4.5 stars

Magic is a curse, Anna has been told that all her life, but what if Aunt is wrong?

I loved the friendships between the coven, the hideous bullies, the parental figures. It was really easy to imagine the garden & the magical library they were places I'd love to spend some time in. This is a story that I couldn't help but enjoy, I was strangely compelled to keep reading it even though very little happens at the beginning & there's a lot of scene setting & character introduction, which are all well done but maybe add to the length of an already long book.

The ending was suitably dramatic with twists I hadn't seen coming. I do love a magic book or witchy read & this happily ticked those boxes. I'm really hoping there's more to come.

Oh I love a magical book about witches ! This was a good one and I hear it is the 1st in a 4 part series - perfect!
Its set in modern day London about a 16 year old called Anna who has the gift of magic- she is an orphan cared for by her Aunt who brings her up to be wary of her magic and she is told that her magic will be bound in knotting ceremony when she is of age. Her Aunt is very strict and not a nice character. An old family friend of Annas' mother moves to London with her daughter Effie and she is enrolled in the same school as Anna . Effie also has the gift of magic but unlike Anna she has been using hers and enjoys all the fun it comes with.
I loved this book especially all the magical elements to it - A magical Library, A feather that stops time , magic shoes! In parts it reminded me of an older , darker version of Harry Potter - I can't wait to read the rest when they are released!

An intriguing and enjoyable read, the story is steeped in magic and the comparison to Gossip Girl meets The Craft suits it well. I flew through the novel and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

This was a great story about magic. !6yr old orphan Anna has magical abilities which her Aunt tries to stifle, after all it was the cause of her parents death. Set in contemporary London , it is absorbing from beginning to end.

Although I enjoyed rading the story of Anna, her horrid aunt and her newly found friends. I thought that teh book was just too long to keep my attention in all moments. Howevrer, I am looking forward to the second part of tehr series, as it hopefully brings more interesting developments.

I’m afraid to say this book as not for me, I could not get into it. I wish the author all the best for the future. I’ll rate is 3 stars as possibly to some people this book will be right up there street. Just unfortunately not for me.

This is a YA book that makes me wish I was still YA. None the less, very enjoyable for adults too! Sweet and scary, well written.

Goodness! How to you review something that was most definitely your favourite book of the year? It's hard to put into the words, especially as it's now been a couple of months since I read the book. But I remember every bit of it vividly, which really speaks to the strength of Thomas' storytelling. In Threadneedle we are introduced to Anna (a young and inexperienced witch) and a whole new world of magic. It feels darker than any other YA books I've read that featured magic. In fact, if I had to pick a favourite thing, I would say that the magical elements of the story were my favourite thing. The fact that there are so many different branches of magic, leaves so much to the imagination and a whole world that I'm sure will be expanded over the series. I cannot wait to read the next book! There is, of course, teenage love and the kind of drama I would expect out of a school-type setting. There are some dark and difficult thematic elements and a very strong cast of side characters. I 100% recommend this read.,

This feels like two different stories, tightly knotted together, with some mysterious murders as a backdrop.

We start with Anna and her Aunt, who seem to be locked in an abusive, coercive relationship which Anna is due to willingly commit to any day now. When another Aunt turns up with a pair of ‘too-cool-for-school’ teens in tow, Anna hopes for a lifeline that will save her from choosing between defying her Aunt and giving up what little magic she has forever. Instead, she is plunged into the drama of a more normal teen life (if you ignore the magical elements!) – bullying, hazing, peer pressure and romance. This strand reminded me of The Craft in many ways.

I love the world of magic and magic use (or not) that Cari Thomas has created here, with its Binders and Hunters, and personal magical ‘languages’, such as music, plants, potions, or *shudders* knots. The Binders and their knots definitely got in my head and under my skin… by the end of the story I was feeling every knot, needle and nasty comment along with Anna.

While the ending does resolve Anna’s personal mysteries, the bigger storyline is left open to lead into a sequel, and I will definitely need to check that out and find out what happens to Anna, Effie, Attis and Rowan. If you love YA fantasy with a bit of everything – romance, mystery, horror, magic – then this is a great start to a promising new series/trilogy.

Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog

A very original and incredibly rich fantasy novel that really kept me hooked. The fantasy world was incredible!

Absolutely love love love this book!!!

I loved all the characters (bar Aunt of course..), the character building is excellent, and the storyline is just fantastic in my opinion, it ticks all the boxes for me.

This is the first in the series, and I for one cannot wait for the next instalment!

My thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review

Loved the setting and idea for this book but it sometimes felt a bit slow and meandering. We didn't get to know all the characters to the extent I would have liked but perhaps this can be addressed in the next book. Overall a promising read.

Are you like me and are instantly drawn in by the gorgeous cover and intriguing title of this book? Threadneedle sets great expectations in the mind and delivers on them.

The book comes to us from the point of view of sixteen year old orphan Anna who stays with her Aunt. Aunt has always warned Anna about the dangers of magic and plans to bind Anna’s magical abilities. But soon some new people enter Anna’s life and she begins to question the validity of everything her Aunt has ingrained in her mind.

Anna is ultimately a conformist. She’s not your typical heroine, which allows us to really see her growth over the course of this novel. She flourishes alongside her magical understanding. I had no idea of the trajectory her story was to take, but was hooked on finding out all the way to its dramatic close.

Thomas manages to breathe new life into the genre with a unique take on witchcraft that is inspired by both the traditional as well as something entirely new.

The writing style is excellent and easy to follow and the pacing is average-fast. At nearly 600 pages long I was surprised to find that I flew through this in just over a week.

