I received this book at no cost from the publisher
The Forgotten Memories of Vera Glass by Anna PriemazaISBN: 1419752596
Published by Harry N. Abrams on November 16, 2021
Pages: 304
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Goodreads
Welcome to The Forgotten Memories of Vera Glass by Anna Priemaza Blog Tour!
To celebrate the release of The Forgotten Memories of Vera Glass by Anna Priemaza on November 16th, blogs across the web are featuring exclusive guest posts from Anna, as well as 5 chances to win a copy of The Forgotten Memories of Vera Glass!
Fantasy
by Anna Priemaza
THE FORGOTTEN MEMORIES OF VERA GLASS is a fantasy.
“Well, that’s obvious,” you might say if you’ve read the book or even just the synopsis. “For one thing, major stuff disappears right off its pages. And for another, people in it literally have magic. That’s fantasy.”
Which is all true, but it’s not what I mean. What I mean is that VERA GLASS is my fantasy. I didn’t intentionally write the book that way, but it’s something I’ve thought about numerous times since I finished it.
In THE FORGOTTEN MEMORIES OF VERA GLASS, Vera has an inexplicable sense of grief. She feels like she’s lost something–or someone–but she has no idea what. That feeling goes deep, rippling through her core at the strangest times, always without explanation.
Honestly, her feelings are a lot like my experience with anxiety. I have an anxiety and panic disorder, and I am regularly hit with bouts of anxiety for what feels like no reason. Out of nowhere, my heart starts to race and the dread looms over me. Out of nowhere, an elephant sits itself down right on my chest.
My husband and I have had this conversation hundreds of times:
Me: I feel anxious.
Husband: About what?
Me: *waves hands around at everything and nothing because who knows*
This has been especially true during this pandemic, when my anxiety baseline is at a constant high, and it takes so very little to trip me over into full-blown panic.
So why, you might ask, does my shared experience with Vera make this book my fantasy, rather than my nightmare? Because Vera’s feelings have a very clear and definite cause: something is missing. As a reader, you know exactly what, though you don’t know why. Vera doesn’t know what or why, but if she has her way, she’s sure as logic* going to find out!
I wish I could say the same any time that anxious dread wraps itself inexplicably around my chest.
*Logic games being Vera’s favourite type of game.
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“The narrative concepts are novel, and the characters are easy to feel empathy for… A clever head trip.”
– Kirkus Reviews
A mind-bending YA novel about a world where everyone has a bit of magic in them—but some magic is being used to change the world in unspeakable ways.
Vera has a nagging feeling that she’s forgetting something. Not her keys or her homework—something bigger. Or someone. When she discovers her best friend Riven is experiencing the same strange feeling, they set out on a mission to uncover what’s going on. Everyone in Vera’s world has a special ability—a little bit of magic that helps them through the day. Perhaps someone’s ability is interfering with their memory? Or is something altering their very reality? Vera and Riven intend to fix it and get back whatever or whomever they’ve lost. But how do you find the truth when you can’t even remember what you’re looking for in the first place? The Forgotten Memories of Vera Glass is a cleverly constructed, heartbreaking, and compelling contemporary YA novel with a slight fantasy twist about memory, love, grief, and the invisible bonds that tie us to each other.
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Anna Priemaza is the author of Fan the Fame and Kat and Meg Conquer the World. This is her first piece of speculative fiction. She lives in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
REVIEW
In Vera’s world, everyone has a bit of magic. While that magic maybe just turn a light switch on and off, everyone has just a touch. When one in her circle finds deeper magic, tragedy ensues. No one can quite put a finger on what is happening until it is almost too late. The people in her circle are disappearing but no one remembers who it is, they just feel that a someone is missing. This starts out pretty frantic and then Vera and her friend, Riven, both start to figure out what is wrong. Except they can’t quite figure out if it is their memories or if the loss is real.
Wow – this one is a page-turner. It reminds me so much of Sarah Addison Allen’s book where the characters have an underlying magical ability but it isn’t apparent if it is them or their surroundings. I got that same feeling while reading this. You end up guessing where Vera is having a mental breakdown or the world is conspiring against her. There is a Doctor Who reference that warmed my heart and compared her circumstances to parallel universes. When I read that – I gasped with joy. This is a wonderful read that really is different than typical fantasy YA – these characters are real.
GIVEAWAY
- One (1) winner will receive a hardcover of The Forgotten Memories of Vera Glass by Anna Priemaza
- US/Can only
- Ends 12/1 at 11:59pm ET
- Check out the other stops on the tour for more chances to win!
Blog Tour Schedule:
November 17th – Bookhounds
November 18th – Book Briefs
November 19th – Pragmatic Mom
November 22nd – A Dream Within a Dream
November 23rd – Feed Your Fiction Addiction
My first night on the road hitchhiking cross-country to Vancouver as a teen, many, many years ago. So sweet, those memories still put me to sleep when I’m stressed..
A memory I wouldn’t want to forget is the last Christmas I spent with my father who passed away in 2018
I wouldn’t want to forget my only Thanksgiving with my grandmother, who died when I was very young.
I would not want to forget my wedding day.
looks interesting
I wish I could remember my father. He wasn’t a good person and my mother left him when I was just a baby, but I still wish I had some memory of him.
I would never want to forget my high school graduation day.