Name: CH Schoen's review of The Memory Thief by Lauren Mansy
Item: The Memory Thief
Rating: 4
Author: CH Schoen

Lauren Mansy

"When Madame threatens to put her mother up for auction, Etta Lark rejoins the rebel group she swore off years earlier." --

The Memory Thief

CH Schoen

Perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo and Victoria Aveyard, The Memory Thief by author Lauren Mansy brings readers on an unforgettable journey through the city of Craewick---a city where memories are currency, citizens are divided by ability, and "Gifted" individuals can take memories from others as they please. Now available in softcover!

Not great but not bad either. Definitely had its moments, but everything else is what you typically see in debut novels. 

I also don't like how close this is to my favourite dystopia ever Skyhunter (which was outlasted the year after this, so it is a bit concerning...)

Not great but not bad either. Definitely had its moments, but everything else is what you typically see in debut novels. 

I also don't like how close this is to my favourite dystopia ever Skyhunter (which was outlasted the year after this, so it is a bit concerning...)

It’s always a risk to play with memories, when you can’t help but sink into a sea of others’ wishes, hopes, and dreams … but if losing myself means saving my mother, isn’t it worth it? In the city of Craewick, memories reign. The power-obsessed ruler of the city, Madame, has cultivated a society in which memories are currency, citizens are divided by ability, and Gifted individuals can take memories from others through touch as they please. Seventeen-year-old Etta Lark is desperate to live outside of the corrupt culture, but she grapples with the guilt of an accident that has left her mother bedridden in the city’s asylum. When Madame threatens to put her mother up for auction, a Craewick practice in which a “criminal’s” memories are sold to the highest bidder before being killed, Etta will do whatever it takes to save her. Even if it means rejoining the Shadows, the rebel group she swore off in the wake of the accident years earlier. To rescue her mother, Etta must prove her allegiance to the Shadows by stealing a memorized map of the Maze, a formidable prison created by the bloodthirsty ruler of a neighboring Realm. Etta faces startling attacks, unexpected romance, and above all, her own past as she uncovers a conspiracy that challenges everything she knew about herself and the world around her. In a place where nothing is what it seems, can Etta ever become more than a memory thief? The Memory Thief: Is perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo and Victoria Aveyard Brings readers on an unforgettable journey during which Etta must learn—often the hard way—just what it will take to save her city and her mother Is a clean, coming of age YA fantasy by up-and-coming author Lauren Mansy

Sadly, this one was a miss for me. The writing felt shallow, like it only skimmed the surface of character feelings & worldbuilding, so what started as a cool concept fell flat. Also, I felt ZERO chemistry between Etta and the male lead. The entire main journey from Craewick and back was only 4 days, far too quick for the intensity of what they supposedly felt. Also, it seemed like 80% of this book was dialogue, with important people conveniently confessing huge secrets to Etta right and left. To sum it up… show, don’t just tell.

Liz Griffin

Sheena

“Memory Thief” was a lot better than I had originally expected considering the not-so-great reviews from previous readers. What I initially drew me in this Young Adult Fantasy novel was the unique concept on how memories are stolen and the lead heroine Etta journey to join forces with the Shadows, who run the black-market of memories in the Mines which is a hidden underground city thus them being known as the best thieves in the Four Realms. It was refreshing and I immensely enjoyed that portion of the book but what I wasn’t a big fan of was the ending, lead heroine herself and the instant love, instant bond, instant everything romance with Reid the author created. The heroine was a broken emotional mess that was too trustworthy and she opened up far too quickly with Reid in the midst of the story which created an unnecessary romance that would have been better without in my opinion. And lastly the ending. What the hell was that. It was rushed, lackluster at best and to be honest sloppy as hell. Needless to say, "Memory Thief" was somewhat sorta kinda decent read with flaws that depending on the reader could be hard to ignore.

Sheila Goicea

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher Blink via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! In no way does this affect my rating or review.

Review to come tomorrow!

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Story Eater

Another book that was slated for a 2020 release that got moved up or had a wrong date and messed up my TBR schedule. Minus 5000 points.

Mansy’s The Memory Thief promises some new things to readers in exchange for their time. For the most part, she delivers. For the least part, she doesn’t deliver well enough.

