Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.01 AVERAGE
3.01 AVERAGE
I was surprised when I saw the amount of negative reviews for this book. Although I do know what they mean, I usually look for the characters in books and those characters are the base of my ratings. And I loved these characters o loved the journeys they went through, while this won’t be my favourite book it will still be one that I am glad to have read.
Received EARC
I really liked the premise of this book. It is a very unique and interesting concept. It was however, a bit hard to read and follow at times by the fast paced flow of the book- I feel like if some aspects of the story were more developed with further information and scenes, it would really help the reader to be follow along and get lost in this world.
I really liked the premise of this book. It is a very unique and interesting concept. It was however, a bit hard to read and follow at times by the fast paced flow of the book- I feel like if some aspects of the story were more developed with further information and scenes, it would really help the reader to be follow along and get lost in this world.
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.
This book was surprisingly good! I’ve never heard of it before and listened to the audio version! I LOVE the fact that it’s a fantasy stand-alone, which are rarities these days. There were enough twists to keep me guessing (though some were a little predictable).
The downfall is that it feels like a lot of stories in one and the ending left a lot to be desired.
Overall, an easy read that I’m glad I picked up!
The downfall is that it feels like a lot of stories in one and the ending left a lot to be desired.
Overall, an easy read that I’m glad I picked up!
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This was a quick read for me. It wasn't really what I expected -- maybe because I'm reading it in the midst of a dystopian-type book series, I was expecting more grit -- but it was a decent read. The concept of the plot is really cool; it just didn't quite live up to what I thought the story was going to be.
I loved the concept of this book, however, the execution could use a bit of work. I enjoyed reading about Etta and Reid, There were lots of twists and turns, but in some ways, the story felt rushed. I also would have liked a bit more world-building. I just feel like when any book has some sort of magic system in place, they need to explain it and well early on so that I’m not still asking questions halfway through the book.
I almost think this story would have been better told as two separate books instead of one. I think that would have given time for better world-building and helped with the tory pacing a little better.
I almost think this story would have been better told as two separate books instead of one. I think that would have given time for better world-building and helped with the tory pacing a little better.
This was a nice quick read that only took about a day. I feel like there was a really good story here and could've gone much further than it did. because this wasn't a series and was a generally small book there was only so much the author could fit. I definitely think this could've been a long series which would've help with some of the confusion I had with the timeline. Overall I do think this was a pretty good read.
An amazing idea executed in an unfortunately miserable way. What should’ve been a trilogy was forced into a single book. I wish the author would take the challenges, plot, theme, and characters within this book and try again with an expanded version.
Thank you to Harper Collins for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.
This is the story of Etta, a gifted girl, trying to survive in a world where people can take each other's memories. The premise of this book was really interesting to me, who would we be without our memories? Are there things we would choose to forget, or do they all contribute to making us who we are? I wonder if we would want to get rid of the memories that contribute to our more negative attributes?
Etta is trying to help her mum in this book, she comes across quite a few hurdles in her way. Corrupt would be one word to describe the world this book is set in, twisted and wrong would be another. We see a typical dystopian society here, ruled by one very mean lady. I hadn't read a book like this for a while, so I flew through it and quite enjoyed the obvious plot. The atmosphere was dark and hopeless, there seemed to be no way out of the world that was painted. I really enjoyed this desolate feeling, the author did a good job of reflecting this mood throughout the book.
So we have Etta, then we have Reid, you're typical and fanciable love interest. He looks out for Etta, they form a bond, he likes her and she likes him. Etta doesn't need anyone to help her out in this world, she is very sure of herself and wants to be her own hero and everyone else's. I really liked her character, but at times she had a bit of a stupid recklessness about her that got on my nerves.
What I only realised after reading this book, is it was based on the author's fears of her mother passing away. Lauren Mansy's mum was diagnosed with a heart condition and it wasn't clear if she would survive. Mansy was met with the fear of what would happen if her mum didn't make it, what would happen to her memories. From my own experience of loss, there is never enough we could have learnt about someone before it's too late. I'd love to ask relatives questions that I'll never be able to. If you could just inherit the memories of your loved one, would you want to?
Overall, this book was enjoyable and painted a world I could easily fall into. It was a fun and quick read that kept me immersed and entertained throughout.
This is the story of Etta, a gifted girl, trying to survive in a world where people can take each other's memories. The premise of this book was really interesting to me, who would we be without our memories? Are there things we would choose to forget, or do they all contribute to making us who we are? I wonder if we would want to get rid of the memories that contribute to our more negative attributes?
Etta is trying to help her mum in this book, she comes across quite a few hurdles in her way. Corrupt would be one word to describe the world this book is set in, twisted and wrong would be another. We see a typical dystopian society here, ruled by one very mean lady. I hadn't read a book like this for a while, so I flew through it and quite enjoyed the obvious plot. The atmosphere was dark and hopeless, there seemed to be no way out of the world that was painted. I really enjoyed this desolate feeling, the author did a good job of reflecting this mood throughout the book.
So we have Etta, then we have Reid, you're typical and fanciable love interest. He looks out for Etta, they form a bond, he likes her and she likes him. Etta doesn't need anyone to help her out in this world, she is very sure of herself and wants to be her own hero and everyone else's. I really liked her character, but at times she had a bit of a stupid recklessness about her that got on my nerves.
What I only realised after reading this book, is it was based on the author's fears of her mother passing away. Lauren Mansy's mum was diagnosed with a heart condition and it wasn't clear if she would survive. Mansy was met with the fear of what would happen if her mum didn't make it, what would happen to her memories. From my own experience of loss, there is never enough we could have learnt about someone before it's too late. I'd love to ask relatives questions that I'll never be able to. If you could just inherit the memories of your loved one, would you want to?
Overall, this book was enjoyable and painted a world I could easily fall into. It was a fun and quick read that kept me immersed and entertained throughout.