This was an incredible epic fantasy full of magic and action. An additional appeal to any book-lover is it's setting in a magical library. I found the nature of the grimoires incredibly fascinating and unlike anything I have read before. Nathaniel and Elisabeth are intriguing characters and the story has several parallels to Beauty and the Beast. I would highly recommend this book and after reading this can't wait to read the author's other book.

Thank you to Simon and Schuster UK children's and to NetGalley for providing an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Do you know when a book is just perfectly timed for you? We don’t talk about this a huge amount in the blogging community but I definitely think personal circumstances play a big part in the enjoyment (or lack thereof) of a book. Someone who might normally love a book might instead think it was ‘just ok’ based purely on what they had read before it, or maybe even just their mood that day. I’m not suggesting we write boring totally stripped down reviews on the off chance that we’re being overly harsh because of a bad day. For me, I find it much more likely that I’ll feel weird about giving a book a good review.
I’ll stop waffling because this is a book review not a meta ‘blog about blogging’ kind of thing, but suffice to say part of the reason I loved this book was that it hit at exactly the right time for me. Everything in it was exactly what I needed right now and I’m willing to admit I’m more likely to look over things that, at another time, I might be harsher on. But no-one reviews in a vacuum and I’m not going to downplay a review on the off chance that someone else reads this and hates it.
Is that enough of a caveat?
I loved the character of Elizabeth, I thought that she was a really great YA hero and one which I could actually see myself being. I liked that, while she was somewhat sheltered and naive, it wasn’t that she didn’t have strength (and that strength was mental, physical and emotional). She felt truly three dimensional, with different skills balanced by various weaknesses. While elements of her character can be found in many a YA heroine, Elizabeth somehow felt more - at least to me.
The fact that her ‘sheltered’ upbringing didn’t leave her a shell of a human being meant that the romance felt a lot less annoying than some other ‘young girl in the big city’ romances do. I thought the dynamic between her and the love interest was great, I’m a sucker for lanky magicians with tragic backstories. While he did occasionally lean a little towards brooding YA hero, for the most part, he too was a balanced character. Also very clearly stated but not gratuitous Bi representation (which made me squee with glee while reading).
So often books that feature books or libraries as key elements to the plot or the magic system quickly feel, to use a word I love to use in place of working out the adjective I probably actually mean, wanky. Often it’s as though they know that book lovers will want the book just for that reason, and then the actual plot of the book isn’t done as well (mentioning no - The Binding - names). In this case, the libraries were central to the plot and were more than just descriptions of vast quantities of shelves, they housed grimoires - which themselves had a unique spin. I was reminded more of the great library of the Clayr from the Sabriel series - which depicts libraries as equal parts amazing and dangerous. You get the sense that this is much more than a marketing ploy, this is coming from a true love for libraries and also a really unique and interesting idea as to how they might function in a fantasy world.
For a 450 (ish) page book, this was a very quick read. I polished it off within one afternoon and, while I was in the heat of my Book a Day challenge (and so had a bit more practice in quick reading) I was mostly struck by how quickly the pages seemed to disappear. I put that down to the fact that I was so swept up in the story and also that the plot is very fast paced. Since you only follow Elizabeth there isn’t the stop and start you get with a multiple POV book. I’ve got nothing against multiple POVs but it was nice to read something that really flowed from one chapter to the next.
Does this book sometimes lean a little far over the line between swoon-worthy and cheesy? Maybe. But if you read it at the right time and you embrace that ‘fantastical’ attitude then I think you’ll have a really fun time reading this book - I certainly did.

I loved this and I love Margaret Roberson. I fully admit I am a fan and loved an enchantment of ravens and this did not disappoint at all. This again has amazing world building, great relatable characters, a plot that means with the wonderful writing means you don’t want to put this down. In fact I didn’t as my bleary eyes will tell you after another late night. Our main character Elisabeth grows up in a library (she had me right there) I loved her, she is strong, independent and doesn’t stick with the norms of society. She gets blamed when things go wrong in the library and from there the story kicks off into its amazing tale, you really need to read this. 100% adore and loved this.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

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!

There are some books you just don’t know how to go about reviewing. Not for any particular reason, but because you’re just mostly ambivalent about them. Sorcery of Thorns is one of those. I liked the characters, I liked the romance, I just wasn’t that sure about the plot.

The story follows Elisabeth, an apprentice at one of the libraries learning how to deal with grimoires, living books. One night, she wakes up to find the library Director dead, and a grimoire on the loose. She succeeds in killing the grimoire only to find herself implicated in the murder of the Director. She’s handed over to the custody of the Sorcerers, but quickly finds there’s more to the story than first appears.

What I liked most about this book was the characters, and that’s really what kept me reading it. Elisabeth is a wonderful heroine, and her dynamic with Nathaniel is also great. Sure, it was less of a hate-to-love than the blurb led me to believe, but that kind of bickering and sniping between them was brilliant. Add in Silas to give a kind of found family, and it became the driving force of the novel.

