This book had a very dark tone.  It brought you in and held you there.  The characters were wonderfully sketched, helping you cheer and cry for their successes and misfortunes.  The pace was good though it did feel like a lot of information was thrust upon you in the beginning.  It would have been nice to have it further spaced out.  Would read again though.

The premise is a great ones: memories as commodities.  They can be stolen and purchased, or used to deceive and torture.  Jules knows this better than anyone.  In a desperate attempt to save her mother from a coma and trying to remain under the radar of the vengeful Madame who rules with terror, she must make an alliance with the group she betrayed. 

I really did like the premise of the story and I feel like Mansy has an immense world with a rich history, but it was like she tried to put too much of it without context into one story.  The glossary in the back helps quite a bit but the story just feels jumbled and overloaded.  The characters are interesting and have depth, it is just hard for the author to focus on everything so it can be a difficult read from that perspective.

Book: The Memory Theif
Author: Lauren Mansy
Date: October 1, 2019 (Canada)
Pages: 368
Format: Ebook | Netgalley
Rating: 2/5

Review: 

It was a nice quick read, but it didn’t live up to its own expectations. 

At the very beginning of The Memory Thief, the world-building seemed to be forced onto the reader as we were shown little of the world besides a note stapled to a door and an execution. I found that the words seemed to be telling me the story as information was relevant and the backstories necessary to understand the stakes and the impact of her mother in the asylum or the kid on the execution stage was lost because there wasn’t any information until after. 

We didn’t know about her past until she was captured and then we didn’t know anything beyond three lines of dialogue and a flashback. Every important story plot was told through a flashback just before we met some of the characters. Which, again, didn’t allow me to connect with the story at all. This book needed to be bigger or dive deeper, maybe even the pacing was off. It would have been a nice slow burn kind of story with deep stakes and a sinking feeling of regret and the pain of almost losing a mother

The concept is amazing. The idea behind the story is that memories are used as currency and can be transferred or stolen from one person to the next which really drew my interest and the back of the book really piqued my interest. It’s unfortunate that it didn’t work for me, but I bought the book for my friends when it came out (because they like different books then I do) and they loved it.

I've never considered a concept of memories as currency or something to be weaponized- but WOW. Some of the reviews had me concerned, but this book captivated me. I stayed up all hours of the night to finished it. The character growth was lovely, and there was not one, but two twists I never saw coming. Mansy wove a masterpiece, and I for one look forward to more.

Honestly, disappointing. When I hear memory I go "OOOOOOHHH BRAIN this is going to be good", but, alas, I'm an idiot. Here's the rundown:

Magic System - lazy, underdeveloped: everyone who was "gifted" (meaning they could give and take memories) could just access all the different types of memories with no limitations (except that when the gifted take memories it gives the people who have had the memory taken a headache... but it's mentioned maybe once and doesn't affect the main players of this book in any way whatsoever). If the author had put just a little bit more effort in she could have made the world more interesting by making it so "this type of person can only give/take procedural memories" and this "person can only give/take explicit memory". But nope. Everyone can just do everything. It doesn't even make them a little bit tired. 

Characters - well I'll just give you their description and you tell me what you think:
Female lead - strong (but kind), fearless, has a special talent that no one else has, weapon of choice = bow and 
arrow, sharp tongue, has a little-sister type figure that she would do anything to protect, absent parents, tragic backstory, is naturally adept in combat with (literally) no effort
Male Lead - love interest (duh), smoking hot, tragic backstory, brooding, has a soft-spot for MC, that's it
Villain - is only evil for the sake of being evil (no motivation except POWERRRRRR), is impossible to defeat... except for when MC does they are defeated within five seconds
Other Characters - who?

Writing style: that try-hard in class (you know what I'm talking about): it just seemed like Lauren Mansy was trying way to hard to come up with quotable lines and fit in with the big-wigs of YA (THG, Divergent, Shadowhunters, etc.).

Who would enjoy this: maybe 12-13 year olds who want an easy introduction to YA where it's all romance and action written in a voice that they'd want to identify with (hey I remember wanting to become Katniss so no shade children we've all been there). There is no real theme here except the bad guys always lose (which isn't true in the real world AHEM).

2 I didn't hate it but I most certainly wasn't anywhere near liking it.

In a world where memories are currency, power, and weaponry, your past can be bought or stolen, and nightmares implanted. 



