Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
ISBN: 1481497618
Pages: 464
Publication Date: June 4th, 2019
Personal Rating: 5/5
From the New York Times bestselling author of An Enchantment of Ravens comes an imaginative fantasy about an apprentice at a magical library who must battle a powerful sorcerer to save her kingdom.
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. She hopes to become a warden, charged with protecting the kingdom from their power.
Then an act of sabotage releases the library’s most dangerous grimoire. Elisabeth’s desperate intervention implicates her in the crime, and she is torn from her home to face justice in the capital. With no one to turn to but her sworn enemy, the sorcerer Nathaniel Thorn, and his mysterious demonic servant, she finds herself entangled in a centuries-old conspiracy. Not only could the Great Libraries go up in flames, but the world along with them.
As her alliance with Nathaniel grows stronger, Elisabeth starts to question everything she’s been taught—about sorcerers, about the libraries she loves, even about herself. For Elisabeth has a power she has never guessed, and a future she could never have imagined.
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Thank you to Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing for sending me an advanced reader copy to review as part of the blog tour. All opinions are my own.
Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson follows the story of Elisabeth Scrivener, an apprentice librarian who has lived her whole life in the library filled with grimoires — sentient magical books and is taught that all sorcerers are evil. That is until one day she’s branded as a traitor and criminal. Soon she is whisked away to the capital in order to face trial for her crimes, only to find out there’s more going than it appears. She allies herself with Nathaniel Thorn — a sorcerer with an interesting demon servant — and together they have to stop a centuries-old conspiracy.
Rogerson’s fantasy novel follows similar themes as her debut novel “An Enchantment of Ravens” however since the previous novel her delicate imagery and her world building techniques have grown. Rogerson’s word choice and imagery will truly project a movie onto your mind as each sentence makes you fall deeper into the story. I never wanted it to end!!
Sorcery of Thorns draws elements from popular fantasy themes such as Diana Waynne Jones’ Howl’s Moving Castle, Ghibli films and Pan’s Labyrinth but is still to be completely unique. An Enchantment of Ravens and Sorcery of Thorns are two completely different novels; with Sorcery of Thorns being its superior.
Elisabeth and Nathaniel’s flirtatious dynamic was natural and completely gut-punching as they got to know each other. Their hate to love relationship will have you laughing at their banter and have your heart feeling warm when they finally kiss (the smile I had while on the bus probably freaked people out).
I was obsessed with the story and kept thinking about it after I reach the final sentence in the book. I am still thinking about it. It has been a long time since I have read a book with an ending that left you both satisfied and complete. This book is one I will gravitate to when I wish to read something close to my heart that I know will make me happy.
Read a Sorcery of Thorns, for you will be swept away by this whimsical epic story of a clever girl, a broken boy, a loyal demon and signing books.
Author Bio
Margaret Rogerson is the author of the New York Times bestseller An Enchantment of Ravens and Sorcery of Thorns. She has a bachelor’s degree in cultural anthropology from Miami University. When not reading or writing she enjoys sketching, gaming, making pudding, and watching more documentaries than is socially acceptable (according to some). She lives near Cincinnati, Ohio, beside a garden full of hummingbirds and roses. Visit her at MargaretRogerson.com
Check out the rest of the tour stops!
Monday, May 27 – Alexa Loves Books
Tuesday, May 28 – The Novel Knight
Wednesday, May 29 – Adventures of a Book Junkie
Thursday, May 30 – Awkwordly Emma
Friday, May 31 – Mel to the Any
Monday, June 3 – The Fox’s Hideaway
Tuesday, June 4 – The Starry-Eyed Revue
Wednesday, June 5 – The Bookish Beagle
Thursday, June 6 – Super Space Chick
Friday, June 7 – Flying Paperbacks
Monday, June 10 – Bookshelves & Paperbacks
Tuesday, June 11 – Nightly Reading
Wednesday, June 12 – Novel Heartbeat
Thursday, June 13 – Hammock of Books
Friday, June 14 – The Everlasting Library
Monday, June 17 – The Eater of Books!
Tuesday, June 18 – Beware of the Reader
Wednesday, June 19 – This Dark Material
Thursday, June 20 – That Artsy Reader Girl
Friday, June 21 – SimplyAlly Tea