This is kind of a strange novel, but I find it quite commendable that Atwater-Rhodes tried to tie in something less supernatural to the typical vampires, witches, and shapeshifters who populate her stories. Schizophrenia is an extremely complex illness, and I don't think that it has been definitively explained in the real world, so her hypothesis is intriguing if nothing else. Many authors have used fantasy, fables, and the supernatural to try to explain conditions that cannot be explained and Atwater-Rhodes has just taken these elements into her repetoire of literary tropes. ( )

Posted to my Livejournal in October 2008:

I'd never read anything by this author before but I'd heard plenty about her and her books, so I looked forward to reading this despite the dumb cover aimed at what publishers think teenage girls should like and the word "vampire" in the summary. The book was . . . okay. Erin, diagnosed schizophrenic and capable of terrible violence when her alter ego, Shevaun, takes over, is finally ready to start public school again after 18 months of therapy and an arsenal of pills. Just as things are looking up, however, her episodes start up again, but this time, thanks to a couple friends, she finds out that Shevaun is a real person (a vampire) and not a construct of her mind. Somehow, she and Shevaun are mentally linked, and they need to sever the connection for both to live their lives. Erin's friend Sassy is a bright spot in this book, and the idea that supernatural powers could appear to be mental illness is intriguing, but the explanation/solution to Erin's and Shevaun's link was so confusing that I felt cheated, and it ended on an anticlimactic note. ( )

I was very pleased with this. Not being a huge fan of the Kiesha’ra series, going back into the world of the Den of Shadows was interesting, especially since Atwater-Rhodes manages to tie in both of her universes into ours. I like the slow build-up of the book and how you gradually begin to realize what’s happened in Erin’s past. Although, I wasn’t a fan of the reusing of a plot point from Demon in My View (slight spoiler), but I enjoyed the book nonetheless. Also, actual vampiring is always a plus.
( )

Erin is not your average seventeen year old, as much as she would love to be, she has a team of doctors and a purse full of pills that she must take or bad things will happen, bad things named Shevaun. Shevaun is dangerous and violent and exactly who Erin becomes in times of stress and anxiety.

Erin has kept her alter ego at bay for long enough to be trusted out among the general population. However when Shevaun finally becomes aware of Erin she is none to happy about it and with two people inhabiting the one body disaster is bound to follow. One of them has to go, but will it be the frail seventeen year old Erin or the deadly vampire Shevaun?

Persistence of Memory is a true mystery story that will have you questioning Erin's sanity, Shevauns existence and the possibilities that exist within dreams. As two lives collide the consequences for Erin and Shevaun will be life changing as past actions, persistent memories and old friends come together. This is a fascinating world where love crosses boundaries and nothing is as it seems. This story alone is worth buying this two story book. ( )

I was a big fan of Amelia Atwater-Rhodes when I was in middle school. She was the kind of writer I wanted to be: young, mostly, first published when she was thirteen. That impressed me a lot.

I’m less impressed now that I’m older. I now find Atwater-Rhodes’ characters flat and often juvenile in their actions and thinking (which is acceptable for her teenage characters, but not so much for her characters that are supposed to be hundreds of years old). Her world building appeals to me though, which is why I keep on returning to her books (well, that and the nostaglia factor). I’ve been to her site and I’ve enjoyed reading all the background genealogy charts and histories that she’s woven for her complex world. Persistence of Memory doesn’t showcase her world building abilities as much as her other novels. But for someone who’s read the other books, there are definitely moments that will ping you. Personally, I’ve always wanted to know more about Tristes and Triste training, and I got that wish.

So I like the world. Atwater-Rhodes does too. These are obviously beloved characters of hers. Sometimes I think she loves them a bit too much. For instance, she is constantly emphasizing how badass and super speshul her characters are, which gets old fast.

And with this book, she walks a fine line in using mental illness as a plot device for magic, but that is not my area of expertise and I will leave it to someone who is better educated on mental health and ableism than I am.

I did like Alexander’s cameo. I grinned when he answered the door. I want a book where he and Risika team up and…I don’t know, just hang out or something. That would be nice. ( )