Etta Lark is a gifted young woman who would do anything to save her mother, who is in a coma. She is her mother's only hope,  yet her intricate past and rare gift makes her the target of Madame, a power-hungry megalomaniac. She is ruggedly independent, removing herself as much as she can from the caste system of sorts that rules the realms. I admired her courage, and her devotion to her friends. 



This story operates with multiple flashbacks, and a heavy backstory that helps the reader keep up, yet the whole time I was reading this book I kept thinking, "I would have read a whole book about that!" There is a lot going on in this book, especially for its length of just over 300 pages, which plenty of twists, reveals, secrets, and good world building. Multiple times while reading this book I wondered if it might have been better as a series, with more room to expand upon the world that they operated in, as well as fleshing out many of the intriguing characters and relationships, without relying so heavily on flashbacks. The main reasons I believe it would have been a  great series, are because the notion of memories being used in this way, with the associated gifts is a pretty big premise, also there are many prominent characters who are alive only in memories, and Etta's time in the Shadows sounds like it could have been a book in itself. 



I wasn't sure what to expect with this book, but in the end I really liked it. It is great for fans of Defy or Graceling but more clean in content, though the stakes are still high. As a result of this book's shorter, single volume length I think that the punch of some of the more shocking reveals was lost, as I wasn't as hungry for it, and in the end there were so many reveals that some challenges seemed in my mind too easily solved. I'm sorry if this all sounds so negative, but what I am really saying is that I liked it, and I wanted more! 



Overall, very entertaining, with many surprising plot twists, and reveals. Hard to put down with a full cast of characters, though I did feel like many of the concepts were really good there just wasn't enough time to expand on it and appreciate it all. Etta is determined and independent, a strong sympathetic character. An entertaining read, with intriguing fantasy concepts, filled with action and hard to put down. 



I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I didn't finish this one. Young adult fantasy has been a hit or a miss for me recently, and I had to put this one down because the writing was a slog. It felt so juvenile. The concept of memory as a currency is fascinating, but the author kept info-dumping and I felt like I couldn't keep up with the flashbacks.

The concept is haunting-- a dystopian society where people trade memories or have them forcibly taken away. The poor barter their happiest memories for the bare necessities of life. The pleasant memories of convicted criminals are auctioned off to the highest bidders, as we see in the compelling introduction to the novel. 

The rest didn't engage me-- it's a pretty standard female protagonist saves the world while falling in love with the hunky love interest despite secrets that inevitably lead to conflict. 

We meet our main character Etta when she's barely scraping by, taking care of her adopted sister. She's pulled into the plot and encounters the obnoxious but inevitably irresistible Reid in circumstances so forgettable that I genuinely can't remember them as I sit down to review this book a few weeks after reading it. 

There's an entire taxonomy of people with magical powers not just related to memory, and I really needed that glossary in the back that I didn't encounter until the book was finished.

This was one of the BEST books I read last year. I read a lot of fantasy, but this debut really stood out! The world is unique as is it’s government system. I loved the whole memory concept: the giving and taking of memories, purchasing someone else’s memories as your own. I especially loved Etta and Ryder’s slow-burn/kinda sorta enemies to lovers and how she gets a family at the end of it. This book left me wanting more. It’s too bad it appears to be a standalone. I totally recommend it!

The Memory Thief by Lauren Mansy is a young adult fantasy story that is told in the first person. The idea behind the story is that memories are used like currency and can be transferred or stolen from one person to the next which really drew my interest but unfortunately my expectations weren’t met with how the story was done.

Etta is the main character who is one of the “gifted” in the story however she has been hiding her abilities. The gifted can transfer memories by simply touching someone and the ungifted could only receive memories. Etta’s mother is in danger so she makes a deal to help and ends up paired up with Reid.

There were several things that I found in here that kept me from loving this story. First, the world building is rather brief and tossed in and along with the character building could have really used a lot more depth. The romance also seemed rather rushed going from a dislike to totally in love in what felt like pages.

I also kind of felt that more could have been done with the idea of memories than the overall plot of one ruler wanting control of all the areas which made it feel like more of a cookie cutter plot like a lot of other young adult fantasies. In the end it just wasn’t my cup of tea leaving me at 2 1/2 stars.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

The Memory Thief has so many things I love: a society where memories are currency, thieved, more often than not, used as weapons. An unreliable yet relatable and flawed narrator with fighting skills that often they can’t control. A tightly-written plot with twists and reveals and fast-paced action. Fierce loyalty to friends and family. Adults that want to help! The prose was enjoyable to read, as was the book overall. And the cover is stunning. I look forward to reading more of Mansy's work.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing a copy for review.

