Sadly, this was deeply unsatisfying. I was taken by the gorgeous cover and interesting premise, but the writing is so cold and detached that I couldn't feel anything for the characters, least of all Lavender. I understand that she's dealing with grief and memory loss, but as a protagonist she' really frutrating. For one thing, she spends the majority of the book angry at her ex-best friend Guste over something she doesn't even remember, all the while the boy is endlessly helpful and kind to her.

The setting is basically your generic, vaguely British-inspired fantasy setting. Lavender's father is an apothecary, Guste's mom owns a bakery. I don't think school exists in this world, but kids Lavender's age go out in town and get apprenticeships wherever they can. This aspect reminded me a little of Howl's Moving Castle., which might be the best thing I can say about it.

The talking crow and the memory-magic are also concepts I've seen before. Again, it's just quite generic, run-of-the-mill stuff. Fantasy is such a popular genre, especially with kids, but this doesn't differentiate itself enough from the millions of other vaguely British fantasy novels featuring orphans (or half-orphans), stoic, disapproving fathers, and sorcerers with evil intentions.

There were a lot of elements to love in this book: a compelling magic system, a talking crow. The concept of memories as magic was effective, and I really felt for Lavender, the protagonist, in her memory loss. The writing, unfortunately, really felt like a debut author to me. I didn't get a very vivid sense of the setting (though what was mentioned was great). And, more than anything, I wished there was more narrative propulsion. I often found myself yearning for Lavender to be more active. She spends a lot of the book going out on deliveries and being angry at her best friend for something she doesn't even remember (and even after she is reminded of the not-at-all-a-big-deal reason she was mad at him). Her motivations were pretty thin for me. I wished there was more urgency and danger and much higher stakes. By the end, the stakes were high but I didn't feel it. I really did enjoy the last chapter.