Scan barcode
kayceeisbookish's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Grief, Alcohol, Blood, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
lisavandonselaar's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Violence
Moderate: Blood, Death of parent, Grief, Animal death, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Sexual content
etherealiz's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Despite some charged topics, this was such a fun&light read in a sense. There is a big bad guy but the stakes feel lower than in other fantasy books. It's good romance, with some bi rep that was unexpected. It does feel YA but in a good way, honestly I would recommend to anyone who's book lover, it's a magic library and sorcery, what more could you ask for ?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
wrensreadingroom's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Kidnapping, Misogyny, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual harassment, Medical content, Sexism, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Police brutality, Cursing, Alcohol, Blood, Child death, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Abandonment, and Body horror
issed's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Magical and entertaining due to its fast pace. Really likeable characters, especially the Nathaniel and Silas duo. Main character was good but lacked a little bit of personality, she got a great development tho. The writing is really atmospheric and immersive and the romance subplot reminds me of Howl moving castle without copying it, wich is always good !
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
jasperdotpdf's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
At first I was a little unsure of whether or not I'd like Sorcery of Thorns. I had a little trouble connecting to Elisabeth as a main character, especially because her dislike for Nathaniel and Sorcery in general felt very juvenile. However, the more I read the more I grew to love this book and I am so glad I stuck with it.
Elisabeth's sheltered and black and white outlook on the world was quickly challenged, which I enjoyed a lot. And although her and Nathaniel's relationship is definitely exagerrated when the blurb describes them as "sworn enemies", them slowly coming to trust and eventually love each other really pulled at my heartstrings.
Margaret Rogerson is truly excellent at writing characters that are loveable through and through. Everone and everything in this book, from Nathaniel and Silas who absolutely stole my heart to Mercy and even the grimoires and their at times hilarious personalities were delightful to read. Even the antagonists were, although unlikeable, very well written in my humble opinion.
I will say that the more high-stakes aspects of the plot, especially the climax of the novel weren't my favourite parts of the story. While the origin of magic is explained, the rules and limitations for it don't really get expanded upon in the book. This makes for, like most soft-magic settings, a very whimsical reading experience, but also lead to me sometimes being unclear on what would be possible for the characters to do and finding the final action sequence a bit hard to follow.
Despite this, I never found myself distracted or put off enough to put this book down, as it had me absolutely hooked. I never felt like I struggled with reading through this, which says a lot, because I have a tendency to lose focus easily when reading.
The magical world - magical both in the atmospheric and literal sense - as well as the characters are the beating heart of this story and more than make up for the smaller shortcomings it has. Rogerson's writing truly shines when it comes to the emotional payoff of intercharacter relationships and had me tearing up multiple times throughout the book.
Sorcery of Thorns is filled with delightful characters, moments that made me laugh, some that made me cry and such a wonderfully vibrant setting. Please read this if you get the chance.
Elisabeth's sheltered and black and white outlook on the world was quickly challenged, which I enjoyed a lot. And although her and Nathaniel's relationship is definitely exagerrated when the blurb describes them as "sworn enemies", them slowly coming to trust and eventually love each other really pulled at my heartstrings.
Margaret Rogerson is truly excellent at writing characters that are loveable through and through. Everone and everything in this book, from Nathaniel and Silas who absolutely stole my heart to Mercy and even the grimoires and their at times hilarious personalities were delightful to read. Even the antagonists were, although unlikeable, very well written in my humble opinion.
I will say that the more high-stakes aspects of the plot, especially the climax of the novel weren't my favourite parts of the story. While the origin of magic is explained, the rules and limitations for it don't really get expanded upon in the book. This makes for, like most soft-magic settings, a very whimsical reading experience, but also lead to me sometimes being unclear on what would be possible for the characters to do and finding the final action sequence a bit hard to follow.
Despite this, I never found myself distracted or put off enough to put this book down, as it had me absolutely hooked. I never felt like I struggled with reading through this, which says a lot, because I have a tendency to lose focus easily when reading.
The magical world - magical both in the atmospheric and literal sense - as well as the characters are the beating heart of this story and more than make up for the smaller shortcomings it has. Rogerson's writing truly shines when it comes to the emotional payoff of intercharacter relationships and had me tearing up multiple times throughout the book.
Sorcery of Thorns is filled with delightful characters, moments that made me laugh, some that made me cry and such a wonderfully vibrant setting. Please read this if you get the chance.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Death
Moderate: Misogyny, Death of parent, and Forced institutionalization
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders
rorikae's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
'Sorcery of Thorns' by Margaret Rogerson is a fun standalone fantasy full of libraries, magical books, and a dash of romance.
Elizabeth Scrivener grew up in a great library, surrounded by the magic of books. Her life is turned upside down when one of the books escapes, causing chaos that she is blamed for. The one person who can help her is Nathanial Thorn, a sorcerer. But Elizabeth has been taught to never trust sorcerers. As she and Nathanial search for the truth behind the attack on the library, she begins to learn more about him as she starts to question if what she has been taught about sorcery is all wrong.
