Book source ~ Tour

Rae Davis lost her parents when she was 11 and then lost her older sister Maria just as she graduates high school. She decides to head to her only known relative, her Aunt Gwen who lives in Alaska. It’s been years since she’s seen her since her parents and Gwen apparently had a falling out, but with no other family to turn to, Aunt Gwen it is. Except, when Rae gets there, Gwen has disappeared and not been seen for years. The cottage is still there on the edge of the forest so Rae grabs the spare key and settles in. But not for long. With her pain driving her and something pulling her to the trees, she heads into the forest where her life will change forever.

What an interesting take on the mythology of vampires, shifters, witches and more. The premise for Forget Me Not is one I haven’t seen yet and I’m intrigued by this world and the characters that inhabit it. Unfortunately, the execution falls short.

While Rae is a tragic character who is young and lost, she makes some seriously dumb decisions. Not once or twice, but throughout the whole book. This could be forgiven considering her background. However, the book itself needs additional polishing by an editor. There are grammar errors, a plethora of exclamation marks, and pacing issues that need to be addressed. Character development lacks for several key characters (or those I consider key - maybe they aren’t?) and the mood swings by the characters in each scene are bewildering.

This book has promise. A lot of promise. It’s fascinating and the ending has me wondering what is next. I think with another round of intense editing this enthralling fantasy will really come alive. ( )

I posted my original review of this book for the Booktamins hosted book tour on 18th March on my blog. Which you can read here , this post also has information of the other participants of the book tour. At the time of the book tour I sadly didn’t have the time write everything that I wanted for my review of the book, so I’ve decided to post a longer version of my review of Forget Me Not by Anca Antoci.


Rating: 3/5

Genres: Urban Fantasy, New Adult, Paranormal/Supernatural, Young Adult

Page count: 291

Publication date: 31st January 2020

Trigger warnings: Mentions of alcohol and painkillers use and sex (not directly), suicidal thoughts, blood, near-death experiences, minor violence

Book blurb:

When tragedy strikes, Rae makes a terrible choice and struggles with the aftermath. In the wilderness of the Tongass rainforest, she finds herself hunted by creatures of hell, monsters she never dreamed could be real. A hidden world, an ancient race, and a secret she discovers by accident give a new meaning to her life but only if she can escape and return to civilization. If she is to survive, Rae must comply with Ari, her reluctant hero, and allow him to wipe away any memory of this realm. Knowledge is power, but is it worth dying for?

This was such an exciting read. The moment that Rae left London and went to Alsaka to try and see her aunt, who she hasn’t seen or heard from for years, after her sister’s sudden death things got kind of crazy. The first night she spends in her aunt’s abandoned house she ends up drunk, a bit drugged up, barefoot in the woods. When she meets Ari and Sofia in the woods her life goes from bad to worse, from strange to insane.

I expected magic, discovery, adventure and fantasy creatures. Although, I did not expect vampires. Probably because I’ve not read a book about vampires for a long time. But I do think that Ari was one of my favourite characters in this book. He was sweet, heroic and had a sense of chivalry. Plus, he’s a vampire that’s over seven hundred years old so that’s pretty cool.

Honestly, I really loved finding out all the different supernatural beings that exist. I liked that Rae started off as being pretty scared but was quick on her feet and managed to come up with ways to outwit some of these supernatural beings. She figured out clever or unique ways that she could use their weaknesses against them or manipulate them to think that she wasn’t a threat. Rae is definitely a very clever young woman and I think that quick thinking and ability to adapt to sudden changes is what keeps her alive.

I’m looking forward to see where Rae’s story will go next.

I do feel that somethings in this book could have been fine tuned a bit more. At times it did feel very much like characters were just telling me information rather than showing me. I think there could have been more of a balance between showing the reader what was happening, the world that the story take place in and the different supernatural beings. I didn’t mind too much when Rae, and myself, being told different things from other characters like Ari about stuff that she didn’t know. I did think that it was well done that Rae kept asking him questions, kept him talking, and got him to trust her enough that she was able to get away from him. But I maybe would have liked it if Rae could have learnt somethings on her own a bit more.

Sometimes the dialogue felt a little stilted and forced. I remember reading some scenes and thinking that the dialogue between some characters didn’t feel that natural. Like between Chloe and her mother. Obviously, they have known each other for years but felt like the way they talked to each other felt more like they were colleges than mother and daughter. I just didn’t really feel the connection between the two of them that I probably should have.

I did enjoy reading this book but I think that it could have maybe have done with another round of editing to just fine tune it a bit more and to make the story flow a bit better, because at time I did feel like it was a bit jumpy. It did at time feel like it moved from one thing to the next a bit too quickly and with little in between to connect it.

I do think that this is a good debut novel and I can see the potential for Anca Antoci to grow even further as an author. ( )