Author: Kate Karyus Quinn (@KateKaryusQuinn)
Published: June 10th, 2014
Series: N/A
Genre: YA paranormal / mystery
POV: 1st person
Pages: 336
Publisher: HarperTeen
Format: e-ARC
Source: Edelweiss
Rating: The Royal Library, Bottom Shelf
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.
Highlights: In Gardnerville, lives are long and healthy. Except, of course, for those who become caught up in the peculiarities and dangers of this unique city....Strange and mysterious, (Don't You) Forget About Me is entrancing. Life in Gardnerville is odd and magical, and I found all the oddities to be fascinating. Just like Skylar, I was thoroughly perplexed regarding exactly what was happening in her life, what her sister was up to, and what secrets this bizarre city holds. Kate Karyus Quinn did not disappoint, and although I did catch on to what was happening, the ending was still a surprise. Skylar's family was nicely written, and the secrets they each hold were fascinating. Each chapter is enticing and peculiar, making this a difficult story to set aside. I'd suggest starting this novel with as little information as possible, because it makes the story all the more intriguing.
Lowlights: Certain mysteries were easy to solve (I read a lot of mysteries, so I tend to work these things out pretty quickly). There were some moments that were genuinely confusing, too, and I had to backtrack a few paragraphs / pages to understand what was happening.
Rating: The Royal Library, Bottom Shelf (very low 4 out of 5). (Don't You) Forget About Me is great and probably worth purchasing (especially if it's on sale). If I do purchase this story, it only earns a spot on the bottom shelves of the royal library. Despite a couple small issues, I enjoyed it enough to keep it around the palace and read it more than once. If you're in the mood for something unique, intense, and surprising, this book is for you!
