Reviews

Ess wakes up alone on a sailboat with absolutely no memory of her past life. She somehow knows how to sail, yet she doesn't know why.

This is a slower paced climate fiction with bits of sci fi. Even though it was slower paced, it had those chapters with just enough of a cliff hanger to keep you up reading way past your bed time, lol.
I absolutely loved our main character. She was strong, decisive, and I loved reading from her point of view.

There was a bit too much info about sailing. As someone who has no interest in it really, I found myself skimming through parts of it.

All in all, I'm happy I picked it up and will definitely read from this author again.

okevamae's review against another edition

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3.0

Ess has no memories. The first thing she remembers is being alone on a sailboat, drifting near a remote island off the coast of Canada, with a note telling her to start her life over and warning her not to look back, telling her “this is the only way out alive.” But once she makes her way to civilization, she finds out she’s not the only person this has happened to - though all the others have been taken into custody and studied. In spite of the warnings, Ess feels driven to find out what happened to her, but she must do so without being found out.

I've seen plenty of books start out with the main character having no memory, usually in the sci-fi genre. Since this book takes place in the future during a climate crisis, and centers around memory-erasing technology, it’s definitely sci-fi, though it doesn’t really have the feel of a sci-fi book. I think it’s supposed to be a thriller, but it’s not especially fast-paced. I found my attention drifting (ha) frequently as I read this book. One of the most suspenseful things that happens, in terms of emotional stakes, was resolved quickly and easily, which was kind of a letdown because I thought the book was finally about to get good. The story revolves around Ess, but she’s kind of bland, maybe in part because she’s a blank slate memory-wise. I always found the side characters, like Raven, Hito, and Yori, more interesting. The side characters are what saves this book from a lower rating.

This is an okay book but there’s better climate change sci-fi, memory-loss sci-fi and memory-loss thrillers out there.