Happy Book Birthday, The Memory Thief by Rachel Morgan

The Memory Thief

City of Wishes, Book One

by Rachel Morgan

YA Paranormal

125 pages

Every wish has a price … 

In a world of fae, vampires and shifters, where wishes can be bought and bargained for, Elle is human, bound to her stepmother by a slave charm. Her only hope at freedom is to wish for it. But the Godmother rules the illegal wish trade, and the price she demands is steep. Is Elle willing to pay it?

~ ~ ~

It’s just another night of breaking her stepmother’s rules and sneaking out. Another night of drawing as little attention to herself as possible.

Get the job done. Earn a little more Essence. Move one step closer to legitimately purchasing a wish.

But when Elle runs face-first into a charming and handsome faerie—and then ends up in the clutches of a vampire—her usual fly-under-the-radar plans are knocked off course.

It's FREE on Amazon today!!! 

I don't know how long it will last, though.

MY TIDBITS

The cover definitely caught my attention on this one, and the blurb rounded it of to a 'must-read'. And I was not disappointed.

The world is divided into several classes/groups—humans, shifters, vampires and the last which rule all of it, fae. Elle is a human and bound to her step-mother with a slavery charm. Elle is determined to break this bond and free her older step-sister, who is also mistreated, by buying a wish. Luckily, Elle has a secret talent which fae are willing to pay her for, but to get to her clients, Elle must sneak out at night, disguise herself as a fae and meet them usually in clubs. Not only does can she never get caught, but thanks to human disappearances, it's turned into a dangerous endeavor. When she runs into a vampire after serving one of her clients, she has no idea what kind of trouble she's about to face.

The worst thing about this book was that it was too short, and I could have continued reading for hours more. The nods at Cinderella are impossible to miss, but the author does a great job at slipping it with an original style into a paranormal world. The setting in many ways comes across like modern day with clubs, cell phones and cars. The magic of the fae and spice of the other creatures creates a fun and exciting mix. 

From page one, this is a quick paced adventure and hooks from the get-go. Elle is gutsy and clever but her predicament pulls at the heart strings. She's determined to free herself, and it has to do with more than feeling simply mistreated. She also has a wonderful relationship with the older step-sister, which gives the tale a nice dash of friendship and kindness. It's easy to root for Elle and fever for her when she's lands in sticky situations.

There are the beginnings of a romance...or a friendship? This is one of my favorite parts of the tale. While there is royalty in there somewhere and love might blossom between some characters at one point, Elle has enough on her plate for this book to not dig into that end very deep. Not yet. There are hints that the series has much to hold in this direction, but for now, Elle has her hands full of vampires, evil step-mothers, fae on their own missions, slavery, a secret about herself, and finding a way to get her hands on a wish. 

I enjoyed every page and am looking forward to the next book in the series.