3.5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
This fun debut urban fantasy is packed full of mythical creatures, lovable messy morally gray characters, and thinly veiled Twilight references, with a little twist of dark academia deliciousness. While some of the plot and voice felt a little bit loose to me, I still really had fun with this novel. A great read for a cozy fall afternoon.
The story takes place between RIDER, an academic institution in New York City studying all manner of magical phenomena, and the supernatural scene of Washington, D.C. It follows the journey of Zoey (nee Bess) who is being housed and studied at RIDER because she’s a normal human who mysteriously became immortal in a magical accident 200 years prior. She’s also the sister of a criminal vampire who’s suspected to have been terrorizing the magical community for the past 200 years. But when she is granted an exception to leave the walls of RIDER for the first time in a century and travel to Washington, D.C. she finds everything is not exactly as it seems.
She meets a ragtag cast of characters there, including a witch-in-training named Charlotte who is believed to be at risk of vampire attack, two young werewolves. We are also introduced to her RIDER colleagues Tristan, Mirza, and ex-lover Augustine. They hatch a plan together to bring down Theo, Zoey’s deranged vampire brother.
But when they meet him, they discover everything is not exactly as it seems. The studies RIDER has been subjecting Zoey to are notorious and go deeper than she ever knew. Theo opens her eyes to a world she had never seen before, and there’s no going back once she uncovers it.
The plot was fun, if a bit bonkers. Things take a pretty drastic twist about 60% of the way through that I didn’t see coming, but if you can suspend disbelief and just enjoy the crazy, creature-riddled ride, you’re in for a fun ride.
I had a good time with this book. I felt the world-building did leave a little bit to be desired, because the scope was so big and included so many magic systems/creatures/etc. As such, we didn’t get to really dig deep into the academic world it’s set in, and I would have liked more of that. But I do think that would have made for a darker book, and keeping it light is part of why I liked it. Overall, a super fun read for an airplane ride. Definitely pick this one up for some spooky fun!

This was cute and fun! It was a little cheesy and over the top at times, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. I would have liked more flashbacks to the 18th century throughout the book instead of just the beginning. I liked Zoey’s growth in the book and her relationship with her brother, Theo. Charlotte and The House were definitely the best characters. A super fun, low stakes fantasy, with lots of different creatures. I don’t know if this is going to be a series or not (it doesn’t need to be, it wrapped up very nicely) but I would definitely read more books set in this world!

This one an awesome debut novel. I couldn't put it down! It has everything I like in one book. Mystery, supernatural, humor. Great character building. It definitely pulls you in from the start and makes you want to know more. I can't wait for the rest of the series!

I throughly enjoyed this novel. In fact, it’s one of the few lately that has held my attention throughout the entire story. While I could see a few things coming, I never felt like rushing though it. I would definitely recommend it to friends.

All I needed to see in the book description to become hooked was "The Vampire Diaries meets The Da Vinci Code." This is a perfect read for newbies to the adult fantasy and magical realism genres. The premise of a young girl investigating her inability to age reminds me of the premise of one of my favorite films, "The Age of Adaline." There is something so uniquely cinematic about this story that completely consumes the reader from page one!

Okay I had a bit bigger and higher expectations for this one, but I have to admit it fell a bit flat. Still recommend though!

I really wanted to like this book! The cover? Adorable. The blurb? Amazing. The execution? Boooringggg. I couldn't get in to the writing style, it felt like a really bad teen drama and I didn't find a single character likeable. It felt like the no name version of Addie LaRue.

Thank you so much for this ARC!

DNF @ 30%

3.5 stars

With some twists that I was not expecting, Memories, Lies, and Other Binds does an excellent job setting the scene and then ripping it out from underneath you.

For an immortal being, Zoey doesn’t live a very full life. Spending her days trapped within an organisation, completing research, not even allowed to leave the building for a cronut, I’m not sure how she hasn’t died of boredom. However, being allowed to join the team tasked with tracking down and taking out her vampire brother is about to make some serious changes to her world and the life she thinks she knows.

While the setting is supernatural, the characters and their emotions are grounded and believable. It makes sense that Zoey would want revenge on the brother who slaughtered her family and destroyed her future, that the organisation she works for would require therapy to figure out how a spell misfired and granted her immortality, and that she would still be a little in love with the partner who left her but that she still works with.

Unfortunately, with the large cast of characters and only Zoey’s perspective, it’s hard to connect. Zoey is believable, but she’s not very interesting. I’m not sure how you take an immortal with a vampire brother and make her boring, but Zoey is dull. Her routines, aversion to technology, predilection for research, and inability to leave her workplace aren’t exciting, making it difficult to get through the book's first half. It does pick up eventually, but no one’s base characteristics change, so it is an ongoing struggle to care about what may happen to these characters.

The ending is a little strange and a little abrupt. But it does provide some closure. Overall, I enjoyed the direction this story took; it just took me longer to read than it should have.

