Thank you so much to the publisher, the author, and netgalley for sending me an e-ARC to read. I gave this book four stars.

This is a whimsical, magical tale, containing touches of humour and romance as well as found family and strong friendships.

I liked the role reversal of the male and female leads in this book, it goes against what we usually see in fantasy novels. Elizabeth is physically strong and skilled with a sword, whereas Nathaniel wields the magic (and needs saving a lot). Occasionally Elizabeth’s character made some annoyingly silly moves, but on the whole I did enjoy her as our lead. She’s strong minded, cheeky and a pretty great female role-model. Nathaniel was an interesting character too, with a compelling back-story, tonnes of sass and hilarious one-liners. Silas on the other hand really stood out to me, mostly because he’s so unique and I haven’t really come across a character like him before.

I liked the world-building in this book too, the Grimoires were such a unique touch, and I loved learning about them and the libraries they were housed in. I also found the magic system fascinating, it was well mapped out, and I liked the way we were introduced to it slowly, learning as Elizabeth does.

This book was diverse too with disabled characters, plus both aro-ace and bisexual representation.

I did find this book a little predictable, I guessed that a lot of the twists were going to happen, before they happened. Also the plot wondered a bit, there were multiple points in the story where the book could have ended, but then it just kept going. The plot didn’t feel completely organised, but it was still enjoyable anyway.

One other issue that I had was that this book does end without tying everything up. We are teased about the future but it’s pretty much left open. Originally this book was a standalone so I am not a fan that there were so many loose ends. Personally, I like a satisfying ending with each loose thread tied into a neat bow. I think there is a novella now, but I’m still left a little disappointed that I didn’t see a tidy ending that I’d hoped for, as it was so refreshing to find a standalone fantasy book that could be read in one go without sequels. But this ending felt more like the end of the first book in a duology or series, without the satisfaction of knowing we will get a proper ending at the conclusion of the series.

However, all in all, this was a fun, if a little predictable read. With a whimsical, magical world and enjoyable, interesting characters.

I'm not quite sure what I think of Sorcery of Thorns. It was mildly disappointing to be honest, I quite liked the characters but the plot seemed very bland. I'm not sure if due to how long it took me to get to this that I had hyped it up in my head, but it wasn't as entertaining as I expected. However, I still plan to read the novella.

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

Sadly this book was just okay for me! I felt like there was a lot of showing and not telling within this book and it really took me out of the story!

I will not be giving feedback on this book as I couldn’t really get into it but I think others may enjoy it.

I just couldn’t get into this one, I’m so sad because everyone loves it, I can’t judge it though as I didn’t read far enough in

I've wanted to read Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson for quite a while now, so I was so excited when I was recently gifted it by a friend. Unfortunately, it was quite a disappointment.

Sorcery of Thorns had an intriguing premise, a plot that seemed very original, but it just fell completely flat for me. It had very little of what I come to expect from high fantasy, and a lot of it has to do with worldbuilding. There is magic because sorcerers have control over a demon. Magical books are sentient. When damaged, they become Maleficts, monsters. There are Great Libraries around Austermeer whose job it is to protect/guard these danagerous books. That's it. That's the world building.

We get no real history (When did sorcerers first start summoning and controlling demons? How was it discovered they could do so? When did the Magisterium form and why? What do they actually do?), no idea how magic actually works (Nathaniel literally mutters some words and things happen. That's it), why grimoires are sentient, or what makes them so ("magic" is not a good enough answer), why they become Maleficts, why there are still sorcerers if the world is convinced they are evil, and no answers to many other questions. Honestly, it's a poor excuse for worldbuiliding. It makes me wonder if the Rogerson thought more in depth worldbuilding as required because it's YA. Which is insulting to teen readers, and to the genre. You can have YA high fantasy that has fleshed out worldbuilding, such as the Girls of Paper and Fire trilogy by Natasha Ngan, the Shadow of the Fox trilogy by Julie Kagawa, the Strange the Dreamer duology by Laini Taylor, The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton, For a Muse of Fire by Heidi Heilig, and many others. The worldbuilding in Sorcery of Thorns feels incredibly half-baked.