“Protectresses of heaven. Nature in female form. Keepers of the languages. The good within us all.”

The bonds we have with family and friends and how these can be tied to fear and sacrifice are explored in this book. It’s not always clear whether someone is acting selfishly or in another person’s best interests. There are opposing truths at play, which complicates things even further. One thing that definitely wasn’t complicated for me was my love of this book’s magical library. This could be one of my favourite libraries ever and I want to spend an entire book lost in there.

This story is the first in the series but the ending is quite conclusive, though not complete. Most of the major plot points are resolved, so those who avoid cliff-hangers can still attempt the book. The ending sets a very firm foundation for the next book in the series.

I think this is a case of the book simply not being for me. I genuinely thought this was going to be historical rather than a modern setting which definitely threw me & I think skewed my view of the novel from then on. Though I enjoyed the authors writing style and the MC, I just struggled to get overly invested in the story and DNF at around 35%.

Anna has always known about magic but her aunt has told her to be careful and that she must repress it. As Anna reaches 16 she becomes aware that magic can be dangerous, important witches have been found dead and her aunt is telling her that she must formally bind her magic. Into her life come Effie and Attis, their magic is wild and free and they encourage Anna to experiment and develop. Anna has a huge decision to make and wants to know her family secrets before making it as she feels she is cursed.
I can imagine that this book is very popular with its target audience but I was left wanting a little bit more sense and less teenage angst. It's a little like reading a hormonally-driven Harry Potter book but without the lightness and humour. Don't get me wrong, there is an interesting plot here but I felt it was suppressed and not developed enough leaving the final quarter of the book jammed with content that actually was the driver of the narrative.

I liked Anna as a character but the story was a tad too long (even though enjoyable). I’m not the target reader and I did enjoy the tale of how Anna was told magic was wrong only to find out it’s not all bad but I think I got lost at times.

It was well written and I think the right target reader would love it.

Creepy, thrilling, disturbing, magically mesmeric.
It’s like creepy Sabrina and disturbing The Witches meshed together with a tiny bit of discover of witches. I found some bits a bit too much and others not enough. I also found certain characters a tad annoying but overall it’s really engrossing and a good plain ol tale.

Anna has been brought up to believe magic is a curse, something that should be suppressed and bound, but its temptation is strong and when the wild and carefree Effie joins her school, Anna might just get a taste of the magic she’d spent so long trying to resist.

This was a book that had all in the ingredients for a perfect reading spell. From the cast of characters to the story and, of course, the magic. While I can see Anna being frustrating for some, I particularly enjoyed her character arc as she battled between ‘no-one’ persona she’d cultivated to appease her aunt, and the personality that had been hidden away. I felt the book did a good job of exploring her doubts and divided loyalties between her friends and her aunt, the woman who raised her.

I particularly enjoyed how to book balanced the various relationships within the story, from the family aspect to the friendships and then the romantic elements. It was refreshing to see the friendships be the primary focal point, despite the romance being particularly relevant for the main plot, and coming away from the book those are the elements I remember the strongest. The group of friends was fun to read in how they came together and played off each other.

My favourite part of the book was the magic. The way it was depicted and how it was treated in the lore of the book caught my imagination. That there were different languages of magic, from the knots of the binders to the plant work of Rowan’s family, made for interesting and varied uses within the book and it was fun thinking of what kind of magic language I would use. Given that the series title appears to be ‘The Language of Magic’ according to Goodreads, this seems to be a concept that will be picked up and explored more in later books, which I am there for.

Overall, this was a solid read. I enjoyed the development and seeing how it played out, as well as integrating the magic and over-arching plot with a group of high-school girls having fun while on a journey of self-discovery within a school setting. It did have its slow moments. It also didn’t shy away from depicting abuse and the darker side of magic either, which could potentially be disturbing for some readers. Even so, this book was very much my cup of tea and I am intrigued for where it will go from here.

Anna has grown up with a magic she isn't allowed to use.

Raised by her Aunt, Anna has been drilled endlessly on the danger of magic. It's why, when she's sixteen, she's to be bound to the Binders. In their eyes, magic is a sin.

But Anna longs for more! And when Selene brings Effie and Attis on her next visit, Anna finally has her chance.

Introduced to the wider world of the magic around her, Anna begins to finally come into her power. But the further she becomes drawn into magic, the more clear it becomes that there is something dark in her past.

Threadneedle is great witchy fantasy fun!

First, the world building in Threadneedle is fabulous! The atmosphere of Anna's London is so imbued with magic through Thomas's words, but it's woven very subtly into the story.

Anna is a stubborn teen. She's lost her mother and her father and has been raised by an aunt who isn't affectionate or seemingly caring at all. One of the things Anna wants most is to practice real magic, but her aunt keeps her under such tight constraints that she knows it's likely never to happen.

But then her mother's friend Selene arrives and Anna finally experiences a bit of freedom. More than that, she meets others who definitely don't feel the same way about magic as her aunt.

The magic system in Threadneedle is a really cool one! In fact, it was probably my favorite thing about the book. And again, Thomas's descriptions were fabulous here!

Threadneedle is the first in the Language of Magic trilogy. It'll be really interesting to see what happens in the next installment.

I was really excited to pick this book up as I I anything yo do with Witches and it sounds exactly like something I would love in paper but unfortunately I just couldn't get into it. I found myself really bored with it. Nothing interested me or stood out to me. The plot starts off very dark and mysterious but that's about all it really had going for it. Unfortunately I DNFed this one.