*Thank you NetGalley for a free advance copy of Memories, Lies and Other Binds in exchange for a fair and honest review*
I would like to give proper respect to Foraker for a solid debut novel. This story had an interesting take on the supernatural/paranormal. While I was curious about this new world being unraveled, it was slightly lackluster and mostly predictable.
The world-building was a notch above sufficient. I was able to envision this alternate reality adequately. The writing seemed pretty textbook with just enough imagery to set it apart from a standard story. Some of the descriptions were so in-depth but that just so happened to be regarding things that were inconsequential to the actual story. The outfits that everyone wore were not in any way relevant to the actual story. The interior design of each abode did little to add to the story itself. Don't get me wrong, I appreciated the description. It definitely added some flair to an otherwise mundane book..
The main point against this book was the character development. It just fell flat. I didn't find myself drawn into any of them, really, as they were all slightly undeveloped and cliche. Our main character was surprisingly immature given her centuries of existence. For someone over 200 years old, she was lacking so much real-life experience. To me, she just seemed to put off shy, angsty, immature teen vibes.
The story itself was unique enough. Parts of it were quite enjoyable. It just seemed to be standard writing with a healthy sprinkling of imagery to keep me entertained. I was a little put off by the naivete of the story itself with the obligatory and random additions of hip, new terminology, and even some compulsory LGBTQ.
Overall, this book was just enough. It was just good enough. The story was just enough to keep me interested. The world-building was just enough to create a scene in my mind. The character development was just enough to prevent a DNF. The writing itself was just enough to award 3 stars.

Thanks to @netgalley & Katy Foraker for approving me for an arc copy of this book!

It is a really intriguing world with all the supernatural creatures and an organisation that’s there to help either control them or monitor them. We see vampires, werewolves, fae, mermaids and so many other creatures!

I initially thought the story was quite disjointed but then there is a part where it all seems to line up. I also really enjoyed the ending which pushed it up half a star.

Zoey is a great MC, I loved going through this story with her and seeing her find herself. She’s been cooped up at RIDER for hundreds of years without really exploring the outside world so when she hears that her brother - a dangerous vampire - might be behind witch murders that are happening she takes the opportunity to hunt him and try and take revenge for all her has done.

I loved the chemistry between Zoey and the other main characters, I did have a few suspicions about a few characters which turned out to be correct so keep an eye out 👀🤣 there is definitely more to the murders than meets the eye.

This was a fun book with some dark elements and it was enjoyable, I guess I was just hoping for more? I wish there was a bit more differentiation between the past and the present, and I guess I was just hoping for more of an emotional punch to the story. It is a good story but not one I’m sure I’ll continue with or reread.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC! Katy Foraker has penned a beautify debut novel.

Zoey is an immortal human at RIDER studying vampires with an emphasis on the "Top 10 Most Wanted" that includes her brother, Theo. While a serial killer is on the lose in the city with dozens of witches lost; Zoey finds herself in the center of the action.

This novel was a perfect fall/spooky season read that I would definitely recommend anyone to add to their autumn TBR!

The premise was SO interesting, but the writing style pulled me out of it so fast that I had to give up about four chapters in. If you can bear with the pervasive issues of style such as stating the obvious, needless repetition, and pace-destroying descriptions of every minor character's hair color, then it is likely worth the time.

Perfect spooky season book to curl up with. Good plot, finally another good dark academia book, that moves along (and even when it doesn't it picks up again). The premise is good, and also the comparisons to "if you like..." Actually mean something as s opposed to being just popular titles/shows that have no resemblance to the book just to grab readers.

2.5 stars. Enjoy!

I really enjoyed this book. It was well written and very different I did not expect the twists throughout the story.

I definitely recommend this book if you like to get wrapped up in a world with vampires, witches, werewolves and other creatures!

4 stars. Many thanks to NetGalley for letting me read Memories, Lies, and Other Binds in return for a honest review. I really enjoyed this book. Perfect read for Halloween. Full of mystery and magic that had me hooked from the beginning.

This was a great debut. Loved the plot, the characters, the mystery, all of it. This was dark academia at it's finest and perfect for fall.

Full review and Instagram post to come shortly

I LOVED this so much! It combined so many of my fav bits of media into one (tv shows, movies, comics, etc) and I can’t wait for a sequel!

This is a story about a tangled web.

This book had such an interesting base concept! The RIDER aspect is really cool, and it’s a fun creature feature for spooky season. The middle didn’t fit perfectly for me, but I’ll happily read something else by the author.

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️. 💫/5

I really enjoyed this book! I requested this on NetGalley as soon as I saw Vampire Diaries and dark academia.

This was a really great debut. I am someone who usually has a hard time getting through the world building portion of books, but the world building did not feel overwhelming or slow! This was definitely an exciting read, however sometimes the pace of the book felt a little "off." There were times were I felt like everything was happening super fast and it was hard for me to keep up, but then there were other times the story seemed to move too slow. I did however love all of the characters and felt they were developed really well! I also love when a book keeps me on the edge of my seat once you hit those few final chapters and this one definitely did. It kept me guessing up until the end! This was also the perfect supernatural read for autumn but I would have loved reading it any time of the year.

I am looking forward to more from this author!

Thank you to Netgalley and Katy Foraker for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Really cute book. Pacing is a little off sometimes, but the plot and characters were great. I thought Zoey was quirky and witty. There were several times I laughed out loud at pop culture references. The story is unique and I enjoyed the world building. I can’t quite see the comparisons to vampire diaries, so you might want to market that differently, but it’s definitely a good paranormal story. I Would have liked a *little* more oomf to hook me, but overall it was a good debut book. The cover art was beautiful.