Thank you to netGalley and Random House Children's for the eARC.

The Memory Spinner is a book with a beautiful cover and an interesting premise, but lacked a sense of internal structure to make this book from good to great. Even though we are in the POV of the main character, Lavender, she is a child that lacks a lot of basic narrative premise, which makes her logic difficult to follow and navigate as she is our eyes into this world. The magic itself was interesting in premise, and the side characters felt real and intimidating, as would any person a child would feel when trying to navigate her adolescence. There is a strength in the writing about Lavender not wanting the assistance of adults, and that is a great lesson to both young readers and to any adult who picks up this book about vulnerable children and when the adults in their lives aren't looking out for them in the right ways, whether or not they know it. The fact she didn't want to talk with her mother's best friend or her father who was keeping his own distance was real and understandable if you had ever known someone in that situation.
The actual writing didn't really lend itself to good descriptions, and I felt lost trying to understand that there was something that Lavender had lost, which might have benefitted from a simple prologue of us witnessing the loss of her mother and maybe a red herring insinuating she wants to not remember? There was also the introduction into characters in a just "we like them, we do not like them" insistence that I wasn't interested in. I just wanted something a little more defined, that would make the book itself more based in the themes of the book, rather than the author just wanting to get on with the story.

The story was an engaging read, but the plot was almost entirely dependent on the MC not wanting to tell her father (or really, anyone) a secret that her father absolutely should have been told. Personally I really struggle with stories that wouldn't be stories if someone just said something, although I admit it was somewhat interesting to see this plot device deployed in something other than a romance. I'd happily read something else by this author in the future, but I hope that future book is differently designed

The cover of this book is SO gorgeous, as are the illustrations throughout! Cornwell writes with big emotions and I think this type of narrative would greatly appeal to sensitive young readers. Lavender is a well-developed protagonist, and her love for her mother really shines through. I found myself wishing the antagonist and supporting characters were more developed, and that the conflict was resolved in a way that was less rushed.

Thank you to Random House for this ARC!

I devoured this book on a flight. What an incredible middle grade read focusing on a lot of heavier topics. Lavender is a character I couldn't help but root for, hoping that she would be able to not only find answers, but also come to peace with all the chaos in other parts of her life. I cannot wait for more novels from this author. Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley.

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.