The world that Lauren Mansy has created is unique and exciting. I was swept right into the world of Craewick with the gifted, ungifted, collectors, and theives. I love when I have the opportunity to read an indie author's debut novel because I am always so impressed by their talent and creativity.

Etta is our main character and I loved her right away. Like most of the MC we know and love she is constantly trying to protect the ones she loves. The main difference with Etta is that she is real and never claims to be anywhere near perfect. She knows she has made mistakes in her past that will haunt her forever and she isn't always making the best choices. I loved going on the journey of self-discovery with her and uncovering truths about her past. Character development is usually lacking in a shorter book, but Mansy managed to allow Etta some serious growth in less than 400 pages.

The love interest was realistic, lovable, and I was rooting for him the entire time! I love a classic friends to lovers trope and this one was done well! I also really appreciated that things weren't always perfect between the two of them and they had to make a choice to look beyond their mistakes in order for things to workout. Normally I love when the romance is prevalent in the story, but in this case I am glad it was more subtle because the world building and story development was much more interesting and important!

Overall I really enjoyed this book, my favorite part had to be that I was constantly trying to discern if something was reality vs planted memories. The fact that memories are a currency and anyone could be living a lie and be unaware was so intriguing to me. It had me constantly second guessing everyone and their motives. Great debut, looking forward to more from this local author!

I was so looking forward to reading The Memory Thief by Lauren Mansy but sadly, it fell a little flat. The synopsis really pulled me in and had me ready for a roaring good time. I mean the concept sounded great!!
Although the pacing was good, the actual events in the story were a bit too unbelievable at times. I know this Is fantasy, but things were too convenient even so. I really struggled with this one if I am being honest. I did manage to finish although it took me a lot longer than usual. And let’s not talk about the romance aspect, smh. Again, the concept of this book was great but the delivery, unfortunately, left a lot to be desired.

I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Apparently I’m a masive sucker for anything to do with weird currency or transactions, because as soon as I heard about The Memory Thief I was comparing to Everless and I was getting really excited. The concept of memories being sold, traded, and stolen is a fantastic idea, and also mildly terrifying.


I think some people have complained about the world building in this one, as it’s very rich and, yes, slightly info-dumpy. The reader is thrown into it in the beginning of the book, and to be honest the pacing of this information being thrown at you doesn’t really let up. That said, I did get used to it, and eventually I learnt the terminology that the author was using and figured out what she was talking about when it came to the history and politics of the world.

I thought that overall the world building was very well developed, and the author clearly put a lot of thought into it. I think turning this into a longer fantasy book would have worked better, because I feel like The Memory Thief suffered due to its short length.

That said, the length did make for a very past read. I flew through this one in just a couple of sittings, which is unusual for me when it comes to fantasy. I just wish that the plot had been more developed, as it felt very crammed in and rushed. I would have liked to have had more time taken with it to properly develop the plot, the world, and the characters.

I really liked the twists that were thrown in there. I didn’t care enough for the characters to become emotionally invested in them, but I did really enjoy the plot twists that came out of their interactions and relationships. They were a lot of fun and made me smile.

I think what the book was really missing was a lack of emotional connection. I enjoyed the ride and the world building, but more of a connection to the characters would have made me enjoy the whole book a lot more, particularly the ending.

Overall The Memory Thief is a really fun fantasy book, and the concept was definitely intriguing. I think it’s probably more suited to slightly younger teenagers, and I think lots of people would enjoy the fast paced plot!

The Memory Thief by Lauren Mansy is an intriguing, suspenseful, and unique fantasy story that had me flipping through the pages and gripping the edge of my seat.

The world building is my favorite thing about this novel and I found myself mesmerized by everything. The idea that memories can be shared, taken, or used as a form of punishiment and torture is interesting, but incredibly terrifying. I would never want to lose or give away any of my most treasured memories… actually all my memories. Just imagining myself living in that kind of world gives me the chills and has my heartbeat racing. Mansy has created such a disturbing, but unforgettable and exciting fantasy world. It’s unique, intricate, dark, and utterly fascinating.

I really like Mansy’s writing style and the overall storyline never falls flat. There’s always something happening and Mansy knows just how to keep you on your toes and surprise you in the most amazing ways. However, (and this is just something minor) the pacing is too fast at times and the story is a bit rushed towards the end. For a story as elaborate as this, I wouldn’t mind if it’s longer with a slower (but not too slow) pace, so I can fully explore this world and digest every single thing in this novel. There are just so many delightful and intriguing aspects in the storyline that I think this would have been even better if it’s longer, or a series.

Having said that, the plot is still engaging, really surprising, and so entertaining. There’s plenty of awesome and exciting parts that had me on edge. There’s even a few moments that made my heart ache and scenes that made me teary. I enjoyed the suspense, the action, and all the unexpected twist and turns. The romance is okay… I’m not super into it, but I still enjoyed having a little love story. The ending is alright. It could have been more epic, but it does wrap up the story well enough that even though I want to change a few things, I’m quite satisfied with it.

The characters are complex and interesting. I admire Etta in a lot of ways even though I couldn’t completely connect with her. She’s betrayed her friends, made mistakes, and hurt people who trusted her. She’s far from perfect, but she’s has her own strengths and acknowledges the wrongs she’s done. I enjoyed seeing her change, learn from her past, and forgive herself. I also like that she’s fierce and protective of Ryder. I adore Reid. He’s selfless, brave, caring and sweet. He fights for what he believes in and is dedicated to doing what is good. I also really like Ryder. I think she’s fearless, determined, and a wonderful person. Porter, Felix, and Greer are all pretty amazing and I wish there’s more scenes with them. I love the bond some of the characters have with each other and their willingness to do whatever it takes to save the people they love.

Undeniably unique and thrilling, The Memory Thief by Lauren Mansy is a wonderful debut novel that will keep you glued to the pages. The world building is superb, the characters are interesting, the romance is quite adorable, and the action, suspense, and twists are awesome. I also love how Mansy emphasizes the importance of family, loyalty, courage, sacrifice, forgiveness, love, hope, and staying true to who you are. All in all, I had a really great time reading this book. Mansy is definitely an author to watch out for and I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next.

I received a finished copy of this book the publisher, Blink, in exchange for a fair and honest review and for participating in a blog tour hosted by The Fantastic Flying Book Club. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

It had been a while since I read a good-old dystopian YA fiction. Books like The Hunger Games series and Kiera Cass’s The Selection series are some of my favourite examples of stories that I will keep coming back to, even as I continue into my 30s. I’ve mentioned before that YA doesn’t really only apply to those young readers and that I often find the stories much more compelling. This is why I was so excited to read The Memory Thief by Lauren Mansy (in stores now!). The synopsis had me sucked in, and I was so ready to go into the world and join Etta on her adventure.

The premise of this book is something I had never seen before, and the concept was really well developed by Mansy. Right from the first chapter, I understood the dynamics of the world-building and how the characters interacted with their gifts. I felt I could picture in my head, which is always cool.

I really enjoyed the premise and the adventure part of the story, especially in the beginning, but, without giving too much away, I did think everything came to Etta and Reid (her travel companion) much easier than it should have. At every stop, they ended up getting a lot of help, and it felt a little bit too…convenient…for me. Now, all that to say that these conveniences really did add to the world and how everyone was connected in the story, but I wish Etta had to do more of the adventure on her own, if you know what I mean. And sometimes I wasn’t sure where the characters were. It jumped around maybe too much? I’m not sure what the issue was there, though it could have just been me missing something.

My only other criticism was with the main antagonist, Madame. Not only is that not a great name for a villain (everyone else had an actual first name, so she could have had some really cool made-up name) and it really makes me think of more of a person who runs a brothel than a leader. I also didn’t really get a good sense of her character. I understood her motivations and we got bits and pieces of what made her the way she was, but I still didn’t understand who she was.

Despite those criticisms, I did really enjoy the book and think Mansy did a great job as a first-time author. I’m looking forward to seeing how she builds other worlds for future novels, as that is truly one of her strengths.

3.5 STARS

Thank you to NetGalley and Blink YA Books for the advanced copy, in exchange for an honest review.