Sorcery of Thorns is the perfect blend of fantasy, romance, and fun. As someone who loves books set in libraries, the setting and main plot of the novel were perfect. Add in likable characters, a fun if not too complicated plot, and a shapeshifting demon and this adds up to a page turning romp. The audiobook is fun and I would definitely recommend it. I'll be checking out more of Rogerson's books as it's clear from Sorcery of Thorns that she has a way of creating fun and engaging fantasies.
Elizabeth Scrivener grew up in a great library, surrounded by the magic of books. Her life is turned upside down when one of the books escapes, causing chaos that she is blamed for. The one person who can help her is Nathanial Thorn, a sorcerer. But Elizabeth has been taught to never trust sorcerers. As she and Nathanial search for the truth behind the attack on the library, she begins to learn more about him as she starts to question if what she has been taught about sorcery is all wrong.
Sorcery of Thorns is the perfect blend of fantasy, romance, and fun. As someone who loves books set in libraries, the setting and main plot of the novel were perfect. Add in likable characters, a fun if not too complicated plot, and a shapeshifting demon and this adds up to a page turning romp. The audiobook is fun and I would definitely recommend it. I'll be checking out more of Rogerson's books as it's clear from Sorcery of Thorns that she has a way of creating fun and engaging fantasies.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Death, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, and Forced institutionalization
colloreda's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Murder
Moderate: Death of parent and Violence
Minor: Misogyny
queer_bookwyrm's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
4 ⭐ CW: violence, self-harm, death
Sorcery of Thorns is my first Margaret Rogerson book, and has been on tbr for so long I forgot what it was about and why I got it. Present me thanks past me for bringing this book home. We get big important libraries, sentient magical books with varying sassy personalities, long suffering demons, and a library heist. Not to mention our chaotically bisexual male love interest.
We follow Elisabeth Scrivener, an apprentice in The Great Library who was raised there as a baby. She hopes to become a warden (a warrior librarian) someday. She even seems to have a special relationship with the books. One night she awakens to find everyone in the library spelled asleep, and a high level grimoire turned Malefict is on the loose. Without thinking, Elisabeth grabs a sword and slays the beast, saving everyone, only to be accused of being the saboteur. Then the plot gets wild. She works together with Nathaniel Thorn, a sorcerer she met once in the Great Library, and together with the help of his demon Silas, they try to stop the saboteur from completing their end goal.
This world was so cool! I love the Great Libraries! Obviously we would all want to live there. The magic system was interesting, because it involves the forces servitude of a highborn demon in exchange for years of life. Silas kind of reminds me of a character like Spock who isn't supposed to feel or show emotion, but that eyebrow lift says it all. I actually didn't mind the romance between Elisabeth and Nathaniel. It wasn't too fast, but didn't drag it out either. I found their relationship endearing.
I also loved that Elisabeth is a tall, strong woman who isn't afraid to be all brawn (or a menace if you ask Nathaniel). It was also nice to have an MC who was pretty sheltered, and therefore isn't entrenched in the inequalities women face or the art of social graces. Really this book is about connection. Elisabeth and Nathaniel's connection, Silas and Nathaniel, and Silas and Elisabeth. Imma need some poly fanart of Elisabeth, Nathaniel, and Silas. I will definitely be reading more of this author.
Sorcery of Thorns is my first Margaret Rogerson book, and has been on tbr for so long I forgot what it was about and why I got it. Present me thanks past me for bringing this book home. We get big important libraries, sentient magical books with varying sassy personalities, long suffering demons, and a library heist. Not to mention our chaotically bisexual male love interest.
We follow Elisabeth Scrivener, an apprentice in The Great Library who was raised there as a baby. She hopes to become a warden (a warrior librarian) someday. She even seems to have a special relationship with the books. One night she awakens to find everyone in the library spelled asleep, and a high level grimoire turned Malefict is on the loose. Without thinking, Elisabeth grabs a sword and slays the beast, saving everyone, only to be accused of being the saboteur. Then the plot gets wild. She works together with Nathaniel Thorn, a sorcerer she met once in the Great Library, and together with the help of his demon Silas, they try to stop the saboteur from completing their end goal.
This world was so cool! I love the Great Libraries! Obviously we would all want to live there. The magic system was interesting, because it involves the forces servitude of a highborn demon in exchange for years of life. Silas kind of reminds me of a character like Spock who isn't supposed to feel or show emotion, but that eyebrow lift says it all. I actually didn't mind the romance between Elisabeth and Nathaniel. It wasn't too fast, but didn't drag it out either. I found their relationship endearing.
I also loved that Elisabeth is a tall, strong woman who isn't afraid to be all brawn (or a menace if you ask Nathaniel). It was also nice to have an MC who was pretty sheltered, and therefore isn't entrenched in the inequalities women face or the art of social graces. Really this book is about connection. Elisabeth and Nathaniel's connection, Silas and Nathaniel, and Silas and Elisabeth. Imma need some poly fanart of Elisabeth, Nathaniel, and Silas. I will definitely be reading more of this author.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence and Death
Minor: Self harm
yamooz's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, Murder, and Death