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    Archetype
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    Archetype
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    Archetype
    Audiobook10 hours

    Archetype

    Written by M. D. Waters

    Narrated by Khristine Hvam

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    Introducing a breathtakingly inventive futuristic suspense novel about one woman who rebels against everything she is told to believe.

    Emma wakes in a hospital, with no memory of what came before. Her husband, Declan, a powerful, seductive man, provides her with new memories, but her dreams contradict his stories, showing her a past life she can't believe possible: memories of war, of a camp where girls are trained to be wives, of love for another man. Something inside her tells her not to speak of this, but she does not know why. She only knows she is at war with herself.

    Suppressing those dreams during daylight hours, Emma lets Declan mold her into a happily married woman and begins to fall in love with him. But the day Noah stands before her, the line between her reality and dreams shatters.

    In a future where women are a rare commodity, Emma fights for freedom but is held captive by the love of two men-one her husband, the other her worst enemy. If only she could remember which is which. . . .

    The first novel in a two-part series, Archetype heralds the arrival of a truly memorable character-and the talented author who created her.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateFeb 6, 2014
    ISBN9780698149359
    Unavailable
    Archetype
    Author

    M. D. Waters

    M. D. WATERS is the author of Archetype. She lives in Maryland.

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    Reviews for Archetype

    3.5/5

    93 ratings21 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Oh wow...I don't know how to review this or where to begin. I am not even sure on how to do it without spoiling the book, but I will try.Emma wakes up in a hospital with no memory what so ever from what happened before she opened her eyes. All she now knows is what this man Declan, who claims to be her husband tells her about her past. But her dreams shows her another life, life with another man who isn't Declan. Life of war and a camp for girls who are trained to be the perfect wives and love that transcends everything she ever knew.I haven't read an Adult Dystopia yet and I was pleasantly surprised. It has science-fiction elements in it because the story takes such a long way into the future into a world divided and where it's the West versus the East. Where there is an abundance of man, and not enough women to go around and fertility rates are astronomically love. The science-fiction elements weren't hard to follow M.D Waters does an amazing job explaining them.Not only that but M.D Water does an fantastic job overall. The story is compelling from the first breath of the first chapter and it doesn't let you go. Riveting and emotion, M.D Waters has taken me for a ride I don't think I will forget. I found myself alongside of Emma wanting answers, wanting to know the truth behind her dream, memories or nightmares and who the other man Noah is to her.Thought I did have an idea what was going on in the first few 100 pages that only scratched the surface of what M.D Waters had in store for me in the end. Her writing was wonderful, the story well woven and an ending that had me gasping in tears.All of M.D Waters characters were I loved Emma, and I couldn't help rooting for her to find the answers. To find Noah. To find herself.Beautiful story, heart-breaking ending.There was really only one thing I struggled with, but remembering that this was science-fiction was the key. It was in the end and kind of the whole big point of the story, so I cannot go into it without spoiling the book. But it didn't take away from the story for me at all, I have decided that in the end it made it original, imaginative and creative!I was surprised that it is a duology but at the same time glad, because that means in the next six months the next book is here and I'll get to learn the the conclusion of Emma's Fate! I for one, cannot wait.Thank you Dutton Adult for providing me a physical copy in exchange of an honest review.
    • 5/5
      Once this book really took off I was completely and totally enthralled. It's the kind of story that you can't exactly describe because, to begin with, the holes are so numerous you aren't even sure what's happening. All you're certain of is that you cannot wait to get to the bottom of it all. And believe me when I say I found the initial confusion well worth the resulting excitement. Plus, the fact that there's two parts makes this book that much sweeter.
    • 4/5
      Once I started reading this book, I couldn't put it down till it was finished and I even started the second book. I really cared and wanted to find out what happens to the characters even though the main character didn't know who she was through most of the book. I found this story intriguing.
    • 3/5
      A young woman wakes up and remembers nothing. Then the nightmares start, but the voice in her head (her voice) tells her not to tell anyone what she dreams about. As she is fed the story of her past by her handsome, rich husband, she is haunted by memories of another handsome, but wild husband and a life that doesn't fit with the reality she is living. When faced with the man she dreams about, all she knows for certain is that one man is her husband and the other her enemy, but which is which?

