How do you say you loved a thing more than you've ever loved a thing since...... Harry Potter, or Outlander (book not TV series), or seeing Chris Evans emerging from the machinery that transformed him into Captain America- all sleepy and glistening. That's how much I loved A Sorcery of Thorns, THAT'S how gooood this book is.

I've never encountered such a charming and fantastical magic system that is so lovingly described, you can veritably taste the descriptions, they are just that evocative. This isn't the type of book that it takes you a chapter or two to acclimate to the writing style and world, Rogerson is an absolute wizard with words. I cannot say more without spoiling the book, all I can say- and those lucky enough to have read the book already will know what I mean by saying that- I love every character in this book, but just like Elizabeth and Nathaniel, I cannot let Silas go!

This world, this magic, Katrien, the libraries and grimories, the riotous book lice! Everything was perfection. The only thing that stabs my heart is that this is a stand alone novel. Give me a demon and I will enchant Margaret Rogerson to write me a trilogy!

Working as an apprentice in the Royal Library in hopes to one day becoming a warden within its walls, Elizabeth has vowed to protect her kingdom from demonic influences including sorcerers, but when she's caught up in a crime that she didn't commit she has no other choice (and risks becoming an outcast herself) but turn to Nathaniel Thorn - an infamous sorcerer in his own right. Nathaniel who is frustrating as ever and keeps everyone at a distance with the exception of his bonded, demonic servant Silas. As they delve deeper into the catacombs of a tangled history, revelations are made, lines between good and evil are drawn, and Elizabeth realizes that she's uncovered something much bigger than she ever imagined.

Sorcery of Thorns is full of lyrical writing that is brilliantly paced! Elizabeth is such a great character - smart, determined, and fun which made her interactions with Nathaniel and even Silas pure entertainment. Nathaniel is all kinds of mysterious, guarded, and broken. And Silas, who could have easily been written off as a secondary "filler" character, has his own story and role to play. I loved it all!

Necromancy, grimoires, monsters, love, betrayal, reveals, villainy, and magic all sit behind a gorgeous cover that is not to be missed!

As much as I enjoyed An Enchantment of Ravens, I thought this was so much better for a sophomore novel! I feel like she took all her critiques and implemented them into this new novel and it showed!

Reviewed on Goodreads. (Note that my GR account is very personal, unlike my reviews for Kirkus or SLJ.) https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42201395-sorcery-of-thorns?from_search=true

5 flamboyant stars!

Oooh how I loved that story! It felt exhilarating!

I have so much to say and praise about that book that I might be bossy, sorry but not sorry, trying to MAKE you READ it!

I liked An Enchantment of Ravens but I adored Sorcery of Thorns!



Honestly this book is so many things!

First I bow low to Margaret’s imagination because I loved reading about a world where Great Libraries held grimoires who snored while sleeping, complained, laughed or had to have their spines massaged by apprentices when they got a special flu!

This was so original!

Not to forget gargoyle coming to life and stone angels awakened by sorcerers to join the battle and defend said libraries!

And I am not even mentioning the book lice being extra fat and hard to kill when they feasted on enchanted grimoires!

So the first thing to praise was the world building!

Imaginative, enchanting and so vivid!



Second I absolutely adored the balance between gravity and humor in this book!

Some of the first moments that made me smile was when the heroine, Elisabeth Scrivener, orphaned abandoned at the entrance of a Great Library and raised among very alive grimoires was retelling that the first time she had seen a normal book she thought he was dead because he made no noise nor movement! So delicious!!!

Then of course or sorcerer Nathaniel Thorn is a master at irony and sarcasm.

Always unruffled even in dire circumstances he had the best come backs! He reminded me of Jace Wayland or …….

“Why are you looking at me like that?” he inquired. “You used a demonic incantation to pack my stockings!” He raised an eyebrow. “You’re right, that doesn’t sound like something a proper evil sorcerer would do. Next time, I won’t fold them.”


