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.

Memory thief Etta Lark is desperate to live outside of the corrupt culture, but she 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 practice in which a “criminal’s” memories are sold to the highest bidder before being 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.

To rescue her mother, Etta must prove her allegiance to the Shadows by stealing a memorized map of the Maze, a formidable prison created by the bloodthirsty ruler of a neighboring Realm. Etta faces startling attacks, unexpected romance, and, above all, her own past as she uncovers a conspiracy that challenges everything she knew about herself and the world around her.

In a place where nothing is what it seems, can Etta ever become more than a memory thief?

“As evidenced by The Memory Thief, author Lauren Mansy has a genuine talent for narrative storytelling and an authentic flair for originality. A riveting great read with more plot twists and turns than a Disney Land roller coaster…” - Midwest Book Review

“A thought-provoking and unique YA fantasy, The Memory Thief is a engrossing and lovely story. Twists and turns keep the reader guessing as they follow Etta on her physical and mental journey.” - YA Books Central

“Mansy’s debut will delight fantasy readers who revel in fully developed settings and unusual powers.” - Booklist

“Lauren Mansy's debut novel, The Memory Thief, is a compelling, darkly fantastic tale, in which memories serve as commodities to be stolen, bartered or auctioned to the highest bidder … A welcome addition to the YA fantasy canon, The Memory Thief is a suspenseful page-turner, delightfully chock full of unexpected twists and turns …” - Shelf Awareness

Shelf Awareness Full Review & Interview