself in Shevaun's body at times and there's a guy named Adjila who may or may not be a friend. But life gets even crazier when she finds herself face to face with Shevaun and Adjila when she long thought them to just be dreams. Shevaun is a centuries old vampire and Adjila is a powerful witch.
This was definitely an interesting story. I thought it would be more that Erin has a vampire alter ego rather than Shevaun actually being a real vampire on her own. She and Erin are connected somehow, but the connection must be severed for their own good. Each of them wants to live a life unhindered by the other and it almost feels like a kill or be killed situation. Though things were not as dire as that.
Erin's friends Sassy, who she hadn't seen in years returns and comes to help her, and her friend Marissa has her own secrets as well, but yet there definitely seems to be strong bonds between them and Erin. I just wish we could've seen more of it in the story. Which was rather short at 212 pages, it was almost a one day read, but alas I had to clean the house yesterday and it interrupted my reading flow!
While Persistence of Memory wasn't the best I've read from the author, it was still a unique and enjoyable read. I hope that the next few books in the series can recapture the magic I found in them oh so long ago!
Overall Rating 3.5/5 stars
December 26, 2020
I probably would have read this book anyway, because I read all of her other vampire-world books (I can't pronounce the name of her other series so I really can't even imagine trying to read it), but Amelia came to our local Toadstool Bookshop and what she said about this book really intrigued me.
She got her undergraduate degree in psychology (like me) and the psychological aspects of the story - a girl who has spent her life in and out of mental hospitals due to hallucinations and disassociative episodes... but is she really crazy, or is there a supernatural thing going on? - really appealed to me. Strangely enough, the ending of this reminded me a bit of Sybil. Amelia had mentioned how her editor made her tone down a lot of the psychological explanations in the story, but I found those areas really interesting.
Amelia also talked about how the "Den of Shadows" series was named this after they were all published, so although this book might not be marketed as a "Den of Shadows" book, it is still in that same world. If you've read any of those books, you'd know that they are all pretty "stand-alone" rather than a series, so don't feel that you need to read all of them in order to make sense. There are characters that often pop up in more than one book, but you could read this without the others. Of course, I read them all in order...
I also should mention that this is a pretty quick read - not quite as fast as In the Forests of the Night, which I believe she said was 25,000 words (or half a novel, in Nanowrimo terms, and yes, she is a Nanowrimer too, which just makes her more awesome).
She got her undergraduate degree in psychology (like me) and the psychological aspects of the story - a girl who has spent her life in and out of mental hospitals due to hallucinations and disassociative episodes... but is she really crazy, or is there a supernatural thing going on? - really appealed to me. Strangely enough, the ending of this reminded me a bit of Sybil. Amelia had mentioned how her editor made her tone down a lot of the psychological explanations in the story, but I found those areas really interesting.
Amelia also talked about how the "Den of Shadows" series was named this after they were all published, so although this book might not be marketed as a "Den of Shadows" book, it is still in that same world. If you've read any of those books, you'd know that they are all pretty "stand-alone" rather than a series, so don't feel that you need to read all of them in order to make sense. There are characters that often pop up in more than one book, but you could read this without the others. Of course, I read them all in order...
I also should mention that this is a pretty quick read - not quite as fast as In the Forests of the Night, which I believe she said was 25,000 words (or half a novel, in Nanowrimo terms, and yes, she is a Nanowrimer too, which just makes her more awesome).
October 20, 2023
"Real life is stranger than any delusion you could come up with."
I feel like there is SO MUCH information that we are not given here. I kept thinking that maybe I skipped a book in a series (but these Den of Shadows are semi-unrelated) or flipping back pages thinking I skimmed over something important. It was very distracting and kept taking me out of what could have been a really cool story. Think like Evie in the second Mummy getting those flashbacks of her past life? But with more vampires.
