I enjoyed the story especially about the library.
I didn’t love the characters and I felt that the storyline was predictable in places
Not a favourite

I have really been craving a solid Fantasy read now the weather's gotten colder, and I had heard good things about Rogerson's other book, An Enchantment of Ravens, so I thought I'd try this one, because I really liked the sound of the whole magical library plot, but this just really didn't work for me, sadly. I thought the beginning started off quite strong, and I really liked the idea of Elisabeth having grown up in the library and having some sort of special connection the books, but the story soon became quite far-fetched and confusing. I feel like it was trying to do too many things at once, and I never really connected to the main characters or was particularly invested in their fates. The romance was severely underdeveloped and I didn't even particularly want them to be together. I found myself just dragging through the book to get to the end because I'd read most of it already, and that's never a good sign.

I absolutely adored this book. The characters are beyond lovable and have easily become some of my favourites. The way books are used in this to show how magical they can be is just perfect. The setting is one of my favourites and everything about it was perfect. Couldn’t of loved it more. Cannot wait to read more from the author.

Perhaps the cruelest and kindest thing a good book does is make you believe you live inside it for the space of a few hundred pages. That you are a part of something, part of its world, not just skating around the edges, too tied up in yourself to join in…and then it ends and the illusion winks out, like a snuffed flame, and you’re left marooned, adrift, your head chilled in its absence.

The real world takes a seat at the back, and Rogerson’s imaginary one holds center stage. Here where books are a soft warding from the beings that stalk the night and trapdoors to something beautiful and wicked that trickles beneath the surface, but when damaged—even inadvertently—they mutate into ravening monsters rising up in clamorous fury, the warp spreading from the pages as sinuously as ink clouding through a glass of clean water. And they're called “Malefics.”

The gist of the story concerns Elisabeth Scrivener who is an orphan raised in the Great library of Summershall where she learned the delicate arts of tending to books and the blunter arts of guarding them against the world, and guarding the world against them. Her apprenticeship as a warden was a sapling graft that barely had time to take when one night, Elisabeth wakes up to find the library’s Director slain and a Malefic free to loosen its wrath on her city. She takes the monster outright, vicious and victorious, with the strength of the Director’s sword, but before she could even begin to comprehend the magnitude of what had happened, Elisabeth is branded a murderer and a traitor, at only a word and a whim from the library’s new Director, and the charge of her punishment is given to the Magisterium.

When the Great libraries start falling under attack, dread sluices through Elisabeth and a surety rises in her, lodging in her throat: someone is gathering arms against the Great libraries, colluding in treacheries, and, growing resigned to anyone believing her account, Elisabeth’s darkest self rises to the challenge: the heft of protecting the libraries would suit no one’s strength but hers—she who is “a true child of the library”.

But when secrets start melting into the dark, and all the doors slam shut in Elisabeth’s face, she seeks the help of Nathaniel Thorn, a sorcerer whose family is dogged with rumors of necromancy, and together they are soon yanked into the machinations of blood, greed and power. Revelations turn truths Elisabeth had known all her life into a tripwire primed to catch her off balance, and danger is dragged to her feet before she even sought it.

Ink and parchment flowed through her veins. The magic of the Great Libraries lived in her very bones. They were a part of her, and she a part of them.


Reading the first couple chapters, the strength of my delight, the speed with which it flowered, shocked me. Sorcery of Thorns burned through my initial skepticism, bright as a comet in the night’s sky, piercing me with vicious pleasure. In Rogerson’s luscious prose, Sorcery of Thorns weaves a pleasant spell indeed. This is a vibrant novel, and an unstintingly lush one. The author spins her tale with directness and wit; I enjoyed her storytelling, as one might enjoy music freely played, and was left clutching at each page as it slipped between my fingers.

As familiar as the novel’s template is, Rogerson’s success lies in the way she infuses exhilarating new life into it through tenderly compelling characters, luxurious writing and an exquisitely wrought premise. It would be easy to say that it’s laden with genre tropes, but the author takes several classic fantasy stances and makes them seem utterly fresh on the page, and, though it occasionally dips in and out of cliché, the author never lets it linger there long. The result is an immensely immersive novel, as graceful and thoughtful as it is action-packed and pulse-pounding.

