Archetype by M. D. Waters

From Goodreads:

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 heralds the arrival of a truly memorable character—and the talented author who created her.

My Take:
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 afterward...(sometimes I hate writing reviews because I don't want to spoil anything for future readers!!)

Things 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 for my LDS readers: There was one scene I had to skip. Everything else was fade to black.

I give Archetype by M.D. Waters a 5 because I am still thinking about her world.

1-5 scale and what it means:
1: I couldn’t even finish it / just plain bad
2: I hope I didn’t pay for this / disappointing
3: I didn’t hate it, but it was still missing something / forgettable but inoffensive
3.5: On the line between good and ok / like, not love
4: Solid mind candy / worth reading
4.5: So very close to perfection! / must read
5: I could not put it down and I’m still thinking about it! / a true treasure