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.

It's a no from me.

This was just not good in my opinion unfortunately. I hate saying that but it's how I feel. The execution of the plot was quite terrible, even though at it's core it was a good idea! It just wasn't played out well. Things jumped around all over the place and the character felt completely flat. I lost interest pretty quickly because I was also just so bored.

Disclaimer: I was given a temporary eARC of this book via NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

The premise of memories as currency is an interesting concept, I had actually seen it before in an episode of Doctor Who. The concept was intriguing but I found the execution lacking. I was actually not able to finish this book because it just couldn't keep my attention. I hate not finishing a book, but I just couldn't do it in this case.

this book was an ok read. the concept of memories being treated like currency was really interesting to me, but unfortunately this book did not really deliver what I was expecting.

my biggest complaint is that the writing felt very juvenile - like it should have been marketed as a middle grade instead of young adult (expect that the main character is supposedly 17 i believe). i just didn't find myself connecting to any of the characters or believing their motives, and the world building was sort of flat.

it's not a bad novel and i did enjoy reading it, but i feel like i was not really the target audience here.

Memory is power. In the novel, memories are currency and power. The book follows a young girl, Julietta, who struggles with guilt and value.

I think the premise of the novel is interesting; however, I ultimately did not care about the resolution of the novel's conflict or the characters.

I enjoyed that writing and memory are forefront throughout the text.

While this was a book that offered an example of great strength in the face of adversity in the name of family, I found the story to be lackluster and long. The descriptions I craved weren't there and the system was a little confusing (thank you for the glossary, as it saved me from going crazy). I'm sure some of my problem with this book was my own lack of concentration while reading this story, but it just wasn't able to capture my attention in that classic way of "I need to get back to that book!"
It did offer a message of hope in that though you're facing something monumental at this moment, it's possible to overcome it and be successful on the other end. That was a great message throughout the book.

3.5/5 Stars for this YA Fantasy!

This is a really unique story, which was great! I didn't have a great connection to any of the characters, leading to the 3.5 star rating. I did enjoy the story quite a bit, and the adventures throughout. The book is action packed! What I loved most was the author's note at the end, where she shares a personal story about where the idea of the book came from. That was really special! If you're looking for a unique YA Fantasy story, I definitely recommend it! And isn't this cover fantastic?!

This was an interesting read. I'm going with a 3.75 star rating for this novel. As much as I enjoyed the concept of this story with memories being currency -- unique idea -- this was extremely fast paced. Definitely had room to become a duology or trilogy instead of a standalone.

Juiletta aka Etta is 17 years old and she's stuck in a hard position. She betrayed her former crew to the leader of the town to save her mother only to be betrayed by the leader of the town in the end. She's a Gifted who doesn't use her powers due to her mother's coma. Etta is a pretty kick butt heroine, but she's also frustrating with some of the thoughts and decisions she makes. She could pretty powerful if she wasn't afraid to really use her powers.

I enjoyed cast of other characters, but they lacked real development. Things were pretty much you see what you get and sometimes even quick changes that would be unexpected without build up. The different realms in the world were definitely intriguing. I would have loved to have more about them.

My favorite aspect of this story was definitely the various powers of the Gifted and how they operate. The idea of memories being used as currency was so intriguing to me. I definitely plan to re-read this down the line because it is a good read.

Let me just say, however, I adore the cover of this book!

YA Dystopian and Fantasy are my jam, and while I enjoyed The Memory Thief, it was not a 5 star read for me. The characters are interesting, and the world building is fairly well done, but there were too many convenient plot devices and neat endings for me, I like my fantasy a little less tied up.

The talents or "Gifts" were an interesting twist, but I felt that there was not enough backstory or detail for them to be clearly fleshed out.

Overall, 3 stars, almost 3.5

Well... this ride was unexpected.

I was SO happy when I was approved for this ARC, but had such a hard time jumping into the story... more than once I thought about DNFing it, but I kept reading until a major plot twist that left me no choice but to go on. I liked the book, but it felt more like an okay-read than a loved-loved-read for me, maybe because I wasn't entirely at ease with the memory-thieving concept (I know, I know, it's in the book title...). But I came to understand a lot in the second part of the book. Finally, the ending is too long and too beautiful, I felt annoyed by it.


Many thanks to Blink Publishing for the complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.