I also really liked the worldbuilding and writing of the book. It felt so engaging and believable, and I was hooked into the world pretty early on (especially because it felt more like a historical fantasy and that’s one of my favourite genres).

But I did also have some things about the book I didn’t like as much. First is that the plot was fairly stop-start. It would build up to a flashpoint and then calm down again, and then build up again, and then lull again. I guess what I wanted was a smoother racheting up of tension than I got. There was a great scene with Nathaniel and Elisabeth fighting off demons while riding a carriage through the city, which got me really excited for the book. But then it all dropped off. There was a bit of an unevenness between action and non-action at times.

Possibly the major reason I felt like this was because we as readers find out who the bad guy is about a third of the way into the book. And by finding that out, you lose a bit of tension in the book, and I lose a little bit of interest overall. I wanted to be surprised by it later on. I wanted some more investigation into the culprit. Instead, he revealed himself so early on and I, honestly, wasn’t all that shocked by it.

So, in the end, I think I was just a little disappointed by this book. I still liked it, sure, but I just didn’t like it quite as much as I might have wanted to.

I'll admit to being slightly hesitant picking this up as I wasn't a massive fan of An Enchantment of Ravens, the authors previous book, however, this one blew me away. This book has everything! Amazing characters, epic adventures, magic, endless wit, a demon you cant help but fall for and books... its full of books.

The story follows Elisabeth, an orphan who was dropped off at one of the Austermeer Libraries as a baby. She was raised in the library, leading a relatively solitary life with mainly the books for friends until one night, when the rest of the Library are asleep, Elisabeth wakes for a unknown reason. She feels drawn to the main library and there finds a Grimoire ( a book with magical properties) has transformed into a Malefict, a large grotesque style monster. True to her character, Elisabeth charges after the creature intent on saving the library and the nearby towns. Once she defeats the Malefict, in true badass form, she is arrested for treason and accused of releasing the monster in the first place.

Sent to meet with the chancellor of Sorcerers who is intent on finding out the truth behind the attack, she is terrified when she learns a sorcerer is being sent to escort her, and even more wary when she learns that it is no one other than Nathaniel Thorn, someone she instantly distrusts. Little does she know their journey will be much longer than the 3 day drive to the capitol, and that by the end of it she will trust both Nathaniel and his demonic servant with her life.

I flew through this book in a matter of hours, Elisabeth is an amazing heroine and I couldn't get enough of her. Having a sheltered life growing up in the Library, with only her fellow trainees, wardens and the Grimoire's for company, I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the capital and all the events that spiral from the initial attack through her eyes. Set in a Victorian style era, a time when women were more likely to swoon than pick up swords and fight, Elisabeth is a breath of fresh air and I instantly found myself bonding with her. She has some fantastic dialogue and I loved how she never backed down from a fight, even if the odds were against her.

Nathaniel is simply put *swoon worthy.* I found myself drawn to him from their first encounter, and thoroughly enjoyed seeing his character come out of his shell a little but more with every encounter. His wit is unparalleled, his loyalty is unwavering, and when you realise the inner demons he has been living with you're quick to understand why his best friend is a Demon. He has been through and awful amount of loss for an 18 year old boy, and I loved seeing Elisabeth gradually breaking down the walls he has built for so many years.

Katrien is Elisabeths first friend. Both apprentices at the Library and both known to terrorise the other librarians, it is Katrien who Elisabeth turns too in her time of need, knowing her mischievous friend is not one to back down from a fight, even if working with a Sorcerer and a demon go against everything they've been taught. Another fantastic female character, willing to fight for those she loves and not one to back down from a fight.

Silas. Now Silas was a character I couldn't quite get a hold of throughout most of the book. This, however, did not stop me from completely adoring him. The demon that has been sworn to the Thorn family for centuries, he is the only family Nathaniel has had for the past 6 years and their relationship in unlike any other demon/master duo. I couldn't decide for so long if he was good or bad, he resolutely tells Elisabeth that it is his sworn duty to Nathaniel and that alone that explains his behaviour towards him. However Elisabeth, and the reader both realise there must be some sort of feeling there for him to act with such unwavering loyalty.

This is a book about books, which should be enough to make you pick it up alone. The Grimoire's are set in classes from 1-10 ,1 being relatively harmless and 10 being so dangerous that only trained Wardens and Sorcerers are allowed anywhere near them. Some books could talk, and others are able to influence people, and I enjoyed that each Grimoire had its own personality. I found this a really fresh read and truly enjoyed getting introduced to all the different Grimoire's Elisabeth encounters and working out what dark magic lingers inside them.

Rogerson's writing style is effortless and it made the book such an easy read without loosing any of its depth. Her descriptions drew me into the world of the Libraries, and I could almost smell the leather and picture the towering shelves whilst reading. A truly eventful plot that was so suspenseful it had me on the edge of my seat ( I was even reading it while at work).

This is an easy 5/5 read. With a fresh magic system, beautiful descriptions, characters that pull on your heartstrings and a slow burn romance I couldn't get enough of, I defy any book lover to not enjoy this book.