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A review by caryndi
Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.5
I'm going to be honest: I almost noped out of this book after the first chapter because it seemed like it was going to be too high fantasy for me, but I'm really glad I didn't. While the prose was a bit more over the top than I prefer, I ended up really enjoying the world and the story.
Before I get into that, let me detour to say that it made me think sooo strongly of the The Bartimaeus Trilogy that for 0.1 second, I wondered if it was fanfiction with the edges sanded off. However, in the next 0.1 second I disregarded that idea because the world was just too different and the characters definitely their own. However, we had:
Before I get into that, let me detour to say that it made me think sooo strongly of the The Bartimaeus Trilogy that for 0.1 second, I wondered if it was fanfiction with the edges sanded off. However, in the next 0.1 second I disregarded that idea because the world was just too different and the characters definitely their own. However, we had:
- Magic boi Nathaniel
- The "young person takes on bad authority figures" trope
- A woman who was resistant to magic
- A demon character who ended up befriending his master
- The woman took a huge risk in her interactions with that demon (keeping this vague to avoid spoilers)
I love the Bartimaeus Trilogy, so anything that makes me think of it probably gets an extra half-star just from association.
Now, onto the actual book! The characters were wonderful. Elisabeth's journey was well written--I enjoyed watching her grow into herself and stay true to the principles that guided her even when that meant going against something she had previously believed. The ending of her arc was great. Nathaniel and Katrien were both great supporting characters and I enjoyed the way we were introduced to Silas and his abilities. Having books as pseudo-characters was an interesting take and I thought it was nicely done.
Story-wise, there was a nice mix of conflict between the big bad and various medium bads that kept the story interesting, and also tied together nicely.
There was also a romance storyline and while it wasn't my favorite, it was...okay? (I know, I'm surprised I think so as well.) It wasn't super well developed, especially on Nathaniel's end, but it definitely passed the "Sk8er Boi" test and was fairly satisfying as part of their character arcs. While it could have been done better, it didn't feel too abrupt, at least--it was definitely hinted at before it happened and worked well with the character growth. The one kinda weird thing was that the characters were like 17/18 so as an adult it was a little D: when I remembered that bit.
All in all, this was a fun read that was DEFINITELY better than doing my work and also a great world to get lost in for a little bit.
Recommend? Yes, if you like fantasy at all.
Now, onto the actual book! The characters were wonderful. Elisabeth's journey was well written--I enjoyed watching her grow into herself and stay true to the principles that guided her even when that meant going against something she had previously believed. The ending of her arc was great. Nathaniel and Katrien were both great supporting characters and I enjoyed the way we were introduced to Silas and his abilities. Having books as pseudo-characters was an interesting take and I thought it was nicely done.
Story-wise, there was a nice mix of conflict between the big bad and various medium bads that kept the story interesting, and also tied together nicely.
There was also a romance storyline and while it wasn't my favorite, it was...okay? (I know, I'm surprised I think so as well.) It wasn't super well developed, especially on Nathaniel's end, but it definitely passed the "Sk8er Boi" test and was fairly satisfying as part of their character arcs. While it could have been done better, it didn't feel too abrupt, at least--it was definitely hinted at before it happened and worked well with the character growth. The one kinda weird thing was that the characters were like 17/18 so as an adult it was a little D: when I remembered that bit.
All in all, this was a fun read that was DEFINITELY better than doing my work and also a great world to get lost in for a little bit.
Recommend? Yes, if you like fantasy at all.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement