Review: Tabula Rasa by Kristen Lippert-Martin

Tabula Rasa by Kristen Lippert-Martin

Publisher: Egmont USA

Publication Dae: September 23, 2014

Rating: 3 stars

Source: ARC sent by the author

Summary (from Goodreads):

The Bourne Identity meets Divergent in this action-packed debut thriller with a Katniss-esque heroine fighting to regain her memories and stay alive, set against a dystopian hospital background.

Sarah starts a crazy battle for her life within the walls of her hospital-turned-prison when a procedure to eliminate her memory goes awry and she starts to remember snatches of her past. Was she an urban terrorist or vigilante? Has the procedure been her salvation or her destruction?

The answers lie trapped within her mind. To access them, she'll need the help of the teen computer hacker who's trying to bring the hospital down for his own reasons, and a pill that's blocked by an army of mercenary soldiers poised to eliminate her for good. If only she knew why . . .

What I Liked:

Sarah doesn't know who she is, her background, her past, her identity. Everything is being wiped from her memory - or so she thought. When the power goes out in her "hospital" compound, Sarah escapes - and she starts remembering. She stumbles upon a hacker genius about her age, and together, they try and get her the medicine that will allow her to remember everything faster. But there are many people that want to kill Sarah, but Sarah isn't giving up that easily.

I liked this book. I know that my three-star reviews usually seem a little more negative than positive (not my intention though), but I usually at least *like* the 3-star-rated books. I liked this one. It's a thriller, a standalone, and I'm happy for both of those things. There aren't enough standalone debuts. And there aren't enough good thrillers. I wouldn't say that this is the most spellbinding and remarkable thriller I've read, but I liked it.

The book starts with Sarah getting another procedure done in her head. The imagery is very vivid and almost graphic, but not to the point where a squeamish person will freak out. Everything is really well-described though, in terms of the surgeries and what's being done to Sarah's head, and Sarah's emptiness and confusion. Then Sarah escapes, and the rest of the book is spent with Pierce/Thomas and Sarah trying to figure out how to gain access to the medical locker, to get Sarah's pills.

The imagery and descriptions are very thorough, in the beginning of the book. I'm not sure about the rest of the book, but this really stood out to me in the first part of the book, before Sarah escapes. It really sucks you in. The writing is very simple and easy to read - so it's not unique and lush and gorgeous, but it's easy to read and helps the book go faster.

I liked Sarah, and I liked Thomas. I can't say I really connected with either of them, but I liked them. I liked following their story. I wanted to know who Sarah was before she was admitted to the "hospital", why she was there, etc. The mystery surrounding the protagonist was interesting. I wanted to know what was going - but this was a little frustrating, because I felt like the author wasn't explaining things fast enough. Read on!

What I Did Not Like:

I found the plot frustrating, because I felt like information wasn't being revealed fast enough, or at all, yet information should have been revealed. It was like the author was trying to show us things and she was trying to be tricksy and sneaky with it but it just wasn't working out for her. Like, something would be hinted at, but it wouldn't be explained, but this was frustrating! Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. In this case, it didn't really work. I mean, I wanted to know what would happen, and I kept reading, but I was frustrated while reading. Hints about Sarah's mother, father, past, potential criminal record, etc. were all dropped along the story, but I wanted to KNOW, not be teased.

I found Sarah's past to be annoying and frustrating as well. The author built up this epic character with a crazy past, but I felt like Sarah didn't live up to her past. Her past seemed like a legend's past, a rockstar, an actress, someone who mattered. But Sarah didn't seem that way. Like I said, this was frustrating.

The "big reveal"/climax was extremely anticlimactic, in my opinion. I'm referring to the big infodump, when the villain reveals his/her diabolical plan. So anticlimactic. I rolled my eyes several times. It was so cliche! And obvious! Couldn't it have been something more complex?!

Would I Recommend It:

Despite the fact that this book frustrated me a great deal, I liked it. I especially liked that it is a standalone, and so I won't have to "suffer" through another book (I liked this one enough to read a second book, if there would be another, but it wouldn't be a priority). I think you should read this one if you were already interested in it! It won't (necessarily) disappoint!

Rating:

3 stars. Not a bad debut at all! Not a favorite, but I'm glad I read it. I'll be keeping my eye on the author's upcoming novels.

Author Website | Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Was this review helpful? Please let me know in the comments section!