Spoiler Free Review: Sorcery Of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson

Title: Sorcery Of Thorns

Author: Margaret Rogerson

Pub. Date: June 4th 2019

Genre: YA Fantasy

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Pages: 456

GOODREADS | BARNES & NOBLE | AMAZON

When I first heard mention of this book my bookworm heart couldn’t contain the excitement. Who among us wouldn’t love a story set in a library where books come to life? magical grimoires bound by chains for the safety of the people and the wardens entrusted to keep watch over them was simply a story I couldn’t resist. We get introduced to Elisabeth who has been living in one of the Great Libraries in Austermeer since the very young age of 8. Abandoned by her parents, Elisabeth finds comfort being among magical grimoires. Eagerly & passionately training to one day be a Warden is her main focus. Steadfast in the beliefs passed down to her, Elisabeth views sorcery and its wielders as a great evil. Her life as she knew is turned upside down when one of the MOST dangerous Grimoires is released into the world & she tries to intervene in order to protect the people. Elisabeth finds herself implicated in a crime she didn’t commit and trying to prove her innocence sets the tone for the book. Everything Elisabeth once believed to be true & the right way of doing things comes into question. She begins to see that it’s not as simple as good or bad/right or wrong, that there are gray areas. In a world conditioned to view Sorcerers, Demons, and Grimoires as dark & unredeemable, Elisabeth has to decide whether to stick to her values or challenge the foundation of it all.

Elisabeth I cannot stress how much I LOVE this MC! she isn’t your typical female heroine in many ways. Described as taller than your average and wielding unusual strength, Elisabeth is sword ready. She isn’t beyond falling in love but she wouldn’t prioritze a romantic partner over saving someone in need. It isn’t easy at first when she finds herself needing to team up with the Sorcerer Nathaniel and his demon but it allowed for some character growth. I loved her clumsy ways & the contrast of it all when taking her physical strength into consideration. Most of all I loved that she tries to see the good in humans/inhumans despite what she’s be brought up to believe.

Nathaniel MOST sarcastic love interest award goes to *drum roll* Nathaniel Thorn! he is fully aware of his GQ status amongst the ladies & will mention his MOST eligible bachelor status to Elisabeth in jest. Loved how he didn’t take himself too seriously. The slow burn romance Nathaniel is in denial of taking place is my new fave! seeing him try & fail in giving Elisabeth the cold shoulder had me shaking my head and smiling all to myself. This character also happens to have a very tragic family history & you can’t help but want to see him get his happiness.

Silas The Demon who is bound to the Thorn family, specifically Nathaniel. Silas is hands down my fave character in this book, he has lived many lifetimes & worked with many kings. Fashionable, blunt, and never allows Elisabeth to forget that at the end of day he is a demon and it would be a terrible misstep for her to forget that. Silas feeds Nathaniel the magic he needs to be a sorcerer in exchange for 20 years of his life. He serves Nathaniel hand & foot but more than that he is all that Nathaniel has in his life, he considers Silas his only family.

*Honorable mention: Katrien aka Elisabeth’s BFF doesn’t get a ton of page time but just enough to get to know her personality & quickly wish you had a ride or die like her. Katrien is fearless & a quick thinker, she is who Elisabeth turns to for assistance in clearing her name. 

Sorcery of Thorns has some amazing characters that will have you shipping and rooting for their success, it’s very easy to get invested in their relationships. We get some queer rep with a main character who states they’re interested in more than just girls and a supporting character who is on the ace spectrum.

Content Warning: panic attacks, loss of a loved one, torture, violence

“For these were not ordinary books the libraries kept. They were knowledge, given life. Wisdom, given voice. They sang when starlight streamed through the library’s windows. They felt pain and suffered heartbreak. Sometimes they were sinister, grotesque-but so was the world outside.”

Beautifully written, Sorcery of Thorns will transport you into every bookworms dream setting. Filled with magical libraries and Grimoires that come to life with a variety of personalities, it’s very easy to get sucked into this world. I did struggle a bit at first with the pacing of the story and I’m a lover of descriptive lush writing which left me trying to pinpoint the reason why it was taking me so long to finish. I don’t think I ever came up with the answer but still feel my time spent in this story was well spent. One of the things I loved most however, is how we were kept in the loop of current affairs taking place in this world via news snippets. This made me think of the Quibbler in the Harry Potter world & how much it really breathes life into the story. Set in the 1800’s with demons, sorcerers, and a Otherworld, Sorcery of Thorns is perfect for fans of Cassie Clare’s The Infernal Devices. This is a stand-alone & although I would’ve loved to get more books featuring these characters, I am very pleased with how it all ended.

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