The Memory Thief is a standalone fantasy novel that revolves around a society based on memory transfer, where Gifted individuals have the ability to steal memories by touch or by sight. The titular memory thief is the Gifted Etta Lark, who has a tumultuous past filled with guilt and a determination to wake her mother from her coma. Her mother rests in the city asylum, kept as a bargaining chip by the power-crazed ruler of the city, Madame. When Madame plots to kill her mother, Etta must warn back the trust of old allies, the rebel group the Shadows, to help save her.

The highlight of this book was definitely the plot twists that just kept hitting me, over and over. Whenever I thought I had everything figured out or all the characters had nothing left to hide, the author hit me with something else. It was such good fun seeing how everything came together, and to be constantly on my toes was a great feeling. I would expect this kind of twisty plotting from a several-book series, so the fact that it was incorporated into a standalone without feeling ridiculous was impressive.

The idea of a society revolving around memories is interesting; using memories not only as a supernatural ability but also as currency and a means of political sabotage fleshed out the world and I really felt like the author thought a lot about the real-life consequences of such an incredible power. It was done in an original way and there was a lot of world-building packed into a small space. There were a few downsides to this: the constant revolving door of memory removal and transfer led to flashback after flashback after flashback, which often felt sudden or shoehorned in. They're important parts of the novel, but the continuous delving into the past when the adventure is in the present was frustrating. With the society so centered on memory-based power, there were also a million titles relating to various positions and powers that gifted people could have, often with only slight variation. In a relatively short standalone novel, this kind of extravagant naming system felt cluttered and confusing.

Sometimes the language was a little underdeveloped or simple; it felt in places that I was reading a middle grade book or a children's chapter book rather than a YA book for teenagers. Madame, the villain, is relatively one-dimensional, as is Etta's love interest. On the other hand, Etta herself was so layered and a great narrator, and an ally of hers plays a touching, paternal role that felt so real and moving. The author does seem to have the skill to create complex characters, but just didn't apply them to half of the important characters. I look forward to what else the author has in store in the future, when perhaps she is able to more effectively combine her great ideas with a writing style that has evolved and developed beyond her debut.

Much thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me a digital ARC of this book.

Fantasy city with a despotic ruler where memories are exchanged, stolen, used to torture and used as currency? Yes please.

A young girl suffering because of a mistake that she made, caught between a rebel group and forced loyalty, all to save someone else? Excellent.

Road trip with someone frustratingly good, wholesome and deadly, who only wants to look out for the MC as she quests to find a map, to find a maze, to find the one person who can overthrow the mad ruler, who the MC may or may not have betrayed years ago? Sounds like a story with the potential for a solid YA adventure.

Unfortunately, despite promising a lot of excellent themes, this book just couldn't deliver for me. The memory exchanging/thieving was a lot of fun, and presented a lot of interesting ideas and ways of developing the story, which gave the bones for an excellent and exciting world.

But it was the characters that I found the hardest to understand. One moment they had their hands at each others' throats, and for good reason, but within a few sentences they had apparently 'forgiven' these terrible past actions. 

So I suppose it shouldn't have come as a surprise that the MC and the main boy were already imagining kissing each other within 24 hours of knowing each other - this was so much more toned down that my criticisms of books like Shatter Me, but it still made me cringe.

The pacing of the second half became a little absurd too - in the first half the story was there, everything was set up and it was clear what the challenges would be. You knew what was coming and the question was how the protagonists would overcome those challenges.

The author then tipped those upside and POWERED THROUGH the final third, as though it had been too complicated to actually commit to everything else that had been set up, including adding closeness between characters that could never have existed without some major personality changes, or erasing of the past. I like a good twist, but not when it feels limp.

This also meant that that final third of the story really suffered from telling, rather than showing. I would have gladly read a longer book if that would have enabled Mansy to tell the story that this book had promised.

This is a book with a great cover and a great story to tell, but it didn't quite manage to hit the mark for me. There was so much that I wanted to like, but also a fair amount that I couldn't.

