I received a copy of this from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.

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 tradition in which a “worthless” person’s memories are sold to the highest bidder before she is 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.

Title: The Memory Thief

Author: Lauren Mansy

Genre: Ya Fiction, Fantasy

Publisher: Blink

Release Date: October 1, 2019

Seventeen-year-old Etta Lark never imagined herself going back to The Shadows, a rebel group she betrayed years ago.

But when an envelope arrives on her doorstep from Craewick’s tyrannical ruler, Madame, she’s left with no choice.

Madame has threatened to put her mother up for auction, which means that her memories will be sold to the highest bidder and transferred to them, ultimately killing Etta’s mom.

The leader of The Shadows is not happy to see Etta again. Her betrayal had consequences that nobody could forget. So he tells her she must embark on a dangerous quest to steal a map of a jail called “The Maze”.

“The Maze” is a horrific place in a realm ruled by a ruthless and widely feared man. That map may hold the opportunity for Etta to right some of her wrongs.

He partners her up with one of his pledges, a young man named Reid, and they set off on a journey neither one of them were prepared for.

There are so many wonderful things I could say about this book! I actually read the majority of it in one day. I just couldn’t put it down!

What I loved:

1. The world building was gorgeous, especially as Etta and Reid travel through the realm on their quest. I actually wish we could’ve experienced MORE travels.

I would’ve loved to hear atmospheric descriptions of all of the 4 realms.

Perhaps in a sequel?

2. The characters. I found the majority of the people to be relatable and super easy to picture in my head. Even those that weren’t actually there, but we only got glimpses of through memory flashbacks.

3. The flashbacks. Okay. I know that some people were bothered by the frequent flashbacks of memories, especially because they were used as a way to fill in the backstory. If this were a different book, maybe I’d be bothered, but in this case I thought they were appropriate. In fact, I actually really loved those little glimpses into her life before.

I also feel that it’s important to see the contrast between those special memories so that we can understand why she is the way she is now.

4. This got me actually really thinking a lot about my own relationship to my memories. How would I feel if at any moment, with a brush of a hand, I could lose one? What would I choose to give up? How would it change me in terms of who I am now if I erased the bad ones?

There are so many possibilities. It’s like a rabbit hole.

Now, to what I didn’t love as much:

There are a couple things I wasn’t that fond of, but they weren’t enough to make me want to throw my kindle or regret those lost hours of my life.

1. (Kinda spoiler): Insta-love. I will give this one credit, as this was a SUPER mild case.

It wasn’t over-the-top or blatant. Buutt, it was there, no doubt. I mean, they were only together for, like, a week.

2. There’s a point in the book where there’s a twist. At that point, it feels like the entire BOOK takes a twist with the pacing, intensity, and even the character personalities. I don’t really know how to explain it.

3. The ending. It might have been just me, but I was a bit confused and had to go back and make sure I hadn’t skipped some pages or something.

It wasn’t bad after I realized it was meant to be that way. I was just a little thrown off for a minute.

That being said, I don’t want those things to dissuade anyone from reading this book. Even with the above things mentioned, this is a wonderful book with a captivating fantasy world you can easily find yourself getting lost in, enough twists and turns to keep you on you toes, and a main character whose journey will undoubtedly touch your heart.

I would absolutely still recommend this book, in fact I just told my husband yesterday that I wished it had been one that we has read together. I know he would have enjoyed it just as much as I did.

Coffee talk:

What about you? Do you think you would want to live in a world where memories could be bought, sold, or even stolen from you? I think I’m a person who clings to the past a little TOO much.

I’ve been told I never live in the moment. It’s true. It complicates things. It brings on anxiety or depression sometimes, so maybe it would be a little nice to just hand one off and move on.But then I think about Etta. In the book, she’s a “Gifted”. Meaning she has the ability to take memories from people. Sometimes, she does it on accident.

When does that gift become a curse? How do you find the balance? How do you keep yourself from being a thief of something so precious?

I could honestly probably go on about this forever with 500 different variables. It really does give you something to think about! Feel free to chime in.

I know I haven’t really made any friends yet.

According to everything I’ve read on Pinterest about blogging, I’m failing. 😆☠️

I’m gonna be posting about that one very soon.