Primarily, The Memory Thief is touted as YA, but could be considered a bit more juvenile than YA. The problem with some of the criticism of this is that YA is a broad genre, and its age range is from 12-18. That’s a large gap of maturity level progression for one genre. I would put this in the 13-14 year range, 12 for more mature readers (by mature I mean ability to read more complex texts, not ready for exposure to coarse language and inappropriate sexual references). 

I suspect the disagreement is there because YA is a popular genre with grown people, usually over the age of 22-25, and the writing in the genre has become more targeted toward the purchasing base, which is really a New Adult age range. A book that is considered too juvenile because it does not contain content that shouldn’t be in books for those under 18 anyway is really only a plea for making the same story into an adult novel, which I understand. Many of the YA novels and concepts are like kids shoes. They’re much cooler but don’t come in adult sizes. Which is horse crap. Adult shoes can have holographic rainbows on them and still be worn in professional environments. Or they should be. 

This book is well done in terms of interesting conceptual framework. It’s an overdone meta-story of oppressor vs. oppressed, where the oppressed has a “chosen one” with a special ability that is hidden and there’s a super secret about this “chosen one’s” parentage or power origin, etc. It also has the enemies-to-lovers cliché, which I don’t mind so much but I know other readers absolutely hate. But, these tropes come with some interesting story gimmicks (special, new quirks of the supernatural or magical that are original or derivative in some way that has not been done before), which I have not read in a book so far, that promise to make the gimmick PART of the story and not just something the character can do that has nothing to do with the plot. 

The main character is also not extremely annoying, which is a plus, and the inner conflict she demonstrates feels completely human and relatable, not petty and first-world selfish. I do agree with some that the pacing could be improved significantly. For my part, I feel the world was complex enough to make it either a larger tome or a duology, which would have eliminated the incredibly short denouement that fell flat to me. Otherwise, I loved it and heartily approve.

My thanks to NetGalley for the ARC, for which I give my own opinion.

Paige Green

Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Author: Lauren Mansy

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 3/5

Publication Date: October 1, 2019

Recommended Age: 15+ (lots of romance, some violence, some language)

Genre: YA Fantasy

Publisher: Blink

Synopsis: In the city of Craewick, memories reign. The power-obsessed ruler of the city, Madame, has cultivated a society in which memories are currency, citizens are divided by ability, and Gifted individuals can take memories from others through touch as they please.

Seventeen-year-old Etta Lark is desperate to live outside of the corrupt culture, but grapples with the guilt of an accident that has left her mother bedridden in the city’s asylum. When Madame threatens to put her mother up for auction, a Craewick practice in which a “criminal's" memories are sold to the highest bidder before being killed, Etta will do whatever it takes to save her. Even if it means rejoining the Shadows, the rebel group she swore off in the wake of the accident years earlier.

To prove her allegiance to the Shadows and rescue her mother, Etta must steal a memorized map of the Maze, a formidable prison created by the bloodthirsty ruler of a neighboring Realm. So she sets out on a journey in which she faces startling attacks, unexpected romance, and, above all, her own past in order to set things right in her world.

Review: I really loved the idea for this story and I thought that the premise behind it is great. I liked the world building and I liked the writing, it was smooth and easy to read. 

However, I felt like this book was really too slow for me. The pacing is super slow and I got really distracted while reading it. I felt that the book would have been better without the romance aspect and there were a couple of mistakes with a character being in two places at once.

Verdict: A good concept but bad exposition for me.

Michelle Boyea

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

When the book started, I immediately thought...okay, another dystopian end-of-world type of book. And while, yes this is a good way to classify it, it was also different than others that I have read. I loved the way the Gifted’s Gifts worked and how their gifts could vary from person to person, even within the skill they had. 

I would have loved to have more descriptions of the action scenes. There would be fantastic build up and then all of a sudden, it was over. I was very underwhelmed by the climaxes of the book, I would have loved more action and more descriptions of the action scenes rather than a couple paragraphs.

The book left me with a lot of questions on what actually happened because of this. I’m hoping the author will write more books that clarify some of these events more.

The book was an engaging and quick read and overall, I enjoyed it.

Leelynn Brady

Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley, BLINK and Fantastic Flying Book Club for this free copy.

Something about memories, man. I don’t know what I was really expecting when I saw the premise of this novel, and read the synopsis, but I don’t think I was expecting what I got. This book was definitely interesting, and the execution of the plot was okay, not terrible and not something completely novel. Well, maybe since I don’t recall reading a book that deals with memories are used as currency. It’s interesting though. What use would someone have with someone else’s memories, especially when that person is probably not alive anymore?

