Review of '(Don't You) Forget About Me'
(Don’t You) Forget About Me
Kate Karyus Quinn, 2014
YA fiction, Mystery, Paranormal, Horror
Rating: 👻👻👻1/2 (3.5 out of 4 boos)
“Welcome to Gardnerville.
A place where no one gets sick. And no one ever dies.
Except...
There’s a price to pay for paradise. Every fourth year, the strange power that fuels the town exacts its payment by infecting teens with deadly urges. In a normal year in Gardnerville, teens might stop talking to their best friends. In a fourth year, they’d kill them.
Four years ago, Skylar’s sister, Piper, was locked away after leading sixteen of her classmates to a watery grave. Since then, Skylar has lived in a numb haze, struggling to forget her past and dull the pain of losing her sister. But the secrets and memories Piper left behind keep taunting Skylar—whispering that the only way to get her sister back is to stop Gardnerville’s murderous cycle once and for all.”
What’s the main character like?
First-person narrator Skylar makes no secret of the fact that she’s taking special pills to forget the loss of her sister. We get to go along for the ride as a confused Skylar dips into various memories and tries to make sense of who to trust in Gardnerville and the mystery that surrounds the place where Piper was imprisoned. In spite of her haze, Skylar is intelligent and a good representation of the “little sister” character who looks up to the perfect, fun big sister.
How scary is it?
The premise alone is pretty disturbing. While not overwhelmingly graphic, the descriptions of some of the fourth-year incidents deliver quite well in causing fear and unease.
Who might like the book?
Like Quinn’s book Another Little Piece, (Don’t You) Forget About Me has a gritty, confusing feeling that leads readers to want to sort through the dark mystery that the main character is entwined in. For its darkness and strong first-person narration, the book also reminds me of Neverworld Wake. Fans of these other books should appreciate (Don't You) Forget About Me.
What did I like best?
I love the feeling of thinking I have everything figured out but then being surprised by how wrong my predictions were. This book has that!
What wasn’t my favorite?
The climax felt a bit rushed, and I wouldn’t have minded more explanation. However, maybe I missed something in my frenzied, excited reading!