This book may not be for everyone, but I really enjoyed it! It was different from anything that I've read recently and it was like a breath of fresh air. It was strange, but beautiful descriptive writing. There is violence/ abuse within the book, so it may cause triggers for some. I thought it was a unique story and well told.

What a dark, imaginative, and inventive novel! It has all the trappings of a great fantasy novel with it's great villain, adventure, tests, and all the rest but with a gleefully dark edge and haunting sense of melancholy. I really enjoyed Tidbeck's writing here and look forward to more from them!

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the copy!

Excellent writing, vivid fantasy. A little tough to follow and find your footing in the beginning but it is an incredible plot. It reads like a compact, dark, fairy tale and I can see many readers enjoying this.

The blurb for this book sounded amazing. Two friends traveling through the multiverse on a quest to free themselves from the terrible Gardens.

Unfortunately, it just failed to deliver on every level for me.

The two main characters, Thistle and Dora, had interesting origin stories, but never really met their potential. The traveling through the multiverse was surprisingly dull. They did not really encounter anything new or different - I was hoping for some interesting encounters with people from these other worlds, and that just never really panned out. I guess I was hoping for something more sweeping (a la A Darker Shade of Magic). The Memory Theater itself even failed to wow me. I kind of felt like the only action that happened in the book followed the evil Augusta, and the only action that happened there was that she strangled people who annoyed her. There was a very strong sinister vibe throughout the whole book, but largely it felt as if not a lot happened. Despite that, the ending somehow still felt abrupt. Overall, a disappointment.

Content warning: violence against children

Intricately weaving together three parallel plot threads in one neat package, The Memory Theater is an inventive little package about a sister protecting her brother, that brother trying to get his name back, and a frightening noblewoman who discovered time.

Creepy and gorgeously atmospheric, this is a must-read for fans of Scandinavian fairy tales and folklore with darker tones.

I cannot remember the last time I read a book that was so perfect in length. At such a tight package, there are no loose ends, there is enough description to fully immerse the reader. Each of the three main characters have a satisfying character arc. Sentences are short and deliberate, with the word choice that is a feat of precision. The Gardens come alive and the crossroads aren’t as they seem. People shed their skin and change identities. The presentation is seamless and dreamy, even when the reverie turns into a nightmare.

This book read like a fairy tale with a satisfying set of rules that were only shown in terms of reactions. Augusta wasn’t supposed to know what time was, and we only know because Mnemosyne kicks her out. Names carry such meaning, and the only way the reader finds out the cost is through consequence. The characters ebb and flow through cause and effect, and it works so well to keep the reader suspended in that dream.

A goth fairy tale I definitely want to reread in the near future to get more of its essence.