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literarypenguin'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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I loved everything about Sorcery Of Thorns!!! The cover and the blurb enticed me so much and I am glad that I took the dive into this amazing fantasy!
First off I have to say the magic system in this book is perfection! I was so intrigued by it and everything that I learned about it made me more and more interested. I loved that every sorcerer had a mark representing their magic and each of their magic had different spells they could perform. Such a great magic system, a book with a great magic system has my full attention!
The characters, the characters were so amazing!! Each and every character was a good one and not one of them was unlikeable to me. Elisabeth was such a strong character, her story was engaging and I loved the change we saw in her from the beginning to the end. You could see a visible change in her and she continued to change even when the story ended. She also wasn't a stereotype of didn't drift toward any typical female stereotypes which I greatly appreciated Margaret Rogerson for! Nathanial was also a great male character and foil to Elisabeth. Learning his tragic story about his family and why he was so closed off to people made you understand him a lot more as the book went on. Even Silas was a great character, I loved learning about him and why he was so indebted to Nathanial and his family.
The writing and setting were superb, everything about this book was great! I look forward to reading the next short book based in this world and I have a feeling I will enjoy that as much as I did this one!
First off I have to say the magic system in this book is perfection! I was so intrigued by it and everything that I learned about it made me more and more interested. I loved that every sorcerer had a mark representing their magic and each of their magic had different spells they could perform. Such a great magic system, a book with a great magic system has my full attention!
The characters, the characters were so amazing!! Each and every character was a good one and not one of them was unlikeable to me. Elisabeth was such a strong character, her story was engaging and I loved the change we saw in her from the beginning to the end. You could see a visible change in her and she continued to change even when the story ended. She also wasn't a stereotype of didn't drift toward any typical female stereotypes which I greatly appreciated Margaret Rogerson for! Nathanial was also a great male character and foil to Elisabeth. Learning his tragic story about his family and why he was so closed off to people made you understand him a lot more as the book went on. Even Silas was a great character, I loved learning about him and why he was so indebted to Nathanial and his family.
The writing and setting were superb, everything about this book was great! I look forward to reading the next short book based in this world and I have a feeling I will enjoy that as much as I did this one!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Violence
Moderate: Forced institutionalization
blingokitty's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Blood, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Gaslighting, Grief, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Abandonment, and Forced institutionalization
sinaprst's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
this book was not at all what i expected
really, really loved the beginning and still very much liked the middle, but unfortunately the ending fell flat for me
the vibes however were imaculate, as was the writing and i loved Elisabeth and Nathaniel and their relationship, though Silas might be my favorite character all over
all in all, i wish i could give this more stars and throughout i seriously believed that this could be a 5 star read, but due to my dislike for the ending i can only give it 3.5/5, i'm so sorry
recommended reading ambience: https://youtu.be/PgUbNrgUwP0?si=USD7pkIunvo-8LRw
really, really loved the beginning and still very much liked the middle, but unfortunately the ending fell flat for me
the vibes however were imaculate, as was the writing and i loved Elisabeth and Nathaniel and their relationship, though Silas might be my favorite character all over
all in all, i wish i could give this more stars and throughout i seriously believed that this could be a 5 star read, but due to my dislike for the ending i can only give it 3.5/5, i'm so sorry
recommended reading ambience: https://youtu.be/PgUbNrgUwP0?si=USD7pkIunvo-8LRw
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Death, Blood, and Violence
Moderate: Misogyny, Death, Forced institutionalization, and Death of parent
Minor: Child death
glass_carousel's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Sexism
Moderate: Vomit and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Forced institutionalization
hannasreads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Forced institutionalization, and Grief
lowpollie's review against another edition
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? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Child death, and Death of parent
sarahsbooklife's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
relaxing
tense
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? Yes
5.0
This is a book that I've wanted to read for ages, especially after loving Margaret Rogerson's first book so much, but I've been putting it off because I feared I wouldn't like it as much as her debut novel or that it wouldn't live up the hype surrounding it. But I am glad that I did read because I loved it.
It's such a good book.
It has magical books, sorcery, demons and a girl that wields a sword. For me that's a perfect mix of things I love to see in a story. Oh, and with a sprinkling of romance on top.
Great book. Highly recommend.
It's such a good book.
It has magical books, sorcery, demons and a girl that wields a sword. For me that's a perfect mix of things I love to see in a story. Oh, and with a sprinkling of romance on top.
