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Shattered Memories

by Susan Harris

A terrible tragedy forced Alana McCarthy to forget a year of her life. Now she is to be executed for a crime she does not remember committing—the murder of her entire family. Lost and alone, Alana is terrified of unlocking secrets buried so deep inside her mind that she's willing to forget the one person who could set her free.

Daniel Costello hasn't forgotten about Alana, and he will do anything and everything to protect the girl he loves. But first, Alana needs to unlock her memories and find out the truth about what happened the night her family was killed.

The day of her execution is set. Together, will Alana and Daniel be able to uncover the truth behind her family's deaths before it's too late?

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I really did not know what to expect before starting this one, but the synopsis and the cover just called out to me and I knew that this was one book that I had to read. I am so glad that I answered that call, because Shattered Memories was an amazing read! From the very first page I was hooked with the unique story line and the captivating characters. Alana is one of those characters and I couldn't help but pull for her as she tried to regain her memories from that awful night her parents and sister were brutally murdered. She always stayed true to her belief that there was no way she could have done such a horrible thing even knowing that if she ever found out the truth, she was destined to die regardless. Daniel is another character that I just fell in love with. Doing everything in his power to prove that the girl he so desperately loved was innocent and in the process risking his life. The other supporting characters really rounded out this amazing story and made it a fun and enjoyable read.

This whole story was simply fantastic and well extremely well-written. I loved that the author gives the reader a brief history lesson on how this dismal world and way of life came to be which really gave me a better understanding of the events in the story. With every page, I literally was holding my breath at times needing Alana to remember the past year of her life - not only to prove her innocence, but remembering the love that her and Daniel had for one another. The ending left me breathless and I really did not expect the outcome - not one bit. Matter of fact, it left me in tears and angry, but also left me full of hope and happiness. I know, confusing, right? But in all seriousness, Ms. Harris really drew me into this story with the unique plot and her effortless writing - I loved every second of it!

Overall, Shattered Memories is an utterly captivating and engrossing read that was unique and exciting. It's a definite must read for fans of dystopian fiction who are craving something uniquely fresh and thrilling.

5 stars

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Susan Harris is a writer from Cork in Ireland. An avid reader, she quickly grew to love books in the supernatural/fantasy genre. When she is not writing or reading, she loves music, oriental cultures, tattoos, anything Disney and psychology. If she wasn't a writer she would love to be a FBI profiler or a PA for Dave Grohl or Jared Leto.

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Source: avidbookcollector.blogspot.com/2015/07/book-review-shattered-memories-by-susan.html

review 2015-07-08 00:00

Shattered Memories

The Avid Reader

I received a free copy of the book from the author for my honest opinion.

Alana McCarthy has been sentenced to die for the murder of her whole family; her mother, father and her little sister. Alana is sent to prison to await her execution day. The law states that no child can be executed. Everyone must be eighteen years of age to be put to death. Alana can't figure out why she has been sentenced for the murder of her family when that is the last thing on earth that she would ever dream of doing. She doesn't understand how she could kill her family in cold blood. But she can't prove that she didn't do it because she has lost a whole year of her life.

Not only has she forgotten what happened the night her family died she has also forgotten the man she is in love with. The only friend she has ever had in her whole life. She loves Daniel with all of her heart and he loves her just as much if not more but she can't remember him. It is tearing Daniel up inside to know that the woman he loves doesn't know who he is. Daniel knows that Alana did not kill her family. He knows that she is not that kind of person and is not capable of killing anyone and he is determined to do whatever it is that he has to do to help her get her memory back and prove that she did not kill her family.

Shattered Memories is not what I expected it to be. I never thought that I would love it as much as I did. I knew when I read the summary that I had to read it but there was no way that I thought it would be this good. Connors Alana's guard will crack you up. He will have you rolling in the floor with tears streaming down your face while at the same time almost Alana will have tears streaming down your face because you can feel the pain she has in her heart, the pain of being told that she killed her own family and not knowing if she killed them or not.

I have thought for a long time now that the brain was a powerful thing and now after reading Alana's story it has just reinforced my belief in just how powerful it is. Alana's brain shut itself off because she couldn't or wouldn't be able to deal with the loss of her family and the horror of what happened to them. Her brain had to shut itself down until her heart was able to accept that her family was no more. That they were gone and she would never see them again. It was the only way her heart could deal with so much pain.

I am so glad that I was given the opportunity to read Shattered Memories and get to know all of the characters in the book. There is no way you can't love most of the characters in this book. Susan tells Alana's story so well that you forget that you are not a part of her world. Once she pulls you in you are hooked for a very long time. Alana, Daniel and Connors will live in your heart for a long time after you have read the last word and it will leave you wanting more.