It looks like the most valuable memory – at least the memory that is “deemed” the most valuable by Madame, the reigning authority in this world – seems to be the one that causes the person the most pain. At least that was the vibe I got from the very beginning, and maybe that makes sense somehow to her. Having the power to allow these people she deems “criminals” to have to relive their worst memories before they are executed seems like a great punishment if I was pure evil, but then, why would that be valuable to someone else? A learning lesson? Something to get off on? I don’t really know.

Maybe it’s a good thing that I don’t live in this world. Who knows what memory I would have to relive.

It’s hard to have strong opinions about novels where the inspiration for it comes from a very personal and vulnerable moment in the author’s life. Sure, it could be easy to try to compartmentalize fact from fiction, the author’s life from the author’s imagined world, but I feel like there’s elements of this story that are so rooted in Mansy’s situation with her own mother that I feel almost unwilling to come at it from an objective perspective. I don’t even know if that makes sense. I feel like I have put myself in her shoes in the best way that I can, and seeing what Etta’s mom had to go through – even just a brief glimpse of it – and not knowing just how much of that stems from truth, really makes me feel emotional. Hurt almost, that this world could be so cruel to these people that aren’t and shouldn’t be deemed as criminals, but are labeled as such because of who’s in charge. That these people can’t even be helped in the proper way because of whatever reasons Madame wants to give.

I don’t even know if this makes sense, anymore. But I had a lot of feelings while I was reading this book, and a part of me knows that while it wasn’t perfect, I don’t know if it really was meant to be. It was an interesting take on the ideas of memories and their value, it was another story that deals with corruption, and the choices that Etta makes throughout this entire story just makes me sit in silence and wonder what exactly I would have done if I were in her shoes.

Honestly, I don’t know what I would do.

Taylor McNeely

The Memory Thief was an intricate take on if the currency of the world was memories. You really don’t think about how having memories taken away from you can impact your life. Until I read this book, I didn’t think about what could happen if I ever lost precious memories because I sold them or they were stolen. It makes you appreciate that nothing like that could ever happen. I loved how it showed the growth of the main character, Etta, who went from trusting no one and only living in the past to learning to trust the people she loves and how it’s okay to remember the past and that it strengthens instead of weakens you. 
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The family and friend love in this book was something I really enjoyed since my love for mine is what makes up a big part of my life. There’s one quote I wanted to share that I felt related to me and my life immensely. In the book, Etta says “My mother once told me our friends make up parts of our souls.” Once I read that quote, I felt very attached to Etta because anyone in my life knows that my family is always first, but if you’re also my friend, you are included in that. My friends mean so much to me and have always been there for me that they’re the family I chose. The one thing I didn’t like about this book was the romance between Etta and Reid. I felt like it was rushed and couldn’t understand or relate to their relationship at all. This is also the second book this month that this has happened to me, so I’m worried I’m just falling out of romance or I just really like slow burn romances now. WHAT’S WRONG WITH ME??!! I CANNOT NOT LOVE ROMANCE, THAT’S NOT ME!!

Sometimes I read a book and I am torn. Objectively, I WANT to love everything about it. The Memory Thief offers so many wonderful things. The world-building concept is fascinating and gorgeously set out. And the plotline folded in well with this world-building concept and offered some deliciously dark intrigue. 

And yet...

Overall the story follows a fairly cliche and told-before storyline. Beyond the intrigue of a world in which memories can be shared and stolen, there wasn't anything that truly engaged me and made this feel like a different story. 

The characters, as well, felt less than unique. The brooding, fierce femme who must go against her better judgement to help her family. The side characters that either is a typical love interest or rebellious friend who makes things more difficult in a wholehearted way. Don't get me wrong. I don't hate these concepts. But there were just so many two-dimensional tropes that I found myself overall disinterested.

This may be a fantastic introduction story to YA fantasy if this isn't your typical genre. But I think die-hard YA SFF fans will feel let down by this book. 

Thank you to Libro.FM and the publisher for providing me with an audiobook copy in exchange for an honest review!

Alicia Haws

DNF at 27%. The premise sounded interesting, but the world-building and characters fell flat for me. Plus it was so info dumpy and the first few chapters were so hard to keep up with. 

