A Mist of Memories
A young adult novel set in the UK, A Mist of Memories is a spellbinding story of memory, loss, love and family.
Charlotte lives on Levay Island with her family. The island has been quiet since her horrific accident and Charlotte’s recovery has been incredibly slow. She is missing pieces of her memory and beginning to wonder if she will ever be whole again. Meanwhile Ajay is headed to Levay Island to look for his friend and crush Oleander who disappeared three months ago after her father’s suicide. When he gets to the island and meets Charlotte, their lives begin to tangle together and they begin to wonder if they will be trapped on the island forever.
Kate Blair sets the stage for an eerie, psychological thriller from the first page. This book is incredibly intriguing and keeps readers on their toes. I love that the story alternates between different voices. I love the choice to write Oleander’s voice in the third person and both Ajay and Charlotte in the first person. It keeps the readers guessing as to the mystery of Oleander’s disappearance and adds to the drama of the story.
There was a lot to unpack in this story, suicide, consent, internet safety and abuse. Kate Blair uses relevant and timely topics to add to the drama of the story but also offer teenage readers something to reflect upon and to learn from. There will be readers who will need to see these stories reflected to help them find their way through their own dark times. For other readers, its an opportunity to learn from the trauma of the characters to hopefully not find themselves in equally harrowing circumstances.
I also really loved the supernatural element to the story with the myth of the Lady of Levay and the goddess of forgetting. The memory loss and memory discovery all added to the twists and turns in the novel and created some great tension between the characters. Kate Blair keeps the readers guessing about what happens on the island and how the teens will make their way off the island, for Ajay to get home and for Charlotte to get help.
When reading A Mist of Memories, I felt like I was in the fog with Ajay and Charlotte. Enveloped in the grey and totally immersed in the story.
