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zoemorana's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Moderate: Death and Violence
Minor: Death of parent and Mental illness
bookish_slagathor's review against another edition
- 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
Margaret Rogerson has an amazingly beautiful and flowing writing style and a knack for bringing her characters to life. It was a joy to read her novel and I will be definitely looking into her other works after this.
Not to mention that this book has a capable female MC, the sweetest romance that I've read in the past few months (or maybe even in the past year) and an exciting story with strong feminist vibes to boot. Definitely something I would recommend getting your teen child, but also something I'd recommend for adults as well. It's just so good!!!
In any case, this book convinced me to try and be a tad bit more open minded when it comes to YA literature. Some books may surprise me with their maturity.
Moderate: Sexism and Misogyny
Minor: Death, Gaslighting, Blood, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Bullying, and Murder
pinkfloydian's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Grief, Violence, and Death
nadiaherondale's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
I think the only complaining I can do is that the finale felt a bit rushed, and that I wished this was a trilogy or a duology, not because I wanted this particular plot to drag into another book (100 more pages I think would have been sufficient) but because I want to read more about the characters.
Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Blood, and Violence
Moderate: Death of parent and Death
Minor: Gaslighting
booksthatburn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Silas is enjoyable as a character whose present form is unassuming but could absolutely fuck someone up if a different version of himself is let loose (Think Mogget from The Old Kingdom books by Garth Nix, but if he liked working).
I thought the first half was just fine (except for the worldbuilding, which was excellent) and then I loved the ending. I didn't enjoy the matrons speculating about Nathaniel's sexuality, and while the resolution of his identity came though his own telling, it felt a bit off.
The audiobook performance (particularly for Silas) perfectly fits each character and really enhanced the story. The plot noticeably had distinct stages (not in a bad way). It's a long enough book to have several points of tension and rest, with the danger escalating in a way that felt appropriate to the world and to what the characters had already faced. There were a couple of points in the latter half where things had been so dramatic that I thought maybe it was about to pull a cliffhanger, but the ending is very satisfying and comes at an appropriate point in the pacing.
I enjoyed this and am very excited for a sequel if one materializes. It's listed as a series so I'm hopeful.
Graphic: Confinement, Blood, Misogyny, and Sexism
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Gaslighting, Violence, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Child abuse, Gore, Ableism, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Panic attacks/disorders, Forced institutionalization, and Death
Minor: Mental illness
erins_bookshelf_'s review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
The storyline was interesting and I might need to read this again to appreciate the book properly, I think it moved kind of slow in the beginning but it picked up in the second half of the book so its okay :)
The whole concept was very interesting and I can’t wait for the sequel
Graphic: Violence, Blood, and Death
Moderate: Forced institutionalization and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Ableism and Misogyny
notacartoonyet's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Torture, Kidnapping, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Gaslighting, and War
Moderate: Forced institutionalization
sydneyluxford's review against another edition
- 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
3.75
As I was reading it, I felt like I was watching a movie — I can’t explain. This book needs to be made into a movie.
Elisabeth and Nathaniel were such a cute couple, I actually cannot. WHEN HE CALLED HER A MENACE AT THE END 😭😭😭😭😭. Screaming and throwing up.
Also, I cannot believe Elisabeth is 6’3. When I found out, my jaw literally dropped. But it’s about time there’s a book where the girl is taller than the guy.
OMG. WHEN NATHANIEL SAID HE LIKES BOTH BOYS AND GIRLS I LITERALLY SCREAMED. IT WAS SO UNEXPECTED. His sexuality may not have been mentioned much, but I think a little representation can go a long way. You don’t see many bisexual characters in books. ALSO, Katrien is aromantic, I think???? There was a comment about her not being interested in romance at all.
Graphic: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Body horror, and Death
Moderate: Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, and Violence
Minor: Death of parent and Child death
solouncapitulomas's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Blood, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Misogyny, Confinement, and Forced institutionalization
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Death of parent, and Child death
theespressoedition's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
The story is very quick to suck you in. It's not necessarily fast-paced so much as it's just not slow. There's always something happening to further the plot and I'm grateful that I read a physical copy rather than listening to it, only because I think I would've missed important elements if I had utilized an audiobook. The chapters are a bit longer than is my typical taste, but truthfully, I didn't realize how long they were because I often forgot that I was even reading! It's definitely an atmospheric escape book.
There's not a particularly large cast of characters. Only four are of utmost importance with a handful of secondary characters that provide excellent support to the main cast and help to further the story. While some may categorize this novel as "enemies-to-lovers," I wouldn't be so quick to slap that label on it. The protagonists may not mesh well at the beginning, but they aren't truly enemies. They're more like misunderstood colleagues. This will make much more sense if you read the book!
I'm sure I'm not the first to state that Silas is the stand-out character in this book. He's absolutely fascinating and I would absolutely love an entire book (or spin-off series) just about his story. I'm hoping that the sequel will include a lot more information about him and how the demon-and-sorcerer relationships came to be.
There are a lot of really beautiful quotes throughout this action-packed book. Two that stood out to me were:
You belonged in the library, as much as any book.
and also..
I think--I think I was a bit dead already, before you came along... You've reminded me to live. That's worth having something to lose.
Really, Sorcery of Thorns is a beautiful book with so much great adventure, fantastic characters, and a story that will keep you hooked from beginning to end. It is absolutely winding up on my favorites list for 2022!
Graphic: Blood, Death, Death of parent, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Misogyny, Child abuse, and Sexism