I feel like there is SO MUCH information that we are not given here. I kept thinking that maybe I skipped a book in a series (but these Den of Shadows are semi-unrelated) or flipping back pages thinking I skimmed over something important. It was very distracting and kept taking me out of what could have been a really cool story. Think like Evie in the second Mummy getting those flashbacks of her past life? But with more vampires.
October 21, 2009
I thought this was better than this author's previous books. It had more "meat" in the story and actually had an ending...not to the point where you couldn't continue with a follow up but enough that it didn't make me turn the page wondering why it was blank.
I felt more attached to the characters in this book too-- the personalities and flaws were brought out so it made them more "real".
Overall easy, good and entertaining.
I felt more attached to the characters in this book too-- the personalities and flaws were brought out so it made them more "real".
Overall easy, good and entertaining.
July 2, 2019
Atwater-Rhodes couldn't seem to decide just how monstrous she wanted Shevaun and Adjila to be. Sometimes they were ruthless killers, and then other times, they were definitely not.
November 29, 2022
LOVE this series! Every once in a while when I'm in a funk or a reading slump, I pick these up...
August 4, 2019
3 1/2 Stars
Persistence of Memory is the fifth book in The Den of Shadows series by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes.
This is a great YA, paranormal fantasy series with vampires, witches, secrets, alter-egos, fitting in, pressure, shapeshifters, supernatural elements, mystery, suspense, danger, action, drama, and a little angst.
Erin is the 'new-girl' at her high school. All she really wants to be like everyone else. But Erin has a really big secret, and if she's not careful things are going to get pretty violent. There's quite a lot at stake, that's for sure!
An original story- with fully developed and interesting characters. It’s well crafted and is a credit to Ms. Atwater-Rhodes!
A fun read!
Thank you, Ms. Atwater-Rhodes!
Persistence of Memory is the fifth book in The Den of Shadows series by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes.
This is a great YA, paranormal fantasy series with vampires, witches, secrets, alter-egos, fitting in, pressure, shapeshifters, supernatural elements, mystery, suspense, danger, action, drama, and a little angst.
Erin is the 'new-girl' at her high school. All she really wants to be like everyone else. But Erin has a really big secret, and if she's not careful things are going to get pretty violent. There's quite a lot at stake, that's for sure!
An original story- with fully developed and interesting characters. It’s well crafted and is a credit to Ms. Atwater-Rhodes!
A fun read!
Thank you, Ms. Atwater-Rhodes!
March 7, 2023
So I picked this up off the shelf because it was an Atwater-Rhodes book I'd never had a chance to read when I was a teenager, and I was even more happy to learn it was part of the Den of Shadows series! I'd loved the other ones I'd read when I was much younger, and while I went into this one knowing that sometimes her writing isn't the best, I was BLOWN AWAY by how much I enjoyed this!
You can tell a lot of study and care went into the psychological aspects of the characters, and I very much appreciate that. I will also say that this is the first book that I've read, fiction-wise, that explored a character with DiD!
This is one of those books where I wish it was much, much longer! I guess I'll just have to track down the other books and read them, too!
You can tell a lot of study and care went into the psychological aspects of the characters, and I very much appreciate that. I will also say that this is the first book that I've read, fiction-wise, that explored a character with DiD!
This is one of those books where I wish it was much, much longer! I guess I'll just have to track down the other books and read them, too!
August 5, 2024
Amelia Atwater-Rhodes was my first introduction to dark fantasy back when I was a kid. A girl I'm no longer friends with introduced me to her (with Hawksong) and I supposed that's one thing I have to thank her for.
I wish terribly that Rhodes still wrote.
Persistence of Memory was a unique and thrilling ride as are the rest of Rhodes stories. It throws you into a dark world that I've only ever been able to get from her or the Underworld movies. I thought the combination of minds and souls was brilliantly done.
I was thrilled to have found this book at a used bookstore to add to my collection of Rhodes' work.
I recommend these books to anyone looking to dip their toes into dark fantasy and vampires. Though they are YA, it is a great story for all ages.
I wish terribly that Rhodes still wrote.
Persistence of Memory was a unique and thrilling ride as are the rest of Rhodes stories. It throws you into a dark world that I've only ever been able to get from her or the Underworld movies. I thought the combination of minds and souls was brilliantly done.
I was thrilled to have found this book at a used bookstore to add to my collection of Rhodes' work.
I recommend these books to anyone looking to dip their toes into dark fantasy and vampires. Though they are YA, it is a great story for all ages.
January 4, 2019
I think this one is my least favorite so far out of the series. The story sets up for something great and for me falls flat towards the end. I do like the introduction of more mystic with the Triste witches and the shapeshifter. It is also a great concept with the understanding of the mind and physic ability connect with our understanding of mental illness. I think this would have been better if they shortened the beginning a few chapters and instead used that to fill in the blanks towards the end. The author has a gift of simply ending the story, but here i think she just ended it a bit to suddenly. This hold true even after reading the epilogue.
October 26, 2017
The beginning of the book is 4 stars the end maybe a 2 or 3. Erin believes she is mentally ill. She has blackouts and sees things. But what Erin doesn't know is that there are supernatural forces at work that are contributing to her condition. As stated before the beginning was enjoyable. Finding out what was going on in Erin's life and how she was learning to deal with it were interesting. So was the explanation of how these episodes started but I did not like the end. It feel flat and felt too easy of an explanation.
December 16, 2017
This book really brings me back to my earlier years. I loved reading the Den of Shadows quartet and the Keisha'ra series back when I was in the 9th/10th grade. I didn't realize more books had been written. I love Atwater-Rhodes' writing style. Her stories (while on the shorter side) always seem to flow so nicely. I really need to go back and re-read the previous Den of Shadows books. Her books always draw on and reference characters and events from earlier books, and I could tell that she had those in this book, but I could not remember much of all from the previous books.
June 26, 2018
Definitely weird, as Atwater-Rhodes attempts a crossover between the Den of Shadows and the Kiesha-Ra, which I always read as two separate fantasy worlds when I was younger. I kind of don’t like that they’re all one. And the main character of this book being very very not sane makes this a super confusing read for me. Ambitious, but definitely not her strongest piece.
December 16, 2023
You can tell that this was a NaNoWriMo book. It feels rushed and could have benefitted from more exposition. It's more of a quick novella bloated up to count as a novel for the challenge.
It's a shame, because it has some great elements and it could have been a grat book if given the time and effort it deserved.
It's a shame, because it has some great elements and it could have been a grat book if given the time and effort it deserved.
July 17, 2025
a fine book! I'm glad I reread it now, I wish I had reread it sooner but I remember being confused by some things. I think it was just with how spaced out the physical time was between reading chapters with my mother I'd forget what part we were at. but yeah, fun read, and a neat little world. I like when overly powerful characters get to just be super powerful so I liked that too.
March 17, 2013
This is one of those books where I have to get my thoughts down on paper (or on screen, I guess) before I feel like they're at all coherent. As of now, I have no rating, only plans to show my thoughts. That being said, this may or may not be my most coherent review. You'll have to stick around to find out!
So, anyway, there were a good number of negative reviews for this one, even among Atwater-Rhodes's fans. When I first started reading the book, I couldn't quite understand where they were coming from; the characters weren't the best ever, but the writing was great, and the plot looked interesting. I often find myself at odds with Atwater-Rhodes's fanbase, when it comes to the Den of Shadows series in particular, so I thought, "Well, this is just another one of those cases."
But as I read on, I started to understand the criticisms, at least, in terms of plot. At first, the premise is intriguing. Erin has, for her entire life, believed that she was schizophrenic, with an alter ego named Shevaun. But we find out that Shevaun is indeed a real person (well, vampire), and Shevaun has become aware of Erin's presence. The main mystery behind the book involves Shevaun and her lover, Adjila, trying to figure out how the connection came to be, and how to sever it without killing them.
So, like I said, at first, the premise seems really good. The problem was, the book never really evolved beyond this premise. I felt like the entire book was exposition, until the very end, which was a climax and then a resolution. All that happened were different characters running around trying to help Erin and figure out what was wrong with her. Different events happened, but when I try to think back on them, all I remember was a blur. Hell - Erin didn't know that she wasn't actually schizophrenic until almost 80% through the book. I'm sorry, but no matter how you spin it, that's bad plotting. There was no sense of tension, the stakes were virtually nonexistent, and there was no reason to be invested in the mystery. Once the mystery was solved, the reveal was completely bland and uninteresting, and it did nothing to at all raise the stakes.
Another problem I had was that at times, there seemed to be two different stories: one about Erin, and one about Shevaun. Erin, as a character, was far more interesting than Shevaun, and I wish the book could've focused on her more. After all, Erin was struggling to figure out what was going on with her and why the world around her was suddenly different than what she thought. Shevaun, on the other hand, was trying to deduce why someone shared memories with her. The two stories even had two different moods accompanying them, to the point that I felt like I had whiplash during the transitions.
Normally, these issues would make me want to abandon the book completely, but Atwater-Rhodes's writing pulled me through. Because as usual, her writing is fantastic. This isn't the best-written thing she's ever done, but her writing is still descriptive, atmospheric, and lovely to read. She's an excellent writer, and I really wish that she would save her talent for a more worthwhile story.
As for the characters... as with most of the book, I enjoyed the characters that accompanied Erin a lot more than the ones who accompanied Shevaun. Erin was a wonderful protagonist. Atwater-Rhodes has a degree in psychology, and it really shows in her handling of Erin's supposed schizophrenia. She successfully showed the effects of having a mental disease, without the disease consuming Erin and making it all that she was. This didn't define Erin as a character, but it certainly made her more interesting to read about.
But the character who really stole the show was her love interest, Sassy. We got some of his POV in 666 The Number of the Beast, and he's just as awesome here as he was there. He's a charming but compulsive liar, whose story changes every time you ask him. He's also hilarious. Atwater-Rhodes's books generally have so little comic relief - it's a nice change to see her not taking herself as seriously.
The other characters were far less interesting. Marissa was well-rendered, but still boring. Adjila felt a little too much like Aubrey or Jaguar or Zane for my liking. And Shevaun felt like a failed attempt to have a True Neutral protagonist - despite what we're told, she is clearly destructive, and at times, comically evil.
The worldbuilding was a bit... mixed. Atwater-Rhodes is normally excellent at worldbuilding, but what we see here is a bit... sub-par for her. We do get an interesting perspective on how SingleEarth really works, and why one might not support it, and the information about Triste witches and their powers was pretty interesting, but the world wasn't developed much beyond what we already know. Still, what we've already seen is interesting enough to carry the book, so I can mostly forgive the issue.
So, I've written the book, and... I'm still not sure how I feel about it exactly. I'm not sure whether or not to give it 4 or 3 stars. I'll probably go back and forth for a while. Current status: 3
So, anyway, there were a good number of negative reviews for this one, even among Atwater-Rhodes's fans. When I first started reading the book, I couldn't quite understand where they were coming from; the characters weren't the best ever, but the writing was great, and the plot looked interesting. I often find myself at odds with Atwater-Rhodes's fanbase, when it comes to the Den of Shadows series in particular, so I thought, "Well, this is just another one of those cases."
But as I read on, I started to understand the criticisms, at least, in terms of plot. At first, the premise is intriguing. Erin has, for her entire life, believed that she was schizophrenic, with an alter ego named Shevaun. But we find out that Shevaun is indeed a real person (well, vampire), and Shevaun has become aware of Erin's presence. The main mystery behind the book involves Shevaun and her lover, Adjila, trying to figure out how the connection came to be, and how to sever it without killing them.
