Scan barcode
meghan_plethoraofpages's review
4.0
The Memory Collectors by Kim Neville
This debut novel is about the emotional weight of objects, the burdens of the past, and our connections to things. Following Ev, a young woman with the unique ability to feel the emotions people leave behind on objects, this ability (or curse?), hangs over her and prevents her from living her life to the fullest. She meets Harriet, an older woman who has a wildly large collection of “bright” things, things she similarly senses have emotion tied to them. The sheer amount of objects seems hoarder-like. In a completely different way than Ev, Harriet is also limited by the power of objects and the past. They meet, and begin curating a sort of emotions museum, to try to help people by surrounding them with positive emotions.
This book is really unique and I don’t want to ruin the magic by describing the story too much. I love the premise and the magical quality objects take on. The characters were interesting and had shockingly dark and sinister secrets. The main characters felt very well developed; supporting characters Owen & Noemi felt somewhat less so.
The story caught my attention right away but was a slower start; by the halfway mark I absolutely could not put it down and stayed up way too late finishing it. There was a mysterious thriller plot line that surprised me as the suspense started building up around halfway through the novel. For me, the second half was really strong - such atmosphere and tension!
Overall, I think this is a really creative debut and I raced through it! It’s a story with magical realism elements and a darker thriller twist. 4⭐️
Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for free access to an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
This debut novel is about the emotional weight of objects, the burdens of the past, and our connections to things. Following Ev, a young woman with the unique ability to feel the emotions people leave behind on objects, this ability (or curse?), hangs over her and prevents her from living her life to the fullest. She meets Harriet, an older woman who has a wildly large collection of “bright” things, things she similarly senses have emotion tied to them. The sheer amount of objects seems hoarder-like. In a completely different way than Ev, Harriet is also limited by the power of objects and the past. They meet, and begin curating a sort of emotions museum, to try to help people by surrounding them with positive emotions.
This book is really unique and I don’t want to ruin the magic by describing the story too much. I love the premise and the magical quality objects take on. The characters were interesting and had shockingly dark and sinister secrets. The main characters felt very well developed; supporting characters Owen & Noemi felt somewhat less so.
The story caught my attention right away but was a slower start; by the halfway mark I absolutely could not put it down and stayed up way too late finishing it. There was a mysterious thriller plot line that surprised me as the suspense started building up around halfway through the novel. For me, the second half was really strong - such atmosphere and tension!
Overall, I think this is a really creative debut and I raced through it! It’s a story with magical realism elements and a darker thriller twist. 4⭐️
Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for free access to an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
sylvilel's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
elenamaria7's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
tabs82's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
haleypages's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
miracchin's review
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
raggedybookwyrm's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.75
aleeqa's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I'm intrigued by the idea of this novel. Individuals that can detect emotions and memories that are imprinted in things that are meaningful for people. I don't really believe in that kind of thing, but I do know that we can feel attached to things. A sentimental value...
I have trouble with the writing at the beginning. I feel like the sentences were 'clipped', and the flow of the sentences was not beautiful or easily comprehened. However, the plot, the secret, and the mysterious vibes throughout the novel keep me continuing to read this story.
I thought there was more than Harriett keeping Ev's family things. So, the secret that Harriet keeps from Ev is almost like nothing.
I have trouble with the writing at the beginning. I feel like the sentences were 'clipped', and the flow of the sentences was not beautiful or easily comprehened. However, the plot, the secret, and the mysterious vibes throughout the novel keep me continuing to read this story.
I thought there was more than Harriett keeping Ev's family things. So, the secret that Harriet keeps from Ev is almost like nothing.
emilymg2's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
theshaggyshepherd's review against another edition
4.0
The Memory Collectors // by Kim Neville
I was very excited when the publisher sent me a print ARC for this book. The cover is gorgeous (it matches the story so well!) and the summary sounded fascinating, not like anything else I have read. I love epic fantasy books but I also find it so fun when a little bit of magic is mixed into the normal world that I myself am familiar with. It makes me wonder what kind of real magic might just be out there somewhere.
The Memory Collectors is Kim Neville's debut novel. I have been enjoying reading authors' first books for the past couple of months because it is fun to see where they start out and how they develop over time. While this book certainly is not perfect, I still think it is an absolutely fantastic start to this author's career. I am a little disappointed with myself for not having saved a couple of quotes to include in my review because there is certainly some beautiful prose sprinkled throughout this novel. There are two POVs, Ev and Harriet, with quite different pasts that resulted in two distinctly different ways of viewing their gift - the ability to touch objects and feel the emotions of past owners.
The story feels a bit slow in parts but I still felt that each scene was there for a reason, whether to set up for later action or to give us better insight into the characters. I liked how it flipped to the past here and there, and how that allowed us to piece together little bits of the future as well. There isn't as much happiness as you would hope for in a story about emotional magic, though there is a lot of hope for it at least that drives the characters forward and towards each other. The last third of the book is actually rather dark, more so than I usually read, and I was a little worried about it negatively influencing my opinion of the book since I am a bit of a wimp when it comes to scary things in books and movies, but I assure you that pushing through this to the end is well worth it. The different parts of the story in the end come together so well in a way that I had not expected at all but it is a fitting end to the story.
Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
I was very excited when the publisher sent me a print ARC for this book. The cover is gorgeous (it matches the story so well!) and the summary sounded fascinating, not like anything else I have read. I love epic fantasy books but I also find it so fun when a little bit of magic is mixed into the normal world that I myself am familiar with. It makes me wonder what kind of real magic might just be out there somewhere.
The Memory Collectors is Kim Neville's debut novel. I have been enjoying reading authors' first books for the past couple of months because it is fun to see where they start out and how they develop over time. While this book certainly is not perfect, I still think it is an absolutely fantastic start to this author's career. I am a little disappointed with myself for not having saved a couple of quotes to include in my review because there is certainly some beautiful prose sprinkled throughout this novel. There are two POVs, Ev and Harriet, with quite different pasts that resulted in two distinctly different ways of viewing their gift - the ability to touch objects and feel the emotions of past owners.
The story feels a bit slow in parts but I still felt that each scene was there for a reason, whether to set up for later action or to give us better insight into the characters. I liked how it flipped to the past here and there, and how that allowed us to piece together little bits of the future as well. There isn't as much happiness as you would hope for in a story about emotional magic, though there is a lot of hope for it at least that drives the characters forward and towards each other. The last third of the book is actually rather dark, more so than I usually read, and I was a little worried about it negatively influencing my opinion of the book since I am a bit of a wimp when it comes to scary things in books and movies, but I assure you that pushing through this to the end is well worth it. The different parts of the story in the end come together so well in a way that I had not expected at all but it is a fitting end to the story.
Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.