You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
thereadingchemist 's review for:
The Memory Thief
by Lauren Mansy
I’ll be honest, the first thing that drew me to this book was the cover. I know I can’t be the only one who judges a book by its cover. Oh well. The synopsis also pulled me in because I found the idea of buying and selling memories absolutely fascinating.
Etta lives in a society where corruption and political unrest is just another day. In this society, memories are bought and sold on the open market. The book opens with the auctioning off of a criminal’s memories by the cruel Madam prior to his execution. Unfortunately for Etta, a tragic accident has left her mother committed to the asylum. The catch is, when the asylum is too full, beds are opened up by selling off a patient’s memories before they are ultimately disposed of. Madame informs Etta that her mother is about to face that fate.
Etta is desperate to do whatever it takes to save her mom. She decides to rejoin a rebel force of Memory Thieves called the Shadows even after it cost her everything four years prior. To swear loyalty to the Shadows, she must memorize the map of the maze that was created by the neighboring realm’s vicious leader. On this mission, she’s joined by Reid who is desperately trying to save his brother who is trapped in the maze.
Lauren Mansy is able to carefully craft a deliciously dark fantasy that shows us things that we are capable of in times of desperation and grief. Etta is so incredibly broken and will do anything to save her mom. Reid is at his breaking point after the disappearance of his brother. I loved the fast paced adventure once Etta officially re-joined the Shadows and the twists and turns along the way. We do get a little brief romance between Etta and Reid which was a breath of fresh air amongst all of the violence, darkness, and grief.
Overall, this is great fantasy debut that tackles the tough themes of grief and despair and how to overcome them when faced with the most dire of situations.
Thank you to Blink and NetGalley for providing an eARC. This did not influence my review. All opinions are my own.
3.5 stars rounded up.
Etta lives in a society where corruption and political unrest is just another day. In this society, memories are bought and sold on the open market. The book opens with the auctioning off of a criminal’s memories by the cruel Madam prior to his execution. Unfortunately for Etta, a tragic accident has left her mother committed to the asylum. The catch is, when the asylum is too full, beds are opened up by selling off a patient’s memories before they are ultimately disposed of. Madame informs Etta that her mother is about to face that fate.
Etta is desperate to do whatever it takes to save her mom. She decides to rejoin a rebel force of Memory Thieves called the Shadows even after it cost her everything four years prior. To swear loyalty to the Shadows, she must memorize the map of the maze that was created by the neighboring realm’s vicious leader. On this mission, she’s joined by Reid who is desperately trying to save his brother who is trapped in the maze.
Lauren Mansy is able to carefully craft a deliciously dark fantasy that shows us things that we are capable of in times of desperation and grief. Etta is so incredibly broken and will do anything to save her mom. Reid is at his breaking point after the disappearance of his brother. I loved the fast paced adventure once Etta officially re-joined the Shadows and the twists and turns along the way. We do get a little brief romance between Etta and Reid which was a breath of fresh air amongst all of the violence, darkness, and grief.
Overall, this is great fantasy debut that tackles the tough themes of grief and despair and how to overcome them when faced with the most dire of situations.
Thank you to Blink and NetGalley for providing an eARC. This did not influence my review. All opinions are my own.
3.5 stars rounded up.