Thank you to NetGallery and Simon and Schuster UK Children's for providing me with an arc of the book in exchange for an honest review.
I was very hesitant going into the book because I had heard such mixed reviews on her debut novel An Enchantment of Ravens however after reading this book I am more inclined to give An Enhanced of Ravens a try!
Sorcery of Thorns follows young Elisabeth who has grown up in a magical library which holds grimoires that whisper to her from their shelves. When provoked these grimoires turn into monsters of ink and leather called Maleficts. Elisabeth is an apprentice who dreams of one day becoming a warden, whose job is the protect the Kingdom from their power.
One-night Elisabeth wakes up to find that the woman who took her in and the Director of the library has been killed and a dangerous grimoire has transformed into a Malefict. True to her teachings Elisabeth chases the creature with all hopes of stopping it before it reaches the nearby towns. She soon defeats the Malefict, in only her nightwear might I add, but is then arrested for treason and blamed for the events of that night.
She is torn from her home and captured by Nathaniel Thorn, a sorcerer and his demonic Servant Silas. However, it isn’t long before news breaks of another library being the victim of an attack and Elisabeth is clear of the crimes she was being held for.
Elisabeth soon finds herself entangled in secrets and feels torn between everything she’s ever been taught and the alliance she forms with Nathaniel and Silas.
I read this book in a couple of hours and was hooked from the first couple of chapters. The universe that Margaret Rogerson has created is incredible and I honestly didn’t want to leave it.
Elisabeth is a brave woman who has spent her childhood roaming the library with her books as her only friends, living a very sheltered life. The book is set in a Victorian style era and Elisabeth does not stick to the norms set by society. She has no use for a corset, instead she finds comfort in her apprentice robes or with a sword in hand. Elisabeth wants to do the right thing, even if she must do it alone which is something I loved about her character. It didn’t matter if the odds were against her, she was going to do her very best.
Nathaniel is everything I wanted him to be and more. He is sarcastic, witty and has an intense sense of loyalty to Silas. I enjoyed seeing how his character developed and when you find out his history you understand why he doesn’t let anyone else into his life. He has lost so much at such a young age. At eighteen years old is the sole remainder of his bloodline and holds a lot of weight on his shoulders.
I loved the blossoming relationship between Nathaniel and Elisabeth and was glad that Margaret Rogerson didn’t focus on it too much. I’ve read enough YA fantasy where the storyline comes second to the romance.
Silas is a character I was very unsure of at the beginning, especially when I found out that he was only at Nathaniel’s side because of the sworn oath made between the two. I was waiting for him to turn on Nathaniel at any point, but those feelings swiftly left when he started to help Elisabeth. I realised, much like Elisabeth, that deep down Silas did care for Nathaniel and was overwhelmingly loyal to the sorcerer.
I had been really struggling with YA Fantasy and this book honestly re-sparked my love for them. I mean it’s a book about books that have souls and their own personalities, what’s not to love, not to mention that you have a sword wielding book lover (where do I sign up for this job?)
I never once felt lost or confused, instead I found myself delving deeper into the world that had been created. I gave this book a 5/5 rating and honestly want to read it all over again. I recommend picking this one up!
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