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This psychological thriller will have you asking:
Who are we without our memories?

Part book review, part ‘how it’s made,’ I decided to do something a little different with this post..

Forewarning:
Today’s post will not be a typical review and it will include a lot of spoilers!
I apologize for that but, with what I was going for here.. it couldn’t be helped.

(Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. Any purchases made through my links may earn me a small commission at no additional cost to you.)

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Welcome, Welcome, Welcome!

As book bloggers, we (I know, I know, it’s different for everyone) spend a lot of time and energy on figuring out the best ways to stay organized for reviews and it’s been a long.. interesting journey. Unfortunately, a lot of efforts towards this go unseen and I thought that, for once, I might share some of what goes on behind the curtain.

I’m one of those people who writes notes while they read, (a lot of notes), then I can use any remarks or opinions that are helpful (or just entertaining) to aide in creating whatever review or post I’m working on.

There’s been some trial and error along the way and, like all bloggers, how things are done is in constant fluctuation. Our writing, posts, and the way we construct them are always changing.

I am kind of curious (and a little nervous) to see what the overall response to my unfiltered commentary will be but.. Anyway!

Let’s get started and I hope you enjoy this ‘Behind the Scenes’ review!

‘Inversion 1: Looking Through Mirrors‘ by Michael Krozer

I have not edited my notes so, again, there will be spoilers.

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First line: I awoke into a nightmare, gasping a desperate first breath as an infant might.

<<<Found in a shallow depression, with every attempt made to prevent her getting exposure, she appeared to almost be rooted in to the ground near the body of a dead man. Was it ritualistic? Did she murder the man? Why does it seem like time is running out?

<<<Waking in a foreign hospital with no idea of what’s happened, no memories of her life, she’s completely forgotten her own name. Diagnosed with amnesia, she begins moving forward surrounded by strangers who call her ‘Angela’, though she continues to be perplexed by the unfamiliar face in the mirror.

<<<She begins having emotional outbursts about her condition. Shows signs of paranoia and instability. Hears a voice in her head whispering words of warning.

<<<Frustrated with her inability to remember.. the continued sessions with Dr. Stevens grow increasingly more suspicious to me as the reader. Is he really trying to help her or is there some darker purpose?

<<<Angela begins to change, becoming a separate identity inside of herself, and it unsettles her.

<<<Her first time out in public since her incident, some stranger buys her coffee (in a creepy way, if buying someone coffee can seem creepy..) and That doesn’t seem a little off? Yeesh..must just be me.

<<<Almost 20% and no progress on the investigation into, or even much information on, the murder scene she was found at. Memories are slowly resurfacing, but her psychiatrist insists on reminding her that they could all be figments of her mind searching for answers, not actual memories. She feels strongly that they are her own memories, that these nightmares are somehow connected to her past and, may be the key to finding out who she was.

<<<The writing is good, intelligent, and fluid. Slow so far, not a fast-paced, suspense filled ride. I’m intrigued by what’s going on, so much of her story is only hinted at through dreams and subtle nudges, her character inspires curiosity. It’s almost as if this entire thing is an experiment with Angela as the subject.

<<<Dr Stevens is lying about their sessions, about what she says when she’s under the effects of the drug he made(Brainstormer), and now it’s making her sick.. Why isn’t he telling her about the graphic scenes of violence she describes while drugged? Doesn’t he think she should know?

<<<Now two people have died with some connection to her. That can’t be normal. She’s still investigating her own strange situation.. but there doesn’t seem to be any real hurry to do so. She seems curious about finding out what happened to her, occasionally obsessive, but not motivated. This is a slow paced psychological quest.
It’s almost like everyone knows her, that they’ve met before, and only she is out of the loop.

<<<Another vision in the marsh where she was found. This time she kills a man in retaliation for something done to ‘Eva,’ though, for what, she’s still unsure. This latest vision finally gives her a connection between her drawings, she’s starting to truly believe these are memories from her past but.. why are they so dark and full of violence? Why did killing that man, instead of causing her to be afraid, bring her a sense of power?
The pace has momentarily picked up to match the suspense of her latest discovery. I feel invested in following her search into her past, getting answers, and learning the ‘why’ behind it all. I’m intrigued about where all of this is going, moderately absorbed, even.
Why has the photographer, Gustavo, kept silent about her attack on him.. About her sudden change in personality. It was almost as if he knew her and is keeping it secret. Are they all in on it, whatever is it, and why?

<<<She’s finally started to feel some sort of normality, her newfound independence giving her a small amount of confidence. She’s growing into her own person.
While out on her morning run, she’s accosted by a strange man, he makes it known that he’d been stalking her.. says he knows what really happened the night of the murder. Angela feels threatened by this man, the things he’s saying are crazy, they have no shared secrets.. She wasn’t complicit in what happened that night. Right?

<<<Detective Farrer is turning out to be a pretty decent ally. Helping the police corner the stalker has only succeeded in pissing him off, now his aggressive behavior is escalating, going so far as to attack Angela, and she’s beginning to realize how dangerous he is.

<<<Gustavo wants to do another gallery using Angela’s mugging as the focus, bringing awareness to the survivors of assault and trauma, and after little pressure.. she caves. Doc. Stevens agrees this could be good for her. I still don’t like him.

<<<I feel like I had some idea of where this was going but have gotten off track a bit. Entire sections of this story are unnecessary fillers that really don’t go anywhere and slow down the momentum. Parts will be pretty interesting and then, for no apparent reason, she’ll go off sight-seeing, grab coffee, or just do some mundane thing that has no connection to the storyline. It messes with the flow.

<<<Volkor, a very rich, powerful man invites Angela to Romania for business. He has the looks, the charisma, and this noble cause to eradicate sex trafficking. Why is he interested in Angela specifically? Because of her morbid history?
Some grammatical errors that were easily overlooked.

<<<I’m really not sure what this has to do with the storyline. Snoozing with the rich and famous. Racing cars with a friendly new gentleman she met on the plane, then a gala, now a date.. Where is this going?

<<<Detective Ferrer makes an appearance at the art studio while she’s away, takes a stroll around her apartment, is now claiming the murdered man found near her unconscious body was a cadaver stolen by a nearby hospital. The police had to have known that right away.. Dr. Stevens isn’t answering her calls. What is going on?

<<<Her time on the ship has been, frankly, boring. It seems like an unusually long segment of her enjoying the gym, naps by the jacuzzi, it just seems a little pointless.

<<<Now she’s been drugged, kidnapped, and interrogated about her past. Why would these people care about her family or whether she was in the military, why are those the questions they’re interested in asking?

<<<Trapped in a cell made of glass, their torture filmed for the sadistic elite’s entertainment, Angela and the other captives are subjected to the worst humanity has to offer. Anything goes as they are bought and sold for the whatever sick use their new owners desire.
And the more Angela is subjected to, the more her mind slips, rage warring with terror towards whatever sick new horror awaits her.

<<<In an expertly orchestrated double cross against his own evil organization Volkor not only successfully blackmails Angela into a corner, he will end her life.. or she must become his latest puppet.  She’s now his very own personal assassin and, until she can find a way around his deadly grip to reunite with her team, she’ll have to play along.

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This was a pretty good book, a little slow at times, and it raises a lot of questions as you go..
I would recommend this if you like questionable, unreliable, and untrustworthy characters (and I do).. Than this might be for you!

I hope you enjoyed this post/review/attempt to shine a light on a fraction of some of the work that some of us do as bloggers (everyone s different.) No matter how you do your blog, or what it’s about, there’s a lot of time and effort put in so.. let’s continue to offer appreciation and support for all the hard work!
You’re doing a great job!

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