This was an intriguing start to a four-book series that blends fantasy, spice, and mystery into one slow-burning story. A Lesson in Thorns revolves around a group of friends who shared one unforgettable summer at Thornchapel. Years later, they reunite in the same mysterious place, only to find that while the house remains the same, everything between them has shifted. Each character harbors secret desires, but the question is: will they allow themselves to act on them?
The writing is beautifully done, as I've come to expect from Sierra Simone, and the atmosphere she creates around Thornchapel is lush and immersive. The mystery element is intriguing, with an unexpected twist at the end that took me by surprise. However, despite these strengths, I found the pacing painfully slow—if I could compare it to anything, it would be molasses. The slow burn is very slow, and while I can appreciate tension, I felt like the story could have been told just as powerfully with fewer words.
Having read other books by this author, this one wasn’t quite what I anticipated. I was left surprised that the ending felt so conclusive—almost like a standalone—so I'm genuinely curious what the next books in the series have in store. Though tempted to peek, I’m the type who likes to go in blind.
Overall, A Lesson in Thorns was good, but not great for me. I enjoyed the concept, the writing, and the gothic vibes, but the drawn-out pacing made it tough to fully fall in love.
Thank you SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books, NetGalley, and Sierra Simone for the opportunity to review this advanced reader copy and provide my honest feedback.

I originally read A Lesson in Thorns when it was indie published and it quickly became one of my favorite series of all time. I was so excited that I got to do a re-read for the Bloom re-release & it was even more fun to read the second time around! The dark academia setting of Thornchapel is such a vibe! Each of the six main characters are all wildly different but they fit together so perfectly. It felt like the tension and chemistry between everyone had literal sparks flying out of my kindle.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bloom, and Sierra Simone for sending me an early copy!

I just finished A Lesson in Thorns and WOW. I mean… 🥵🥵🥵 This book is scorching. Sierra Simone has mastered the art of writing tension so thick, so forbidden, that you feel like you’re intruding on something sacred. The spice? Let’s just say this book does not shy away from intensity, it’s raw, sensual, and absolutely intoxicating.

But what truly sets this book apart is the atmosphere. The gothic setting of Thornchapel feels like a character in itself: haunting, mysterious, and laced with an undercurrent of something both magical and dangerous. Sierra Simone’s prose is lush and poetic, weaving mythology, history, and sacred rituals into every page. The way she blends themes of fate, desire, and longing with ancient mythological influences? It’s mesmerizing.

And the characters & Their relationships are layered with yearning, pain, and an almost unbearable amount of tension. Every glance, every touch, every whispered word means something, and that’s what makes this book so special. The emotional stakes are just as high as the physical ones, making this more than just a steamy read, it’s an experience.

If you love dark academia, forbidden romances, and stories dripping with mythology and sensuality, A Lesson in Thorns is a must-read. It’s hypnotic, haunting, and will completely consume you.🔥

Sierra Simone has a way with her writing style to absolutely entrance you; her writing is elegant and raw, and makes you feel everything the characters feel and then some. The spice was amazing, the angst was palpable. I felt like I was picked up and dropped into a whole different world and I felt like I knew these characters as if they were my own friends. I was sucked in from the very beginning and I am SO glad there are more books in this series. 5/5 stars; absolutely delectable! Thank you Netgalley, Bloom Books, and the author for an ARC of this novel!

I am such a fan of Sierra Simone. She is somehow able to write kinky, queer romance, but make it poignant and almost poetic. And A Lesson in Thorns is another example of Sierra’s unique writing style.

A Lesson in Thorns has a gothic, mysterious atmosphere and features cult vibes and ritualistic themes.

This story follows 6 childhood friends that have grown up and grew apart, but they reconvene at the estate that bonded them. Now as adults, each one grapples with their own emotional and sexual frustrations, shame and baggage that are only compounded when they reunite. When they discover some secrets about the centuries old chapel that they explored as children, they decide to engage in a ritual that will bind them forever.

I enjoyed the book, but had a couple issues that caused me to struggle a bit. Because there are so many POVs, I didn’t quite connect with any of the characters fully. And so much happens in the last few chapters and there is a major cliffhanger ending, the ending felt a bit rushed.

