The Forgetting Curve

Written by Angie Smibert

Narrated by Alexander Cendese and Amy McFadden

Aiden Nomura likes to open doors, especially using his skills as a hacker to see what’s hidden inside. He just keeps pulling until one cracks open, exposing the flaws. It’s like a game until it isn’t. When a Therapeutic Forgetting Clinic opens in Bern, Switzerland, near Aiden’s boarding school, he knows things are changing. Shortly after, bombs go off within quiet, safe Bern. Then Aiden learns that his cousin Winter has had a mental breakdown. He returns to the US immediately. But back home in Hamilton, Winter’s mental state isn’t the only thing that’s different. The city is becoming even stricter, and an underground movement is growing. Aiden slowly cracks open doors in this new world. But behind those doors are things Aiden doesn’t want to see—things about his society, his city, even his own family. Aiden may be the only one who can fix things before someone else gets hurt.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio
• Release date: Dec 3, 2013
• ISBN: 9781480574793

Angie Smibert

Angie was born in Blacksburg, a once sleepy college town in the mountains of Southwest Virginia. She grew up thinking she wanted to be a veterinarian; organic chemistry had other ideas. But she always had stories in her head. Eventually, after a few degrees and few cool jobs—including a 10-year stint at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center—she wrote some of those stories down. A frequent contributor to Odyssey Magazine, Angie has published many, many short stories for both adults and teens.

Reviews for The Forgetting Curve

[jami_leigh · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Plot: 4 stars
Characters:4 stars
Style: 4 stars
Pace: 4 stars
It gets points for being a second book while managing to have it's own plot arc.

[a_reader_of_fictions · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Originally posted here.

I read and reviewed Memento Nora earlier this year. The Forgetting Curve is a satisfying continuation of that story. In fact, I think I even liked this one better than the previous, due to the narrators, and the sheer creepiness of seeing the brain wipes in action.

Going into this one, I was a bit concerned, because I knew that this one had two new narrators replacing Micah and Nora. Anytime there's a POV change, I can't help but worry it will be for the worse. Thankfully, though, I loved the new additions: Aiden, Winter's cousin, and Velvet, Micah and Winter's friend. Both of them are so much more lively and funny than the characters they replaced.

Aiden is so awesome, sort of the replacement Nora, in that both are wealthy and, on the surface at least, fit into society perfectly. I loved reading Aiden's POV, especially when he talked about hacking and code. Maybe I've been infected by my day job, but I just thought that was all so cool. I also enjoyed the fact that he is not what he at first seems. He may look like a rule-following prep, but he's actually constantly messing with things.

Velvet is so sassy, and you know how I adore sassy narrators. Her Book of Velvet, aka the rules by which she lives life, is totally fantastic. I mean, I have to love a girl who has a rule that says not to run, ever, for any reason. (I hate running.) Another rule I wanted to fistbump her for was: "A girl can't wait for Prince Charming to rescue her ass or save the universe" (188).

Winter's POV didn't too much for me. For the most part, I thought she was kind of boring in this one, and I was very grateful her sections were kept to a minimum. The constant reference to the hummingbirds were irritating. However, I am glad Smibert kept her in, because seeing the difference that the brain wipes had first hand was very powerful.

The story itself isn't especially complex. At only 202 pages, this book is brief. It may be a dystopia, but it's much more fun than it is especially scary. I still think this series could be great for reluctant and/or middle grade readers.

[theepicrat · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

While I had been hoping for more about Nora and Micah with The Forgetting Curve, I was oddly relieved when the story jumps into a different plotline with a new cast of characters. Perhaps I took my own forgetting pill, but I enjoyed these characters a whole lot more than the original cast. I cannot pinpoint why, but I think it might have to do with my small guilty penchant for computer hackers and Aiden was just too glossy and charming for words. Obviously Memento Nora was just the beginning of the series, but it revolved around the romance of 2 individuals from mismatched backgrounds. In The Forgetting Curve, the story gets so much more intense as Aiden, Winter, and Velvet join the movement to fight against mind-altering chip mandate. I expect Angie Smibert to deliver a conclusion that will explode out of the ballpark with the (final?) installment.

[bookswithbite · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is another great series with an awesome plot. The Forgetting Curve picks up where it left off from Memento Nora, only this time, on the other side of the world. If you have not read the first book, I suggest you do. There are several reference and some characters from the first book that show up in this book.One reference I really adored in the comic book Momento Nora. This book has found its way across the world. Others are reading it and taking hold of what the government is doing. I loved that the characters all decide to take a stand in what they believe. They were brave and fast lots of obstacles.There really wasn't a love interest but more of friendships building. I like how loyal each character are to their family as well as their friends. They gather together forms plans even solve cryptic codes to save each other.The Forgetting Curve is an charmingly story that keeps the reader on the edge of their seat. The reflection of what simple comic book can do is amazing! The Forgetting Curve is a great sequel.

[susiebookworm · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

After reading a couple of romance-driven dystopias, The Forgetting Curve was absolutely refreshing. I love Smibert's writing; even in such a short book, she packs in a ton of exciting events and details - but doesn't let either the plot or the characters seem undeveloped! I'll admit, it was a bit difficult to step into The Forgetting Curve almost a year after finishing Memento Nora, but I caught back up.What I love about the series: Smibert's dystopia is scarily realistic. I mean, if a Therapeutic Forgetting Clinic was open right now, how many people do you think would choose to erase their worst memories? What Smibert explores are the memories we don't want to lose - even if they're bad - and how such a thing as the TFC could become corrupt and controlling. In this dystopian world, ignorance only appears to be bliss.Unlike in Memento Nora, I didn't feel like the author was pulling the reader in so many (albeit interesting) directions at once. It seemed pretty clear that the focus was the authoritarian society, not the "gloss" and consumerism of Nora and Aiden's generation. Also unlike the first book, there were times when I was slightly confused in The Forgetting Curve. I never quite grasped how TFC managed to first control the town of Hamilton, much less spread to more of the world, and I missed exactly how the characters reached some of their discoveries. Whatever these quips, though, it still proved to be an exciting, thought-provoking, and overall great read. The series is definitely established as one of my favorites of the dystopias, and I can't wait to see what the next book will bring!