      I have mixed feelings about this book. In the beginning, the first-person POV moved the action frustratingly slow, although given that half the story is the internal fight between our main character, Emma Burke, and the voice inside her head, Emma Wade, it makes sense to have a first person POV. It wasn't until she finally started realizing she couldn't trust her doctor (instead of just taking the other Emma's word for it) that the story got good.

      The premise of this story is good, really good! It's the perfect way to create the ever-popular love triangle. We have a woman torn between two men who both claim her as his wife, but she is struggling to remember which is really her husband! And, true to the formula, she loves them both by the end of it all, but does finally make a decision which she prefers.

      ***Spoilers beyond this point***
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      But she does not stay! She decides which man is truly the love of her life, and then just leaves!

      The twist here is that she is a clone. A complete, living person created and born at the very beginning of the story with the implanted memories, or soul, of the other Emma. There are hints that this is the case throughout the book. Throughout the book, she dreams of a place that is not just a memory. She feels herself floating in water in some sort of cage or tube, but she cannot move. She can see the people in the room with her, a man and a female doctor, but they don't seem to realize she's awake, and there are moments when the things happening there are obviously happening simultaneously with her waking life.

      For example, when she runs into her best friend, Foster, at an art gallery where she is considering doing a show, and then later dreams of the man, Noah, whom she thinks is her enemy looking at a tablet and discussing how unexplainable it is... How he at first thought it was just a drunken text, but this is something else... At that point it is obvious that she is jumping between bodies and that the Emma in her head, and the Emma in the water, and the Emma who is walking around living as Mrs. Declan Burke, are all the same Emma.

      There are definitely some interesting ideas going on in this book as well; ideas which kept me interested in seeing how things play out. For one, this is in a future America split by a Civil War. It is never really explained what the Civil War was about, but it is hinted that it has something to do with the way men treat women. In this futuristic world, for some reason there is a shortage of women, and very few of the women that do exist are fertile. As a result, in the East women are trained to be Stepford Wives, and then sold to the highest bidder, but only if they're fertile. Infertile women just go into the workforce. But all women are expected to be docile servants of their male overlords. I found that fairly unsettling, and it created some problems for me.

      My main problem with this story is that it took me nearly 100 pages to get invested in the character. In my opinion, this is too long. I was more frustrated than concerned for her, but once I did finally get invested in her, the story picked up. The speed of the action was definitely a steady crescendo until the last 10-15 pages or so, which were a little anticlimactic, and definitely a let-down! Even after it is confirmed that they are all the same Emma, and that she can pick up where the original Emma left off, she chooses not to, and leaves. There is no happily ever after ending.

      Between that ending and the Epilogue, which suggests that her evil husband Declan survived or rather was himself cloned, it is obvious that we are in for a sequel. If the sequel manages to correct some of the obvious oversights in this book, I may come back and adjust my rating.

      One of the things that I think needs to be worked out is the love angle. Because of the shortage of women, instead of treasuring the few there are, they have become property, like in the old days. But what about the need to be loved? In a world of primarily men, wouldn't we see a spike in homosexual relations in order to offset the lack of women? Men need to get their jollies off somehow. Understandably, the book is written in Emma's POV so she wouldn't have confirmed this, but wouldn't she have seen something that suggested that perhaps some of the members of the all male staff were into each other?

      Plus, Declan says to her that other men will try to claim her because she is unmarked (they brand their women like cattle), yet even when she runs of at one point, no one tries to snatch her up. You would think that men would be eyeing her hungrily because with nefarious plans of rape or somesuch, but they don't even look at her. She is supposed to be so beautiful that Declan and Noah both fell in love with her at first sight, but not one man ogles her lustily?

      Instead, we have a world that is devoid of sex and love, for the most part. The exceptions being Noah, her other husband, Declan who, while totally manipulative and power hungry does seem to be honestly enamored with her (and lusts after her hungrily), and the doctor, who began his research on cloning in order to clone the woman he loved and make her fertile. It failed, but the research has obviously been perfected.

