Uptown Oracle Reads… Sorcery of Thorns

Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson

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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. 

The core magic within Sorcery of Thorns is linked directly to demons, where sorcerors must summon demons to have magic. “Deal with the devil” is the basis of sorcerors, and I just enjoyed how this lore affected the storyline. Sorcerors need their demon to have magic, and so watching the demons and how they act was even more intriguing as it directly impacts their masters.

On top of demons and sorcerors, we have grimoires which hold their spells. These grimoires are so imbued with magic they are fully sentient. Depending on what class they are (1 is lovely, 10 is locked in cages and vaults) they can be hostile or just annoying to the librarians. These grimoires can also turn into monsters called Maleficts, if they’re handled incorrectly.

I loved how many libraries we got to visit, and how they all have different feelings whilst still having a sense of home for Elisabeth. I think every reader will have a longing to go explore these libraries, and I think there’s just enough of the secrets uncovered to hit that feeling in the book. Elisabeth’s reaction to grimoires which are often awful things, was interesting and you can see everyone around being taken aback by her lack of negative reaction which I found captivating.

My biggest issue with the book was trying to get into it, the first few chapters felt more difficult (could also be me nearing a reading slump though!) but once you hit the mystery of what happened to the director, you’re gripped. The writing style is very enchanting too, which helps you get lost in the world and libraries. By the end of the book, I was looking forward to reading Enchantment of Ravens, Rogerson’s other book.

I loved the characters, Elisabeth was enjoyable to read about her adventures. From starting off as an ophan and growing up in a great library, Elisabeth rightly so fears magic and sorcery. Watching her grow as a character and learn new things, realise she may have been wrong about sorcerors, and that her sheltered life in the library was vastly different to the real world was a treat. Despite these changes, she holds onto her home and love for books and grimoires and it helps drive her character forward as she learns to love other things too.

Nathaniel on the other hand was your typical lonely bad boy but actually a good boy. His backstory is dark, but I’m so glad he didn’t also fall into the brooding moody guys as well. He brings a sense of humour to every occasion, and he’s charming without trying too hard. Silas on the other hand is more reserved and is a bit of a mystery throughout the story. I loved seeing the almost family-like interactions with both Nathaniel and Elisabeth, and it showed that he assumed that Elisabeth would be here to stay.

On top of our main characters, I couldn’t write a review without bringing up best friend, Katrien. She’s a devilishly clever apprentice in the Library, and whilst she’s not present in most of the story I loved every mention of her. Katrien’s the kind of girl to pull you into trouble, but get you right back out of it in the end.

Then the most important part of a whether you liked a standalone book, Sorcery of Thorns does just leave you wanting more. There’s a desire to read more about Elisabeth, Nathaniel and Silas and how there should be so many more adventures and happy endings.

Positives of Sorcery of Thorns

• Exciting concept
• Good character development

Negatives of Sorcery of Thorns

• Slow start

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