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hayleyetterwrites's review against another edition
I tried so hard to get though this book. But I was in the 40% range for what felt like forever, and I'd only gotten to 44%. I was hardly paying attention. This book is so BORING! I really think it's over hyped. I truly do not understand what people see in this book. What a disappointment.
charcaucci23's review against another edition
4.0
4.5*
this book was very good i enjoyed it a lot
but i’m not gonna lie i’m a little confused by the epilogue hello what happened at the end there
this book was very good i enjoyed it a lot
but i’m not gonna lie i’m a little confused by the epilogue hello what happened at the end there
princessrobotiv's review against another edition
2.0
I'm going to make a controversial claim about Sorcery of Thorns's sweeping popularity in the Goodreads community:
It's only as popular as it is because of its obsessive treatment of books and libraries.
There, I said it, and I stick by my intuition. I believe wholeheartedly that, had this book not been an ode to literature and libraries, it would have faced much harsher censure for the rest of its content. At least, I should hope that it would have, because its content was weak.
The first thing I want to mention is that I did appreciate the magic system, particularly the way magic usage was tied inextricably to bargains made with demons. I thought that this provided balance to the narrative and enhanced the worldbuilding. I also enjoyed most of the lore surrounding the construction of the Great Libraries as well as the care and conservation of grimoires, though I found the grimoires themselves too similar to the books in Harry Potter for my comfort.
In general, I had an overwhelming sense of reading recycled material. The two-way mirror and the grimoires reminded me of Harry Potter. Silas's character reminded me of Bleach and Black Butler. Thorn's character reminded me of Uprooted. Elisabeth's character reminded me of too many other YA heroines to list.
I was just so bored. I can't say that nothing happened in this book because there was stuff endlessly happening, every chapter, and yet it felt like nothing was happening. Nothing had any emotional weight. Catastrophic wounds were healed in days, injuries were avoided via magical intervention, deaths and banishments were overwritten within a few chapters, and the world at large was prevented from apocalypse with little to no consequences felt by the population as a whole. We were told the stakes were momentously high, and yet I never felt tension, apprehension, or fear.
The plot was one continuous contrivance: Elisabeth stumbles into revealing conversations at every turn; characters appear as if summoned to save her life; her unique magical "gift" transports her effortlessly into places that other masterclass, lifelong magicians have toiled for years or decades to access. These are all writing sins that are usually torn apart in other novels, particularly in the YA genre, and yet I see shockingly little of that criticism for this novel.
The prose was better than average, but I'm going to make another controversial claim: It wasn't as tight, as atmospheric, or as beautiful as it was in An Enchantment of Ravens, a novel that was rated far lower despite being (in my opinion) much stronger.
Obviously, much of this can come down to taste. This didn't work for me, but maybe it resonated for others.
I just find it . . . Let's say, convenient . . . That a book with heavy themes of book worship ended up so uniformly beloved within a community of book nerds. Just saying.
It's only as popular as it is because of its obsessive treatment of books and libraries.
There, I said it, and I stick by my intuition. I believe wholeheartedly that, had this book not been an ode to literature and libraries, it would have faced much harsher censure for the rest of its content. At least, I should hope that it would have, because its content was weak.
The first thing I want to mention is that I did appreciate the magic system, particularly the way magic usage was tied inextricably to bargains made with demons. I thought that this provided balance to the narrative and enhanced the worldbuilding. I also enjoyed most of the lore surrounding the construction of the Great Libraries as well as the care and conservation of grimoires, though I found the grimoires themselves too similar to the books in Harry Potter for my comfort.
In general, I had an overwhelming sense of reading recycled material. The two-way mirror and the grimoires reminded me of Harry Potter. Silas's character reminded me of Bleach and Black Butler. Thorn's character reminded me of Uprooted. Elisabeth's character reminded me of too many other YA heroines to list.
