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3.01 AVERAGE
3.01 AVERAGE
I enjoyed aspects of this book, such as the premise and the idea that memories are used like currency. I think the writing itself was cute, however there were instances where I felt like the getting "here to there" was very rushed.
Everything works our very conveniently for the main character, Etta. Because this trend was set very early on, I never really worried about her.
The relationship between Etta and her love interest progresses VERY quickly (on an emotional level, not physical), even though she hasn't trusted people in years. This made their relationship not very believable for me.
Etta, like all good characters, has flaws. However, her own flaws made her very unlikable to me. She is reckless, she betrays her own father and her best friends, accidentally kills the guy she loves, and somehow everyone is like weirdly cool with it. I would've believed that others would've been more willing to forgive her if she had been a nicer person in general, but to me she just wasn't very likable.
The story itself was mildly interesting, which is why I finished the book, however I wouldn't really recommend it to anyone I know.
Everything works our very conveniently for the main character, Etta. Because this trend was set very early on, I never really worried about her.
The relationship between Etta and her love interest progresses VERY quickly (on an emotional level, not physical), even though she hasn't trusted people in years. This made their relationship not very believable for me.
Etta, like all good characters, has flaws. However, her own flaws made her very unlikable to me. She is reckless, she betrays her own father and her best friends, accidentally kills the guy she loves, and somehow everyone is like weirdly cool with it. I would've believed that others would've been more willing to forgive her if she had been a nicer person in general, but to me she just wasn't very likable.
The story itself was mildly interesting, which is why I finished the book, however I wouldn't really recommend it to anyone I know.
I have very mixed feelings about this book. It was definitely a fun quick read, I finished it in one sitting but that's just about it. It's fun, not more. The idea, the whole concept of the novel is amazing but the execution is only meh.
First off, I could not connect with Etta. She just seems flat? Although she is not supposed to be flat, her decisions and the way she acts just seem so disconnected to me.
Secondly, the romance? It all happens way too fast. The romance could have really pushed the novel forward but everything seems so rushed and ridiculous! The whole connection is so far fetched. Reid is way too interested from the beginning on and Etta doesn't even properly develop feelings. THEY DON'T KNOW EACH OTHER! The romance is so unrealistic. And Penn being Reid's brother? Just overdone.
Then, honestly, the whole thing with her mom being the daughter of Porter? Too much. It is all just too much. The heist idea, trying to free her dad reminded me of Six of Crows and, if well executed, could have been a major plot! Instead, dissolve the whole issue and suddenly make him the perfect grandfather with a perfect army to come and help and the maze is actually a good place now? Simply too much for my taste.
Also, the whole ending seems unrealistic. The 'fighting' scene? I seriously laughed because it felt so unrealistic.
As I already said, the book is definitely readable. It's fun and a good book for wasting time but there are so many better books out there. Overall it just seemed to me as if the author tried to fit too many ideas into 300 pages and because that is so little time (!!!) everyhing was just either rushed, overdone or not logical.
First off, I could not connect with Etta. She just seems flat? Although she is not supposed to be flat, her decisions and the way she acts just seem so disconnected to me.
Secondly, the romance? It all happens way too fast. The romance could have really pushed the novel forward but everything seems so rushed and ridiculous! The whole connection is so far fetched. Reid is way too interested from the beginning on and Etta doesn't even properly develop feelings. THEY DON'T KNOW EACH OTHER! The romance is so unrealistic. And Penn being Reid's brother? Just overdone.
Then, honestly, the whole thing with her mom being the daughter of Porter? Too much. It is all just too much. The heist idea, trying to free her dad reminded me of Six of Crows and, if well executed, could have been a major plot! Instead, dissolve the whole issue and suddenly make him the perfect grandfather with a perfect army to come and help and the maze is actually a good place now? Simply too much for my taste.
Also, the whole ending seems unrealistic. The 'fighting' scene? I seriously laughed because it felt so unrealistic.
As I already said, the book is definitely readable. It's fun and a good book for wasting time but there are so many better books out there. Overall it just seemed to me as if the author tried to fit too many ideas into 300 pages and because that is so little time (!!!) everyhing was just either rushed, overdone or not logical.
The Memory Thief had a ridiculously strong start. I was immediately pulled in by the world and the roles magic plays. We have a female MC who is hiding as an Ungifted, a tyrannical ruler who wants to gain more power, and a secret society of rebels who plan to overthrow this ruler. I mean, I'm such a sucker for these kinds of books. And the way memories and gifts intertwine in the magic the Gifted hold? Sign me tf up.
So why did I give this 3 stars?
Even though it had a strong start that had me invested from the first few pages, I found myself not liking the book more and more as I kept reading. The beginning is basically everything I wanted it to be. It had great character introductions, interesting rule-making, a magic system that was unique, and a very cohesive plot that had a clear end-goal. The middle is definitely what made this book suffer. We added in a ton of more characters who play significant roles in the story, yet we either know too much or too little about them. Sometimes characters descriptions would be repeated over and over where you're like "OK WE GET IT", and other times you question why a character does a certain thing. There's never really a balance. We also added in a romance that i never truly bought, and by the end I was left extremely unsatisfied with its overall development.
I didn't get invested again until the climax of the book. I was all-in once again when I reached the 75% mark. Then....things took a turn for the worse again. At around 90% it just...collapses on itself and makes a very abrupt ending we never see. We have to have it explained to us. It also has this sort of recap feel to it when you watch a TV sitcom episode, where everyone gathers around and takes turns to talk. It just didn't sit with me and just left me overall annoyed. We didn't get to see any of these great things, and the explanations just felt very rushed.
