BWS Review: The Memory Spinner

Bookworm
Aug 6
5 min read

Updated: Aug 31

Quick Overview

Author/Publisher: C.M.Cornwell

Story: Lavender's solution to losing her memories may be trusting the mysterious, magical enchantress to help her relive her lost memories, but her choice may start a dangerous set of events that puts the people she loves in danger.

Published Date: August 12, 2025

Genre: Middle-Grade, Fantasy, Magic, Witches

Pages: 277 pages

With a heartwarming message about grief and a fun magic system that centers around witches called Spinners making enchanted clothing using memories, The Memory Spinner is a fun and whimsical story for all ages to enjoy. C. M. Cornwell wrote the middle-grade fantasy book, and it will be published on August 12, 2025, by Delacorte Press. Hold on to your happiest memories as we delve into The Memory Spinner.

The Memory Spinner will be published on August 12, 2025.

The Summary

Since her mother died, thirteen-year-old Lavender has had a massive problem: she keeps losing her memories. She forgets her lessons with her father at the apothecary, how to identify herbs and remedies, and worst of all, her mother. Lavender is desperate and turns to Frey, a magical dressmaker, for help. Frey’s spinning magic helps Lavender relive her treasured moments through enchanted threads, and she offers a solution for Lavender’s problem. When she learns of the dark side to Frey’s magic, Lavender has to choose between staying lost in her memories of the past or saving those she loves in the present.

Warning! Slight Spoilers Below

The Evaluation

Even though I am many years older than a middle grader, I really enjoyed this middle-grade fantasy book. I believe the story of Lavender’s grief over her mother’s death and her new and struggling relationship with her grieving father is well written. I feel the story will be a good comfort for anyone going through the loss of a loved one like Lavender. I am also a massive fan of magic systems that require sacrifice. In Memory Spinner, the enchantress has to sacrifice a memory to make the enchanted clothing; the stronger the spell, the more precious the memory has to be to her. This is a really cool prose for a magic system. The Memory Spinner is a great blend of a cottagecore fantasy with a heartwarming message on grief.

The theme of The Memory Spinner is healing from the grief of losing a loved one. Lavender has lost her mother, and her father has lost his wife. Both are struggling with their new reality and feelings in the aftermath. Even Frey is grieving over someone. The book explores the need to talk to someone about someone’s feelings in order to heal.

What I like

The book shows the painful time for a child when one parent is gone and the other is emotionally absent.

Death in a family is a painful and confusing time for a child. Not only is Lavender dealing with losing her mother, her relationship with her father is strained because he won’t grieve with her. “He doesn’t miss Mama like I do. He doesn’t miss the family we used to be. Things are completely different with Mama gone. Papa and I barely speak about things that aren’t shop-related. Papa seems to like it that way. I hate it. How can he dismiss Mama and our old life so easily?” (26 pg). Many kids can relate to a parent becoming absent or withdrawn after a death. I believe this book portrays this perfectly with Lavender’s story.

The book is a cottagecore fantasy.

Wendy Loggia, Delacorte Press Publisher, said, “The Memory Spinner, a dazzling fantasy debut set in a cozy, cottagecore world complete with Gilded Age-inspired outfits and a talking raven,” (Prologue). The book takes place in a town where gas lamps light the streets with shops like an apothecary and bakery, and people ride in horse carriages or on bikes. The setting is a cozy fantasy in a time similar to the 1800s.

The magic in this book is unique.

I am a fan of magic coming at a sacrifice. For a Spinner to charm a piece of clothing, they have to give up a memory. Frey tells Lavender, “Clothing is made from fabric, thread, or yarn, right? To create enchanted clothing requires a special ingredient. A single memory. The memory thread is woven into the very fibers of the clothing. That sacrifice gives it magic. Magic can’t exist without sacrifice, girl,” (50 pg). Not only does magic require sacrifice and effort in this book, but the magic users are called Spinners because they use magic by embroidering, crocheting, or weaving the memory thread. Making the magic users crafters is unique, and as someone who crochets, I love it.

The chapter titles are cute.

I love it when books have chapter titles, especially when they are creative. I am glad this is the case. Here are some of the chapter titles.

A Non-Magical Hat
Lifesaving Pockets
Hidden in the Pantry with a Know-It-All
Discovered Pages
The Screeching Abandoned Doorway
Inflicted Sweets and an Inquisition
The Memory Spinner

What didn’t work for me

A detail at the end regarding the father feels strange to me.

I am aware this is a middle-grade novel so I am reading waaaay too much into this, but I will state it briefly anyway.

Near the end, it's hinted that the father might fall in love with his dead wife's best friend. Note: his wife has only been dead for nearly a year. But the main reason this is an odd detail for me is because the best friend is the mother of a boy who has a not so secret crush on Lavender the entire book. This means that it's possible the children could have feelings for each other while the parents do too, which feels strange for me.

But this is just my thoughts. The book doesn't set anything up and is likely not planned to have a sequel. This means I am reading a lot into one small detail at the end.

The Rating

The Bookworm’s Snack rates The Memory Spinner four out of five stars.

The Memory Spinner is a cottagecore fantasy about magic, grief, healing, and love. This middle-grade fantasy novel, written by C. M. Cornwell, has a unique magic system, a wonderful message that anyone experiencing grief can relate to, and fun chapter titles. It does include a small detail at the end that does feel strange to me regarding the father, but that is probably just me. The Bookworm’s Snack rates The Memory Spinner four out of five stars. If you love cottagecore, witches, fantasy, and adventure, and magic, then you will love this book.