“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 magical grimoires that rattle beneath iron chains, capable of transforming into grotesque monsters. When an act of sabotage releases the library’s most dangerous grimoire, Elisabeth is accused of treason. With no one to turn to but her sworn enemy, the sorcerer Nathaniel Thorn, and his mysterious 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.”
What is the book about?
Ever since Elisabeth was a little girl she has been raised with the fundamental idea that all magic and sorcery is evil. Raised as a foundling in one of the Great Libraries, Elisabeth has grown up surrounded by books, but not just any books, grimoires filled with magic spells and information on everything that you could possibly imagine. Although the grimoires seem completely innocent, Elisabeth has always known that there is a danger when it comes to them and she has always seen them chained in iron and treated like monsters. One day, Elisabeth has the opportunity to see a sorcerer with her own eyes, and she does not want to waste that, but she soon finds herself wishing she had never been so curious. In a dramatic turn of events, an act of sabotage in the library results in Elisabeth being blamed for the destruction of one of the most valuable grimoires in the world. Alone and desperate, Elisabeth have no choice but to trust Nathaniel Thorn, a sorcerer who she was taught to hate, and his mysterious and rather strange servant. But this is not just a matter of sabotage in one Great Library and she ends up finding herself tangled up in a centuries-old conspiracy. Now she and Nathaniel must save the world from destruction or the Great Libraries will go up in flames and there will be no one left to save them.
What were your initial thoughts on the book?
The first time I spotted Sorcery of Thorns I had just been scrolling on Amazon like I normally do when I really want to get more books. As soon as I saw it, the book called out to me and was basically screaming at me to buy it. The cover and the title just made me think I would love it and then after reading the blurb I knew I was going to really enjoy reading it. Unfortunately, I never got around to buying it, but when I went round my friend’s house and found it on her shelf I knew I had to borrow it and read it. As I had read another book by Margaret Rogerson before this one (An Enchantment of Ravens) and had found the beginning a little bit boring, I was quite concerned that I was going to find that this book would also be a bit slow to begin with. So when I opened the book and began to read it came to be as a complete shock that I was already hooked after only the first chapter and I was soon flying through the book. From the very first page I already knew that this book was going to be absolutely incredible and I was prepared for it to become one of my favourite books.
Who was your favourite character and why?
So, although there were a lot of lovable and amazing characters in the book, I didn’t find it too difficult to choose a favourite character – Elisabeth. I think that the main reason why I found that she was my favourite was the fact that she reminded me of the head-strong, resilient reader that I hope that I can become, and each day that I read about Elisabeth I felt like I too could save the world if I continued to read books and believe in myself. She was brave and strong and she never gave up, and, even when everyone else believed that there was no hope, she continued to fight because she made the choice that, even if there was no way that she would succeed, she would try her harder because she would rather die with a purpose rather than live knowing that she could have tried and possibly succeeded I making a difference. Another thing that really made her stand out to me was the fact that she was such a relatable character in the way that she too was a misunderstood girl who always felt like an outsider due to her relationship with books. It has always been hard for me to accept the fact that I’m the weird and different one and not the majority of teens in the world that hates reading with a passion, however Elisabeth really helped me see that it is good to be different because in the end you will be rewarded for it.
What was your favourite part of the book and why?
Choosing my favourite part was quite difficult because the whole book was absolutely incredible, however if I really had to pick one specific part I would probably the ending of the last chapter of the book. Now, by the last chapter I don't mean the epilogue and now that I think about it the epilogue was probably one of my least favourite part, what I'm referring to is chapter 36 and the ending of it. I really loved this chapter because it's the chapter where I really realised just how amazing the book was and when I really started to understand that the book had affected my emotions and had connected with them in a way that not many books do. I realised that I truly felt for all the characters and fact that a certain, unforeseeable thing had happened to one of them made me really feel something deep and true for them. I know have mentioned this quite a few times but I'm going to reiterate it because it's something very important when it comes to books and that is that the book has not done its job and is not good book if it doesn't make you feel something, whether that is sadness, anger, happiness or any other feeling, but if it doesn't make you feel of anything then the author has not done their job. So when I realised that the book had really connected with my feelings I then discovered that this book was truly incredible. This was also a part where I realised that a certain character was a lot kinder and stronger than I had ever know before and I had wished that this had been something that we had been able to see earlier in the novel but I know that the author picked the right place to put it because it was a very important moment that really connected with my heart and I think it was quite talented the way that the author was able to truly connect with the readers. Although this is chapter one of my favourite I really loved the whole book and every single part was incredible.
What was your overall impression of the book?
Overall, the whole book was absolutely incredible and I found that there was very little that I didn't enjoy. However, one thing that I did find wasn't up to my standards was the ending of the book and by this I mean the epilogue. I feel like it is a pattern with Margaret Rogerson's books because in both the novels that I have read of hers I have found that the book endings and epilogues didn't give me as much closure as I would have liked and really left me with the opportunity to figure out how things ended for the characters myself when it is something that I would have quite liked to have found out from her. I know that some people like the opportunity to expand on what the author wrote but I personally prefer it when the author creates a future of those characters and although I was giving more hope for those characters I feel like things could be in a bit better and we could have been given a little more information about them. Although, this was something that I didn't necessarily like about the book, there were hundreds of other things that I absolutely adored. One thing that I really loved was the start of the romance and how the characters kind of hid their feelings from each other and themselves and the funniest thing was that a certain character, who really didn’t know much about human interaction and romance, was the only one who actually spotted the feelings that they had for each other. It was also a slight forbidden romance, not forbidden necessarily by law but more by the morals that the characters had and, even though the characters could easily start a relationship, they attempted to stop anything from flourishing in order to avoid any future pain and suffering for themselves and each other and also to avoid breaking the moral rules that had been in place since they were little. Another thing that I really enjoyed about the book was the magic in it and how magic was something evil rather than something good like it usually is in most other books. I also really loved the addition of the grimoires and how the books themselves had a special power that should be studied and care for. I adored how Elisabeth had an incredible relationship with those books and I really liked the idea of the Great Libraries and how those books with cared for and treated. It was really incredible to see the relationship between each character and magic and personally I really enjoyed seeing Elisabeth journey from believing that magic was evil to slowly growing to realise that magic actually didn't have anything bad about it and if you used it in a good responsible way then magic could actually save lives. One last thing that I would like to mention is fact that the world building and character building in this novel was absolutely incredible and I connected with each character on a much deeper level than I ever have before. Sometimes I have not actually been able to picture certain things in books, however in this book everything was clear and perfect and I really loved her able to build that landscape and picture each room in my head perfectly. This really made the novel come alive for me. The book was absolutely incredible and I know that, although all of this is over I will see myself coming back to revisit the wonders I've been through.
Would you recommend this book?
I would definitely recommend this book for anyone, preferably over 13, who is a lover of all things fantasy, adventure, magic and romance.
Summarise the book in one sentence. (Verdict)
A romantic and magical adventure full of secrets, lies and sorcery.
Reviewed by Jimena Gutierrez Reviriego
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