This book had such an amazing premise! I loved the unique hierarchy and systems developed, and the world was lush and vivid.

The characters fell a little flat for me, their dynamics and motivations didn't quite make sense, and some of the plot points felt a little all over the place and confusing.

Thank you to Kensington Publishing | Erewhon Books and NetGalley for letting me read this!

I definitely appreciated reading the book, and I think the foreshadowing worked well in that we as readers could see where certain plots or plot points were leading. I really did love how unsubtle the politics and meanings of memory stealing was-- both for the characters and for us. This book definitely had a lot of set up, with the world, the characters, and memory diving.

I am looking forward to reading the next book! Very good cliffhanger, we had.

As heir to the temple and an established diver at the Museum of Human Memory Key Strade is one of the most well-known people in Asheburge and Vale her Guardian entrusted to protect Key both from herself and from the public from her should she ever get stuck in a memory. Vale's job is also to ensure that Key follows the rules, even if they do seem suffocating. Key, however, isn't very good at following the rules and after convincing Vale to stay a week out on an expedition to preserve one of the most important memories of not just her career but all of memory diving both women are suspended for a week without pay. For Key this is fine, but for Vale who is supporting her family back home this is the worst possible thing that could happen. On top of this Key seems to have not come back from this memory fully and is determined to go back to the site even if it costs both girls everything.

Honestly, so I thought this was going to be an interesting little tale where magic mushrooms could help you recall memories, a conversation about preserving the past and blah, blah, blah. Omg was I so wrong. It is part mystery, part government/religious cover-up, part climate disaster conversation, and a giant conversation about artifact theft. Oh yeah and some mushrooms too, although they aren't really magic and more some weird genetic mutation (?) resulting from some very messed up stuff a cult did 240 years ago.

In terms of characters, honestly, Key and Vale kind of annoyed the crap out of me the entire book. Vale spends a lot of it talking a bunch of mostly valid trash about Key and Key spends a ton of it coming up with ways for Vale to go along with her plans. And when Vale doesn't just doing it anyway and getting everyone in a ton of hot water. That being said I'm not sure I can blame either one of them. Key is a spoiled rotten rich girl who has never really had to work a day in her life. The consequences is not in her vocabulary. Vale on the other hand should have listened to Key, there's something clearly wrong from the minute they find this important memory and since Key is the diver and has the most experienced in this realm when Key said she had a bad feeling Vale should have listened. Basically they just throw each other end the bus a lot and finally stop doing it only after everything explodes around them.

Side characters were great and the one bad guy was pretty obvious from the start. The other I probably should have caught on right away but didn't. I'm okay with that though it just means my rage was legitimate.

What is absolutely amazing about this though is this Memory Diving thing people can take these specific mushrooms and dive into memories from Im assuming an sort of genetic material from a human of up to 250ish years ago. I mean honestly, the only thing I can really compare this to is how the Neanderthals in Clan of the Cave Bear can just recall memories from previous gens. The memory diving is absolutely one of the coolest, absolutely you couldn't pay me to do it thing ever. And like seriously not a dime, it sounds like a bad idea to begin with but as the story goes on it just gets worse and worse until its absolutely freaking inhumane. Like, Im not going to give anything more away all I can say is that I can't believe more people weren't saying really loudly "This is so freaking wrong."

The way the Tsai uses the stealing of memories in place of the artifact theft is just absolutely brilliant as well. I think that it really shows how important these artifacts are to people who have lost generations through wars or disease. Objects carry memories and to remove them from their people of origin, especially when the reasons given is they are "safer" in a museum is unacceptable. I can learn another people's culture/history just fine without theft thank you very much. So genuinely hats off to a topic that I just dont see brought up often enough.

Finally, I am very annoyed that there is a book 2 mainly because I had totally forgotten about this really important thing that happens at one point, just assumed maybe it wasn't important when it never got brought back up and had to find out it was important the hard way: Cliffhanger Ending! 🤣 The wait begins.


100% recommend this for a relatively quick, edge of your seat, unique story with a ton of stuff to say about our world today through Mushrooms.

