Book review: Glimmer by Phoebe Kitanidis

Glimmer
Author: Phoebe Kitanidis
Reading Level: YA
Genre: Fantasy/Paranormal
Release Date: April 27th 2012
Review Source: Balzer + Bray
Available: Amazon

Summary: (from 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 big 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, the two make a pact to work together to find 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 this world of happy zombies, Marsh and Elyse fall into an intense 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 have mixed feelings about this book. So first I want to mention that I really love the cover. It really caught my eye when I first saw the book. When I read the description on Goodreads, I thought Glimmer was going to be a book about zombies and ghosts. Well, this is where I'm confused. There are no zombies, just town people passing out and losing memories. Oh and the occasional ghost sightings. Although the story was intriguing and had me reading through the pages without wanting to stop, I felt lost and confused most of the time. The story is told in two different POVs, Elyse and Marshall's, so it made it difficult to distinguish who was who. I think there should have been at least the name of the person at the beginning of the chapter just to make it easier for the reader to be able to go back and forth. Although, their names were on the beginning of the chapters toward the end of the book, just not the beginning. I'm assuming it's because at the time, Elyse and Marshall didn’t know who they were. On a positive note, the secret behind the heat naps and Summer Falls had me guessing the whole time. I just wanted to know what was happening in that town!

The story starts off with Elyse and Marshall waking up naked in bed together. Neither of them know what happened nor who they are. But for some strange reason, they feel like they can trust each other. Although they were a little hesitant at first. Summer Falls is a small town that reminded me of Pleasantville. A place where nothing bad really happens and everyone looks and feels great. Well underneath that façade, there are lies and evil that has been keeping everyone oblivious to the outside world.

I don’t want to scare or discourage anyone from reading Glimmer by my review. I have seen more positive reviews then negative ones on Goodreads so I suggest you give it a try or at least do some research.