Ele.ments
Written on Feb 3, 2022
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.
Then an act of sabotage releases the library’s most dangerous grimoire, and Elisabeth is implicated in the crime. 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 heir apparent to Diana Wynne Jones, no one can match Rogerson's dark whimsy or joyous magic. This book is sheer delight."Jessica Cluess, author of the Kingdom on Fire trilogy
- ISBN10 1481497626
- ISBN13 9781481497626
- Publish Date 23 July 2020 (first published 4 June 2019)
- Publish Status Active
- Out of Print 20 April 2022
- Publish Country US
- Publisher Simon & Schuster
- Imprint Margaret K McElderry Books
- