This book was not quite what I had expected. It was more religion/mythology than fantasy/science fiction. I still found it to be quite an interesting read, though a bit slow at parts. The ending definitely surprised me. ( )

The ending was a little unsatisfying, but I can't really articulate why I feel that way. I suppose I wasn't expecting the characters to morph into the identities that they did and the resulting direction of the story was less interesting to me than I had initially thought it would be with the characters able to remember previous life cycles. A decent read though. ( )

Overall, the novel had some interesting concepts and plot twists, but some of it was easy to predict and certain sections of the novel did not appeal to me. ( )

*I received the ebook version of this from a giveaway on LibraryThing.
**This will also be posted on Goodreads and Booklikes.

Rememberers was not what I expected it to be. I expected it to be more of the fantasy genre. Instead, it's all about religion, science, psychology, terrorists, demons, God, and Adam & Eve. We mainly follow Kallie, a nineteen-year-old college student who experiences daily feelings of deja vu, and who ends up immersed in the world of religion and the evil that goes with the good. She also ends up being of interest to two catholic figures and an ICE agent. So obviously, nothing is as it seems.

First though, I just want to say one thing about the religion: I was often bored while reading the religion parts. Mainly because much was repeated, but also because it happened so often I just found myself eager for that part to be over. And it's not like I have anything against religion; my grandparents are highly religious and strongly believe in God. But there was just so much of it. And I get that religion plays a huge part for the novel, but reading many things over and over again just in different words did not appeal to me. Other then that, though, Rememberers proved to be an interesting read.

I really like the idea behind the Rememberers and their powers. I especially love how there are past lives and they way that plays a part in the story. Reading about Kallie and seeing her perspectives change and her mind grow stronger was just so fascinating, especially because she can tear into those dang demons for three hours straight. I mean, it's action, and I love me some action. I also love how we got to go into minds other than Kallie's though, so we could make up our own theories about what these other people plan do to with her. I actually enjoyed reading about her interactions with certain people, because we readers know some of the characters she hangs out with don't have good intentions, and she herself doesn't know. So to see her try and piece it together, to see her friends piece it together, is interesting because we get to see how their minds work. All in all, I really like the writing and the way it all mapped out.

The characters (the religious figures, anyway) were not what I would have expected. It was good though. I think my favourite character would have to be Johnny Swag (because that last name, yo), because he's so dark and creepy and scarily brilliant. If he were a real person that I knew, I would probably be terrified of him, considering what he is capable of. And I know he wasn't in his right mind (if you've read Rememberers, you'll know what I'm taking about) but still, to be how he is and not see any wrong... It was just really fascinating to see him plan and take action.

I don't have much else to say. I would recommend this to those who don't mind religious talk, or books that are based on religion. ( )

** I was given an advance reader copy of this book from LibraryThing and C.Edward Baldwin in exchange for an honest review**

On the whole, this book was an enjoyable read. The premise of the book was interesting and original and I found the story engaging. Given the book's blurb, I was a bit disappointed that the truth behind the terrorists' murders was revealed so early on. Personally, I would've preferred to be left in the dark a bit longer as to what was going on, adding a greater sense of mystery/suspense to the novel. The book explores some interesting concepts which I will not elaborate on here as I do not want to spoil the book for others. Some of these concepts/ideas were new to me which helped add to the novelty of the story. While I understand that the author needed to explain certain concepts (i.e, what a rememberer is), I felt that some of these explanations were a bit forced and did not fit well within the story. Perhaps if they had been worded more naturally or revealed more gradually rather than in large chunks of text, they would've worked better. Further, as a female reader, some of the actions and descriptions of the female characters grated on me a bit (yes, teenage girls can be boy crazy, but marriage and romance is not all that they think about, is it, or am I too old to remember?). Anyway, on the whole it was an entertaining read and I would be interested to read the sequel. (3.5 stars) ( )