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kissinglilies's reviews
81 reviews
Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson
2.0
2 stars, solid "meh"
Margaret Rogerson has a beautiful writing style, and I can totally see why people compare this to Howl’s Moving Castle. She also has a brilliant mind; the world she’s built is excellent, and it was really what drew me into this book. It was fun, immersive, and quick to jump into. The main character was raised in a library with beautiful and dangerous talking books. In a world where sorcery is not forbidden, but certainly frowned upon in these circles, it was interesting to see how the main character grows along the way.
In addition to the libraries, I loved the lore surrounding demons. That worldbuilding was perhaps my favorite part of the story. I can’t say much more than that, but I can say that Silas was my favorite character (and the book’s saving grace). I would’ve loved a book from his perspective, or to see characters like him in media.
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The pacing in this book is inconsistent. Things went smoothly to a point, but afterwards the story seemed to hitch and stall in a way that took me out of it completely. I think a few plot points could’ve been cut out and reworked to make the story flow a bit more smoothly as a whole.
The past few books I’ve read have worked hard to tease out and develop character emotions, motivations, and drives. I know this is a young adult book, but in comparison these characters just seemed really lacking. In addition, I just wasn’t a fan of the romance… like, at all. I’m not a romance reader, and at several points during the book I was rolling my eyes so hard that I had to close the book.
I didn’t like how the bi character was identified by a throwaway line, and I wouldn’t feel comfortable labeling this book as LGBT. It was never brought up again, has no bearing on the story and no bearing on the character. I understand there doesn’t have to be a reason for bi characters to exist, but it really felt like that line was thrown in for a few extra brownie points. None of this character’s development ever revolved around them being bi -- it was literally one line. It’s not good rep.
Margaret Rogerson has a beautiful writing style, and I can totally see why people compare this to Howl’s Moving Castle. She also has a brilliant mind; the world she’s built is excellent, and it was really what drew me into this book. It was fun, immersive, and quick to jump into. The main character was raised in a library with beautiful and dangerous talking books. In a world where sorcery is not forbidden, but certainly frowned upon in these circles, it was interesting to see how the main character grows along the way.
In addition to the libraries, I loved the lore surrounding demons. That worldbuilding was perhaps my favorite part of the story. I can’t say much more than that, but I can say that Silas was my favorite character (and the book’s saving grace). I would’ve loved a book from his perspective, or to see characters like him in media.
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The pacing in this book is inconsistent. Things went smoothly to a point, but afterwards the story seemed to hitch and stall in a way that took me out of it completely. I think a few plot points could’ve been cut out and reworked to make the story flow a bit more smoothly as a whole.
The past few books I’ve read have worked hard to tease out and develop character emotions, motivations, and drives. I know this is a young adult book, but in comparison these characters just seemed really lacking. In addition, I just wasn’t a fan of the romance… like, at all. I’m not a romance reader, and at several points during the book I was rolling my eyes so hard that I had to close the book.
I didn’t like how the bi character was identified by a throwaway line, and I wouldn’t feel comfortable labeling this book as LGBT. It was never brought up again, has no bearing on the story and no bearing on the character. I understand there doesn’t have to be a reason for bi characters to exist, but it really felt like that line was thrown in for a few extra brownie points. None of this character’s development ever revolved around them being bi -- it was literally one line. It’s not good rep.