As always thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for the eArc!

p.s. spelling and grammar is atrocious it is very late I will fix in the morning

Loved loved loved the fantasy of this book! I liked that it wasn't just another romantasy book, but had really intricate elements of collective memory and archival work. The fact that it was sapphic made it even better too! Definitely a great read for someone who wants to jump into fantasy but still ruminate on some larger social questions!

Waiter waiter! More magic mushroom-induced sapphic Inception, please!

This is a standout romantic sci-fi that feels fresh while still remaining grounded and accessible. It was trippy, exciting, and full of delicious sapphic yearning.

The Memory Hunters feels reminiscent of some fan-favorites; themes and critiques akin to Babel and Blood Over Bright Haven, exploration of identity and subversive bodyguard/princess intimacy like Gideon the Ninth, and the quick pacing focused on morality and character interiority similar to something like Shadow and Bone. Lots of interesting ideas pulled together to create a mysterious and evocative sci-fi with a slowburn romantic subplot that doesn't overtake the main story.

One of the best bits of the whole book was Vale and her story as a poor, rural girl who moves to the city to support her family by any means necessary. Through her perspective, we explore the feeling of diasporic disconnection; of longing for a homeland ravaged by climate disaster and colonization, and the feeling of immense loneliness and isolation in trying to make a name for yourself in a land that isn't yours. She also canonically has learning disabilities that affect her during the story, but don't take away from her intelligence, independence, and strength, something that I so appreciated. Also, she's entirely adorable while refusing to let any of it show. She's 5'0 and collects ribbons. C'mon.

Vale's character acts as the perfect foil to Key, our princess-like character, which plays into the bodyguard/princess trope so well. Key's princess image is fresh, being a sort of religious icon who performs blessings for the public and has to keep her thoughts and emotions in check at all times. Key is privileged, and sometimes naive to how her choices affect others. While this can be frustrating for some readers, it creates a tension grounded in realistic depictions of identity and privilege, while still playing into the romantic trope that readers might go into the book expecting.

Their slowburn is no joke. The romance finds tension in even the smallest gestures of eye contact and fingers brushing. I loved seeing them together and rooting for them to just shut up and kiss already, damn it!

Luckily, the plot doesn't get turned into "uhh I think some war is happening while the two main characters think about banging each other". Their romance doesn't feel gratuitous, but develops naturally alongside the plot. Tsai creates a gripping tension between the museum, Key's religion, and those who believe in neither. There was a feeling of not knowing who to trust or who to align with which pulled me to keep reading even when I couldn't keep my eyes open anymore. The world was just mysterious enough to beg me to keep discovering and learning.

While I enjoyed the world for what it was, it was flatter than I would have liked. This was one of the rare times where I felt like a book could benefit from being slightly longer. The world often relied on vibes where it could have made biting commentary. For example, I would have loved to experience how the museum and religion played into the politics and class dynamics of the world, especially since the central theme of the book has to do with those who appropriate and benefit from culture, and critiques those who get to rewrite history.

Because the world feels a bit flat, Key's character arc suffers a bit and it makes the plot feel less like a crescendo and more like it slams out of nowhere. Though I still found the narrative intriguing, I didn't feel a sense of gradual discovery and self-reflection via Key's perspective. There was a chance for Key and Vale's rose-colored glasses to be slowly removed, and it would have helped the climax and resolution feel more natural and less rushed.

To add onto that, this book is definitely not for those who favor Sanderson-style, scientific, in-depth magic systems; there is an overwhelming sense of mystery that almost feels mythical. Tsai cleverly writes a world in which history is difficult to access, and there are gaps missing that must be filled via Key and Vale's exploration.

What worked really well for me personally was Tsai's exploration of themes such as identity, memory, and heredity. Tsai's writing really sings when she leans into the abstract rather than the typical romantasy-style voice. At times, Tsai seemed to fall back into over-explanation or heavyhandedness, when the strength of her writing was enough to stand on its own. Her depiction of memory was evocative and inventive and the beauty lied in what was left unsaid.

Overall, I think Tsai is a breakout author with an insane amount of potential. Her ideas are fresh and add to the genre in a meaningful way. As she continues to write confidently and fit into her own unique voice, her works after this one have potential to be massive. I'm excited to see the series continue and where Tsai goes next. I just hope we get more surreal fungal Inception goodness.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley, thank you so much!
Unfortunately I DNFd this book at 20%. The premise of the book sounded so good, but I feel that I didn’t even reach the moment when the story would “click”. I just couldn’t get into it, the writing seemed a bit dry. Every time I picked it up, my brain just kept wandering away, not focusing on the story, so it might be just “me thing” and other readers might find the writing style perfect for them. I think I will try it again in a few months, maybe will wait for an audiobook to come out.

This had a really interesting set up, with the concept of the memory hunters, the vague sense of a prior climate disaster that goes unexplained, the ominous feeling around the clash between the museum and the temple as organizations. Unfortunately, I don't think that the elements that were explored were explored deeply enough for them to be effective, and a lot of others were left unanswered. There was this sort of big reveal moment about the history of memory hunting... but I didn't feel like the present practice of memory hunting or its role in society was explained enough for the surprise to be shocking or have sufficient context. I felt similarly about the reveal related to the fungus (just to avoid spoilers).

It was a very slow moving story, and I do think that some of the relationships between the characters were quite interesting, but that alone was not enough to carry my interest without more happening in the plot. If the plot were a little better explained, I would have really liked to see more of the dynamics between memory hunter and guardian, and how that power dynamic impacts a relationship. I did like seeing how messy some of the characters were together.

2.75 Stars

I wanted to love this book so much! The premise of this book sounded so interesting and right up my ally. However, I just didn't connect with the story in the way that I thought I would.

The world-building was really confusing for me but that could just be a me problem. The pacing was inconsistent and had me struggling to get through large chunks of the book. However, at the end, the pacing did pick up towards the end of the book. I felt like nothing was being fully explained in any aspect.

This could just be an instance of wrong book, wrong time as I am sure there is an audience for this book! I would encourage anyone who wants to read it, to pick it up and give it a try as there are plenty of people with great things to say about it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for the digital advanced copy. All thought and opinions are my own!

The world building in The Memory Hunters is incredible. I just want to be transported and bask in this world. Every time I read I would find out another layer of this world. Tsai creates a world which explores the importance of memory. If we have the ability to experience these lost memories, what could that unlock? What does that say about our family, our past, our history? And what would we do to maintain that history? From the synopsis alone, you know that Key's discovery is going to be huge, but what follows is a story which examines exactly what we would sacrifice to the status quo.

I really wanted to live this, the synopsis was just so my cup of tea. Unfortunately reading the book did not live up to my expectations and at some stage just go so confused that I went back and read passages again which does not make for a fluid read. Sorry, but not for me.

3.5/5 stars

- mycelium memory magic
-dark academia (museums)
-religious institutions
-dual pov
-sapphic/queer*
-dystopian lite**

I have some mixed feelings about this. There's a lot of really cool elements and ideas in this book, but the execution didn't always hit. Using a 'blood chalice mushroom' some people can essential travel back into time to view memories of certain places (they have to find these areas to extract memories from). Key is a "diver" (memory hunter) who works for a museum that collects and displays memories. Her Guardian Vale accompanies her and protects her from black market hunters who want to steal her memories. Key makes a discovery that she feels is important, and has to come to terms with what she believes vs what her employer is asking of her. Key is also the daughter of a famous religious family, and also performs rituals of a kind for the public also to do with memories.

I both liked and didn't like the world-building. I often dislike when world-building is too explainy or doesn't feel natural in character's dialogue. BUT this almost went the opposite in that the explanations for things were fairly sparse. At times I liked reading between the lines and getting to infer meaning into things, it kept things mysterious. But sometimes I was a little confused (I think this was especially prevalent in the areas discussing Key's religion). I'd describe this as dystopian lite** because it seems set in a future that is at least somewhat affected by climate disaster. However, society hasn't crumbled or adapted (another thing that wasn't explained in much detail).