First I would like to say that the cover is gorgeous! I was also very interested in the premise of the book, it seemed pretty unique. The concept of memories as currency in a way is quite intriguing. 

Etta Lark lives in Craewick. This city is run by the power hungry Madame, who has structured the society and citizens by abilities. Etta joins with the Shadows, a group of Gifted and non alike who live outside the city and attempt to take down Madame. Etta's gift is that she is unreadable, which means other gifted people can't take her memories. She embarks on a quest with Reid to another town to retrieve a map from another seemingly cruel ruler. Hijinks ensue. 

I liked Etta for the most part. The self-pity got to be a bit much for me after awhile. I was interested more in the secondary characters. Greer caught my eye, but unfortunately I didn't get enough of him. Madame gave me some serious Commandant (Ember in the Ashes) vibes. Truly a delight to hate her. My main issue with this is that things just wrapped up to quickly and neatly for me. Once Etta and Reid reached their destination one of the more interesting parts of the plot almost immediately resolved itself. There is a hate to love aspect, but because of the length almost feels more like insta love. The ending was also quick, painless and scraped together plans worked seamlessly. I, at no point, feared for any character's lives. Overall it was a good story just not everything I expected or needed from it.

I received a copy of this book for a fair and honest review. This is a concept that I was very unsure of and went into reading this with a lot of questions already. I know memories are very important but for someone to use them as currency had me wondering. I would not want anyone to take mine away. There is a ruler known as the Madame. She is evil and comes off strange. Etta and Ryder are very cool and flawed. The worldbuilding is a crazy. Etta is doing this to save her mother and have to go back to a group that she swore off years ago. I enjoyred it and would read more by this author.

The premise of The Memory Thief was really interesting not to mention the stunning book cover. Unfortunately, the book did not vibe well with me. The plot felt way too structured, the romantic development is unrealistic and happens too fast. It was hard to connect with the characters as well. While the story had potential, the execution wasn't done as well as I had hoped for.

A book that has pleasantly surprised me?

 The Memory Thief.
Engaging plot, intriguing mystery, and endearing characters! What a debut! So I’ve chosen it for today’s First Line Friday 😉
.
. “When I see the letter nailed to my door, I know something is terribly wrong.”

The Memory Thief has a great premise and I was excited to read it as it gave off some serious Everless vibes and I loved that book.. Starting off it was good, a little predictable at times (and a tad Hunger Games-ie) but the story followed really well and I was wrapped up in everything that was happening and how Etta was going to rescue her mother and keep her off the auction block. But it started to go a bit stale in the middle. There was a lot going on but it tended to drag a bit until the main characters finally reached their destination and the whole story gets turned on it's head. Honestly I thought I had the twist figured out when it came to Porter but Lauren Mansey did a fantastic job turning what you thought was the truth around and instead you're reeling from the fact that you totally thought you had the whole book figured out. That right there is enough to kick the excitement up a notch.

From that point on the book was fast paced and seemed to rush through getting to the Maze and back in time to fight Madame for her mothers safety with the obvious sacrifice thrown in there. Honestly it could have been stretched out into a second book and the final 25% wouldn't have felt so rushed. But nothing felt as rushed as the love story. I cared more about Greer and Etta's mother than I did her and Ryder. It was such a highschool-esk "I LOVE YOU AFTER TEN SECONDS" kind of relationship and I honestly didn't care about their chemistry until they started to head for the maze after leaving Porter. It felt forced to add a love story element but it would have worked so much better as a slow burn instead of how quickly it was thrown in there.

The Memory Thief has an amazing premise that I could not wait to consume. Yet, as I delved into this book I found it a bit difficult to keep focused on. It had a great idea but the delivery was a tad off.

I was really intrigued by the concept and I feel there was so much one could do with it. The plot was fine, but somewhat uninspiring for the concept. The same goes for characters. Not a bad book, but it lacks that certain "something" to elevate it among other YA books in the genre. Interesting concept, though.

I really enjoyed this book! I felt like the characters and their flaws were relatable even being in a world nothing like our own. The concept of the story was unique, I personally had never read anything like it. I was always looking forward to learning more about the history and how their memory system worked.

Oh man, I had high hopes for this book. The concept sounded cool, how interesting that your memories are the highest for of currency. This book is well written, the writing is so good. It flows well and the world building was perfection. I just couldn't deal with the inner turmoil of the main character. It seemed like too much. Also I must note can you look again at the gorgeous cover.