Overall, this was an interesting read that is gothic, mysterious, full of secrets and has steamy ménage elements.

Note: ends on a cliffhanger
CW: mention of offpage SA, dealing with grieving the loss of a parent.

I’d been wanting to read the Thornchapel series for a while now, but knowing it would suck me in, I kept putting it off. That feeling of reading a book and being sad that you can only read it for the first time once? Yeah, that’s the feeling I got reading this.

If you’ve ever read a Sierra Simone book you will know what you are going to get. Incredible prose, a huge amount of angst, a great mystery story, and the ‘will they, or won’t they’ throughout the book. Not only that, but she managed to invoke that special feeling I get when reading a historical romance, and I just can’t put my finger on what it is. The worldbuilding is just exquisite, I really felt like I was there while reading.

I don’t want to get into the plot too much, especially since it has so much mystery, and honestly, you end with more questions than when you start, but it’s so worth it.
The tension between all 6 main characters is fantastic and kept me on the edge of my seat, not to mention the incredible steam, and I can’t wait to read the rest of the series.

Thanks to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Bloom books for providing an ARC.

Oh the spice was spicin'! I love anything Sierra Simone writes and this one isn't any different. I love the different representations we get throughout and the angst...*chef's kiss*

If Sierra Simone writes it, I am going to love it. While this isn't completely true with A Lesson in Thorns, it isn't completely wrong either.

I loved Thornchapel, the atmosphere, the way Sierra Simone brings you deep into the setting, and the library and discussions of the cataloguing.

I didn't love the characters.

I was confused how they had spent one summer together as children, and Poe admits that she has had zero contact with them since and yet she is still going on about how she loves them. She is learning who they are now, what their careers are, their family lives, their goals and dreams. I didn't understand the insta-lust and insta-obsession. Especially since the other characters (not Rebecca, she was perfect and my favorite by far) were frankly, whiny and annoying.

But the atmosphere... gothic, creepy, ethereal. Loved it. Perfection. It wasn't enough to carry me through the book though, and I was considering DNFing for most of it.

Thank you to Bloom Books and NetGalley for a digital advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, Bloom Books for the arc of this book. A Lesson in Thorns is the first book in the Thornchapel series. This book tells the story of six adults in their twenties who spent one summer together as children in Thornchapel and are now reunited at Thornchapel. This story drew me in from the start. It has mystery and intrigue. It's dark and gothic. This book is very spicy. I read this book in one sitting. This book ends on one big cliffhanger leaving me wanting to immediately read the next book in this series.

I'm not sure anything about this books made sense, and a lot of it was very convenient. This is the first book in the Thorchapel series, and the only one I will read. Keep in mind that this is marketed as erotica, so it's basically mostly smut, which I don't mind when there is substantial plot around it, which this did not. Loved the LGBT rep (although found it strange that EVERY character and their parents is bi...).
I received an advance review copy of this book for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Queer Poly Rep -- Hot Librarian -- Gothic Vibes --

I have long been a fan of Sierra Simone's writing. I remember reading her New Camelot series and sighing to myself over the perfection of her prose. I still think about those books at least once a week several years later. She has ever since been a favourite author of mine and so I was more than thrilled to be given the opportunity to review the first of her Thornchapel series.

Now, I *have* read the Thornchapel books before and LOVED them. And let me tell you, They. Hold. Up. Often a reread can be disappointing, a little bit of the magic that made the narrative special is lost. Not so with 'A Lesson in Thorns'. I was still as absolutely mesmerisied as I'd been the first time around.

We meet the central characters of 'A Lesson in Thorns' as children, involved in a game of make-believe wedding. Their relationships are so evocatively captured in this beginning that when they are drawn back together as adults, you can really feel how beautifully Simone has set the stage for the undercurrents of history between them all.

As the plot progresses, she continues to weave a sense of surreal, erotic suspense throughout. The atmosphere and set pieces are deliciously and compellingly gothic and perfectly designed to draw the characters and readers deeper into the mysteries of the eponymous Thornchapel.

A word must be spared here for the craft Simone employs in balancing her POV characters. With such a richly imagined canvas, things could get messy very quickly. This never happens. I was simply and ardently in love with each character's clear and convincing voice.