What also added humor and comic moments was the knack of Elisabeth to always jump head first into compromising situations! Like making fall an entire book shelf on the sorcerer she covertly and discreetly tried to spy on just to end falling on him and grabbing his surprisingly soft hair to test a theory and make sure he had or had not pointed ears! It’s for science you see…



Third I fell hard for the magical battles, the heroics, the constant action and exhilarating acts of bravery! I felt emboldened and energized just reading about Elisabeth’s high feat and courageous actions. I barely kept myself from shouting something along “Take that evil monster!” in the midst of fellow commuters on the train. No doubt it would not have been welcomed to rouse them from their sleep while on our very early morning trip to work!



Fourth I loved the character’s growth and their evolution.

How Elisabeth, raised in a Great Library and sworn to protect grimoires, not to ever dabble in magic because sorcerers are evil came to realize through that story that not everything is clear cut. That all sorcerers are not evil, that not all magic is bad nor all demons are enemies. That maybe her purpose lies in something other than making sure that grimoires are trapped and well guarded.

Nathaniel too will learn to trust. He will learn to overcome his personal fears of what he might turn into one day.

And Silas…without spoiling your fun he will also change.



Honestly I can’t recall the last time that I read about a book with magic and sorcerers and had so much fun! Not since reading Harry Potter I dare say! I know JK Rowling is the queen but Margareth Rogerson did a dang fine job in entertaining me in the best sense of the word! I’ve been simply swept off my feet and catapulted in a heroic and magical world!

If you love fantasy reads just read it!

I want to say a huge thank you to the publisher Margaret K. McElderry Books from Simon and Schuster for reaching out to me and offering this copy of the book! It had no influence whatsoever on my always honest review and it's been a real pleasure!

I really liked this book, even though on the surface it seemed like another typical YA fantasy novel. It had a lot of the typical tropes, including a female protagonist who didn't fit in and was seen as strange for not conforming to typical feminine ideals. It also had magic and a supposedly unlikeable male character who was entranced by the female protagonist. That being said, this book felt fresh and fun to me. The world felt new and creative, even though it was set in the quasi-1800s. The book wasn't as dark and serious as a lot of YA fantasy books have started leaning towards and was excellently paced. I also really liked how it explored a moral gray zone in terms of who is a monster and what is actually evil. More than anything, this book reminded me of Victoria Schwab's writing, which is a major, major compliment. One small quibble I have is the fact the author decided to briefly mention that the male protagonist was bisexual without giving it more credence throughout the book. It felt kind of gratuitous to me and a way to claim diversity without actually having diversity. But still, overall I really enjoyed this read!

Thanks to NetGalley, Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing, and Margaret Rogerson for providing an e-book for my honest opinion.

My overall thoughts: 4.5/5 Stars!

If you enjoyed Margaret Rogerson's first novel, An Enchantment of Ravens, you will LOVE Sorcery of Thorns. There are magical books, evil (and not-so-evil) demons, sassy sorcerers, and a strong-willed heroine. The feminist themes, slow burn romances, and unlikely friendships will leave you bewitched and wanting more.

A Deep Dive:

- The Plot: Let me repeat, there are. MAGICAL. LIVING. BOOKS. in this story. Readers, you should binge this book based on this alone. Who doesn't want to read about a brave librarian facing off against an evil sorcerer? And who doesn't dream of living in a magical library full of living, breathing books? There's a dash of "The Sorcerer's Apprentice", Hogwarts Library vibes (think the restricted section times 100), hints of The Pagemaster, and a unique flare to piece it all together.

- The World Building: For being a standalone novel, I was definitely impressed with how well the world of Austermeer was thought out. There's so much magical knowledge to devour in this story and it left me wanting more. Fantasy lovers will be highly impressed with callouts to the Enochian language, the use of salt & iron, the creation of grimoires & maleficts, and even the summoning of demons.