Great book. Highly recommend.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Violence, and Death of parent
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Forced institutionalization, Confinement, Grief, and Panic attacks/disorders
caelinsullivan's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
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? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Forced institutionalization
onthesamepage's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I've been on the fence about trying this author for a very long time. The covers for her books always catch my eye because I adore the artwork, but then every time I'd consider picking them up, I'd see mixed reviews and hesitate. I don't always have the best track record with YA fantasy, and I've become more careful about which books I try from that specific category. What really pushed me over the edge and made me pick up the book are the following:
1) Alienor mentioned that she really enjoyed it. This is important because we have similar taste in a lot of books.
2) A Clockwork Reader compared it to Ghibli's Howl's Moving Castle. I'm a simple person, you comp something to a Ghibli movie I love, I will be immediately convinced I need it in my life.
The comparison to Howl's Moving Castle isn't super accurate, but I understand where it comes from. The dynamic between the main trio in the book is reminiscent of the way Sophie, Howl, and Calcifer interact. The strength of this story is definitely in the characters and the relationships. The romance between Elisabeth and Nathanial is really sweet, but the found family aspect is even stronger.
For Nathanial and Silas specifically, I think Black Butler is a good comparison, so if you enjoyed that, you might also have a good time with this book.
I was invested and engrossed in the story, but I did find it relatively easy to guess who the villain was. However, that didn't detract from my enjoyment, because I had no idea what their overall plan was and how everything would pan out. Plus the setting really appealed to me—magical libraries and books that can turn into monsters, what's not to love?
If I had written this review shortly after finishing the book, I'd probably be able to go into more details, but alas, the past me decided this would be a problem for future me, and this is all I'm currently capable of. Maybe I'll add to this on reread, because I do think this is one I'll pick up again eventually.
1) Alienor mentioned that she really enjoyed it. This is important because we have similar taste in a lot of books.
2) A Clockwork Reader compared it to Ghibli's Howl's Moving Castle. I'm a simple person, you comp something to a Ghibli movie I love, I will be immediately convinced I need it in my life.
The comparison to Howl's Moving Castle isn't super accurate, but I understand where it comes from. The dynamic between the main trio in the book is reminiscent of the way Sophie, Howl, and Calcifer interact. The strength of this story is definitely in the characters and the relationships. The romance between Elisabeth and Nathanial is really sweet, but the found family aspect is even stronger.
For Nathanial and Silas specifically, I think Black Butler is a good comparison, so if you enjoyed that, you might also have a good time with this book.
I was invested and engrossed in the story, but I did find it relatively easy to guess who the villain was. However, that didn't detract from my enjoyment, because I had no idea what their overall plan was and how everything would pan out. Plus the setting really appealed to me—magical libraries and books that can turn into monsters, what's not to love?
If I had written this review shortly after finishing the book, I'd probably be able to go into more details, but alas, the past me decided this would be a problem for future me, and this is all I'm currently capable of. Maybe I'll add to this on reread, because I do think this is one I'll pick up again eventually.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders
mayas's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-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
4.25
I really loved/enjoyed this book, especially the majority of it. It was really fun and exciting and tense. I really couldn’t put this down and it surprised me that I read almost all of it in 5 days, which is a lot for me for a book this size.
And the characters were really cool and I enjoyed there interactions, personalities, and banter. I would have loved to explore more about Katrien and even Silas.
I found the ending a little confusing. I didn’t really understand what specifically Silas did/how he did it. And there were some things I questioned regarding the last act and stuff. I also took a little longer getting through the last 10-20% but I don’t think that really was the book - maybe just personal circumstances.
And because of this little loss in momentum, I struggle to rate this book. But it’s more than 5 stars. But less than 4.5. When I was reading it (in the momentum bit), I remember thinking it was 4.3. So i suppose 4.25 will be fine :)
And the characters were really cool and I enjoyed there interactions, personalities, and banter. I would have loved to explore more about Katrien and even Silas.
I found the ending a little confusing. I didn’t really understand what specifically Silas did/how he did it. And there were some things I questioned regarding the last act and stuff. I also took a little longer getting through the last 10-20% but I don’t think that really was the book - maybe just personal circumstances.
And because of this little loss in momentum, I struggle to rate this book. But it’s more than 5 stars. But less than 4.5. When I was reading it (in the momentum bit), I remember thinking it was 4.3. So i suppose 4.25 will be fine :)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Blood, and Death of parent
Moderate: Misogyny, Forced institutionalization, Fire/Fire injury, Sexism, Panic attacks/disorders, and Grief
Minor: War