Of course, no fantasy setting, however much entrancing and fresh it is, springs to life without strong characters to navigate it. On that end, Sorcery of Thorns delivers. The novel’s characters are engaging, and the relationships between them occupy the seething center of the sparsely ornamented stage.

Elisabeth’s character takes on a magical aura all her own. Rogerson boldly, brilliantly places her protagonist at the center of a sprawling conflict, and with unremittent relish, she begins to undermine what Elisabeth understands about magic, grimoires, libraries, and her role in it. She challenges not only everything Elisabeth knows, but everything she has come to learn and think about herself. Elisabeth’s compelling blend of wide-eyed vulnerability and world-weary wryness anchors a deeply moving journey of self-realization.

Elisabeth has never seen the world beyond the library where she grew up and tucked her dreams into her books for safekeeping. That her suspicions are so easily allayed first strained credulity, and I was often frustrated with how readily she settled into the words people dripped like sweet poison in her ear. But there was an edge to her, a keenness of anger and determination, and it soon strikes to life like flint. Elisabeth grows strong, unbent, scraping up all her fears and crushing them into an unlit place inside her. The grimoires called to her like signal beacons burning on a vast black sky and she flung herself into the air, fearless and unflinching. Elisabeth will protect the libraries like a mother wolf looking out for her cub, and she will not count the cost.

Although the supporting cast of characters is not granted a vivacity as stark as Elisabeth’s, together they made a whole like the heart of a flame. Nathanial Thorn is rich, handsome, and beset by a tragic past. Not to mention: seductive toward men and women alike and blessed with a set of social graces that makes him look suave. Y’know…perfect daydream fodder. But Nathaniel is always alone, strangely solitary in the space everyone else gives him, and Elisabeth was acutely aware of the vast gulf between them: his fathomless barter with his unsettlingly taciturn servant, his tormented nightmares, the secrets she glimpsed only quickly through the corridors of his lonesome mansion; she wanted to shatter the cold mask of stone that Nathaniel slips down over himself in her presence, uncaring of how jagged and sharp he might be for her to cut herself on him.

I liked Nathanial's character, but I was frankly far more intrigued by Silas and the inscrutable turning of his thoughts, like the cogs within a machine. Silas is Nathanial's silver-haired servant whose face was always a blank for just about any emotion one might care to project and who was a mystery, the safe Elisabeth (and the reader) could never crack, and I wanted to know if his icy exterior masks an even icier interior, or if it were a veneer for what was, at bottom, a warm and kind-hearted nature.

If there’s a failing in Sorcery of Thorns, it’s that the ending is rushed in the novel’s last few chapters, and although a little light coruscating at the end of the tunnel is always a welcome respite, the conclusion felt a little too easy, too attainable, which knocked down some of my satisfaction. Minor quibble notwithstanding, Sorcery of Thorns is a remarkable achievement and I kind of hope the author writes more in this world.

For these were not ordinary books the libraries kept. They were knowledge, given life. Wisdom, given voice. They sang when starlight streamed through the library’s windows. They felt pain and suffered heartbreak. Sometimes they were sinister, grotesque—but so was the world outside. And that made the world no less worth fighting for, because wherever there was darkness, there was also so much light.

I'm slowly discovering that if a book is about books, then it immediately captures my interest. Magical books that turn into monsters are totally my thing?!

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. When an act of sabotage releases the library's most dangerous grimoire, Elisabeth finds herself implicated in a crime that she had nothing to do with.

The premise is absolutely incredible. I loved the concept of books being these sentient beings that are able to transform into things of nightmares. It was all so unique, and I just adored the setting of a library filled with grumbling books. Demons are the last things that I expected to be brought up, so you can imagine my surprise when they were first introduced. This inclusion of blood magic and the underworld seemed a little out of place initially, but I eventually learned to love it. Surprisingly, I really enjoyed the romantic relationship. Romance is normally my least favourite part of YA fantasy as I often find them weak and reliant on the "love at first sight" trope, but for some reason, it all worked well for me in this instance! My only major issue was that the story direction felt so convenient. I was disappointed with how things ended up, as it felt like there were no consequences to anything that happened. It all ended, and I was left feeling a tad cheated. A disappointing end to what was an exceptionally strong start.