The Memory Thief is a young-adult fantasy novel written by Lauren Mansy. This novel was released on October 1, 2019, and is published by Blink. I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Seventeen-year-old Etta Lark has been living as an ungifted teenager for the past four years, but her past catches up on her when her bedridden mother, whose state fails to improve, is offered to auction. In this world, memories are currencies, and skills and happy memories are the most valuable. In an attempt to save her mother from Madame, a power-thirsty ruler, Etta pledges herself to Bray, the leader of the Shadows, a resistance to Madame’s regime.

Etta strikes a deal where she must steal specific memories from Porter, a villain, to help the Shadows take down Madame. Only then will the Shadows help her mother. Etta is running against the clock and begins a journey where she has to face her past and her memories while dealing with an unexpected romance.

This book is a fascinating ride. The world building is intriguing, as I have never read a book that treats memories as currencies. The ramifications made this book unique. The pacing keeps you on your toes. I read this book very quickly, maybe too quickly, and here and there I was a little lost. If there is one thing negative about this book, it is that I wanted to know more about this world and its rules. At times, the story felt rushed.

I enjoyed reading about Etta, Ryder, and Reid. Etta is protective and selfless. I rooted for her pretty fast. Ryder is one of my favorite characters. She is fearless, witty, and adorable. Reid is such a wonderful character too—forgiving, badass, and sweet. All the characters are flawed, but they fight for what they believe in. The dynamics between them is interesting.

This was a fast and fun read. The banter, the conflict, and the plot twists made this book a real page-turner. This is a four-star rating for me.

The Memory Thief by Lauren Mansey is one of those books that can go either way. I felt several times that the feel of the book was familiar and that put me off a little. The basic story is good but I found that some parts were too conveniently wrapped up and tidy. Also, the heroine didn’t seem to get herself out of any trouble as there was always an aide of some sort.


I felt a very strong Hunger Games vibe from this story with a dash of Harry Potter. And I guess that’s where the familiarity is coming from. Even the MCs last name reminds me of Hungry Games.

In city of Craewick the criminals and people who are viewed as no longer useful are punished by having their memories ripped out of their mind in a public auction. This is Where Etta lives.

Etta Lark is hiding in plain sight from those that would use her if they knew what kind of power she had. She is one of the gifted. She arrives home to find a notice stuck to her door. Her mother, a victim of a horrible accident in an asylum, is going to the auction block.

Etta has no where to go and no one to turn to to help save her mother except a group of people she has been hiding from. The Shadows. People she betrayed. People who, because of her, lost family.

After turning herself over to the Shadows’ leader in exchange for rescuing her mother she is partnered with Reid who is on a mission of his own. Together they set out to the Maze where tales of horrors with in would frighten the strongest of men.

But Etta has secrets. Her gift has other variations that are rare. And she can’t seem to control it sometimes. She also has the key to Reid’s own mission.


These people could really use some oclemencey lessons from Professor Snape. This story is good. I wish it had more unresolved conflict because it was just too tidy. Cut off those cute little bows.

I received a copy of the Memory Thief from NetGalley for a fair and honest review

I'm so sorry to part ways like this. You seemed like such a great book, such an interesting concept. And you've got such a pretty cover. But when I found myself making excuses to avoid reading you, even as I approached the halfway point, I knew that this wasn't meant to last.

- my breakup letter to this book, DNF around 48%

I really did want to enjoy this book. The concept of memories as currency is fascinating, and I loved the way the author brought up ideas like people collecting experiences just to bargain them away for money. It's horrifying, but so incredibly interesting. And as I saw in interviews regarding the book, the author based a lot of Etta's struggles with her mother's health around her personal experience with her own mother's illness. I love when stories have meaningful personal connections woven into them, and that aspect of this book was quite nicely done.

The problem was in the execution. The beginning was a massive info-dump that had me constantly flipping back and forth to double-check what different terms and groups of people meant. The whole thing became a bit of a jumble for me, and maybe that was just a result of me reading it at night when tired...but I don't typically have that experience with other books, so I'm inclined to think it was just an issue with the writing and pacing. But the final nail in the coffin, the reason I ended up giving up on this book about halfway through, was the cringe-worthy insta-love that emerged out of nowhere. I just couldn't justify sticking with it any longer--I was deliberately avoiding reading because I didn't want to get into this book, which in turn put me behind on all the other ARCs I have to review (not to mention all the new fall releases I want to check out!).

