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A review by raggedtoothrat
The Memory Thief by Rachel Morgan
5.0
Wow, what a strong start for City of Wishes! I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
First of all, the writing style and world building is much more similar to the Creepy Hollow series than the Ridley Kayne Chronicles. Do other Morgan fans feel that RKC didn't reach the same heights as Creepy Hollow? The Memory Thief feels like coming home to Creepy Hollow.
The City of Wishes is an urban fantasy retelling of Cinderella. The links to the fairy tale are very obvious - Elle is a slave to her stepmother and stepsisters after her father died. She is trying to get a magic wish to earn her freedom. There have been mentions of an elusive Godmother and a ball at the palace so that the Prince can find a wife. Elle meets Dax who I'm assuming is Prince Charming in the first chapter and the reader gets a glimpse into what Dax is doing in the same nightclub.
While the basics of the Cinderella tale are present, the details are fresh. There are racial tensions between the four high races - human, fae, vampire and shapeshifter - which bring in more modern issues of race while adding trendy fantasy creatures. Elle's slave charm answers the age-old question of why Cinderella didn't simply run away. I love the concept of buying wishes in different tiers of value. Elle's special ability is typical of YA fantasy yet still intrigues me and I can see it's going to play a role in Dax and Elle coming together. I don't want to dabble into spoilers but I enjoyed the details that come to light in the engagement scene and hope we learn more about it later in the series.
My only gripe is how short Memory Thief is! Morgan is releasing the books episodically which I understand goes with her writing style of publishing shorter books more often. I hope eventually the books will only be released as a bundle or that it's made clear that The Memory Thief is only part of one book. None of the storylines came to a conclusion so I was left wanting more; it definitely feels like part one of a novel.
First of all, the writing style and world building is much more similar to the Creepy Hollow series than the Ridley Kayne Chronicles. Do other Morgan fans feel that RKC didn't reach the same heights as Creepy Hollow? The Memory Thief feels like coming home to Creepy Hollow.
The City of Wishes is an urban fantasy retelling of Cinderella. The links to the fairy tale are very obvious - Elle is a slave to her stepmother and stepsisters after her father died. She is trying to get a magic wish to earn her freedom. There have been mentions of an elusive Godmother and a ball at the palace so that the Prince can find a wife. Elle meets Dax who I'm assuming is Prince Charming in the first chapter and the reader gets a glimpse into what Dax is doing in the same nightclub.
While the basics of the Cinderella tale are present, the details are fresh. There are racial tensions between the four high races - human, fae, vampire and shapeshifter - which bring in more modern issues of race while adding trendy fantasy creatures. Elle's slave charm answers the age-old question of why Cinderella didn't simply run away. I love the concept of buying wishes in different tiers of value. Elle's special ability is typical of YA fantasy yet still intrigues me and I can see it's going to play a role in Dax and Elle coming together. I don't want to dabble into spoilers but I enjoyed the details that come to light in the engagement scene and hope we learn more about it later in the series.
My only gripe is how short Memory Thief is! Morgan is releasing the books episodically which I understand goes with her writing style of publishing shorter books more often. I hope eventually the books will only be released as a bundle or that it's made clear that The Memory Thief is only part of one book. None of the storylines came to a conclusion so I was left wanting more; it definitely feels like part one of a novel.