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a_libra_library's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I loved the witch hunter storyline. I can't wait to see what comes from this series. It touches some strong topics like parent / child relationships, neglect, growing friendships and just getting older.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment, Child abuse, Medical content, Child death, Death, and Grief
e_lace's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
I am a big May Bird fan so I was very excited to see a new book from Jodi Lynn Anderson and I definitely was not disappointed.
The Memory Thief is the story of Rosie, a girl just beginning to enter middle school who has spent her entire life looking after herself and escaping into the stories she writes herself in order to deal with her mother's neglectful parenting. I think the thing that Jodi Lynn Anderson has always done best is build magic into the world in a wonderfully believable way, making it feel as if magic belongs in the world we live in now even if we can't see it. This book deals in quite a heavy hand of child neglect, making it a lot more somber than I think I was expecting the story to be. But Anderson cleans it up quite nicely as a phenomenon that isn't Rosie or her mother's fault. Rosie's mother is neglectful because her memories have been stolen by the titular character, a witch called the Memory Thief. Before she was born, Rosie's mother was a witch hunter herself but after losing her husband and giving birth to her first child(ren), the Memory Thief finally caught up to her and stole so much of her memory that by the time Rosie reached junior high school, she had completely forgotten how to love her own daughter. The story is both an interesting way to talk about child neglect and even generational grief while still being a fun, inspiring fantasy story.
The book is definitely for older middle grade readers, especially the type of child who has read through all of the mainstream fantasy stories (Harry Potter in particular) and is maybe looking for something quick and new. In addition to it's dealings in rather depressing topics, The Memory Thief hits on the topic of growing up, specifically in that context of shifting from a child to a teenager and leaving behind all of the make believe and magic of a naive mind.
There were only a few things in this book that I wasn't absolutely in love with.
1. There were a lot of references to Harry Potter, mostly a repeated reference to Rosie's "Lumos" flashlight that I appreciated at first and thought the symbolism of was valuable, but then just felt repetitive like seeing the same product placement in a movie over and over. It started to feel like the book was specifically for Harry Potter fans, and though I recognize that Harry Potter is the most well recognized children's/YA fantasy series out there, it did feel a bit dated? Certainly a lot of kids have read Harry Potter, but it felt weird that that was the main fantasy touchstone for a book released in 2021.
2. I haven't read much other Jodi Lynn Anderson outside of May Bird, and I was surprised by how the worldbuilding in this book was pretty much the one thing that really set it apart from that book. Of course May is situated in a different state, has a pet, and a mother that remembers how to love her, but it was interesting that there were multiple times where I felt like I could have switched out Rosie's name for hers and been left with the same story. May is a reedy, pale, short dark haired kid who is constantly absorbed in nerdy things and in escaping her own world through fiction. She has few friends save for the cat she resents and she has had ghosts watching over her since she was born. there's even a point where she picks up a bow and arrow and though it doesn't become her main weapon, I definitely had a flash to that original May Bird Warrior Princess cover Even Ebb felt like a mix between Lucius and Pumpkin from the Ever After Series in a way that kind of made the book a bit boring. I enjoyed the characters in the Memory Thief but when they started to feel like reskins of May Bird characters I kind of lost the magic.
The Memory Thief is the story of Rosie, a girl just beginning to enter middle school who has spent her entire life looking after herself and escaping into the stories she writes herself in order to deal with her mother's neglectful parenting. I think the thing that Jodi Lynn Anderson has always done best is build magic into the world in a wonderfully believable way, making it feel as if magic belongs in the world we live in now even if we can't see it. This book deals in quite a heavy hand of child neglect, making it a lot more somber than I think I was expecting the story to be. But Anderson cleans it up quite nicely as a phenomenon that isn't Rosie or her mother's fault.
The book is definitely for older middle grade readers, especially the type of child who has read through all of the mainstream fantasy stories (Harry Potter in particular) and is maybe looking for something quick and new. In addition to it's dealings in rather depressing topics, The Memory Thief hits on the topic of growing up, specifically in that context of shifting from a child to a teenager and leaving behind all of the make believe and magic of a naive mind.
There were only a few things in this book that I wasn't absolutely in love with.
1. There were a lot of references to Harry Potter, mostly a repeated reference to Rosie's "Lumos" flashlight that I appreciated at first and thought the symbolism of was valuable, but then just felt repetitive like seeing the same product placement in a movie over and over. It started to feel like the book was specifically for Harry Potter fans, and though I recognize that Harry Potter is the most well recognized children's/YA fantasy series out there, it did feel a bit dated? Certainly a lot of kids have read Harry Potter, but it felt weird that that was the main fantasy touchstone for a book released in 2021.
2. I haven't read much other Jodi Lynn Anderson outside of May Bird, and I was surprised by how the worldbuilding in this book was pretty much the one thing that really set it apart from that book. Of course May is situated in a different state, has a pet, and a mother that remembers how to love her, but it was interesting that there were multiple times where I felt like I could have switched out Rosie's name for hers and been left with the same story. May is a reedy, pale, short dark haired kid who is constantly absorbed in nerdy things and in escaping her own world through fiction. She has few friends save for the cat she resents and she has had ghosts watching over her since she was born.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment and Child abuse
Moderate: Child death and Grief
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