Ratings7
Average rating3.9
From the award-winning author of Amatka and Jagannath—a fantastical tour de force about friendship, interdimensional theater, and a magical place where no one ages, except the young In a world just parallel to ours exists a mystical realm known only as the Gardens. It’s a place where feasts never end, games of croquet have devastating consequences, and teenagers are punished for growing up. For a select group of masters, it’s a decadent paradise where time stands still. But for those who serve them, it’s a slow torture where their lives can be ended in a blink. In a bid to escape before their youth betrays them, Dora and Thistle—best friends and confidants—set out on a remarkable journey through time and space. Traveling between their world and ours, they hunt for the one person who can grant them freedom. Along the way, they encounter a mysterious traveler who trades in favors and never forgets debts, a crossroads at the center of the universe, our own world on the brink of war, and a traveling troupe of actors with the ability to unlock the fabric of reality. Endlessly inventive, The Memory Theater takes us to a wondrous place where destiny has yet to be written, life is a performance, and magic can erupt at any moment. It is Karin Tidbeck’s most engrossing and irresistible tale yet.
Reviews with the most likes.
This is like...a very dark fairy tale. That's what I really enjoyed - the dark spin in psychotic fairies and classic tales like Peter Pan/Neverland. I will say this book employs a lot of metaphors that often felt a bit jarring in their execution and were hard to picture, so if you're the kind of reader easily bugged by that stuff, I would give you a fair warning. Wasn't enough to put me off - I still very much enjoyed this one - it was just noticeable.
3.5 rounded down.
The book has its moments and it's not bad but the way it was told made it so I never really got invested into the characters and even when tragic things happened to them it was like “oh ok” and it probably didn't help that it largely seemed like it was also how Dora felt.