*The romance is slow burn and a subplot - but it is guardian/bodyguard and sapphic :)

I also didn't realize this wasn't a standalone when I started reading and I did honestly want a little more of a complete story arc, versus feeling like we spent a whole book working up to just a second book that now I have to wait for. I am really curious where the storyline goes from here so I will be reading the sequel ...whenever that comes out :')

Thank you to Netgalley and Kensington Publishing for the advance copy.

Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Vomit, Cannibalism
Moderate: Violence, Religious bigotry, Gaslighting
Minor: Medical content, Colonisation

dnf at 25%. this just wasn’t for me; I found the characters too immature and the writing choppy/unsophisticated. the plot didn’t grab me and I just had no interest in continuing.

The concept of this book was really interesting to me, and I was excited to receive an arc of it from netgalley. I loved the idea of diving into memories to learn and preserve history. It also fit right into my go to genre of romantasy.

For me, I would have liked a little more intro to the world and how everything worked. The first chapter felt more like it belonged a few chapters in. This book also didn't keep my continuous interest like other books in the same genre has. I still think this concept was really original and liked the themes she put in this sapphic romantasy.

I'm not positive how I feel about this book. It had some interesting ideas, and the premise sounded fun - Inception mixed with Indiana Jones - but the execution didn't captivate me the way I wanted it to.

There were large parts of the story which felt underdeveloped to me. It is said that "Memory diving is different for everyone," and I think it would have been a fun addition if at least one chapter showed us as much. There is a religion that is portrayed as quite important to one of the main characters, but we don't get much information on it. There are entire civilizations that live outside of the city, which appear to hate The Institute of Human Memory, but it's only unearthed near the very end of the book and arguably only from the opinion of one side character.

On the flip side, the two main characters from whom the POV's of the story are told have more depth. Their sapphic pining, slow-burning relationship was one I enjoyed watching unravel. Additionally, some of the side characters were enjoyable to read, and I probably would have loved their POV included in even a bonus chapter.

Thank you to Kensington Publishing and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader's Copy (ARC) of The Memory Hunters by Mia Tsai.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy

The Memory Hunters by Mia Tsai is a third person dual-POV Sapphic fantasy. Key is a memory diver who can reach further back within blood memories than anyone else. Her guardian, Vale, is sworn to protect Key and to also provide for her family back in the south. When Key finds a memory that indicates the Museum of Human Memory might be manipulating what people know about humanity, it puts both of them in danger.

This has very strong knight x the lady they protect vibes. Guardians protect their divers from other people but also from the memories themselves as divers can get lost if they dive too deep. The guardian and diver will agree on a safe word that the diver must be able to recall once they come back or else there could be consequences, such as reintegration. Vale takes her job as a guardian very seriously and Key herself brings up the knight comparison, which helps highlight this twist on the trope.

One of the themes that is touched on is how not everything belongs in a museum for other people to consume. Mia Tsai mentioned the Appalachians in her acknowledgements and I can absolutely see it in how folk-songs are discussed by Key and Vale. Key suggests Vale taking the songs to the Museum of Human Memory for an exhibit and Vale not only holds onto her promise to get mentor Burdock to not do so, but she pushes back strongly on the idea that the songs should be available for the Museum to record. This is obviously an on-going conversation because preservation of culture is so incredibly important, but so is allowing culture to evolve and exist within the context it was born. It is a question of whether or not a museum would ever truly be able to tell a complete story of why a piece of art exists and if we truly can separate that art from where it originated.

I am half-way between calling this a romantic fantasy and a Sapphic fantasy without the ‘romantic/romance’ designation. The honest truth is that I'm not sure the story actually changes if Vale and Key do not figure out that they are in love with each other and get together or if their feelings remain platonic. There is a constant thread of attraction there and Vale’s conflicting desires to keep her distance from Key so she won't get hurt and the jealousy that pops up every time Key’s ex comes around. I think if the romance voice was a bit stronger I would feel comfortable calling this a romantic fantasy, but, for now, I'm going back and forth on which subgenre this sits in or if it should just be called ‘fantasy’ because it does play with so many subgenres (such as climate fiction).

I would recommend this to readers who love the knight x lady they serve trope and want a Sapphic twist and fans of fantasy that play with multiple subgenres

Sapphic slow burn dystopian story about memory divers and ancient secrets. Let me say this, I honestly had no idea what I was getting into and what the heck was going on. I was so lost in the middle of the book and honestly I never found myself caring at all about the story or the characters. I truly wish I did, I adored the author's previous book so much so I was expecting to love this one too... but it never clicked for me. This one just didn't feel well executed and the story never really hooks you. It's just kind of bland and never feels like it catches or explains to you in a way that would have you wanting to read the next page unfortunately. While this one was a miss for me, I do want to read whatever the author writes next.

Release Date: July 29,2025

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Kensington Publishing | Erewhon Books for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Mia Tsai is back with her sophomore novel, The Memory Hunters, leaving the realm of fun, romantic fantasy and bringing us a new series set in a world rich in memories. It tackles a lot, balancing the importance of history, the nuance of preservation, and the gift of having a community where you belong.

Memories are a powerful thing. They’re collected by Memory Hunters to be housed in the Museum of Human Memory, and the blessed divers at the temple can also sift through patrons’ memories to give them guidance or peace. Memories make the world go round, and there’s even a market for manufactured memories to be sold to patrons for relaxing dreams, entertainment, or escapism. Kiana “Key” Strade is blessed. Not only does she hail from a powerful Memory Hunter and temple-blessed family, but she can hear the ancestors more clearly than any other memory diver. But instead of using her talents at the temple with her mother, she dedicates her skills to the museum and hunts down memories. Her Guardian, Valerian IV, serves as her shield and friend as they navigate dangerous territory. Because the museum isn’t the only group seeking rare memories, and some are sick of having their history stolen. It all comes to a head when Key discovers something big while out in the field, uncovering a secret that has long since been buried.

The concept of memory diving, where both the societal structure and faith have formed around the ability to view and preserve history through the eyes of divers, was interesting. The framework of this memory magic system is there, but it felt very thin and fuzzy. I cannot say with confidence that I understand memory diving at all. It involves fungi somehow, but I truly lack clarity on everything, including how memory diving is done, what the diving protocols are, the use of the reintegration healing process, or how any of the memories are stored and reactivated. The worldbuilding didn’t feel vague on purpose so that more could be uncovered in the series later either; it felt like it was struggling to be conveyed and taught to the reader. My lack of understanding really muddled the major events, and it consistently felt like I was falling behind Key and Vale as they powered through the plot. I didn’t have a good grasp on the “hows” of the magic system to understand why Key and Vale made the choices they did.

Despite some of the issues with the exploration and execution of the world, what Tsai does really well is create an interesting dynamic between Key and Vale. The book hints that the relationship between Memory Hunter and Guardian is anything but simple, and following Key and Vale is where we get to see things get messy. There was some great tension in the first half of the book because neither of them knows how to act and make decisions when it concerns the other. Do they follow the strict protocols established as Hunter or Guardian, or do they act from the concern, closeness, and love developed as a friend? Their situation is complicated because both Key and Vale have a difficult time parsing the right choice for the safety and benefit of the other. When Key is in trouble, her first instinct is to run to Vale, but she also fears she will be met with her Guardian and not her friend. While Vale struggles to determine what actions are in Key’s best interest, is that by following Guardian rules, or is it by listening to the shared understanding she’s developed for her friend?

Tsai added another interesting layer of complication for Key by making her societal standing interfere with the conflict. She is a spoiled, prodigy Memory Hunter who hails from a rich family of revered hunters and a temple leader. Key is talented, and she has the skills and work ethic to back it up, but life has also been gilded and softened to remove any true difficulties for her. So when Key is experiencing something unprecedented and wants to act outside of museum protocol, no one believes her or will cater to her “whims”. Key’s arrogance has always set her apart because she’s better than everyone else. She is already outside the lines of a “normal” Memory Hunter, so when the abnormal begins to plague her, she finds herself isolated because the museum and memory diving protocols are strict and upheld by everyone in the system. When Key tries to state her case, everyone just hears a rich woman throwing a tantrum that the system won’t bend to what she wants, but in reality, Key’s experiences are valid, and she’s uncovered a truth that challenges the system.

