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A review by kitvaria_sarene
Last Memoria by Rachel Emma Shaw
5.0
4,5 stars
This was our second favourite SPFBO finalist at the Hive - find our full review here: https://fantasy-hive.co.uk/2021/04/last-memoria-by-rachel-emma-shaw-spfbo-6-finalist-review/
For me, the books biggest strength is definitely it's characters. While a few scenes could have used a bit more depth, overall I enjoyed spending my time with them, and finding out what happened to them, as we quickly learn there is some shared past. I cared for them and was eager to find out how they would fare!
The plot was both a strength and a weakness of this book. There is some back and forth and back again that just felt so very, very ineffective of the characters, as it could have been so easily avoided when they had just spoken two sentences with each other. And being on the road together all day for days on end, I would expect they would have done so. That part just didn’t feel very smooth or realistic to me. The plot often goes the exact opposite way of what I expected, and while I love being surprised by books, some of these twists just felt a bit rushed. With a few scenes I’d have loved a bit more padding around the edges. On the other hand I have read so many fantasy books, that any book that surprises me not once, not twice, but again and again is a definite plus, so I’d say these balance each other out for me.
I also loved the world building! We have memory stealing magic, and we have a world that seems both familiar and also foreign at the same time. There's ruins and a mysterious threat called "blackvine" in the woods, and I enjoyed puzzling together a bigger picture throughout the story!
Despite a few flaws, I enjoyed this one from start to finish. There’s tremendous talent at display, and like Theo I will not just pick up the sequel, I will definitely keep a close eye on the author from here on out!
This was our second favourite SPFBO finalist at the Hive - find our full review here: https://fantasy-hive.co.uk/2021/04/last-memoria-by-rachel-emma-shaw-spfbo-6-finalist-review/
For me, the books biggest strength is definitely it's characters. While a few scenes could have used a bit more depth, overall I enjoyed spending my time with them, and finding out what happened to them, as we quickly learn there is some shared past. I cared for them and was eager to find out how they would fare!
The plot was both a strength and a weakness of this book. There is some back and forth and back again that just felt so very, very ineffective of the characters, as it could have been so easily avoided when they had just spoken two sentences with each other. And being on the road together all day for days on end, I would expect they would have done so. That part just didn’t feel very smooth or realistic to me. The plot often goes the exact opposite way of what I expected, and while I love being surprised by books, some of these twists just felt a bit rushed. With a few scenes I’d have loved a bit more padding around the edges. On the other hand I have read so many fantasy books, that any book that surprises me not once, not twice, but again and again is a definite plus, so I’d say these balance each other out for me.
I also loved the world building! We have memory stealing magic, and we have a world that seems both familiar and also foreign at the same time. There's ruins and a mysterious threat called "blackvine" in the woods, and I enjoyed puzzling together a bigger picture throughout the story!
Despite a few flaws, I enjoyed this one from start to finish. There’s tremendous talent at display, and like Theo I will not just pick up the sequel, I will definitely keep a close eye on the author from here on out!