ARC Review: Those That Wake

Author: Jesse Karp
Genre: Young Adult; Dystopian
Release Date: March, 2011
Source: Netgalley
Rating: 2.5/5

Book Blurb: New York City's spirit has been crushed. People walk the streets with their heads down, withdrawing from each other and into the cold comfort of technology. Teenagers Mal and Laura have grown up in this reality. They've never met. Seemingly, they never will.

But on the same day Mal learns his brother has disappeared, Laura discovers her parents have forgotten her. Both begin a search for their families that leads them to the same truth: someone or something has wiped the teens from the memories of every person they have ever known. Thrown together, Mal and Laura must find common ground as they attempt to reclaim their pasts.

What I Didn't Like...

• It had a slow start. the beginning did not catch my attention. I kept reading in hopes that it would change, but it didn't do it for me.
• It read more like an adult book, rather than a YA. In fact, in parts of the book, we read from the points of view of the two adult main characters.
• The plot got quite confusing at some points and left me thinking, "What?"
• The ending was just as confusing.

What I Liked...

• The teen characters, Mal and Laura. I found myself rooting for them...especially for Laura. I wish the budding romance between them was fleshed out more (despite the typical bad boy/good girl vibe), but that's just cos I'm a closet romantic.
• The concept of a future where people are more into technology than human contact was interesting, especially with today's obsession with technology.

The blurb is what drew me in. I mean, I admit I'm sometimes guilty of texting/emailing/Facebooking/tweeting instead of calling and talking to the person. Sadly, the blurb was the most interesting part of the book to me. I SO wanted to like this book, but it just didn't hold my interest. Who knows, maybe your opinion will be different.