Worldbuilding aside, there was still a lot about this book that left me wanting. I didn't particularly care about either Elisabeth or Nathaniel. Other than the fact that she is an orphan that was left at the steps of a Great Library, has grown up around books, and wants to become a warden to protect the books, and that Nathaniel is a magister, is the descendent of a particular powerful and terrifying sorcerer, that his family died when he was very young, and he's been alone with just his demon companion, Silas, ever since, we know nothing about the characters. It's all surface. Which is why the romance wasn't at all believable. They just fell for each other out of nowhere, based on nothing.

Then there was the story itself. It was predicitable. I knew who the villain was going to be very early on, and they are a caricature of a villian, wanting power for power's sake. We've seen this villain so many times before. And despite the fact that a number of things happen throughout the story, for the most part, it's very low stakes and feels very unexciting. I kept reading because it was a gift from a friend, and because it's a very easy read, but I honestly didn't care about where the story was going. I wasn't emotionally invested in the story or the characters. Sorcery of Thorns' only saving grace was Silas, Nathaniel's demon servant. I liked what Rogerson did with Silas and the idea of demon servents, and I actually really liked him. But otherwise, Sorcery of Thorns was just a huge disappointment for me.

Clearly, Sorcery of Thorns wasn't for me, but it might be for you. Do read some other reviews before deciding whether or not you'll read it.

Trigger/Content Warnings: This book features vomit, blood, sexism and misogyny, a panic attack, confinement, forced institutionalisation, violence, and description of wounds.

I absolutely loved this book! It was so well structured with a really interesting plot, set of characters and magic system. I loved how Margaret Rogerson has taken everything great about good fantasy series and managed to put it all into one standalone book. I only wish this was a series and there were more books!

I loved this so much. This book has libraries and demons and magic and action and I just... I loved it.
Not sure how much I can say about it without spoiling, but I definitely think everyone should read it. The world-building alone is just... *chef's kiss*
And the characters? My heart

I'm annoyed with myself for taking so long to pick this book up! It had everything I love! Great world-building, great characters and the tension between Elisabeth and Thorn - ahhh! Actually gutted there isn't a sequel!

This was an absolutely beautiful book. It was a great magical fantasy book with strong friendships and an interesting romance. This book exceeded my expectations and I loved it. It is now one of my favourite books. I would recommend this for anyone who likes fantasies with cute romances and an intriguing mystery.

Okay but this book. This book. It was just so! Freaking! Good!!!!!!!

I don’t know what else to say?? I simply adored EVERYTHING! God. Wow

I received with thanks an ARC copy of Sorcery of Thorns from Simon and Schuster UK Children’s and Netgalley.

This is my review of Sorcery of the Thorns by Margaret Rogerson. This was published on 1st July 2020.

This was my 1st book by the author and will not be the last one that I will read. This had everything a fantasy should have. It had romance, magical libraries and a brilliant storyline. This was an enjoyable read and I cant wait to purchase a physical copy for my own magical library.

Would recommend if you love a Fantasy

Lovely self contained fantasy that moved at an even pace throughout and had fantastic characters and character growth. Full review to come.

This was such a wild ride! The writing is absolutely beautiful and I loved the characters. The story was reallly action packed and had no real open spots, where it got too boring. I loved the magic system aswell! Really the only thing that disappointed me was the slightly open ending :( and no mention of a sequel

This was a truly enjoyable YA fantasy. I didn't even mind the romance! A little slow in places, this standalone fantasy ticks so many boxes for me: fantastical libraries, an awesome protagonist, books that turn into demons.

Content warnings: Blood, blood magic, death of child (discussed), grief, brief depiction of a Victorian-style asylum.

You ever have those books you put off reading because you know you ought to love them, but you’re worried they can’t possibly live up to your expectations? Sorcery of Thorns was one for me, but I bit the bullet and luckily, was rewarded with something even more perfect for me than I’d hoped!

I really loved Margaret Rogerson’s first book, An Enchantment of Ravens, which offered pretty much exactly what I wanted from a Fae romance – I loved the way she wove proper folklore things like fairy politeness and rules into the world-building. So I knew I would be on board for a book centred around magical libraries, but I still wasn’t expecting to fall in love with this book as much as I did! Somehow, though, it managed to pack a whole bunch of my favourite things – fantasy of manners, flirting that’s more or less indistinguishable from bickering, bi rep, even cats! – into a story I found myself engrossed in. There’s even a ball, for goodness’ sake!

