Glimmer by Phoebe Kitanidis {Review}

Publisher: Balzer + Bray

Publish Date: April 17, 2012
Source: Library

Goodreads

What if you forgot your identity and had to rely on other people to tell you who you were?And what if to discover your true self, you first had to unravel a mystery so bid and terrifying you were not sure you'd survive solving it?When Marshall and Elyse wake up in each other's arms with zero memory of how they got there or who they are, it's the start of a long journey through their separate pasts and shared future.
Terrified by their amnesia , teh two make a pact to work together to gain the answers that could jog their missing memories. As they piece together clues, they discover they're in the idyllic mountain resort town of Summer Falls, where everyone seems mysteriously happy, but as Marshall and Elyse quickly learn, darkness lurks beneath the town's perfect facade. Not only is the town haunted by sinister ghosts, but none of its living inhabitants retain bad memories of anything -- not the death of Marshall's mom, not the hidden shame in Elyse's family, not even the day-to-day anguish of high school.
Lonely in the world of happy zombies, Marsh and Else fall into and tense relationship...but the secrets they uncover could be the death of this growing love --and the death of everyone, and everything, they love in Summer Falls.

I practically read Glimmer straight through. I probably would have read it all in one night if I didn’t have work the next day as it is, I finished it in under 24 hours – which is really fast for me. Something about the mystery and the not knowing was so addicting I didn’t want to put the book down at all.

Going into it, I thought Glimmer would start out in some sort of hospital or lab. I have no idea where this assumption came from but the point is that it didn’t bother me in the slightest that it wasn’t. I was too busy being distracted by the fact the neither of the characters had any idea what was going on which, in turn, left me completely clueless too. If you’re the type who doesn’t like to be totally in the dark then Glimmer definitely isn’t for you, but that kind of thing is my absolute favorite.

Neither Marshall or Elyse were really my favorite characters, but I didn’t dislike them either. I enjoyed seeing both of them struggle with who they once were and who they were becoming. I know that sounds kind of sadistic, but I just mean that even though the characters weren’t my favorite I could still appreciate their emotional journeys.

I’m declaring Phoebe Kitanidis a mystery master. There was always just enough mystery to keep me flipping the pages to find out what happened next but not so much that I felt like ripping my hair out. There were some moments I was left sitting there going “what in the WORLD?!” but it was in the best possible way.

The Nutshell: If you’re looking for a good non-murder mystery that will keep you flipping pages then Glimmer is definitely your book. If you enjoy being terribly confused while being fed bits of information little by little then you need to run out and get this book into your hands as soon as possible!

Pages: 352
Series: No

Rating: Direct Hit