The premise was fantastic, I liked the romance, and this book held so much potential. It's a shame that the ending wasn't for me, but we can't have it all! Nevertheless, I highly recommend trying this one out.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for sending me a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Disclaimer: I did read about 1/3 of this book, then got swamped by schoolwork & didn’t read the rest until 2ish months later.

I desperately wanted to like this as more fantasy standalones is MY DREAM but this just felt like a bit of a cliched mess to me.

The world building wasn’t great (but we can maybe attribute this to my reading time jump) There are a couple standout descriptions like when Elisabeth goes into the vault but on the whole the writing style didn’t capture me and I just didn’t really feel like I knew where we were.

I also found the magic system boring, I didn’t really get it – was there that much to get? And I know as it’s not a series, the author had less chance to go in depth & create a sprawling rule book & it’s extra hard because our main character isn’t the magical one but it just seemed like very convenient magic. No clear rules so of course Nathaniel can do whatever he likes, whenever you need it.
I was also slightly confused about the social hierarchy & where exactly sorcerers fit into that. Also they just chucked a prince in there and I was like what is this power systemmm
WHO CONTROLS WHAT

Then the characters.
Our love interest Nathaniel just felt very artificial, he had a bunch of these charming one-liners weaved in and yes, they were funny & swoon-worthy but extremely weirdly placed.
Just the kind of thing that you can tell has been put in there with a very calculated response. He felt like a clear clone taken from the YA fantasy love interest mould.

Which wouldn’t necessarily have been a bad thing if not for Elisabeth oooo Elisabeth. She read way too young & naive, a strange contrast to Nathaniel, she was also incredibly pretentious…can you tell I didn’t like her…she just didn’t have a whole lotta substance and she read yOu’Re nOt liKE oThEr giRls SO MUCH
A portion of this book was given to having a feminism stance. Basically just a chapter & it was so forced I can’t-

Silas on the other hand, was a very interesting character. I loved how he was written to be selfish, as was his nature (as a demon) UNTIL the end where he was given a soppy ‘love rises above all’ spin *sighs*
I mean, I did like his & Nathaniel’s relationship (it was so sweet 🥺) but I’d have rathered his true nature left as a question.

Overall, I’m sure a lot of people will like this but to me the characters were just trying to be too ~ quirky ~ and it meant I just didn’t vibe with the story.

This book starts out a little slow, but as you read on it sneaks it's way into your heart. I really enjoyed her debut novel and so was excited to read her next standalone. Rogerson is really knocking stand-alone in YA fantasy out the water.

Elisabeth is an orphan left at a library as a child. She grows up a bit sheltered, but she's curious, brave, and willing to do the right thing no matter how strongly the odds are stacked against her. She has a special relationship with the books in the library, which have their own dark or silly personalities too.

Nathaniel the sorcerer is a clever, charming, and a fun character. His demon servant Silas is strangely sweet with biting humour ( very slyrethin esque) . Their relationship is touching and amusing throughout the story. She can really deliver an ending.

I absolutely love this book. A rip-roaring adventure featuring a fearless apprentice from one of the Great Libraries. Elisabeth Scrivener’s destiny is to save the world from an evil sorcerer intent of world domination. All in a day’s work for a “true child of the library” assisted by a handsome eligible Magister, his endearing demon and a library full of grimoires just waiting to be set free and wreak havoc.
The characters are so well-formed and humorous and the plot is fantastical and fun.
This novel would make a brilliant film. Fab stuff!

I really enjoyed this overall. The elements all came together really well and the characters were generally fleshed out enough. The romance was kind of a distraction and i could have done without that as much as it was used and built on when the story needed it. I wished that an earlier relationship was explored further as it had potential and i would have enjoyed it more than the romance we did get.

This story had a lot of promise and the ideas about the world were interesting. But, it was way too long and yet there were stretches where nothing much seemed to happen and then we skipped over interesting things.

