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3.01 AVERAGE
3.01 AVERAGE
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Want to see more bookish things from me? Check out my Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCferU-BCL2dlFjWdD0rS75Q
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review*
In the town of Craewick, memories are currency. Four years ago, 17 year old Etta Lark made a decision that altered her life completely, causing her mother to be placed in the asylum in a coma. The tyrannical ruler of the city, Madame, is threatening to sell her mother's memories to the highest bidder at an auction before she is killed. Etta will stop at nothing to protect her mother, including rejoining The Shadows, a rebel group looking to get rid of Madame, once and for all.
I thought the concept of this sounded so cool, but ultimately this was a let down for me. I found the story to be very average, and nothing I hadn't read before. I liked Etta for the most part, same with the love interest Reid, but I definitely was not invested in their romance. They started with such a strong dislike but quickly moved into a romance without any hesitation, especially when Etta had apparently betrayed the Shadows. It just didn't make sense to me. I also felt like everything was just a tad bit convenient, which caused a lack of excitement in the end for me. There was just no suspense at all.
In all honesty, this book was probably more of a 2 or 2.5/5 Star read, but I do think that the concept was unique so I bumped up for originality... it just could have been excecated better.
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review*
In the town of Craewick, memories are currency. Four years ago, 17 year old Etta Lark made a decision that altered her life completely, causing her mother to be placed in the asylum in a coma. The tyrannical ruler of the city, Madame, is threatening to sell her mother's memories to the highest bidder at an auction before she is killed. Etta will stop at nothing to protect her mother, including rejoining The Shadows, a rebel group looking to get rid of Madame, once and for all.
I thought the concept of this sounded so cool, but ultimately this was a let down for me. I found the story to be very average, and nothing I hadn't read before. I liked Etta for the most part, same with the love interest Reid, but I definitely was not invested in their romance. They started with such a strong dislike but quickly moved into a romance without any hesitation, especially when Etta had apparently betrayed the Shadows. It just didn't make sense to me. I also felt like everything was just a tad bit convenient, which caused a lack of excitement in the end for me. There was just no suspense at all.
In all honesty, this book was probably more of a 2 or 2.5/5 Star read, but I do think that the concept was unique so I bumped up for originality... it just could have been excecated better.
I was weary of listening to this book because it's part of the fantasy realm and lets be honest some times that entails a lot. I wasn't completely wrong. I think I might have missed a few things here and there in the first three chapters but I was interested enough that I didn't want to start over. Also, through the course of the THREE days I spent listening to this I considered driving my happy ass to Barnes and Noble to buy a physical copy at least twice.
“Memory Thief” was a lot better than I had originally expected considering the not-so-great reviews from previous readers. What I initially drew me in this Young Adult Fantasy novel was the unique concept on how memories are stolen and the lead heroine Etta journey to join forces with the Shadows, who run the black-market of memories in the Mines which is a hidden underground city thus them being known as the best thieves in the Four Realms. It was refreshing and I immensely enjoyed that portion of the book but what I wasn’t a big fan of was the ending, lead heroine herself and the instant love, instant bond, instant everything romance with Reid the author created. The heroine was a broken emotional mess that was too trustworthy and she opened up far too quickly with Reid in the midst of the story which created an unnecessary romance that would have been better without in my opinion. And lastly the ending. What the hell was that. It was rushed, lackluster at best and to be honest sloppy as hell. Needless to say, "Memory Thief" was somewhat sorta kinda decent read with flaws that depending on the reader could be hard to ignore.
While I expected to enjoy this book quite a lot, considering that the world it was set in was really interesting and the story started off with a pretty good pretext, I must say that I was partly disappointed.
Indeed, the world was interesting, however the entire concept of the people with powers in this world was not explained well enough.
Also, the pacing seemed very odd, with a slow and steady one at the beginning (filled with retrospections and exposition dumps at times) but extremely fast in others.
The thing that I was the least fond of was pretty much everything that involved characters' emotions. The love story in the book was a really fast-paced one, not letting us see it really forming in time. Also, it seems like at times the main character just remembers that she has to show regret for what she had done and cry a little bit to prove it. We do not see a lot of emotional development for some, while for others it is so incredibly fast that it seems unlikely that it actually happened.
I don't think this book is a bad one, but I am also not saying it is a great one. It has strong points, like the world it is set in, the witty banter and the motivations for some characters, but it also has parts that I did not enjoy as much.
All in all, this book had a very strong base, with the world building and character motivation, but I think it lost a little bit of both on the way.
Indeed, the world was interesting, however the entire concept of the people with powers in this world was not explained well enough.
Also, the pacing seemed very odd, with a slow and steady one at the beginning (filled with retrospections and exposition dumps at times) but extremely fast in others.
The thing that I was the least fond of was pretty much everything that involved characters' emotions. The love story in the book was a really fast-paced one, not letting us see it really forming in time. Also, it seems like at times the main character just remembers that she has to show regret for what she had done and cry a little bit to prove it. We do not see a lot of emotional development for some, while for others it is so incredibly fast that it seems unlikely that it actually happened.
I don't think this book is a bad one, but I am also not saying it is a great one. It has strong points, like the world it is set in, the witty banter and the motivations for some characters, but it also has parts that I did not enjoy as much.
All in all, this book had a very strong base, with the world building and character motivation, but I think it lost a little bit of both on the way.
First, I was "okay, this is a cool concept", and slowly I became very invested. I love a story that keeps me on my toes and The Memory Thief didn't disappoint. I never saw a twist coming.
While the pacing was a bit uneven and the relationship needed more flushing out for me, the storytelling made up for it.
While the pacing was a bit uneven and the relationship needed more flushing out for me, the storytelling made up for it.
***I was provided with a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review and all thoughts or expressions are my own!***
I wantttted to really like this book. I read 59% of it but just had to stop. There was an information dump at every turn, topped with flack backs/POV changes. In short it was a tedious read and would not wish it upon anyone. I hope the rest of the work put forth from the author results in success. Thanks again.
I wantttted to really like this book. I read 59% of it but just had to stop. There was an information dump at every turn, topped with flack backs/POV changes. In short it was a tedious read and would not wish it upon anyone. I hope the rest of the work put forth from the author results in success. Thanks again.
adventurous
mysterious
It was a good premise and I enjoyed it but it was ultimately a let down. Multiple times I was confused and had to look back to previous passages.
Also frustrated that Etta gets a memory showing Madame killing the commander, yet no one ever acts like they are aware of this. At the end her grandfather mentions it and she is surprised!
Also frustrated that Etta gets a memory showing Madame killing the commander, yet no one ever acts like they are aware of this. At the end her grandfather mentions it and she is surprised!
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Great concept. There is so much there. Not great execution. Also, I could see where the author was going with the character development and I like it, but again I didn't like the execution.
I can't wait to read more of this author. She seems to have a lot of potential and her characters and ideas are interesting and unique.
I can't wait to read more of this author. She seems to have a lot of potential and her characters and ideas are interesting and unique.