      Overall, I did enjoy the book, once I got invested in the character. I will definitely read the sequel to see how Emma fares on her own, and to see if she comes to her senses and goes back with the man who is obviously her soul mate... But, given the lack of development of the history of this world, and the unrealistically over-masculinization of the males in this reality, I can't bring myself to give it more than a 3 out of 5.
    • 4/5
      We meet Emma just as she is recovering from an accident that left her with no memory. As the story unfolds, she & we begin to see incongruities between the explanations offered by her husband and medical staff and her dreams and feelings until Emma comes to discover that her identity may be more complex than even she imagines. I loved many aspects about this book--the slow revelations, the blending of the story with larger issues of fertility, gender, reproduction, and humanity. However, the unfolding only through Emma's eyes while offering consistency leaves some of the world-building incomplete. Also, other parts seemed gratuitous, especially the sex scenes with her husband. I am hoping that the sequel will have more insights and delve this world and its issues more fully now that we have the basics of the Emma back story.
    • 4/5
      I always get irritated by misunderstandings of what a clone really is. There is some of that scientific confusion in this book - like how an adult human can grow in a matter of months - but the author at least attempts to address, if not explain, that the mind or soul of the original person doesn't pass on with the cloned physical body. Nevertheless, the suspense was handled well, and it made for a an interesting, light read. I've started on the sequel.
    • 3/5
      I got lost halfway through the book and only started to figure out what was going on in the last hour or so. It's possible that it would've been clearer to me when the perspective shifted if I'd read the book instead of listening to the audiobook version. The narrator didn't pause or make any subtle changes in her voice to hint at the perspective shift, whereas the print version may use formatting to indicate that.

      Overall I have mixed feelings about the book, mainly because I never understood what had happened to lead to a world where women were in short supply and needed to be cloned in order to provide more fertile bodies for raising families. I couldn't help but wonder: if the technology to "implant" an entire person into a cloned adult body exists, then why couldn't they find a way to create artificial wombs for carrying fetuses to term? If they did that, then they wouldn't need to subjugate women to the point of being "broodmares" and could instead let them be contributing members of society in whatever capacities suited them.

      I've seen this book compared to Margaret Atwood's Handmaid's Tale, but when I read that book, we were living in a time when the religious zealotry that led to the subjugation of women seemed frighteningly plausible. In other words, I could see how we as a society might get from here to "there." But I have no idea how we'd get from here to the "there" of Archetype.

      The ending was interesting, as I didn't see that coming, but I'm not sure the promise of male clones will be enough to make me want to read the next book.
    • 5/5
      This is a terrific debut novel. Once in a while I come across a book that hooks me in right from the start and I can't put down. This is one of those books.I would classify this as a sci-fi dystopian novel. The main character, Emma is a 26 year old that wakes up in a hospital wondering what happened to her. She has very few memories that make sense and are incomplete.All the doctors tell her, is that she was in an accident and that her loving husband will soon take her home.But Emma begins to have dreams of another life from what she is told is the truth and she begins to doubt her husband, Declan. When she mentions her dreams, her husband and doctors run tests on her and Emma begins to sense that all is not as it seems.When she finally begins to learn the truth, she must make a decision that will forever change her path.This book is part steamy love story, and part adventure sci-fi. I was just as anxious as Emma to learn the truth and that kept me turning pages and addicted to this book.The book ends on a cliff hanger, but the sequel is due out in July 2014. I literally can't wait!
    • 4/5
      Archetype is a mix of several genres- sci-fi, dystopian, mystery, and most of all suspense. Nail biting, fist clenching, teeth grinding suspense. This author certainly draws it out too. Hints and clues and secrets, all of the answers so tantalizingly close but didn't quite get there until I was ready to chuck my Nook out a window. I'm so glad I didn't because the answers were well worth waiting for! Wow, what a twisty, turny, mind bending story!