Overall, this book has a strong start, a weak middle, and a very so-so end. I'd probably proceed with caution and highly recommend picking this up at your local library.
ARC provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
So why did I give this 3 stars?
Even though it had a strong start that had me invested from the first few pages, I found myself not liking the book more and more as I kept reading. The beginning is basically everything I wanted it to be. It had great character introductions, interesting rule-making, a magic system that was unique, and a very cohesive plot that had a clear end-goal. The middle is definitely what made this book suffer. We added in a ton of more characters who play significant roles in the story, yet we either know too much or too little about them. Sometimes characters descriptions would be repeated over and over where you're like "OK WE GET IT", and other times you question why a character does a certain thing. There's never really a balance. We also added in a romance that i never truly bought, and by the end I was left extremely unsatisfied with its overall development.
I didn't get invested again until the climax of the book. I was all-in once again when I reached the 75% mark. Then....things took a turn for the worse again. At around 90% it just...collapses on itself and makes a very abrupt ending we never see. We have to have it explained to us. It also has this sort of recap feel to it when you watch a TV sitcom episode, where everyone gathers around and takes turns to talk. It just didn't sit with me and just left me overall annoyed. We didn't get to see any of these great things, and the explanations just felt very rushed.
Overall, this book has a strong start, a weak middle, and a very so-so end. I'd probably proceed with caution and highly recommend picking this up at your local library.
ARC provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
DNF. I listened to the audio, and was reminded why I much prefer reading the actual book. It was quite a bland reading with little change to voices or pacing. Perhaps if I read it it would have been a 3 star, but while the world building had so much potential, the story line was a bit too convenient and I didn’t feel emotionally connected to any of the characters. Stopped reading/listening at about 65%
Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Author: Lauren Mansy
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 3/5
Publication Date: October 1, 2019
Recommended Age: 15+ (lots of romance, some violence, some language)
Genre: YA Fantasy
Publisher: Blink
Synopsis: In the city of Craewick, memories reign. The power-obsessed ruler of the city, Madame, has cultivated a society in which memories are currency, citizens are divided by ability, and Gifted individuals can take memories from others through touch as they please.
Seventeen-year-old Etta Lark is desperate to live outside of the corrupt culture, but grapples with the guilt of an accident that has left her mother bedridden in the city’s asylum. When Madame threatens to put her mother up for auction, a Craewick practice in which a “criminal's" memories are sold to the highest bidder before being killed, Etta will do whatever it takes to save her. Even if it means rejoining the Shadows, the rebel group she swore off in the wake of the accident years earlier.
To prove her allegiance to the Shadows and rescue her mother, Etta must steal a memorized map of the Maze, a formidable prison created by the bloodthirsty ruler of a neighboring Realm. So she sets out on a journey in which she faces startling attacks, unexpected romance, and, above all, her own past in order to set things right in her world.
Review: I really loved the idea for this story and I thought that the premise behind it is great. I liked the world building and I liked the writing, it was smooth and easy to read.
However, I felt like this book was really too slow for me. The pacing is super slow and I got really distracted while reading it. I felt that the book would have been better without the romance aspect and there were a couple of mistakes with a character being in two places at once.
Verdict: A good concept but bad exposition for me.
Author: Lauren Mansy
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 3/5
Publication Date: October 1, 2019
Recommended Age: 15+ (lots of romance, some violence, some language)
Genre: YA Fantasy
Publisher: Blink
Synopsis: In the city of Craewick, memories reign. The power-obsessed ruler of the city, Madame, has cultivated a society in which memories are currency, citizens are divided by ability, and Gifted individuals can take memories from others through touch as they please.
Seventeen-year-old Etta Lark is desperate to live outside of the corrupt culture, but grapples with the guilt of an accident that has left her mother bedridden in the city’s asylum. When Madame threatens to put her mother up for auction, a Craewick practice in which a “criminal's" memories are sold to the highest bidder before being killed, Etta will do whatever it takes to save her. Even if it means rejoining the Shadows, the rebel group she swore off in the wake of the accident years earlier.
To prove her allegiance to the Shadows and rescue her mother, Etta must steal a memorized map of the Maze, a formidable prison created by the bloodthirsty ruler of a neighboring Realm. So she sets out on a journey in which she faces startling attacks, unexpected romance, and, above all, her own past in order to set things right in her world.
Review: I really loved the idea for this story and I thought that the premise behind it is great. I liked the world building and I liked the writing, it was smooth and easy to read.
However, I felt like this book was really too slow for me. The pacing is super slow and I got really distracted while reading it. I felt that the book would have been better without the romance aspect and there were a couple of mistakes with a character being in two places at once.
Verdict: A good concept but bad exposition for me.
A unique and interesting novel. I rarely re-read but I will pick this one up again to see the writers world with more understanding on the second time through.
There was some rushed parts and areas that could have used a lot more detail.
There was some rushed parts and areas that could have used a lot more detail.
The concept of this book wherein memories are the most precious thing one can have sounds pretty awesome. I really and enjoyed my time reading it, but I feel like it wasn't enough that all were mentioned in the story, each of them deserve to have their moment to shine. I also think that the story was great and the romance was completely unnecessary, but overall I think it's worth the read.
