by Margaret Rogerson
Release Date: June 4, 2019; Margaret K. McElderry Books
From Goodreads:
All sorcerers are evil. Elisabeth has known that as long as she has known anything. Raised as a foundling in one of Austermeer’s Great Libraries, Elisabeth has grown up among the tools of sorcery—magical grimoires that whisper on shelves and rattle beneath iron chains. If provoked, they transform into grotesque monsters of ink and leather. She hopes to become a warden, charged with protecting the kingdom from their power.
Then an act of sabotage releases the library’s most dangerous grimoire. Elisabeth’s desperate intervention implicates her in the crime, and she is torn from her home to face justice in the capital. With no one to turn to but her sworn enemy, the sorcerer Nathaniel Thorn, and his mysterious demonic servant, she finds herself entangled in a centuries-old conspiracy. Not only could the Great Libraries go up in flames, but the world along with them.
As her alliance with Nathaniel grows stronger, Elisabeth starts to question everything she’s been taught—about sorcerers, about the libraries she loves, even about herself. For Elisabeth has a power she has never guessed, and a future she could never have imagined.
Rating: 4 of 5 stars
I'm letting you know firsthand. This review is gonna suck so bad. I'm terrible at writing reviews, especially for books I love. And dammit, I LOVE THIS BEAUTIFUL, ADDICTIVE BOOK SO MUCH.
Let me start off by saying, no one, and I mean NO ONE, writes more beautifully than Margaret Rogerson. I don't know how she does it but everytime I read one of her books, I just can't not fall in love. The characters, the world, the story- it all finds a way into your heart, lodges itself there and never lets go.
The author's debut, An Enchantment of Ravens, was one of my best loved 2017 releases. I was obsessed with the cover and just as obsessed (if not more) with the lush, addictive writing. Now multiply that love by a thousand and that's what I feel for Sorcery of Thorns.
What surprised me most about SoT is the idea that books and libraries are sentient. And that grimoires when mishandled or damaged can turn into a "malefict". An evil, murderous version of books on steroids. It weirdly felt like like seeing Pikachu's evil twin (if there ever was one). Like it was somehow wrong to see something so lovable turn into something so monstrous? And yet it's so exciting and thrilling at the same time? Who knew books could kick ass! Quite literally, I might add. It was honestly, a very different and unique concept and I LOVE it. That particular scene (you'll know it when you read it) I will hereby refer to as literally literary revolution, was my absolute favorite!
I love the bond between Nathaniel and Silas. It was another thing I did not expect. But very much adored. I won't say much because it's something that you should see and feel firsthand to really appreciate it. I will just say this, Silas and Nathaniel would have been a perfect parabatai.
And how can I forget the romance?! The super slowburn, subtle and sweet romance?!! It was barely there but what little I got, I very much loved. Nathaniel and Elisabeth had believable, natural chemistry. I LIVE FOR THIS SHIP.
I also enjoyed seeing Elisabeth's growth. She went from a naive, sheltered apprentice to someone who no longer sees in black and white and knows there are endless possiblities because the world is so much bigger than what she first led herself to believe.
Sorcery of Thorns does not only boast a stunning cover but an equally fascinating and unique story as well. Rogerson created a world I wanted to live in. Every page was filled with excitement, surprises and brilliance. I didn't want it to end.
I received an e-arc via Edelweiss+ to read and review.
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