There was also something weird about the romance... He'd call her like 'you magnificent troublemaker' and the like... It seemed a bit patronising almost? I can see what the author was going for but am not sure it quite got there.

Anyway, all in all, I wish this had been a bit tighter and I wish the ending hadn't felt so dragged out.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

“It was always wise to be polite to books, whether or not they could hear you.”

I don't know about you but myself, I've been looking for a book exactly like this., a story all about someone living in a library, surrounded by magical books, while also going on adventures. If you haven't read this book, I suggest you do. I WANT MORE.

“Ink and parchment flowed through her veins. The magic of the Great Libraries lived in her very bones. They were a part of her, and she a part of them.”

A gripping magical adventure, which creatively explains the origin of magic in a human world. Elizabeth has spent her entire life living in one of the great libraries filled with magical books that inspire but are also to be feared. When the director of the library dies, Elizabeth becomes the key suspect despite her acts of heroism which prevented many people from dying. The sorcerer Nathaniel Thorn is dispatched to deliver her for trial but their journey is interrupted and it appears there is much more at risk than just Elizabeth's life.
What more can you expect from a creative new magical world, filled with interesting, appealing characters and unpredictable plot twists? The story kept me gripped from the beginning and even threw a love story into the save-the-world saga. I enjoyed that humanities access to magic.was explained by the act of summoning demons from another realm and trading life force for magical power. I also enjoyed the empowered heroine, who didn't need saving or protecting. There were lots of creative ideas which kept this book interesting and fresh.

Rep: bi love interest, aro side character

CW: misogyny, memory manipulation/gaslighting, violence

Elisabeth grew up in one of the Great Libraries, surrounded by grimoires (spellbooks) that not only are already alive, but if they’re provoked they have the potential to transform into horrific monsters. When disaster strikes her home, and she’s implicated in the incident, she’s taken to the capital. There, she, a young sorcerer, and that sorcerer’s demon, work together to uncover a centuries-old conspiracy that threatens to end life as they know it.

I loved this book so much!

The magic system in this book’s world is a delight for multiple reasons. One is the concept of the grimoires. They’re alive, and have different personalities, likes, and dislikes. Some can directly communicate through language, while some can only give off a sense of their emotions. They’re really cool and a core part of this book. I wouldn’t mind owning a book that’s literally alive, provided it’s one of the nice ones and not one of the ones that was itching to become a monster.

Another is how the sorcerers themselves get their magic. In the world of this book, sorcerers’ powers come from their deals with demons. The sorcerer gets magic, a powerful servant, and a physical mark somewhere on their body as evidence of the deal. The demon gets to consume their sorcerer’s life force at some point in the future, as the deal invariably involves the sorcerer trading some of their life away. The sorcerer we get to know the most, Nathaniel, made his deal when he was just twelve years old after the deaths of his family. Another sorcerer’s mark changes the colour of his eye. Does this sound familiar to anyone? Because it does to me.

That’s not a criticism! There are only so many ideas to go around, and it’s inevitable that sometimes separate works will be similar in some way. I’ve tried to watch Black Butler twice before, and have never made it past episode 5. Sorcery of Thorns does it better. In the battle of the demon butlers, sorry Sebastian, Silas wins hands down no contest.

(I was also able to make a comparison to Fullmetal Alchemist, however the details for that spoil both that and this, so all I’ll say is that my familiarity with FMA meant that I figured something out before the characters did.)

Silas was my favourite character in the whole book! As a demon, he’s insistent that he didn’t care about either Nathaniel or Elisabeth despite it being extremely obvious that he does, in fact, care a great deal about them both. The relationship that he has with these two gave me found family vibes, which is always a shortcut to my heart. He can also transform into a fluffy white cat, and keeps some cat-like personality traits even when not in this form! Honestly, it’s been a while since I’ve cared this much about a single character in something I’ve read that wasn’t fanfic.

