Reclaimed by Madeleine Roux

Reclaimed

by Madeleine Roux

“Wickedly smart, devious as hell, and lightning fast.” -Jonathan Maberry, New York Times bestselling author

“A suspenseful and disturbing sci-fi thriller about the interweaving nature of trauma, memory, and identity.”—Peter Clines, New York Times bestselling author

In this claustrophobic science fiction thriller, a woman begins to doubt her own sanity and reality itself when she undergoes a dangerous experiment.

The Ganymede facility is a fresh start. At least that's what Senna tells herself when she arrives to take part in a cutting-edge scientific treatment in which participants have traumatic memories erased.

And Senna has reasons for wanting to escape her past.

But almost as soon as the treatment begins, Senna finds more than just her traumatic memories disappearing. She hardly recognizes her new life or herself. Even though the cure might justify the side effects of the process, Senna knows that something isn't right. As the side effects worsen, she will need to band together with the other participants to unravel the mystery of her present and save her future.

Reviewed by Quirky Cat on

4 of 5 stars

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I originally fell in love with Madeleine Roux's writing back when Salvaged came out (not that long ago, actually). And now she's bringing readers another science fiction thriller, Reclaimed, and I am all sorts of here for it.

The Ganymede compound is offering what seems to be too good to be true. They're offering a fresh start – a total erasure of all the bad memories, leaving one feeling finally and totally free. As the saying goes, what often looks too good to be true...

Yet, some cannot look away from this opportunity. Take Senna; she's gone through hell and back and still to this day faces public outcry whenever her face is recognized. It feels like the only way forward is to remove the person she used to be. To remove the nightmares of her past.

“It means we can help you,” Patron told him, offering what smile they could given their strange, alien face. “It means the technology can take it all away.”

Wow. Once again, Madeleine Roux has managed to create a novel that simultaneously punches you in the face and the feels. Reclaimed is a tense science fiction novel that raises questions of self, identity, trauma, and the limits of technology.

In other words, this book is going to make you think. It's also going to work hard to make you feel something towards the three leading perspectives, all of whom have different reasons for wanting specific memories erased.

I'll admit that I didn't like all three characters at first. It took me quite a while to appreciate their complexity. That changed before the book was done, though I'll admit the harsher and sadder parts of their story still hurt to think about. That's how you know a character was written well, I suppose.

Overall, I really enjoyed this read and found myself quickly devouring the contents. I think the thing I love the most is that it blended science fiction with horror and thriller elements, thanks mainly to how human beings process trauma. It was fascinating.

Thanks to Ace and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Check out more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 30 August, 2021: Finished reading
  • 30 August, 2021: Reviewed