REMEMBRANCE by Michelle Madow

Title: REMEMBRANCE
Author: Michelle Madow
Release Date: Out Now (July 25, 2011)
Publisher: Self-Published
Received: Nook Book
Goodreads

SUMMARY:
New Hampshire high school junior Lizzie Davenport has been reincarnated from Regency Era, England ... but she doesn't know it yet.

Then Drew Carmichael transfers into Lizzie's school at the beginning of the year, and she feels a connection to him, almost like she knows him. She can't stop thinking about him, but whenever she tries talking with him about the mysteries behind her feelings, he makes it clear that he wants nothing to do with her. Reaching him is even more difficult because she has a boyfriend, Jeremy, who has started to become full of himself after being elected co-captain of the varsity soccer team, and her flirtatious best friend Chelsea starts dating Drew soon after his arrival. So why can't she seem to get him out of her mind?

Even though Lizzie knows she should let go of her fascination with Drew, the pair of them soon find that fighting fate isn't going to be easy.

The story within REMEMBRANCE by Michelle Madow is as striking as the novel’s cover. Best of all, the e-book is going for a mere $2.99 (though also available in paperback). If you like books involving past lives, this one is for you, especially if you want one with a unique spin that isn’t quite so predictable. I also like the fact that the characters are reincarnated from Regency times rather than feature soul mates re-awakening again and again and again. Been there, done that. But a one-time rebirth that refers back to the time period of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE? Yes, please. Madow was inspired to write REMEMBRANCE after hearing “Love Story” by Taylor Swift; after reading the novel, it’s easy to see the song’s influence on the story.

The novel centers around Lizzie Davenport, a teenager who has been dating her longtime boyfriend for years. When a new student, Drew Carmichael, transfers to her school, her life begins to slowly unravel. She can’t deny the weird connection and pulsing energy whenever Drew is around, but she has a boyfriend. Granted, she’s begun to pull away from Jeremy ever since he became co-captain of the varsity soccer team. Then there’s the fact that Drew has begun dating Chelsea, Lizzie’s best friend. The two try to interact with each other as little as possible. Part of this is because Drew has memories of Lizzie and a time when something horrible happens. Lizzie doesn’t realize she’s been reincarnated from a past life until after she’s known Drew for quite a while. I like the fact that there’s nothing immortal about their relationship. No character is a supernatural being watching his/her loved one be reincarnated again and again, like the FALLEN series by Lauren Kate or MY NAME IS MEMORY by Ann Brashares. The way everything unfolded felt very natural.

Madow’s characterization worked well. Characters were flawed, never perfect. They made bad decisions. Readers will truly feel for Lizzie and Drew as they attempt to ignore the chemistry between them in this time period despite their circumstances. At times, I didn’t care for the way Jeremy and Drew treated Lizzie, but can see why the author developed them the way she did. There was also one minor character that I would have liked to see a lot more of since he had such an interesting storyline himself. Madow creates her own mythology regarding reincarnation that I could see cropping up in other books by her.

COVER DESIGN

This cover is GORGEOUS. I saw it as someone’s Cover Crazy last week and fell in love. I’d never heard of REMEMBRANCE, but knew I wanted to read it. The mask on the cover is gorgeous and actually means something, unlike the fancy images on so many covers these days. The mask actually plays a very important role in the novel. I like the way the lighting on the model gives her the illusion of pink hair, making you wonder if the character is a daring girl who really does have pink hair or if it’s just a trick of light. I like the way the typography is set in white to match the feather from the model’s mask. It also brings out the white in the silver of her mask and her mysterious eyes.