Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson | Monstrous Grimoires!!!

Sorcery of Thorns might actually be my new all-time favourite standalone YA Fantasy. Oh my GOODNESS, you guys! I loved Margaret Rogerson’s Enchantment of Ravens and I thought nothing could top that, but then Sorcery happened and I’m utterly speechless because I love it so. damn. much.

“When terrible things have happened to you, sometimes the promise of something good can be just as frightening.”

My Review

Sorcery of Thorns is a book about books and libraries. It takes place in a whole where grimoires are monstrous, living things ranked on a “danger-scale” from one to ten. They’re all collected in the Great Libraries. Honestly, I think I’d be TERRIFIED to enter a library with these monstrous beings, but Elisabeth – our main characters – isn’t.

Characters

Elisabeth, this badass, ambitious librarian works with these monstrous books every day and even though I’d be terrified, I’m kind of envious of her job? Just imagine working with books every day! Anyway, I love Elisabeth. She’s brave and knows what she wants and what she stands for and I think that’s very admirable. Nathaniel Thorn is the self-proclaimed “most eligible bachelor of Brassbridge” and most importantly: a hilarious piece of shit. Gosh darn it, I’m in love with him. The banter between him and his servant friend Silas was genuinely one of the best parts of this book. Things would be going dead-seriously to hell and there I’d be giggling like an idiot at something funny. It brightened up the darkness of the book and it made me very happy.

Romance

Although there’s quite a few time jumps, especially in the beginning of the story, the pacing was perfect. We’re entering this whole new world with a completely different ‘system’ then we’ve ever heard of, but it never came out in an info-dumping way. There hasn’t been a single moment where I thought “Wait, what’s happening?’ And the romance. THE ROMANCE, GUYS. It was soooo incredibly slooooooww. I think I even wrote down a note being like “I miss the romance..?’ But it was there. And then it happened. And dear goodness, I was just SO excited. Basically, Elisabeth + Nathaniel = BEST SLOWBURN ROMANCE EVER?!

Writing

The thing with standalone is that, obviously, they end rather quickly and there’s nothing much to look forward to, besides maybe (definitely!) a reread. Sorcery of Thorns was so incredibly well done, though. When I thought we’d be nearing the end, there were just so many pages left! And when we got to the actual end, I hadn’t even noticed the book was quickly running out of pages. I was utterly engrossed. The end was so incredibly satisfying and beautiful and a bit sad but also happy and it literally made me feel every emotion at once. Margaret’s writing has gotten so much better since Enchantment of Ravens (which I loved so, so much). It’s magical and intense and beautiful and enchanting all at once. Taking time to take notes for this review was actually so hard because all I wanted to do was to keep reading! I’m honestly obsessed.

My Rating

Sorcery of Thorns has founds its way into my heart and it’s never, ever, ever leaving. Margaret Rogerson’s writing is absolutely magical and I can’t wait to see what she writes next! Elisabeth, Nathaniel and Silas have become some of my all-time favourite characters and I cannot wait to reread their adventure sometime soon!

About Sorcery of Thorns

All sorcerers are evil. Elisabeth has known that as long as she has known anything. Raised as a foundling in one of Austermeer’s Great Libraries, Elisabeth has grown up among the tools of sorcery—magical grimoires that whisper on shelves and rattle beneath iron chains. If provoked, they transform into grotesque monsters of ink and leather. She hopes to become a warden, charged with protecting the kingdom from their power.

Then an act of sabotage releases the library’s most dangerous grimoire. Elisabeth’s desperate intervention implicates her in the crime, and she is torn from her home to face justice in the capital. With no one to turn to but her sworn enemy, the sorcerer Nathaniel Thorn, and his mysterious demonic servant, she finds herself entangled in a centuries-old conspiracy. Not only could the Great Libraries go up in flames, but the world along with them.

As her alliance with Nathaniel grows stronger, Elisabeth starts to question everything she’s been taught—about sorcerers, about the libraries she loves, even about herself. For Elisabeth has a power she has never guessed, and a future she could never have imagined.

Margaret K. McElderry Books | Goodreads | Book Depository*

Have you read Sorcery of Thorns? Did you love it? Let’s discuss!

* This post contains affiliate links. More info in my Affiliate Disclaimer.