Scars of Cereba review


Scars of Cereba by Rachel Emma Shaw is the sequel to The Last Memoria. Thanks to the author for providing me an ARC in return for an honest review!

If you read my review of the last book, you’ll know that The Last Memoria was an incredibly dark book. This one is no different. If you struggle with depression or self-harm, this book might not be the best choice for you. It opens in a bleak setting, with Falon hanging from a pillar for public humiliation. He’s spent months imprisoned, with Sarilla long gone. Well, almost gone.

At the end of the last book, Sarilla poured some of her memories into Falon. This resulted in a rather confusing format for the first portion of the book. Sarilla and two versions of Falon existed in his head, and it wasn’t always easy to tell which one was narrating, as it switched quite often. Personally, I think it might have been easier if each chapter for that portion was titled after whose PoV it was.

It consists mostly of inner monologue, giving you a front-seat view to bleak, raw emotions and reactions throughout Falon’s imprisonment and his long, arduous journey after. If I’m being honest, this book didn’t particularly resonate with me, but I recognize talent, and there’s a lot here. Shaw wields her words to great effect, turning fictional events into an almost real punch in the gut. I didn’t find any of the characters to be particularly likable (except for Lucas. He’s a delight.), but characters don’t have to be likable. They have to be interesting, and even if it was confusing to read, seeing the different sides of Fallon and the memories of Sarilla was definitely interesting. Their choices made sense, even if the reasoning behind them was sometimes less than moral.

Moreover, this book presented a very interesting moral dilemma that I think I’ll be dwelling on for quite some time: if someone has no memory of committing a crime, can they still be held accountable for what they did? That’s a central theme of this book, but there is no answer. That’s fine, though. That’s a question that might not have a concrete answer even in real life.

As a whole, Scars of Cereba matches The Last Memoria in tone, continuing the thread of the story through a bleak, sad world. If you’ve already read and enjoyed The Last Memoria, then this one is worth picking up as well.

You can find more about Rachel Emma Shaw and her work at her Goodreads, Instagram, and site.
If you're interested in buying The Last Memoria, it's available on Amazon in ebook and paperback format, and Scars of Cereba is available in the same formats!

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