The Memory Hunters by Mia Tsai

As heir to the temple and an established diver at the Museum of Human Memory Key Strade is one of the most well-known people in Asheburge and Vale her Guardian entrusted to protect Key both from herself and from the public from her should she ever get stuck in a memory. Vale's job is also to ensure that Key follows the rules, even if they do seem suffocating. Key, however, isn't very good at following the rules and after convincing Vale to stay a week out on an expedition to preserve one of the most important memories of not just her career but all of memory diving both women are suspended for a week without pay. For Key this is fine, but for Vale who is supporting her family back home this is the worst possible thing that could happen. On top of this Key seems to have not come back from this memory fully and is determined to go back to the site even if it costs both girls everything. 

Honestly, so I thought this was going to be an interesting little tale where magic mushrooms could help you recall memories, a conversation about preserving the past and blah, blah, blah. Omg was I so wrong. It is part mystery, part government/religious cover-up, part climate disaster conversation, and a giant conversation about artifact theft. Oh yeah and some mushrooms too, although they aren't really magic and more some weird genetic mutation (?) resulting from some very messed up stuff a cult did 240 years ago. 

In terms of characters, honestly, Key and Vale kind of annoyed the crap out of me the entire book. Vale spends a lot of it talking a bunch of mostly valid trash about Key and Key spends a ton of it coming up with ways for Vale to go along with her plans. And when Vale doesn't just doing it anyway and getting everyone in a ton of hot water. That being said I'm not sure I can blame either one of them. Key is a spoiled rotten rich girl who has never really had to work a day in her life. The consequences is not in her vocabulary. Vale on the other hand should have listened to Key, there's something clearly wrong from the minute they find this important memory and since Key is the diver and has the most experienced in this realm when Key said she had a bad feeling Vale should have listened. Basically they just throw each other end the bus a lot and finally stop doing it only after everything explodes around them. 

Side characters were great and the one bad guy was pretty obvious from the start. The other I probably should have caught on right away but didn't. I'm okay with that though it just means my rage was legitimate. 

What is absolutely amazing about this though is this Memory Diving thing people can take these specific mushrooms and dive into memories from Im assuming an sort of genetic material from a human of up to 250ish years ago. I mean honestly, the only thing I can really compare this to is how the Neanderthals in Clan of the Cave Bear can just recall memories from previous gens. The memory diving is absolutely one of the coolest, absolutely you couldn't pay me to do it thing ever. And like seriously not a dime, it sounds like a bad idea to begin with but as the story goes on it just gets worse and worse until its absolutely freaking inhumane. Like, Im not going to give anything more away all I can say is that I can't believe more people weren't saying really loudly "This is so freaking wrong."

The way the Tsai uses the stealing of memories in place of the artifact theft is just absolutely brilliant as well. I think that it really shows how important these artifacts are to people who have lost generations through wars or disease. Objects carry memories and to remove them from their people of origin, especially when the reasons given is they are "safer" in a museum is unacceptable. I can learn another people's culture/history just fine without theft thank you very much. So genuinely hats off to a topic that I just dont see brought up often enough. 

Finally, I am very annoyed that there is a book 2 mainly because I had totally forgotten about this really important thing that happens at one point, just assumed maybe it wasn't important when it never got brought back up and had to find out it was important the hard way: Cliffhanger Ending! 🤣 The wait begins. 

100% recommend this for a relatively quick, edge of your seat, unique story with a ton of stuff to say about our world today through Mushrooms. 

As always thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for the eArc!

p.s. spelling and grammar is atrocious it is very late I will fix in the morning