Maybe someday I'll give this one another go, and maybe I won't resent it by then. But for now, I think it's in both of our best interests to simply leave while we still can.

I've debated giving up on YA books in the past, maybe someone still learning stories and people would find this interesting, but I just couldn't.
I'm going to try and be generous, this book wasn't written for me. I fell in love with the premise, memory as a literal currency, the thing that defines us as people being bought and sold. The idea is stellar, and was well-thought out, but the execution left me wanting more depth.
Problems: This story runs rampant with one of this things I've consistently hated about YA books the past few years are the characters, teenagers running around being adults because apparently all the adults in the book can't keep track of entire armies and a city's worth of people. I get it, the story needs the freedom of movement that the characters apparently have, but its weird and hard to get behind. Also, the number of "rare" magic power variations is a little annoying, seems heavy handed deus ex machina, but again, if you're writing for teens maybe they need the plot simplified down this much, but I don't know. I struggled to like the dialouge, but I think for the same reason, entire conversations that could draw out depth are summarized in a few sentences... the main character is saved from a cage from a "dead" old friend, they have a three sentence reunion, and then move on like nothing happened, just weird.
Well-Dones: The story does do people well though... the characters make mistakes and may or may not learn from them, which is refreshing. The YA writer community could (from what I've read the past few years) would do better to emulate these characters, with people making decisions based on the character we know, not doing the "right" thing because its "right". The main character betrays the Hell out of a friend, which is an interesting twist on the "Would You Rathers" most YA characters seem to struggle with. Honestly, these characters are good enough to get over most of the story... except for Reid, I wanted him to get punched in the face, but other than him they're pretty good.

**I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The ebook I received was missing 12 pages early on, which made it hard to figure out plot/worldbuilding for awhile, but that is not the author's fault and I tried to not let that effect my review.

Your typical YA trope, a headstrong girl who isn’t your average girl. Strong, powerful, doesn’t need to rely on anyone else. It’ll be empowering for the demographic. I appreciate that it didn’t glorify sex and drugs, but teamwork and forgiveness.

Better late than never I always say. Mainly because I’m frequently late and need to feel better about it. Moving on!

The Memory Thief! What a read! I started this back in May when I first got my hands on the ARC but took a break to get my bookstagram started & and a few other ARCs read. Finally finishing it a few days ago I rated it then tried to find time to write this review. I was provided an ARC of The Memory Thief by Blink publishing by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

On GoodReads.com I gave The Memory Thief by Laura Mansy 4 out of 5 stars but personally I rate it closer to a 3.5 or 3.75 or 3.80? Why would I rate it lower? Why would I dock this book that I almost finished in three days (then took nine weeks off from reading) half a star? One and a half if you remember the scale is five stars.

The Memory Thief gave me just about everything it promised me. It was well written and I enjoyed the author’s writing style. My favorite part of the book was THE CHARACTERS which if we’re honest, that’s why people are reading a book. To experience a character’s journey, struggles, pain, happiness, and eventual resolution.

I don’t waste time with summaries and always strive to avoid spoilers, so here’s what I can tell you about this story: it’s worth reading just to know Etta Lark. It may be a lot to lay at a character’s feet but I assure you Etta could have carried this story through three whole books. I NEVER want additional books. I prefer standalone books every single time I try to find a new read. Getting caught up in a story that took eight books to wrap up when it could’ve been finished in one or two is my version of torture and makes me mad because I feel like I’m having my money taken for no good reason.

I can assure you that the biggest sin of the Memory Thief is that it is too short. The story is rushed through the last 25% of the book making for an ending I had to reread twice just to make sure I’d read it correctly. There is nothing more satisfactory than a tidy ending like The Memory Thief has but I took away a whole star and possibly another half star because I was rushed into a sloppily written ending. It gave me what I needed for the story but it stole the emotional and mental impact I expected and wanted after such a beautiful set up.

