The Memory Thief by Jodi Lynn Anderson || A Tribute to the Power of Stories

The Memory Thief

Perfect for fans of The Girl Who Drank the Moon, this fantastical and heartfelt first book in a new trilogy from New York Times bestselling author Jodi Lynn Anderson follows a girl who must defeat thirteen evil witches.

Twelve-year-old Rosie Singer’s mom is missing whatever it is that makes mothers love their daughters. All her life, Rosie has known this...and turned to stories for comfort. Then, on the night Rosie decides to throw her stories away forever, an invisible ally helps her discover the Witch Hunter’s Guide to the Universe, a book that claims that all of the evil in the world stems from thirteen witches who are unseen...but also unstoppable. One of these witches—the Memory Thief—holds an insidious power to steal our most precious treasures: our memories. And it is this witch who has cursed Rosie’s mother.

In her quest to save her mom—and with her wild, loyal friend “Germ” by her side—Rosie will find the layers hidden under the reality she only thought she knew: where ghosts linger as shades of the past, where clouds witness the world, and a ladder dangles from the moon leading to something bigger and more. Here, words are weapons against the darkness, and witch hunters are those brave enough to wield their imaginations in the face of the unthinkable.

At the core of this stunning novel—the first of the Thirteen Witches trilogy from critically acclaimed author Jodi Lynn Anderson—is a passionate argument that stories have the power to create meaningful change...and a reason to hope even when the world feels crushing.

Content Tags:

Perfect for readers who want:

• Bad witches fighting against good magic.
• All sorts of interesting supernatural/paranormal beings.
• Ghosts with unique personalities and stories.
• A fraught mother/daughter relationship needing repair.
• Strong friendship vibes, threatened and then reaffirmed.
• Highly relatable coming of age story.

Many thanks to Aladdin and Rockstar Book Tours for an ARC copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

I’ve had my eye on The Memory Thief for a while now, because that cover? Stunning. That synopsis? Hooks me every time. There was never any doubt that I wanted to read this book, so I was all the more excited to have the opportunity to take part in this blog tour!

The Memory Thief is an ode to the power of stories. It’s a love letter to childhood friendships and the ways they change. It’s also a hauntingly beautiful story about ghosts and magic and family, and I can’t wait for the sequel!

I knew almost as soon as I started this book that I was going to love it, so no surprise that I did. Anderson has an absolutely gorgeous writing style, and I will be for sure checking out some of her other work. The Memory Thief hooked me from the start and refused to let go, and it was one heck of a ride!

I absolutely loved the entire narrative around Rosie and her stories. It’s something I think a lot of readers will relate to.

Rosie is a writer, but that comes into question when her best friend, Germ, implies they’re too old for happily ever afters. This tugged on my heartstrings in so many ways, because as a writer, I can confirm that writers are fickle, fragile things that, above all else, want people to love their stories. The thing is that Rosie still wants to believe that good can conquer evil and impossible odds are impossible, and that made me love her character all the more.

Rosie is so relatable in the way she wants the simple things: a mother that’ll love her, a best friend who will always be her friend, things not to change, and to believe that bad things can still end positively.

Yet, Rosie is also introverted and quiet and doesn’t feel like she quite belongs around a lot of people. Her character is so complex, but she wants the same things most people want. I think that alone will make her relatable to a broad range of people!

This book is filled with ghosts, all with different personalities, and they really stole the show, in a way.

I’ve always been a fan of ghosts in general, but the ghosts in The Memory Thief just have such vivid personalities! Ebb’s story, for example, is definitely one that tugs on heart strings. In this world, though, pretty much everything has a spirit, and ghost animals are a thing, too, which cracks me up. It was interesting reading about their shenanigans after they’ve died.

The mythology and magic in this story is just absolutely *chef’s kiss*.

There are witches (obviously … 13 of them, if you hadn’t guessed … well, sort of), but it’s so much more than that! There’s also a Moon Goddess and ghosts and witch hunters and all sorts of things. The world in the book is basically ours with magic layered on top, but I loved how it was done! There was a very fairy tale, ethereal feel about it that worked really well and pulled me right into the world. I can’t wait to learn more about it in subsequent books.

There are some really hard-hitting themes in The Memory Thief, from parental neglect to what happens when childhood friends grow up and things change.

Rosie’s mother wants to love her. She just … can’t. So Rosie does the next best thing and imagines scenarios where her mother acts like a responsible parent, and gosh will it ever break your heart. Rosie has had to grow up all too quickly and be the parent of the household, while simultaneously being afraid to reach out to anyone lest she be taken away.

Rosie isn’t alone in her plight, though, because she has her best friend, Germ … or, at least, she’s always had her in the past. Things are starting to change, though.

There’s a growing rift in their relationship as the girls get older and Germ starts to change. It’s not a change Rosie particularly likes, especially since she just wants things to stay the way they’ve always been. The relationship becomes even more strained as Germ starts hanging out with new people and being involved in new and different things and Rosie finds herself sucked into her own struggles.

This growing apart and growing up of friends is touched on in such a wonderful way that accepts with grace the idea that people grow and change but that’s okay. It portrays a realistic friendship, one that isn’t without its challenges, but one that’s strong enough to endure and overcome at the same time.

About Jodi Lynn Anderson

Jodi Lynn Anderson is the bestselling author of several critically acclaimed books for young people, including the May Bird trilogy and My Diary from the Edge of the World. She lives with her husband, son, and daughter in Asheville, North Carolina, and holds an MFA in writing and literature from Bennington College.

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3 winners will win a finished copy of THE MEMORY THIEF, US Only.

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