- The Characters: Every character in this story is amazing in their own way - yes, even all the grimoires! Elisabeth is a fearless, strong-willed bookworm who meets her enemies head on. Nathaniel Thorn is my new favorite sorcerer. He's the perfect combination of salty and sweet and I lived for all his sarcasm. Silas is your favorite grumpy cat and will melt your heart. And Katrien will be the best friend you want in your life.

Final Thoughts: If you love magic and mystery, add Sorcery of Thorns to your June wishlist!

Welcome to Rambling Reviews! This review is thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for allowing me access to this much-awaited title. Ever since its announcement, I’ve wanted it. I still have a bit to go for a physical copy, but for now, here is a review as thanks.

Ever since I read An Enchantment of Ravens, I’ve fallen for Margaret Rogerson’s writing. The lyricism. The ambiance. The flash and bang and the lulling. And now here I am again.

I’m a bookseller. First, I’m a reader. Then, I sell what I read. Also I sell what I’ve never read before, but that’s what I do. I look stuff up and I enjoy it. But when I’ve read something, like Ravens, I make it a point to hand it to people. I make it a point to tell everyone how much I loved this or that title. And boy I’m sure people got so sick of me talking about Ravens!

And now they can get sick of me talking about Thorns. Because I will talk. I will talk all day about this book. This tome. This tale.

It starts off with our beloved main character, Elisabeth. She was an orphan who was left on the footsteps of one of the Great Libraries. So she was raised in the Great Library, surrounded by living books.

Yes. LIVING BOOKS.

These suckers live. They breathe and whisper and plot. They whimper and laugh and screech. To be surrounded by these books! But most of the Librarians treat these books like prisoners. Why?

Because, in this world, magic is evil. Pure and simple. Evil magic.

Then we have what I’ll call your necessary evil. The Sorcerers. They can use these magnificent tomes, eliciting spells and secrets from them. Nathaniel Thorn is one such Sorcerer. And did you know Sorcerers have demons? Yes. They make pacts with demons for their magic. But I’ll get to my favorite character later.

Just you wait.

So we have our players. Nathaniel and Elisabeth. Elisabeth was raised to desire to be a Warden, or a person who protects the Libraries. Sometimes when a grimoire goes rogue, they turn into monsters and usually are slain. Wardens can help with that. The thought of killing a book, even one with a body that’s rampaging the countryside, makes me quail. Cringe.

But things happen and Elisabeth has to do stuff and has to escape a place. She’s now living with Nathaniel. WHAT. Yes. Nathaniel and (here it comes)…

Silas.

White-haired Silas with the yellow eyes. Charming and sarcastic, but always polite. He’s short. He’s a wee fella. But he’s still a demon. A demon who extracted a price for his magic. Nathaniel’s demon.

Silas is like Gadfly from Ravens in that he’s that character where through the whole story you’re wondering if you’re allowed to like him.

Are Silas and Gadfly nice? Are they mean? Evil? Can I like them? Do they die? Do they kill everyone and everything? What if they’re evil? Then I’ll feel bad for liking them.

But I like them.

So we have Silas. He’s like a nursemaid, butler, chef, chauffeur, lady-in-waiting, confidant, babysitter, parental figure, crazy uncle, loving brother, and manic demon all in one powdered package. A buttery-eyed butler. Who sometimes turns into a fluffy white cat.

Can you see why he’s my favorite?

Have you ever seen the show Lucifer? The one with the demons and angels and stuff. Silas reminds me a little of the title character. Sarcastic and mean without seeming mean. Biting while making you think he’s got your best interests at heart. But — Spoilers.

He’s my favorite. Because reasons I can’t say because the book isn’t out until June. Good luck waiting!

Anyway. The setting. The Libraries were my favorite. All of them. From the grimoires in their cases and chains to the Librarians who loved/hated them. I could smell the dust and hear the whispers of the books. I could feel the desks and the bookcases as they crash down. I could smell the ink and that magic scent.

The characters! Elisabeth was amazing! She was strong without trying too hard. She was weak without simper. She fought for what she loved and she grew.

Nathaniel started out the atypical brooding YA guy. I was groaning. But I shouldn’t have. I didn’t trust Margaret Rogerson. I ended up liking him. He was still brooding, but he was realistic. He didn’t brood to mope and complain. He had light in him.

The books. The books were also characters! From the ribbon-needle one who wants faces, to the eyeball one, to the ones who wanted to eat your arm. I loved them all and only wish I could give them loving homes.

And you already know about Silas.

But the bad guy was there, too. I won’t say who it was. I just know I saw it coming. But I’m 37 today. Happy Birthday to me! I’ve read a lot, and I don’t think Margaret Rogerson really intended on it being a secret. Just the drive behind the bad. And the sidekick was awesome. I really liked the sidekick. That sidekick had some PUNCH.

The plot wasn’t really your typical save the world. I mean, it was. But it was so much more. This book, for me, wasn’t entirely plot-centric. It shared the spotlight with the characters. With Elisabeth and Nathaniel and the books and Silas. But the plot helped the characters move along. However, I tried to imagine Generic Characters in the plot and couldn’t. I couldn’t see anyone else moving along this trajectory toward that end.

If I remember right, this is another stand-alone. But how I would love to see Silas and Gadfly together. Just for a chat and some tea, maybe. Though the whole world may be destroyed after. But that’s okay.

When this book comes out, read it. Just buy it and read it. It makes me wish that my birthday were in June, so I could get it for my birthday. But it’s not.

I give this one all the stars. Every star in the sky.

'Sorcery of Thorns' is Margaret Rogerson's 2nd stand alone novel. The environment in her previous novel, "An Enchantment of Ravens" is lush and fantastical. Sorcery of Thorns follows this same idea. Rogerson has a beautiful way of writing in her books. They have both reminded me so much of a Studio Ghibli movie! That alone is the reason why I can't pass up a book by Rogerson (it also helps that the amazing Charlie Bowater does her covers).

Sorcery of Thorns follows Elisabeth, an orphan raised in the grand library. Elisabeth is a brave and yet softhearted girl who has a special connection with the magical grimoires. She dreams of nothing else but to become a warden and protect those special books, for they can evolve into something very dangerous. One night, Elisabeth stumbles across a mysterious and jarring scene that causes her entire world to crumble. Her attempts at saving the Library ends with her arrest. During her trial, she meets a sorcerer, Nathanial and his demon-servant Silas. The two join up with Elisabeth to help her along her journey in face of politics, injustice and more.

As mentioned by the author, this book is first and foremost an epic fantasy. The romance between Nathanial and Elisabeth is a subplot and honestly - I kind of wished that it was removed entirely. I felt as though it was forced and that Elisabeth and Silas had much more of a connection than the Nathanial and her.

Rogerson's books are very imaginative and I know that in time, she will continue to grow in her skills. At this point of time, her novels have left me wishing for something more. But all in all, if you are a library nerd, try this book. It will definitely spark something!

2.5/5.

Special thanks to Netgalley, Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing, Margaret K. McElderry Books and Margaret Rogerson for the opportunity to read this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I love Margaret Rogerson's work, and though this is only her second book it definitely fills me with the same feelings as the first. Her world building is so intricate and throughout it feels, at times, more like history than fiction. Elisabeth's journey is one of a girl whose entire world is turned upside down and decides to fight for everyone else anyway. Similar to her first book, Rogerson puts her main characters in dangerous situations, leads them to incorrect conclusions, and then forces them to deal with impossible outcomes. The Thorn family was complicated and full of contradictions and evil shadows, but Nathaniel and Silas' relationship was both terrifying and loving.

So good! Libraries and magic and books that are almost living things and a strong heroine and a little romance. All the things I love!

My first book by this author. It wont be the last! Great for fans of magic and sorcery and a good romance. I enjoyed The fast paced and well developed story line. I jist wished the book was available in kindle format. That is the only one negative thing I have to say here. Otherwise, read this book! It is good

5 glittering stars.

So, I just completed reading Sorcery of Thorns and am so entranced that I felt I needed to write this review immediately.

This book is easily one of my favorite books of all time. Margaret Rogerson’s characterization is phenomenal. I felt strong emotions toward ALL of the characters, no matter how minor they were. Whether those emotions were delight, disgust, adoration—they were powerful.

I had very high expectations for this book. I really enjoyed An Enchantment of Ravens (more for the characters than the story), but THIS…I went into it critically. You see, my safe space is books, libraries, magical fantasies, and especially cats. I was nervous about being disappointed. But I definitely was not. This is a wonderfully enchanting story where books have personalities as captivating as the characters, and otherworldly creatures that you know are supposed to be “evil” but still you find yourself accepting them for what they are (and even feeling for them at some points). One of these otherworldly creatures, in particular, quickly became my favorite character and I adored and adored and adored every scene with him in it.

Now, A LOT happens in Sorcery of Thorns. So much happens, so quickly, one thing right after the other, that I found myself needing several breaks throughout reading it. Which is why is took me several days to read. At times it was overwhelming and I needed to put the book down to just process everything I had just read. I’m actually happy about this, because it made the experience last longer. I so WISH this wasn’t a standalone novel, because I want more. However, it is a beautiful story as it is.

AND THAT ENDING! My heart broke into a billion and a half pieces. But then again…I’ll let you see for yourself.

This book doesn’t just fill you with awe, it is FUNNY. I found myself laughing out loud multiple times and wanting more dialogue so I could keep experiencing the playfulness between all of the characters. It was truly a joy to read this book and I’m sure it will be one of my favorites for all time.

I HIGHLY recommend reading this even if you did not like An Enchantment of Ravens. I can assure you they are night and day. Sorcery of Thorns is at a completely different level of skill and is incredible. Margaret Rogerson is obviously very talented and I will ABSOLUTELY read anything she ever writes. Pick up the book! You won’t be sorry.

This is a flimsy, soulless ripoff of Uprooted by Naomi Novik mixed with a veritable heap of overtired tropes and plot devices.

Elisabeth is an apprentice librarian who was raised in a Great Library helping to preserve and contain dangerous grimoires. Despite the fact that her entire life is devoted to magical objects, she and her fellow librarians hold extremely negative views of sorcerers (those who do magic, who, as far as this book goes, are 100% white men). Naturally, Elisabeth has to go live with a hot young sorcerer to await trial after she's accused of crimes, and everything proceeds as you might expect from there.

Some of the more unforgivable parts of this book:
- On more than THREE occasions, Elisabeth happens to be hiding in or passing by a room when people are having extremely important secret plot-related conversations. How lucky!
- As often as it's convenient, she either passes out or falls asleep. Why have pesky things like exposition or transitions when you can just end a chapter by...fainting?
- Every single villain is just through-and-through evil for the sake of being evil. There's no character development in this book in general, but the evil characters get particularly shafted. Interesting backstory who??
- Thorn (the youngest handsomest available-est sorcerer) is an offensively obvious and one-dimensional copy of the Dragon from Uprooted. Imagine if you printed a glossy high-def photo of your celebrity crush and then used the oldest machine in your office to make a black-and-white photocopy on standard printer paper. That's basically what Rogerson did with the Dragon to make Thorn. It's heinous. And, yeah, it took about five seconds of Googling to determine that she's a Novik fan.

Here's the thing: Novik wrote eight boring, stuffy Napoleonic dragon books and like a billion pages of fanfiction before she managed to write Uprooted. There's all the time in the world for Rogerson to produce something great, and I hope she keeps at it. But ripping off the books you like is not the way to go, especially when the result is less than mediocre even without the lifted bits.

Magical libraries, "evil" sorcerers, books that come alive, demons, and tons of action...all in one book??? Yes, please!
I loved Margaret's first book, An Enchantment of Ravens, so I was really excited to get an early look at Sorcery of Thorns. It did not disappoint. It has the exact amount of excitement with a little romance sprinkled in for good measure. I can't wait to see what Margaret Rogerson has in store for us next!

Rogerson does it again in this book! There's magic, monsters, a daring heroine and a couple sassy characters along for the ride. The writing in 'Sorcery of Thorns' really does bring the magic to life on these pages and I really fell in love with one of the characters. The world was so interesting and not only do you as the reader just fall into it, so does our main character. Fun, mysterious, and magical!

*ARC received from NetGalley in return for an honest review*

Magical books were why I wanted to become a librarian as a child. Lirael by Garth Nix especially haunted me with how beautiful and magical the library was. Rogerson has invoked the same magic making me desire to work in her libraries full of books that are alive. While I enjoyed her first book this one certainly felt like Rogerson had finally found her groove.

There was only one downside to reading this book and that was all due to the fact that I had to read it on my phone instead of my kindle. I would have certainly got into this book faster if I had my larger kindle screen.

Margaret Rogerson excels at writing stand-alone fantasy novels. After reading an Enchantment of Ravens, I knew I would continue to follow her career. I am glad to report that Sorcery of Thorns did not disappoint. Any book lover will appreciate the way the literary atmosphere ties into the magic system and fantastical elements in the book.

However, I did feel that the book was limited by its short length and felt a little rushed in places as a result. I wanted to bathe in the fantastical elements a little longer and soak in the musty, magical libraries. Additionally, Elisabeth came across as a little naive as a character. While having a protagonist begin as innocent and naive allows for great character development, it took me a little bit to adjust to her innocent world view.

While I ultimately enjoyed the romance between Nathaniel and Elisabeth, I didn’t necessarily believe in it. Rather, I would have enjoyed if their relationship remained platonic. Perhaps this isn’t a reflection on the book but rather a critique of the Young Adult genre in general. It felt like the romantic relationship was part of the formula of Young Adult fantasy rather than being an authentic development of the plot. That being said, their romance added a thread of sweetness throughout the book and gave that satisfactory ‘happily ever after’ feeling at the end.

Those criticisms aside, Sorcery of Thorns is easily one of my favorite reads of the year. I read it in less than 48 hours. The action, fantastical elements, and character growth outshine any detriments of the novel. I thought the struggle of Elisabeth as a woman trying to be acknowledged and recognized in the world was incredibly poignant and thoughtfully woven throughout the narrative. I think this is a very strong pick for readers on the younger side of the Young Adult genre looking to get into fantasy.

Overall, I would strongly recommend this to readers of Young Adult and I am already anticipating Rogerson’s next work.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me a digital copy of this book. I love this author’s writing style. It feels like an old fairy tale but with some modern edge. The characters are fresh and engaging. The setting is beautiful! I love the library aspect.

Starting this book it didn't hit me right and I thought it was just another mediocre book with beautiful cover art. But I still wanted to see where the book went so I forged on, and wow was it worth it! The characters were so real and easy to relate to. The humor in this book was wonderful, it was so well written! And the dialogue was so enjoyable, it was something you could picture so easily. I could easily see this coming as a movie, but the way the book was written was like reading/watching a movie, everything was so vivid and lush, it was wonderful! I loved the main characters, actually all the characters were so well done. Elisabeth was such a neat character and I loved how the libraries were alive with epic stories of such a variety. She was brave and believed in the good of everyone. She was strong yet not callous, I liked how she fought to the right thing, which in this case was saving the world. I loved how she was a child of the library, how books helped her through her quests in a variety of ways. Then there's Nathaniel... from their first encounter he was an amazing character. His sorcery was such a neat factor, and his backstory was heart-wretching, yet his ability to see and even dare to hope of a brighter future was beautiful. And then there's Silas...I don't know how to write about him without having spoilers, but he was such an exceptional character! I think there's something to be said for the author when the characters have such depth and personality. Somehow this book had humor, action, adventure, and a love story, it was so beautifully written that I can't wait to just go and buy the book. Action packed with a love of books sprinkled throughout made this book a must-read. Highly recommend for sure!