This series is unbelievably hot and undeniably, thrillingly gothic. Nobody writes sex and kink like Sierra Simone. Do yourself a favour and read this book.

I don't even really know how to review this. Because it took a while to get going. But when it did go, MAN DID IT GO. There's so many characters and backstories that we dont really get into, and there is so much drama dripping from practically every one (Becky seems the least dramatic) There is a lot of diversity in this book. LGBT, mixed race characters and black characters, also religious diversity. Just what I've come to expect from a Sierra simone book, I find here. And I'm so gripped by each of the characters (except Poe who annoyed me a little) and I find I do actually want to know every little thing about them. Sierra has me hooked and ready for the next 3 books in this series. Bring it on.

Even though I found this book a bit too flashy with words sometimes, after finishing it I understood why it was that way. This book has a lot of characters and a lot going on so it's something to take your time with and drown yourself in the story! it feels slow at times, but you are dealing with a lot of different things going on so don't rush it, it's worth the read, it's worth the patience you should give it, and I can't wait to get to book 2.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Grab a water 💦 hose before opening this book!!!

A Lesson in Thorns is definitely one of those books that leaves you breathless and desperate for more. Sierra Simone’s writing is lush and evocative, and the way she weaves together mystery, sensuality, and deep emotional connections is masterful. The Thornchapel setting adds this eerie, almost gothic atmosphere that makes everything feel even more intense.

Beyond the romance and tension, I was completely hooked on the mystery these six friends are trying to unravel. The secrets buried in Thornchapel’s past kept me turning the pages, and I loved how their childhood memories intertwined with their discoveries in the present. The combination of passion, intrigue, and an almost mystical sense of fate made this such a captivating read!

I can't wait to continue this wild journey. This series needs to be talked about more!

Spice: 🌶🌶🌶🌶/5
Plot: 3/5
#whychoose #darkromance #kink #darkromance

I have had this series on my TBR for so long, but for some reason just hadn’t picked it up. So thank you Sourcebooks Bloom Books for the eARC in preparation of the rerelease!

Truthfully, I don’t even know where to begin with this review. I didn’t dislike it, but I did love it either. I am still kind of in the “what the heck did I just read” mindset. I struggled keeping the characters straight and to find any of their relationships actually believable rather than just convenient. Idk, I might continue the series to learn more about the Poe’s mom, but I am undecided.

This book was wild and I loved it from start to finish to be honest with you. It was fun, flirty, sexy, and oh so spicy. Brain off, head empty kind of reading for this book.

This is erotica with a storyline. I went into this completely blind, and I suggest everyone should. This was not my introduction to Sierra. I’ve read the New Camelot and Lyonesse series. I’m familiar with and love her writing style. It’s unique, eloquent, and different, and I know it’s always going to be a good read for me.

Sierra could teach a master class in show, don’t tell. Her use of descriptive language is eloquent and beautiful. This book drew me in from the prologue. As with every book of hers, there is incredible world building. Every book I read plays like a movie in my head while reading, but Sierra’s books take that to a whole new level. Thornchapel is a character in and of itself and you want to uncover all its secrets.

This book is sensual, captivating, intriguing, and addictive. It can be hard enough to develop two main characters you connect with in a book. This has six, and you fall in love with every single one. They are all incredibly well-developed with layers upon layers. I just don’t have enough good things to say about this book.

If Sierra Simone writes it, I’m going to read it. This was SO GOOD! I will be rereading in audiobook format as soon as it is available. 5 stars! Super spicy, super fun. Love this! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC.

I definitely love this author don't get me wrong but this was just not for me and I will leave that at that, almost to much smut/erotica going on.

When I pick up a Sierra Simone book, I'm never really sure what I'm going to get. This was one of those times when I wasn't thrilled with the book.

There were too many people involved in the romance; while that may be interesting for other readers, it's just not my cup of tea. The backstory was mysterious enough to be suspenseful, but there was very little payoff in the end.

I wasn't sure why all the characters came together or how, despite their completely different beliefs and traits, they got along. It felt like a messy plot that never quite got straightened out.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.