Memoria is a story that has a lot going for it. It has a main cast that are both enjoyable to read and deep enough to care about, as well as a story that hits most of it's emotional beats really well. It's both a world and a cast that's easy to get invested in, and a story that keeps you on the edge of your seat until the very end.

That being said, it's not without fault.

The deadline and word limit definitely seem to constrict the scope of the story quite a bit, resulting in the last few chapters having a breakneck pace and feeling somewhat underbaked as a result. I can only describe it as "first draft syndrome," where the limitations of the story only become apparent to the writer towards the end of the draft, causing the ending to suffer more than the beginning and middle. This is the sort of thing that's easily buffed out on a second draft, and if major rewrites are done that fix this problem I'll happily recant this statement.

It also has a tendency to be very heavy-handed with symbolism in a way that sometimes feels like a lack of trust in the audience. I know what it's like to desperately want your audience to understand what you're going for, but when it beats you over the head with it's point it can feel jarring at times. This only occurs in a small handful of places across the whole story, so it doesn't ruin it or anything, but those few instances feel quite of place in turn.

Other than a couple of strange creative decisions that are really just personal preference, these are my only complaints. Memoria, for the most part, delivers what it promises and more. High emotional stakes, fluid action, interesting world building and character conflicts to fully invest yourself in.

Is it perfect? Far from. Is it worth reading? Definitely