I still recommend The Memory Thief to any and everyone who loves adventure, overcoming the odds & remembering that you are enough to stand up against those doing wrong. I loved Etta and I’ll always love her story even if it’s not a five star mega bestseller on my book list.

~LetRachelRead

3.5 stars. I actually really liked this, but I think there was a bit more polishing that could have been done. Overall though, I think it's a great debut novel. I love the powerful messages about family, forgiving yourself, and hope for a better future no matter what has happened in the past.
The things I wish we had more of have to do with Etta's past. Etta's past is a huge part of her, yet we only see bits and pieces of her memories of her friends Cade, Joss, and Penn. As much as Etta thinks about them and feels guilty, you'd think we would have a better grasp on what happened to them. It is revealed in such little pieces over a long period of time, that it doesn't really form a whole picture by the end. The Hunters and Ghosts weren't explained enough for me to really care about them, although I think there could have been more to the story there. By the time I got to the end of the book, I found out there was a glossary, but I wish I had known that going into it, since it would have been helpful. I also wish there was a list of characters, since there were a lot of names to keep track of. I liked the delineation of the Realms, and wish we had more details and background on that. I easily could have seen this story as a duology, with all the world-building that was present and the fact that more could have been added.

I really liked Etta as a character, and although her intense guilt felt choking at times, it was great to see her work through that with the help of others. Reid, Ryder, and Porter were my other favorite characters, and I enjoyed the romance that was also fraught with tension and guilt and betrayal. The cover of this book is also gorgeous. I will definitely be reading whatever Lauren Mansy writes in the future!

The Memory Thief is built around a fascinating concept, memories as currency, which of course means as power and corruption and all that goes along with it.

The Gifted have the ability to give and take memories, the Ungifted are used as sources for these memories; talents and skills and happy memories are sold to the highest bidder. But bad memories are also wanted and used. There are many other factions here as well, Shadows, Ghosts, Hunters, Tribes and they each seem fascinating in their own right, for what little is explained of each.

The pacing of this book was off a bit for my liking, it seemed to be selected chapters from a much longer novel crammed together to make plot twist after plot twist and narrative snippets tie in together at a pace that just wasn’t fulfilling.

The connections between the characters were not believable or well sketched out.

Great idea – not so great in the execution. 2 Stars.

The Memory Thief is a young adult fantasy with an interesting premise, but it just didn't work for me.

This book has a great concept. In this world, memories are currency. The Gifted can take and give memories, and this talent is often abused. The idea of someone invading your memories, stealing them, and even profiting from them is creepy and fascinating. The Gifted can gain a talent or skill by stealing a memory. For example, the heroine, Etta, is a skilled fighter because of memories she's stolen. This is all very cool, but the rest of the book didn't hold up.

My biggest issue is that the pacing of the book felt off. There are a bunch of plot twists that come in quick succession in the middle of the book. Although they were cool twists, they didn't have much impact because they happened so quickly and with characters that had just been introduced or hadn't been well developed. The pacing is also an issue in the romance that develops between Etta and another character. It happens so quickly and then there's a plot twist that might drive them apart, but since they had barely been together, it felt contrived.

I also had trouble keeping track of the various groups. There are the Gifted and ungifted, but also multiple other groups and they weren't well defined. There were two groups introduced briefly with no information, and it wasn't until I found a glossary at the end of the book that I was able to figure out who and what they were. I wonder if this book was originally much longer or intended to be more than one book, because there is so much compressed into 300 pages. It could have benefited from being a bit longer.

I really loved the idea of this book. It kept my interest enough to finish the book. I really didn’t have any deep connections with any of the characters. I really think this book should have gone much darker considering this is about a girl who steals people’s memories. Great concept but really kind of fell flat for me unfortunately. The insta love was also kind of annoying. I’m not against insta love in books but not in this one.