I was just so bored. I can't say that nothing happened in this book because there was stuff endlessly happening, every chapter, and yet it felt like nothing was happening. Nothing had any emotional weight. Catastrophic wounds were healed in days, injuries were avoided via magical intervention, deaths and banishments were overwritten within a few chapters, and the world at large was prevented from apocalypse with little to no consequences felt by the population as a whole. We were told the stakes were momentously high, and yet I never felt tension, apprehension, or fear.
The plot was one continuous contrivance: Elisabeth stumbles into revealing conversations at every turn; characters appear as if summoned to save her life; her unique magical "gift" transports her effortlessly into places that other masterclass, lifelong magicians have toiled for years or decades to access. These are all writing sins that are usually torn apart in other novels, particularly in the YA genre, and yet I see shockingly little of that criticism for this novel.
The prose was better than average, but I'm going to make another controversial claim: It wasn't as tight, as atmospheric, or as beautiful as it was in An Enchantment of Ravens, a novel that was rated far lower despite being (in my opinion) much stronger.
Obviously, much of this can come down to taste. This didn't work for me, but maybe it resonated for others.
I just find it . . . Let's say, convenient . . . That a book with heavy themes of book worship ended up so uniformly beloved within a community of book nerds. Just saying.
elythrim's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
natmontaner's review against another edition
3.5
Honestly this wasn’t bad, it just didn’t fully pull me in for some reason. That being said, I absolutely loved the sentient books. Hands down my favorite part!!
liberty_grady's review against another edition
2.0
I battled what to rate this book throughout reading it and I’ve concluded 2 stars is what I’m staying with.
Let me just say the concept behind this book is very captivating and deserved to be explored more. The world itself is complex and has a lot of history that could have been explained in better detail if given the chance.
It felt thrown together at best and lacking in multiple areas. Even our main characters had so much depth that wasn’t touched because we only have 400 pages.
I was ready to go into this stand alone expecting a quick read that would fill up my want for fantasy at the moment and I somehow left the book confused??
In no way is the plot confusing. It follows a safe structure and at times was super predictable BUT the storyline itself was way too much for a standalone
As for the main couple
Where was the chemistry…?
We did a complete 180 more than halfway into the book when it came to their relationship. They truly didn’t have any romantic chemistry, and any romantic encounters they had felt forced. I say this because I know the author does right a good romance story and we see that in an enchantment of ravens.
As for the characters themselves I didn’t get attached. Our main girl was interesting at best when she had the magic happening to her but again we didn’t really explore any of that.
As for our main male what he lacked he made up for with him being somewhat funny.
I know it sounds like I’m shitting on this book but in all honesty it did keep me going. Sure it took me days after putting it down to pick it up again but It got interesting in the second half and again I really like the world idea. So 2 stars for being entertaining to some degree and for what it could have been
Let me just say the concept behind this book is very captivating and deserved to be explored more. The world itself is complex and has a lot of history that could have been explained in better detail if given the chance.
It felt thrown together at best and lacking in multiple areas. Even our main characters had so much depth that wasn’t touched because we only have 400 pages.
I was ready to go into this stand alone expecting a quick read that would fill up my want for fantasy at the moment and I somehow left the book confused??
In no way is the plot confusing. It follows a safe structure and at times was super predictable BUT the storyline itself was way too much for a standalone
As for the main couple
Where was the chemistry…?
We did a complete 180 more than halfway into the book when it came to their relationship. They truly didn’t have any romantic chemistry, and any romantic encounters they had felt forced. I say this because I know the author does right a good romance story and we see that in an enchantment of ravens.
As for the characters themselves I didn’t get attached. Our main girl was interesting at best when she had the magic happening to her but again we didn’t really explore any of that.
As for our main male what he lacked he made up for with him being somewhat funny.
I know it sounds like I’m shitting on this book but in all honesty it did keep me going. Sure it took me days after putting it down to pick it up again but It got interesting in the second half and again I really like the world idea. So 2 stars for being entertaining to some degree and for what it could have been
techknitly's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
nancy_13's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
medium-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
lizzcogan's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75