The Memory Eater by Rebecca Mahoney: Worth it?

The Memory Eater by Rebecca Mahoney: Worth it?

By Haylee Crapo

In The Memory Eater, Rebecca Mahoney uses her skills to merge together genres wonderfully; the book being mostly paranormal based, with both a tad bit of suspense, historical references, and even some romance sprinkled on top. The novel is well rounded and will keep you on your toes, left and right plot points you never would have thought of slapping you in the face lovingly.

The Memory Eater features a long history with a hungry spirit that eats memories, the Memory Eater, and her intertwined past with the Harlow’s. It has been the Harlow's duty for generations to work together to keep this spirit contained. Their methods? Well, use her hunger for profit. The Memory Eater will eat the memories of those willing to pay the money, and it’s the Harlow’s duty to keep the spirit in check when these transactions take place. Now, Alana Harlow must take upon the work that’s been placed on her shoulders as after her grandmother’s death and her mother’s estrangement, it is now up to her to keep the business alive and the Memory Eater trapped. But what happens when she fails? When the Memory Eater is now loose in Whistler Beach, Maine, and is starving for revenge?

I’m not the biggest fan of ghost stories, or paranormal books in general–it just hasn’t been something I run too. This book, however, I picked up as a challenge to go out of my comfort zone and I have never been more happy with the outcome; this novel is certainly a wonder filled to the brim with complex characters, a thoroughly thought out history, and a clear plot that made sure that I wouldn’t put it down until I knew what happened next. Now, this wasn’t my favorite book of all time–the plot was a little rushed, scenes switching without me realizing, and there was little description, so it was hard to imagine everything going on in the book–but it’s not bad!

Yes, this book is worth it, every single word. With an electric main character, a supporting cast worth dying for, and a world where memory eating spirits simply exist, how can it not be? And once you finish reading, The Memory Eater will leave you wondering who really is a villain, and if that villain really is evil at all.

4/6 stars!