The romantic relationship between Elisabeth and Nathaniel was fine. It was very much a subplot, which I appreciated, and while them being romantic wasn’t the most convincing thing in the world, them caring about each other’s wellbeing and being close was very clear throughout. They didn’t have to be a romantic couple for this story to work, but I didn’t mind that they were, and considering the state of some m/f couples in fiction I will absolutely take not minding this couple as a win. More importantly, these two and Silas were a trio and they all loved each other in different ways.

When I finished this book, the only other living thing in the house with me at the time was the dog, so I went and told him all about it and how close it had come to absolutely destroying me. I just had to tell someone, and I had to do it immediately. If that’s not a glowing recommendation then I don’t know what is.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review – thank you.

I am only beginning my journey into fantasy books and this was a great step into the genre. The story follows Elisabeth, who was left at the gates to one of the Great Libraries of Austermeer when she was an infant. Upon her arrival, the director of the library makes the decision to raise her there as an apprentice – being raised surrounded by books sounds ideal to me! Throughout her time at the library, Elisabeth learns that there is more to the grimoires she guards than she first thought, and when one of the books transforms into a monster of ink and paper, she is thrust into the centre of a conspiracy, with the fates of the Libraries and the world in her hands. She must go against everything she has been taught to work together with a sorcerer and his demon if she is going to save the world!

I thoroughly enjoyed my time reading this book. Margaret Rogerson created a detailed world that I could whole-heartedly imagine, without being too info-dumpy at the beginning. The book is packed full of tension, right from the offset, which grabbed my attention straight away and kept me hooked throughout. There’s a great sense of adventure, some lovely friendships and a classic slow burn romance. Admittedly, the romance went from a slow burn, will they won’t they situation to “I love you” a bit quicker than I was expecting, but hey, they were faced with the end of the world, I’ll let them off.

It was lovely to read a YA fantasy where the female lead was just that – a leader. She has a lot of strength to her character, she grows in confidence throughout the novel and she is willing to make those tough decisions because they could save everyone. This book gave me some real Beauty and the Beast vibes at various points throughout the novel, which spoke to my Disney-loving, bookworm heart. I would really recommend this novel, it has a great feel to it, and I think any fantasy lover or bookworm will love the story.

I don't love this! I was expecting so much but the whole time I wasn't engrossed or even remotely interested in what was going on. I was just waiting for the book to be over which really sucks as I was very excited for the story.
Characters were good but there wasn't much depth to them and I would like to have seen more of their back stories.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

As a child, Elisabeth is left at the gates to one of the Great Libraries of Austermeer, where the director makes the decision to raise her there as an apprentice. Elisabeth soon learns there is more to the grimoires then she could ever have imagined. When one of the books transforms into a malefict, a monster made of ink and paper, she finds herself at the heart of an adventure that will change the Libraries, and the world, forever.

I have so much positive praise for this book. The opening is immediately filled with tension and a really gothic feel which got my attention straight away.

The pace of the book is good, there is a slight lull in the middle but this allows for relationships to be forged and developed and it soon picks up again. I felt like after reading this book I had read a series on it, because the characters are so well rounded and complete and the plot is so carefully laid out.

I enjoyed the adventure aspect of the story as well as the slow burn romance. I typically prefer this to develop a little quicker but as the male counterpart was often injured in the last half of the book, I can excuse it! There is also some really nice friendships in the book, and this is shown through a lot of humour which I liked a lot as it eases the tension and shows the relationships between the characters. I really liked that Elisabeth has a lot of strength to her character and is willing to make difficult choices for the safety of others. Plus she's pretty badass with a sword.

Another aspect that I loved was the magic system. I found it interesting that there is a specific place that the magic comes from, people aren't just born with innate access to it and this also helps eliminate the 'chosen one' trope.

Overall this book has such a great feel to it, and I think any bookworm would absolutely love the premise. It feels very much like Hogwarts Library/the Palace library in ToG and is described so beautifully.

Rating: 4/5

What I Liked:
-The story started with some action which got me quickly interested
-The romance between Elisabeth and Nathaniel was super cute and sweet, it didn't feel forced ins any way. I also loved that Nathaniel still came out to Elisabeth even though they were in a heterosexual relationship
-It felt like I'd read a whole series of books, despite the fact that it was a standalone

What I Didn't Like:
-Towards the middle it started to feel a little boring as the pace slowed down compared with everything happening at the start of the book

Overall:
-For the most part I really enjoyed reading this book, the action and romance were balanced well along with some great side characters who all added to the story. I was a little demotivated towards the middle of the story as the action died down a bit, but I was still eager to know what happened next and the action soon built up again.