This is actually a book of fairly narrow scope, which I think really works for it. We don’t meet an enormous amount of characters, and we don’t see an enormous amount of the world – this keeps things highly character-driven and lets the plot race along nicely. Elisabeth, the protagonist, has had a very sheltered and specific upbringing, so it’s really nice to feel fully in her head as she has to deal with leaving the library where she grew up. Things are a little overwhelming, and that comes across really well. It also allows you as the reader to really soak up the clever magic and the atmosphere of the world – the prose is a little flowery, but it all works in the semi-Victorian context. I loved the concept of the Great Libraries and the grimoires, with their individual powers and personalities, plus the way that demons, who provide the magic that sorcerers use, are a necessary but distasteful part of upper class society.

Elisabeth strikes a good balance between capable, special, and woefully naive, and it’s really easy to end up rooting for her. Her love interest, Nathaniel, is a great verbal sparring partner for her, and a perfect addition to the eligible bachelor list of hot, tall, snarky sorcerers (what do you mean you don’t have a list?). I’m a real sucker for chemistry as expressed through sniping at each other (until it’s crunch time and suddenly ‘you nearly got yourself killed, idiot’ has an unspoken ‘and that would be terrible’ after it), so I loved their romance. Their character arcs are separately great too, though obviously I can’t say too much. I actually don’t think there was a single side character I didn’t love, from wardrobe-obsessed valet/demon Silas to Elisabeth’s nerdy but trouble-making best friend Katrien – and there’s a cat! Plus, there’s on-page ace/aro and bi rep (yep, if Nathaniel wasn’t perfect enough, he’s also openly bi and it leads to some of the most adorably awkward dialogue!).

My one complaint would be that there is absolutely nothing tying this book to the YA age limits it has imposed on the characters. Elisabeth is 16, and Nathaniel 18, and I would have believed you if you’d told me they were both ten years older. Neither acts like a teenager, which personally, I didn’t mind at all, but given the recent discussions around fantasy with characters in their twenties, I feel like this would have been the perfect fit! Still, their ages aren’t made an enormous amount of, so you can do as I did and just imagine them a bit older if that works for you… It feels like it inhabits a similar niche to Stephanie Burgis’s Snowspelled or Charlie N Holmberg’s The Paper Magician – romantic fantasy that has crossover YA/adult appeal.

I could go on about this for hours, but I think I’m just going to say that if you like your fantasy smart, romantic, atmospheric, and bookish, you should just pick this up now. It’s utterly wonderful! It was the perfect tonic for someone a bit burned out on samey YA fantasy, because it feels original but comforting at the same time. It’s definitely going on the comfort reads shelf. Obviously it gets five out of five stars!

This was the story of a young girl who grew up amongst the shelves of one of the great libraries, surrounded by grimoires and magical books. We follow her as we learn she wants to become a warden, someone who protects the world from the power of the books. Elisabeth is implicated in a heinous crime - releasing one of the worst of those books. Nathanial Thorn, her sworn enemy, along with his demonic servant, are the only ones Elisabeth has left to turn to. Her journey has her questioning everything she has been taught and thinks she knows.

I enjoyed this book - it was well written and the characters were well fleshed out with some depth to them. The setting being libraries is an obvious bonus as well. The world that was well done although I do feel like it could have done with another 100 or so pages just to give it more depth and round it off. There was a LOT of background to it with some centuries old conspiracies and legends and myths. It would have been good to have even more on those. The main character of Elisabeth was, again, well written but i didn't like her, I found her a little insipid and angsty which grated on me. I found myself much more drawn to Nathanial - he was a very intriguing character and I would love a book that focused on him rather than Elisabeth. I think its a very YA 'thing' to have a female protagonist and it felt a little in this book like the author was trying to write a typical YA when actually the main character being Nathanial I personally think would have worked better.

That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed this as a good read and I'll definitely pick up another book by the same author!

3* out of 5* for me

A worthy follow up to an Enchantment of Ravens! This story had it all- a great adventure, unique magic, and a wonderful romance.