      Emma, the main character, wakes up one day in a hospital with absolutely no memories of who she or anyone else is. Declan is the man who says he is her husband, and he certainly behaves like he is, always treating her with care and kindness. While her days are spent getting reacquainted with her husband, her nights are often interrupted by nightmares of war and other disturbing images. She wonders if these are memories, and if so, they certainly don't fit what she's been told by her husband and doctor. Emma doesn't know who to trust, she's not even sure she can trust her own mind or the flashes of memories that she gets from time to time, or the voice in her head that warns her not to tell anyone anything.

      From the beginning, I was very quickly hooked. Emma's voice is compelling, drawing the reader in so that I was as frustrated and confused as she was trying to figure out what was going on and why. Not to mention wondering how this dystopic society came to be. It was interesting learning things alongside Emma because since she remembered barely anything, not a lot of explanation was given for what brought the world to this point. That was one of the only negatives for me. I am left with so many unanswered questions!

      It's easy to sympathize with Emma's character while at the same time become so frustrated with some of the decisions she makes. As far as romance, I'm not sure I would call it insta-love considering the situation, it was a bit uncomfortable since the whole time she (and I) had misgivings about whether or not Declan was genuine. Also, he was quite creepy, controlling, and stalkerish. And there is a bit of a love triangle, but it's quite twisted as well, so it's not the average love triangle that annoys me so much. The plot reminded me of a cross between Before I Go to Sleep and The Program but with much more suspense!

      The secondary characters were very much in the background and it was more about Emma's thoughts about them and interaction with them than finding out enough about them to get a good grasp of who they are. But even though I would have liked more details with the characters and the world, I can't say that I'm at all disappointed with the book.

      The audio narration by Khristine Hvam was well done. I admit, I was so immersed in the story, that I didn't pay close attention to how the narrator sounded, but I guess the fact that I was able to lose myself so completely says that the narration was solid.

      I cannot wait until the next book in the series, Prototype, is available! This is a series I will DEFINITELY be continuing. The ending of Archetype wasn't exactly a cliffhanger, but I am still left wanting much more. I would highly recommend this to fans of sci-fi, suspense, and futuristic reads.
    • 4/5
      An unusual story. Part love story, part mystery and part futuristic, this was an interesting read. I was confused thru much of it, and hadn't a clue what was happening. It was all tied up in a very satisfactory way. I think this one would have been a better read than listen. It was very involved.
    • 3/5
      Listened/Read for Review (Penguin Audio/Netgalley)Overall Rating: 3.25Story Rating: 3.50Character Rating: 3.00Audio Rating: 4.00 (Not part of the overall rating)NOTE: I am in the minority where Archetype by M.D. Waters is concerned. Most people felt the story was brilliant, unique, and outstanding. I just never connected with the characters and the end just didn't work for me. The writing is spectacular though so please give the book a try if it looks interesting to you!Story Thoughts: Confession: I actually had this book rated a little higher until the epilogue. I don't know why but it didn't feel like an organic end to the story to me. That being said, I did enjoy the rest of Archetype. There were times I was on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen or where the story was going. It was interesting mix of science, dystopian, and medical thriller. The world building was outstanding including science that we are familiar with now coupled with a possible outcome that I could totally believe.Character Thoughts: UGH! I hate when I can't connect with the characters. I am going to be deliberately vague here because there are spoilers in identifying the characters by name. In Archetype, I just never really got that character connection I so desperatly need in a dystopian or apocalyptic world. I need someone to root for or someone to wish into a fiery grave. I didn't feel the "bad" guy was bad enough, the "good" guy was good enough, or that the leading lady was sympathetic enough. I did feel for Emma's situation but just not for Emma (if that makes any sense at all). The only character I had any connection with was the Dr. that I hoped would trip and take a needle to the eye! I just needed the character connection and it wasn't there for me.Audio Thoughts: Narrated By Khristine Hvam / Length: 10 hrs and 12 mins Khristine is one of my favorite narrators and she did an excellent job with Archetype. Her portrayal of Emma's process of figuring out her situation and the emotions of that journey matched the story very well. Her male voices were strong, the pacing was spot on, and the cadence was engaging. I highly recommend listening to Archetype on audio.Final Thoughts: Even though the characters did not work for me, the story was interesting and engaging. I will probably pick up book 2 (which I am almost sure there will be) to see if it changes my mind about book 1!
    • 3/5
      If this was 2009 and the dystopian genre still felt fresh, this book may have been fun. But I'm burned out at this point. Too many convenient dystopian cliches used and not enough world-building for my liking.
    • 4/5
      This is a great book for science fiction newbies because the storyline fits like "The Host" meets "The Stepford Wives" with a romantic twist. Emma wakes up from a terrible accident with a voice in her head and others around her she doesn't recognize. A handsome man is telling her that he is her husband and seems to really love her but something feels off. The doctor's tests keep probing her memories which she is having but they don't add up to what her husband is telling her happened. I don't want to spoil the surprise so I will leave it at that. This futuristic world will leap headfirst into medical technology that may not be the best thing for the future of women. Obedience is key, fertility is a must and it doesn't help to be just a bit perfect. Emma has to find out who she really is- a resistance fighter who grew up in a rough girl's home waiting to be purchased or the perfect refined wife deeply in love with her handsome wealthy husband. I was fortunate to be able to read this debut author's book through Penguin's First Flights program and "Archetype" will be available to all February 2014.
    • 4/5
      I really enjoyed this new Science Fiction series opener. New story ideas for me. The story unfolds in a dystopian society where women are scarce and fertile women even more so. Emma awakes and can't remember anything of her life before. A clean slate as it is. Her loving and devoted husband fills in all the details but she starts having nightmares that conflict with what she is told. The life she is given is posh and well kept. She can have anything, except freedom. It ends with lots of action and adventure. Fun read for sure.
    • 5/5
      It's been almost 2 weeks since I finished this book and I still find my mind drifting to it. For me, this is the mark of an excellent story. There are so many thought provoking elements that you can't help but question what you would do, what you would believe, etc in this situation. However, you don't ponder those questions while you're reading because you get so lost in Water's characters and world that you forget yourself. But afterwards...(sometimes I hate writing reviews because I don't want to spoil anything for future readers!!)