So, like I said, at first, the premise seems really good. The problem was, the book never really evolved beyond this premise. I felt like the entire book was exposition, until the very end, which was a climax and then a resolution. All that happened were different characters running around trying to help Erin and figure out what was wrong with her. Different events happened, but when I try to think back on them, all I remember was a blur. Hell - Erin didn't know that she wasn't actually schizophrenic until almost 80% through the book. I'm sorry, but no matter how you spin it, that's bad plotting. There was no sense of tension, the stakes were virtually nonexistent, and there was no reason to be invested in the mystery. Once the mystery was solved, the reveal was completely bland and uninteresting, and it did nothing to at all raise the stakes.
Another problem I had was that at times, there seemed to be two different stories: one about Erin, and one about Shevaun. Erin, as a character, was far more interesting than Shevaun, and I wish the book could've focused on her more. After all, Erin was struggling to figure out what was going on with her and why the world around her was suddenly different than what she thought. Shevaun, on the other hand, was trying to deduce why someone shared memories with her. The two stories even had two different moods accompanying them, to the point that I felt like I had whiplash during the transitions.
Normally, these issues would make me want to abandon the book completely, but Atwater-Rhodes's writing pulled me through. Because as usual, her writing is fantastic. This isn't the best-written thing she's ever done, but her writing is still descriptive, atmospheric, and lovely to read. She's an excellent writer, and I really wish that she would save her talent for a more worthwhile story.
As for the characters... as with most of the book, I enjoyed the characters that accompanied Erin a lot more than the ones who accompanied Shevaun. Erin was a wonderful protagonist. Atwater-Rhodes has a degree in psychology, and it really shows in her handling of Erin's supposed schizophrenia. She successfully showed the effects of having a mental disease, without the disease consuming Erin and making it all that she was. This didn't define Erin as a character, but it certainly made her more interesting to read about.
But the character who really stole the show was her love interest, Sassy. We got some of his POV in 666 The Number of the Beast, and he's just as awesome here as he was there. He's a charming but compulsive liar, whose story changes every time you ask him. He's also hilarious. Atwater-Rhodes's books generally have so little comic relief - it's a nice change to see her not taking herself as seriously.
The other characters were far less interesting. Marissa was well-rendered, but still boring. Adjila felt a little too much like Aubrey or Jaguar or Zane for my liking. And Shevaun felt like a failed attempt to have a True Neutral protagonist - despite what we're told, she is clearly destructive, and at times, comically evil.
The worldbuilding was a bit... mixed. Atwater-Rhodes is normally excellent at worldbuilding, but what we see here is a bit... sub-par for her. We do get an interesting perspective on how SingleEarth really works, and why one might not support it, and the information about Triste witches and their powers was pretty interesting, but the world wasn't developed much beyond what we already know. Still, what we've already seen is interesting enough to carry the book, so I can mostly forgive the issue.
So, I've written the book, and... I'm still not sure how I feel about it exactly. I'm not sure whether or not to give it 4 or 3 stars. I'll probably go back and forth for a while. Current status: 3
December 15, 2019
Vampires, witches, and...hyenas?
This is the 5th of the Den of Shadows series and it doesn't disappoint. I'm enjoying the different interactions between the different "species" and the different personalities.
This is the 5th of the Den of Shadows series and it doesn't disappoint. I'm enjoying the different interactions between the different "species" and the different personalities.
January 24, 2024
This is by far my least favorite Rhodes book, but I'm not sure if that is because it is not part of a series or because it leaves so many things unexplained. Decide for yourself, because even though it is not my favorite, Rhodes is still a phenomenal writer for her age.
April 23, 2018
really good book
July 7, 2018
interesting
November 5, 2018
I am happy how it turned out. But I never realized until I finished that it was the 5th book in the serious. It was really good though.
May 26, 2019
My favorite so far. A lot of creativity. Fast read and interesting characters.
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