Reviews

Magia cierni by Margaret Rogerson

krixel's review against another edition

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adventurous funny hopeful 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

4.5

ravenslanding's review against another edition

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4.0

This story is fun. In a world where sorcerers make magical books to contain their knowledge, the books require keepers. Quite frankly, because they bite.

Elizabeth grew up in a library, feels a deep kinship with her charges, the books, and has been taught that sorcerers are inherently evil.

Of course, that's not the whole story. And Nathaneal Thorn and his demon Silas are nothing at all like what she expected.

It has a strong YA feel, I think because Elizabeth is pretty naive and sheltered. But ultimately it's about true love and kindness, and it is not an angsty story. It is my least favorite of Rogerson's stories, perhaps it's the pentagrams, but i think its just more simplistic than her other work.

I do adore Vespertine and Enchantment of Ravens.

l_e_lavalle's review against another edition

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hopeful mysterious reflective tense slow-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

beereadsonigiri's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious tense 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

4.0

gabsreadsbooks's review against another edition

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5.0

lovely and heartwarming as always ❤️

peachypqstry's review against another edition

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5.0

Ok, first of all, I'm writing this review like a month after reading the book, so I may not recall everything I wanted to say. I do remember that this book was a piece of art that should be on the walls of the Louvre.
It was a bit hard to get into the book at first, because it had a bit of dense worldbuilding. But when I got past that part, it was amazing!! The magic system was something out of this fricking world. The illusions Nathaniel worked on reminded me a lot of Caraval and I loved it.
The plot was not exactly how I had imagined it, but mainly because I got this book knowing almost nothing about it. Anyway, oh my gosh. I'll admit I expected the plot to be non-existent, but it flipped my mind. Again, a work of art.
Finally, the characters. Elisabeth is a total girl-boss and I adore her. Her passion for books and for the Libraries was something waaaay too relatable. Nathaniel is awesome as well. He gave a bit of Thomas Cresswell vibes, which I loved. Their romance was the sweetest thinggg, but it had tension as well. Buuuut, let's not forget about SILAS. Silas is *chef's kiss*. The "almost ending" made me soooo sad, because I'd fallen in love with him throughout the book. He was the most amazing friend ever.
When I finished this book, it literally felt as though I was finishing a series and not a stand-alone, because I had gotten a bit too attached to the characters and the world.
5/5.

phoenix2's review against another edition

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2.0

Sorcery of Thorns is truly a magical book. From the descriptions to the characters to the whole universe, the book reeks of magic and gothic, fairytale atmosphere.

The story was pretty intense, though predictable, and it had a smooth pace. However, after the first half, it got tiring, as more and yet more twists kept being added to the main plot. Still, the characters were fun to read and the whole universe was unique and impressive.

The narration, moreover, was nicely done.

gauriraut's review against another edition

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2.0

Started out strong but then right before the final conflict it dragged on for so long I thought I was going to dnf it. I didn't. But it's not like the end was incredible or anything, it was okayish.

My main problem was that I felt the stakes were too low. Elisabeth never had a personal reason to stop the evil dude. Sure the world is ending, but why did she care? (Apart for the obvious fact that it's ending lol.)

As for the Thorn guy, he was okay I guess. But he gave off major 'I'm not like other male leads who brood. I'm funny, cool, sociable, and handsome', vibes but oh well. And he also only started to help because he was scared the FL would get herself killed or something on her own. So zero personal investment.

The evil dude was comically evil. He seemed like the cliche where he's an evil guy who truly thinks he's doing right *eye roll* I'm tired of noble evil villains who're shocked when someone says they're evil. I want villains who know they might be considered bad for what they do, and what they do is bad, but by god they believe in it and will stop anyone that tries to stop them.

Silas was the only character that I thought had some rotundity to him. He was multi faceted and enjoyable to read in any situation. 10/10 would read a book from his pov about how absolutely annoying it is to look after Nathaniel and make food for him and fix his cravat when he ties it wrongly.

I skimmed the end 25% in a sleepy haze, just thankful the book was done. What an absolute shame.
The only good thing now is that since this is over, I can start a new one.