Book Review: Memory Thief
Original review written 10/10/23
Title: The Memory Thief: Thirteen Witches (#1)
Author: Jodi Lynn Anderson
What’s it about?
Rosie's never really had a childhood. Her mother's more like a shell then an actual whole person. She knows Rosie (she thinks) but all she does is work and stare out of the window waiting for "him" to come out of the water, so Rosie's taken on the responsibilities of shopping, cooking, cleaning and making sure the bills are paid.
Maybe that's why she loves writing fairy tale like stories she makes up. But when her best friend Germ tells her it's time she grows up, Rosie vows to end her story writing days.
That's when things got weird. She discovers that her house has been housing ghosts since before Rosie was born. But that's not all! Her mother has a secret, a huge secret and there's a chance to really get to know her mother, not just her shell. And now her life is at risk and the only people she has to fight by her side are Germ and a her new best ghost friend, Ebb.
It's all or nothing and just in a few nights, she could live her last.
Favorites:
Favorite Character: I think I'm going to go with Rosie on this one. I know, it's kind of the obvious choice, but I kind of love how strong and independent she is. I love how she protects those she cares about and I love her weapon!
Least Favorite Character: Again, I'm sure this will be no surprise, but the memory thief. First of all, any body who goes after kids, instantly loses a ton of cool points with me. But the fact that she literally steals memories and continues to feed off of those memories is pretty cruel.
Favorite Part: It's less if a scene and more of an aspect of the book. SPOILER ALERT!!! I loved how important imagination is to the world in this universe. Not only does Rosie's imagination bring her so much joy and help her cope with with a hard life, it plays a huge part in the adventure she embarks on in this adventure.
Least Favorite Part: I think the very beginning. There's nothing wrong with it, and it does have its importance, but it felt like it didn't feel like it fit in with the beginning of the rest of the book.
Other Thoughts:
I'm not entirely sure what makes me feel this way, but I totally think there's some Hocus Pocus vibes happening here. Maybe it's the fact that kids are fighting against witches, or that the form and allegiance with someone who isn't all together alive anymore. Maybe it's becuase it's intended for a similar age group. I'm not entirely sure, but I know I feel it.
There's a lot of kid, girl power here. After all, it's Rosie who fights for her life and who is ultimately the one who has to do the fighting. I love that she has to look inside herself to find answers. I also love that Rosie is struggling with that totally relatable coming of age problem of trying to figure out who she is and how she fits into the world around her but, mostly, how Germ and her fit together as they grow up and make different choices. I also loved that, even though Germ was discovering boys and makeup and Rosie could care less about such things, that Germ was loyal and loving. She wasn't going to run and was willing to risk her own life for her best friend.
I did, however, have some questions, questions I would have loved to have answered while I was reading, though I may be thinking a little too much about this. But, if Rosie's mom was a shell of herself all of Rosie's life, then who took care of Rosie? Who taught her how to do the things she did? Who protected rosie? Because while 12 year olds may have figured it all out, I'm pretty sure a new born wouldn't have. I'm also not quite sure how child services was never called on them, at which point, Rosie would have been taken away. But, of course, then we just wouldn't have our story...
But it was a fun and engaging book. I loved that there was some dark sides to it but it wasn't overtaken by dark and not all of the "dark" characters were bad. I was, however, a little frustrated when I finished that I didn't have the next book in the series to carry on. Before I read the second one, I will be sure I have all of the available books in the series in hand!
Ratings:
I give this book a
7
out of
10 moths
But that's just what I thought. What did you think? Did you hate it? Did you love it? Let us know what you thought in the comments!