      Thing I LOVED:
      The unraveling of the mystery, piece by piece.

      Emma's confusion makes her so real. I felt for her the whole way.

      You instinctively know certain things that Emma doesn't from the beginning, and yet there are still surprises that send your mind reeling.

      The format of back and forth with life and the memories.

      The chemistry between Emma and Declan. Emma and Tucker. Emma and Foster.

      The complexity of the human mind and how it combines with the body to make us who we are.

      The only nitpicks I could think of (and this is really grasping at straws!):
      We only see a small portion of this world and I had lots of questions about how it worked. How did it get that way (details)? I might have missed some of those clues because I was so caught up in the other elements of the story. AND the part of the world we lived in was completely real and detailed. I could see it clearly.

      Although I understood Emma's need to raid the WTC, I wonder why those facilities are even needed with Declan and the Doctor's breakthroughs?
      And the end. It was heartbreaking for me. Emma finally has all the answers, but they can't make her whole. She does the only thing she can, and I'm left with a glimmer of hope for her future. Then I turned the page and read the very short epilogue. HOLY COW!

      There is so much more to come in this story. More turmoil and decisions to make.

      I can't wait!

      NOTE to my LDS friends: there was one scene I had to skip, but everything else was fade to black.
    • 5/5
      4.5 / 5

      Forget everything you've known
      Archetype introduces us to Emma and her situation is just that, she knows almost nothing about where she is, who she is, and what events brought her to this place. Basically, all she does know is what's told and taught to her by the people in the hospital she woke up in. A man named Declan claims to be her husband and that she has had a terrible accident. One that has taken all of her memories and practically set her knowledge of life and mundane things back considerably. She is having to learn the simplest things that we might take for granted every day. Because of this we get a unique perspective on how she thinks and feels while going through such an odd situation. This immediately enabled me as a reader to connect and sympathize with Emma. Given the weak state she was in, she was by no means a weakling. You can tell right away Emma has a fighter's spirit.