Many thanks to The Fantastic Flying Book Club and Blink for having me on this tour and sending me the book to review!
The Memory Thief is one of those books that grab your heart and keeps pulling at the strings. I loved this book and honestly, it was probably one of the best books I’ve read this year.
The Memory Thief follows Etta, a girl with the gift of her thoughts being unreadable who has betrayed all the people she loved in order to save her mother. When her mother’s life is thrown into jeopardy by the ruler of Creswick, the one she made deals with to keep her mother safe, she turns to the only people she knows that can help; the same people she betrayed. After reaching the Shadows headquarters, she’s tasked with getting the map of a Maze out of the mind of one of the most dangerous men, the ruler of Aravid, who has been known to torture people for fun. Etta knows that this is the only way to save her mother, to risk her own life in order to get this map. As her and another Shadow head to get the map nothing turns out like it seems it will. Etta has to face her difficult past in order to make room for a better future.
One of my favorite things about this book is Etta. Etta’s strong-willed and fiercely loyal to those that she loves. She feels guilt deeply for all the people she’s betrayed, all the people she’s caused hurt to, and for all the people that loved that were killed because of a choice she made. When she has to make the choice to turn back to the rebel group, the Shadows, in order to save her mother, it's clear that she’s truly sorry and feels like she deserves all the grief that she gets from the leader. When Reid, who travels with her to Aravid shows her grace, mercy, and compassion, she has a hard time accepting it because she feels like she doesn’t deserve it. The transformation that Etta has from the beginning of the book to the end is one of growth. She learns that in order to move forward, she must face her past and learn from her mistakes; admitting what she did to those that she hurt and apologizing. Etta truly becomes a model to follow in accepting forgiveness from others, and also forgiving herself.
Another thing that I loved about this book was that nothing was as it seemed. There were so many twists and turns in this book that I couldn’t put it down. The connections between the characters that were established as the book went on were so surprising. There were a few times where I had to go back because hints were there from the beginning, it just didn’t come together until it was finally revealed. Also, one of the great things about this book was the idea of memories being used as a kind of currency: something valuable that everyone wanted. It kind of had a Everless vibe to it but the creative way that Mansy wrote this world was something super new. I loved the idea of how the Gifts manifest and can be used. It was a super fresh fantasy idea and it definitely worked.
Also, short note, I loved the witty banter between Etta and Reid throughout the book. It was super cute, adorable, and definitely appropriate based on their situation. Their whole relationship is one that I really loved the evolution of. That’s all.
I really, really liked this book and it’s one that I’ll most definitely be picking up again. The Memory Thief is one of those books that opens up a fresh door to fantasy. This is absolutely one that I recommend!!

Unfortunately this book just did not capture my attention. The world building was lacking and I couldn't connect with the characters. It kind of just slogged along with no real sense of adventure or intrigue.

The dialogue itself was also a little wooden and mundane for my taste. Perhaps someone a little younger would enjoy the plot.

Review: 2 Stars

I really thought that I was going to love this book even after seeing several negative reviews. The idea of memories as currency was absolutely fascinating to me and the cover was so eye catching that I was excited to have a copy. While I think the bare bones of the plot were great, the execution was not. I had so many issues with this novel and honestly I think that it's a shame that it wasn't great because I felt like the plot had so much potential, but this book fell short of what it could have been,

The characters felt incredibly flat for me, Their emotions didn't feel real to me. The characters could be hard to keep track of even though there were only a few of them and the plot felt jumpy at times. The conflict between the villain and the protagonist made very little sense to me as well. The whole thing just felt so rushed. Things were brought up in the book like the reader should know what was going on, but in reality it was the first time we were hearing of it. There were so many plot holes and I had so many questions about how the memory thieving actually worked. Memories seemed to work completely different in this book than in real life, but these differences aren't acknowledged at all.

The world could have been cool, but the world building was extremely brief. I am glad that they touched on the economics of what it would be like as having memories as currency, especially for the poor, but there were way too many aspects of this world that were left unexplored. The writing just wasn't very good. Everything was told to you and nothing was shown. There were numerous times when the author should have used dialogue, but instead explained what was said between two characters in summary form. While I think that maybe if this book was longer it could have achieved more depth, at the same time I wonder if it just should have undergone more editing than it did.

Obviously I had a myriad of issues with this novel even though I really wanted to love it. I thought that the ideas behind the book were really cool and while this book had so much potential I just don't think that it came anywhere near reaching it. It should have been a powerful and interesting fantasy, but instead it was dull and easily forgettable.