My rating: 4/5

Margaret’ Rogerson’s ‘Sorcery of Thorns’ follows Elisabeth as she gets entangled in the events that make her questions whether everything she believed to be true, is indeed so simple or whether it’s not as simple. She has been raised in one of the Great Libraries, walking around books - but not the lifeless objects we have in our world, but grimoires, full of life and often anger magical tomes - since a little child. Ever she’s been left at the doors, the Great Library of Summerhall has been Elisabeth’s home. She has not known any other place, and neither she wished to - she had her eyes set on becoming Library’s Warden, protecting the Library and the Collegium against demons, and as an apprentice librarian, she’s on the way to do so. That’s it until the unexpected attack at her home leads Elisabeth to a different path.

I must admit that it took me a while to get engrossed into the book completely, even if ‘Sorcery of Thorns’ is full of action from almost the very beginning. We’ve been given quite a lot of information and the backstory at the beginning, and it may feel a little bit overwhelming, but as the story unfolds, I began to like Elisabeth. She is a very strong female lead and enjoyed following her journey. Her enemies-to-friends (and eventually lovers) with Nathaniel has been presented well, with numerous quite funny and entertaining moments. While it has been obvious those two would end up together despite the initial animosity, both Elisabeth and Nathaniel have been interesting characters, not to mention the fact that they both are strong-willed and not afraid to stand their ground. While the main relationship in ‘Sorcery of Thorns’ is heteronormative, I did like diversity in characters: from Nathaniel’s bisexuality to Katrien’s asexuality.

What I enjoyed the most about ‘Sorcery of Thorns’ has been how fast-paced the story has been. Things never stop for long, and Elisabeth has been facing danger throughout the whole storyline, with barely few moments to take a breath and rest.

(I had some formatting issues, with someone words starting with f having the first part of the word somehow cut off, which was a little bit frustrating at moments, but it didn’t take too much away from the story for me.)

I'm really glad I read this book as it was packed full of all the things I love most in a book, a strong female heroine that has flaws, a handsome stranger that can't help but help her and fall for her, and a deadly mystery that needs solving before it destroys the world. I was fascinated by the books that had life in them from what they were about and that were incredibly deadly to have (not all books luckily otherwise I would despair of noone being able to read).

I simply cannot wait to read more from this author!

"But this is a library,” she replied in surprise. “What do they expect— that the books won’t try to bite off their fingers?”
— Margaret Rogerson, Sorcery of Thorns

This book was very different from what I was expecting. For one thing there was a lot of banter— and I LOVE it!

Elisabeth was raised one of the Great Libraries, where books are her most loyal and greatest companions. Here she learned to walk, read and develop her love for the magical grimoires. But magic, true sorcery, is evil and out of bounds for all librarians to master.

But when the library’s most dangerous grimoire is released in a sabotage attempt, with Elisabeth in the cross hares, the only person she can turn too is Nathaniel Thorn. But he is the enemy, a sorcery— evil.

But the further Elisabeth gets to solving who is behind the sabotage attempts, the more she realises that the things she once believed may not be true. The world isn’t black and white— evil beings may not be wholly evil.

I am in love Nathaniel Thorn. To me, he is a bit like a reincarnation of Will Herondale from The Infernal Devices. Nathaniel is the type that deflects his emotions with jokes and random remarks that leave you smiling. And let’s not forget Elisabeth— HELLO BADASS FEMALE CHARACTER. She goes around with a sword, slicing demons and in her spare time talks to books. Oh, and she is always getting into trouble. Nathaniel even calls her his little menace— how cute!

And one of my favourite lines from Elisabeth: “I’m sorry that I bit you.” ... Guys she isn’t sorry! Haha.

Thank you so much NetGallery and Simon and Schuster UK Children's for this readers copy!
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