Thematically, this book uses the Memory Hunters to explore the ethics of seeking out history and cultural information to lock it away behind museum displays. It simultaneously highlights how climate change is devastating regions near water, and this is why the cultures are being decimated and forgotten in the first place, only to be stolen for the city folk to view in exhibitions. Key as a character serves to represent the collection of these memories for the selfishness of the museum, and she also shows how memories can be shared in the temple to grant people comfort and peace when they seek their family history. Vale comes from the storm-riddled coast region, where the people are poor, hungry, and exerting all spare energy to survive and rebuild after natural disasters. Tsai doesn’t dive into this deeply in book one, but she did plant the seeds for these themes to blossom and potentially influence Key and Vale’s arc for later in the series.

The Memory Hunters has an interesting concept and sparks some great reflection on cultural preservation; however, my mileage with the story suffered from the muddled worldbuilding, some awkward dialogue, and big reveals that I ended up guessing. I enjoyed the first half of the story more when the tension was building, and less so when Key and Vale are trying to problem solve in the latter half. If you’re looking for something a little different this summer, then dive into the funky fungi and explore the memories of this complicated world.

Rating: The Memory Hunters - 6.5/10

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. The thoughts on this story are my own.

DNF at 49%. Really wanted to like this but it wasn’t for me. There was seemingly very little plot up unlit the part I read but what made me pull the plug on this one were the world-building and the characters.

The world-building was almost non-existent and when it was there it was confusing. I’m not very good at imagining the places books are set in but I read fantasy and sci-fi frequently and it has never been a problem. In this case not only I couldn’t picture ANYTHING, but it almost felt like a fanfiction, where the world isn’t explained to you because you obviously already know the original work in which it is set.
The magic system was also convoluted and it didn’t spark any interest in me whatsoever to continue reading past the halfway mark.

The characters were bland, annoying and very immature. One of the two main characters spends the entire time being an annoying brat that thinks that the world revolves around her, the other is woe is me, aggressive and a pushover when it come to the other. Also, you couldn’t pay me to believe that any of them were older than sixteen, and most of these people (even a couple of the secondary characters) were supposed to be mid to late twenties. Just really annoying relationship between all of them.

Maybe it could work for young adult readers and people who don’t read fantasy a lot (the writing in general wasn’t bad) but it unfortunately wasn’t for me.

***Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

LOVE the reference list; anti-museum propaganda my beloved; dangerously close to being a "the only person with decent politics is the villain, actually" media moment but ultimately decidedly not that & I'm very grateful. So many direct quotes from the present regarding curation & custodianship it is at times a bit heavy handed in its messaging, & similarly removing race from the discussion of museums in some ways weakens the message this book aims to deliver, future dystopia be damned. I did have to reevaluate somewhat on finishing & realizing it is intended for adults & not YA as I had assumed based on the writing style & pop-mycology... Still, here I am now eagerly awaiting a sequel & almost regretting getting to read this even earlier than its pub date as I now must wait longer...

Giving this somewhere between 3.5-4 stars, rounded up because I had a good time reading this, especially in the second half.

This is a dystopian fantasy, though I'd argue it's borderline science fiction - particularly since the "magic" here is just a new way to use special mushrooms. The main story revolves around Key, whose job it is to uncover lost memories, but who may have found more than she bargained for; and Vale, her guardian, who needs this job to help her family, but her loyalty to Key may put that in jeopardy.

One of the aspects that most intrigues me is the larger conflict between the Museum, which hoards the memories/history of the people, and the smaller towns and villages that want to keep their memories for themselves. The supposed love and respect for history, mixed with the blatant suppression of it, makes for a really interesting setup.

I'm a sucker for anything sapphic, and the romance is satisfying, though nothing spectacular. If you like bodyguard romances, you'll probably like this. I really like Vale, and the conflicting loyalties she has to wrestle with throughout the book. I struggled more to connect with Key, who's privileged and religious and believes she's always right. But there is significant character growth for both, and they seem to balance each other out nicely.

Overall, while it was slow going at first, I found myself invested by the end, and I'm looking forward to the sequel.