      Sleeping with the enemy
      Due to the environment Emma is in for the first portion of the book, the pace is slower while we learn things with her and are introduced to the state of the world. Declan and the Doctor are really overly protective about telling her anything or letting her experience new things. So information at times seems to take its sweet darn time being revealed. I for one still ate up the first half of the book and was well rewarded for my patience with an action packed second half. Emma doesn't know who to trust let alone believe. And on top of her dreams and the voice in her head, she has Declan, her husband and a strangely familiar man Noah, telling her absolutely different things confusing her even further. All she does know is that she is drawn to both of them, and only one of them is the true enemy.

      Lock up your daughters
      This is a futuristic Earth in which medical technology has literally allowed humanity to dig a grave for itself. Women are a tiny minority and most of them are infertile. Those few that can conceive children can only do so for a handful of years. So how does society react to this? Why, lock up all the women and sell them to the highest bidder of course. Cynical, I know, but I could totally envision this happening. History teaches us a harsh lesson about the depths of cruelty we as a species are capable of, thus it is not far fetched to picture this future as being a possible reality instead of just science fiction. These women are definitely not treated well, growing up in training centers and sold as wives to men. If they are fertile, at the age of 18 they are sold off and become that man's property having no real life of their own. Not too rosy sounding is it?

      I'll be back
      With an emotionally charged ending such as the one Archetype delivers, there is no way I can imagine someone reading this book and not feeling compelled to pick up the next. There was a specific aspect of the end I saw coming but I think will only add to Emma's struggles to come. I will gladly gobble down any further of her misery because everything I have seen her go through thus far has only made her a stronger and more sympathetic character. Bring it Waters.
    • 4/5
      4 ½ Stars

      I really enjoyed listening to this audiobook. The story is gripping, intriguing and engaging, so much it was very difficult to stop listening it, on Saturday I listened until 5 am… Yes, the story is that good... I’m not kidding, I even dreamed about it... and to add to that, this audiobook is narrated by the amazing Khristine Hvam. You know what that means:

      Gripping, intriguing and engaging story Khristine Hvam = Winner

      Now, to the next audiobook, Prototype.
    • 4/5
      Archetype was not a book I thought I’d like. I mean, dystopian, romance and amnesia isn’t a cocktail I’d normally go for. But this book ended up being surprisingly enjoyable.We begin with an introduction to Emma, our protagonist who wakes up in a hospital with no memory of who she is. A kind and patient caretaker introduces himself to her as Declan Burke, and BOOM! also drops the bombshell on her that he is her husband. Declan helps with her recovery, filling in more blanks, but Emma finds herself having strange, vivid dreams of a traumatic past. Sometimes, her subconscious mind also remembers happier times with another man, a man who is not Declan – and these dreams fill her with both love and fear.Emma tries to put it all behind her and get her life back on track, assured by Declan’s presence and protection, until one day she comes face to face with the other man in her dreams. And just like that, the illusion is shattered.The dystopian future of Archetype is believable and well written, with several features that make it sufficiently intriguing yet disturbing. Humanity is on the path to extinction, with fertile women being a tiny minority of the population. This has led to serious social implications, especially for women, who are guarded very fiercely and in many cases are treated like rare commodities to be bought and sold.But while this provides a fascinating backdrop for the story, the setting – and in fact the world-building in general – is probably not the novel’s strongest aspect, nor do I think it was meant to be. Instead, the focus is on characterization, particularly when it comes to Emma’s personality and the way she deals with her amnesia. The main draw of the story for me was the progress of her recovery and regaining her memory. Her transition from a scared, trusting newly awakened patient to a wiser and more questioning skeptic made her feel very real to me, because I imagine these are the logical steps someone in her position would go through. Towards the end, Emma is no longer content to take everything at face value or accept Declan’s words as the truth, especially when the inconsistencies start piling up. Declan is also much too perfect, which raised alarm bells for me early on, and Emma eventually begins to grow suspicious as well.I probably wouldn’t call Archetype a Romance, or at least I don’t believe it fits in the traditional sense of the genre, even though much of the story is charged with very passionate feelings and there are a couple very hot and heavy sex scenes. Needless to say, the relationship dynamics between the various characters are paramount to the plot and its themes. It made for an emotional novel, and that along with the fantastic development of Emma’s character had my heart going out to her at as certain revelations came to light in the climax and conclusion.Granted, this is not a terribly complex book, and despite the many dream sequences and flashbacks, the plot and themes don’t vary too much. But for all of that, it worked for me. The world building and probably wouldn’t be enough for hardcore Science Fiction fans, and not surprisingly there were many moments where I was left wishing there were more details about the technology and history of the world of Archetype. Still, Waters wrote a great book here, and it’s my feeling that she was not aiming for hard sci-fi, instead going for atmosphere and a more character-driven novel. What you end up with is a straightforward book that knows where it wants to go, and I thought it was actually quite effective. I am looking forward to the conclusion of this two-book series in the sequel Prototype.
    • 4/5
      Archetype beings with Emma Burke waking up in a hospital with no idea who she is or what happened in the accident that took away her memories. Her handsome and rich husband, Declan, works patiently with her to help her remember, and doesn’t push her to resume her role as his wife. But gradually, being a wife to Declan is what Emma wants for herself.However, something is strange about Emma’s recovery: she keeps hearing a voice inside of her head, a voice Emma refers to as She or Her, who guides Emma and provides her with memories that her husband and doctor do not. They are disturbing memories, and what they reveal is at odds with everything Emma has been told to believe. Moreover, many of these memories involve a man who is not Declan, but who Emma comes to understand she loves fiercely. She becomes determined to find out the truth about her life.
    • 5/5
      Archetype is the rare debut novel that stuns readers with its remarkable text, outstanding characters, and riveting story line. From the minute Emma regains consciousness, one knows that her story is not going to be standard amnesiac fare. As her inner voice warns her against unknown and unseen dangers, the mysteries pile up but at no point in time do they feel trite or contrived. The story remains fresh and exciting and unlike anything previously written.In many ways, Emma’s confusion mirrors a reader’s own. Everything about the story is seen through Emma’s eyes and filtered through her thought processes. The only advantage readers have over Emma is in figuring out contextual clues because readers understand the body language and other nuances that enrich human interaction. However, individual details about the world in which Emma awakens is different enough for readers to be able to empathize with Emma’s frantic search for comprehension and answers to her internalized doubts.The answers Emma eventually discovers remove the shades of gray that previously existed within the story. The conflicts tearing Emma apart and forcing her into making choices without seeing the full picture suddenly fall away, revealing a tightly-written, fully-realized world of which the reader, and Emma, have only seen glimpses. This very narrow focus sets the stage for the finale in this two-part series. It also serves the purpose of allowing the story to focus on Emma and her recovering memories while keeping the need for world-building to a minimum.One would never know Archetype is M.D. Waters’ debut novel. There is a maturity in the writing and depth to the characters not typically seen in long-time author, let alone first-time ones. This thoroughly engrossing story is slightly dystopian, slightly romance, a lot of science fiction, and 100-percent edge-of-your-seat thriller. Emma’s explosive discoveries leave readers gaping with shock and more than a little anxious for the conclusion to this amazing novel.
    • 5/5
      If you've read Atwood's Handmaid's Tale, you will sense some similarities with this book... not directly, but there is a similar tone/setting. Waters is much less "literary" than Atwood, however, so you can enjoy the story as a relatively light read if you want... (or you can think more deeply about the underlying women's issues if you so choose). Oh, and it has a "fantasy" component that doesn't exist in the Handmaid's Tale.I really enjoyed the story - it started off with a lot of gaps but these were filled in as the story developed. Kinda in parallel with the main character's development, actually. It was thoughtful and depressing at the same time... it's a fantasy/sci-fi story (the fundamental premise requires a suspension of disbelief) but the human concerns and underlying social issues are very realistic.I will be reading the next book in the series.