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3.01 AVERAGE
3.01 AVERAGE
In the Memory Thief, seventeen year old Etta Lark lives in a world where memory rules. There are the Gifted who can take memories, the Ungifted who can receive memories but cannot take from others, and Sifters who can take memories just by looking at you. Memories are basically currency to be traded, auctioned off, and used to destroy people. The story opens with an auction. There are when "criminals" have their memories auctioned off and then are killed. When Etta's mother is set for the auction block she jumps into action to save her mom and rid Craewick from the evil Madame and her Minders (Memory Thieves).
I was super hyped when I received an e-arc of this book. The cover is beautiful and the premise sounded amazing. However, it fell flat for me. It started off great but snuffed out by the middle. I think what ultimately did it was how nothing is really explained and everything is rushed. There is hardly any world building. It is a character driven novel which would be fine if the characters had depth.
There are two things that sticks out glaringly in my humble opinion that I just cannot wrap my head around.
1. When Etta and Reid reach Aravid to steal the map from Porter. Porter is said to be this master manipulator. He can give you memories that you think is reality when they are not. However, our heroine comes to trust him and the big plot twist soooo easily. I don't know I am not really buying it.
2. The anticlimactic end that all basically happens off page.
I would still recommend the book but for the younger side of the teen age range. The writing was very simplistic and the plot overly convenient.
Thank you to Netgalley and Blink Press for providing me with an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I was super hyped when I received an e-arc of this book. The cover is beautiful and the premise sounded amazing. However, it fell flat for me. It started off great but snuffed out by the middle. I think what ultimately did it was how nothing is really explained and everything is rushed. There is hardly any world building. It is a character driven novel which would be fine if the characters had depth.
There are two things that sticks out glaringly in my humble opinion that I just cannot wrap my head around.
Spoiler
1. When Etta and Reid reach Aravid to steal the map from Porter. Porter is said to be this master manipulator. He can give you memories that you think is reality when they are not. However, our heroine comes to trust him and the big plot twist soooo easily. I don't know I am not really buying it.
2. The anticlimactic end that all basically happens off page.
I would still recommend the book but for the younger side of the teen age range. The writing was very simplistic and the plot overly convenient.
Thank you to Netgalley and Blink Press for providing me with an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.
DNF This had great potential, but was just too painful to read. I got about 20% in and just couldn’t any more. It was like reading fan fiction for Twilight or something without vampires.
The first half of the book was hard to wrap my head around all the magic and characters and locations and could probably have used more edits. The second half was better and some of the twists I didn't see coming but were good.
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Looks like I nearly forgot to even log this book. Looking back over my reads I can't even remember this book. Memory Thief indeed!
Seriously.. I had to go and look at other people's reviews to freshen my recollections about it. I find that a lot of my vibes are mixed up with events that happened in An Ember In the Ashes, by Sabaa Tahir.. oops, book leakage.
In a world where there are those gifted with the ability to take memories from others, Etta's mother is in a coma, but maybe she might possibly be able to wake from it... (I swear she moved her fingers..). But the powerful Madame, ruler of the city is going to auction off her mother's memories and so Etta must rescue her. Etta calls in a favour from old friends the Shadows, a clandestine resistance movement who are sworn to protect the ungifted.
During the book the main character falls (quickly) for a guy who reminds her of her late best friend. As it turns out there is a connection between the guy and the best friend, in one of many little revelations she unearths throughout the story.
This book feels like a therapy piece in places and listening to the author's note at the end of it I began to feel a little guilty for not being able to invest in the story as much. I did bounce off the book hard.
For a book with magical gifts involving taking memories, this seems to have very little engagement with the idea that our personalities are based upon our experiences. I mean, it's there, but it's not explored.
This was a book. It was unengaging and mediocre.
Seriously.. I had to go and look at other people's reviews to freshen my recollections about it. I find that a lot of my vibes are mixed up with events that happened in An Ember In the Ashes, by Sabaa Tahir.. oops, book leakage.
In a world where there are those gifted with the ability to take memories from others, Etta's mother is in a coma, but maybe she might possibly be able to wake from it... (I swear she moved her fingers..). But the powerful Madame, ruler of the city is going to auction off her mother's memories and so Etta must rescue her. Etta calls in a favour from old friends the Shadows, a clandestine resistance movement who are sworn to protect the ungifted.
During the book the main character falls (quickly) for a guy who reminds her of her late best friend. As it turns out there is a connection between the guy and the best friend, in one of many little revelations she unearths throughout the story.
This book feels like a therapy piece in places and listening to the author's note at the end of it I began to feel a little guilty for not being able to invest in the story as much. I did bounce off the book hard.
For a book with magical gifts involving taking memories, this seems to have very little engagement with the idea that our personalities are based upon our experiences. I mean, it's there, but it's not explored.
This was a book. It was unengaging and mediocre.
I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The Memory Thief was an okay read. I was way more excited to dive into it before I actually did. Then, I definitely forgot about the book and ya know - diving into it. Luckily for me, I finally realized I was way behind on reading my ARCs. It happens but I'm slowly catching up on those bad boys.
Back to this book, in it you will meet Etta. I actually really liked her which was surprising. Instantly I was sucked into the whole memory auction. Sounded painful and it look pretty painful as well. Then there was the playful, and very enjoyable, banter between Reid and Etta. Their friendship gave me hope because they were each other's ride or dies basically.
Enter the romance, it was cute. I liked them together but didn't know how things were going to pan out once some secrets It wasn't even like their own secrets because Etta was pretty forthcoming about hers at one point in this book. No, it was EVERYONE's secret - this book had so many. Everyone was hiding the truth at one point which just kept giving me whiplash.
Whiplash that I enjoyed.
Overall, the ending was kind of meh and was expecting something a bit better. Still enjoyed it though.
The Memory Thief was an okay read. I was way more excited to dive into it before I actually did. Then, I definitely forgot about the book and ya know - diving into it. Luckily for me, I finally realized I was way behind on reading my ARCs. It happens but I'm slowly catching up on those bad boys.
Back to this book, in it you will meet Etta. I actually really liked her which was surprising. Instantly I was sucked into the whole memory auction. Sounded painful and it look pretty painful as well. Then there was the playful, and very enjoyable, banter between Reid and Etta. Their friendship gave me hope because they were each other's ride or dies basically.
Enter the romance, it was cute. I liked them together but didn't know how things were going to pan out once some secrets It wasn't even like their own secrets because Etta was pretty forthcoming about hers at one point in this book. No, it was EVERYONE's secret - this book had so many. Everyone was hiding the truth at one point which just kept giving me whiplash.
Whiplash that I enjoyed.
Overall, the ending was kind of meh and was expecting something a bit better. Still enjoyed it though.
There is an app that is giving new and upcoming audiobooks away to librarians and educators. I know the hope is that we will promote these books, but so far I'm 0 for 2. I really hate to say it, because I think this one is getting a little hype, but this one read like fan fiction. I was in the mood for a good dystopian story, but that did not hit the mark. Next.
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loved the concept of memories as currency! Great character building though I wanted more detail with the world building…events happened/resolved too quickly sometimes!