*Advanced copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion*

Geneviève Rouleau

I'm so glad I was approved for this ARC of The Memory Thief through Netgalley. I read it as soon as I got my ecopy - a short book is exactly what I was in the mood for. 

I was first drawn to this book because of the absolutely stunning cover. It's also a stand-alone fantasy (we all know how rare these are!) in a dystopian world where memories can be bought and stolen. 

The beginning was confusing, I felt like there was a lot of information thrown at me in just a few pages. But all of that quickly got sorted out, and I rapidly started enjoying it. This book is very fast paced, and at one point, all the twists seemed to be resolved too quickly. That's when I started enjoying the story a bit less. The romance felt predictable and a bit forced, the world building and timeline mixing together in a way that I couldn't make sense out of them anymore. I was also confused by the many characters, with similar names too 😅 When I finished the book, I realized there was a glossary at the end (which would've been very useful to understand the first few chapters), but being an ebook, I hadn't noticed it before. 

Overall, it was a good book with interesting elements, but it fell a bit flat for me. 2⭐

Ashlee

Typically, when I see a book has poor reviews, I give it the benefit of the doubt. That’s what I did in this case, as The Memory Thief has been on my backlist for ages and I wanted to give the audiobook a chance.

Thank goodness this is a short book, because I would have DNF’d it if it were longer. Nothing of consequence happens. Honestly, I am not even sure I could accurately describe *what* happens. 

The world building isn’t even really there. There are people who have the power to take and access memories, and memories are used like currency or as punishment, but I have no idea why or how beyond that. Every character in this is bland, even the villains.

The timeline of events was so rushed and confusing. For much of the book I couldn’t figure out if I was seeing flashbacks or if the character was glimpsing memories with their power or if the timeline was linear, or honestly what was even going on. Everything is rushed and convenient and there is never really a moment in which the author allows the story to simply breathe and play out naturally. It felt like they forced the plot along just to get to the end. 

Honestly, the whole memory thief idea was interesting but pretty much nothing is done with it. It’s a start, for a foundation, but I’ve read better stories with the same idea.

Lauren James

Full review on my blog, Storied Adventures

*I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review!*

I thought this was a great debut for Mansy! It was fun, interesting, had a romance, had adventure, a crazed ruler who needs to be overthrown, and a great ending! I really liked reading about how memories are currency and how Etta has a unique memory gift, even on her world. It’s a bit terrifying to see how a world would be if someone could just touch you and take a memory! They could use it or give it to someone else.
Etta is a very FLAWED heroine. I really liked that. I also loved the forgiveness message in this story. I’m a sucker for those!

Beth Bartholomew

Thank you to Harper Collins for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review. 

This is the story of Etta, a gifted girl, trying to survive in a world where people can take each other's memories. The premise of this book was really interesting to me, who would we be without our memories? Are there things we would choose to forget, or do they all contribute to making us who we are? I wonder if we would want to get rid of the memories that contribute to our more negative attributes? 

Etta is trying to help her mum in this book, she comes across quite a few hurdles in her way. Corrupt would be one word to describe the world this book is set in, twisted and wrong would be another. We see a typical dystopian society here, ruled by one very mean lady. I hadn't read a book like this for a while, so I flew through it and quite enjoyed the obvious plot. The atmosphere was dark and hopeless, there seemed to be no way out of the world that was painted. I really enjoyed this desolate feeling, the author did a good job of reflecting this mood throughout the book. 

So we have Etta, then we have Reid, you're typical and fanciable love interest. He looks out for Etta, they form a bond, he likes her and she likes him. Etta doesn't need anyone to help her out in this world, she is very sure of herself and wants to be her own hero and everyone else's. I really liked her character, but at times she had a bit of a stupid recklessness about her that got on my nerves. 

What I only realised after reading this book, is it was based on the author's fears of her mother passing away. Lauren Mansy's mum was diagnosed with a heart condition and it wasn't clear if she would survive. Mansy was met with the fear of what would happen if her mum didn't make it, what would happen to her memories. From my own experience of loss, there is never enough we could have learnt about someone before it's too late. I'd love to ask relatives questions that I'll never be able to. If you could just inherit the memories of your loved one, would you want to?

Overall, this book was enjoyable and painted a world I could easily fall into. It was a fun and quick read that kept me immersed and entertained throughout.

CH Schoen &
The Memory Thief by Lauren Mansy

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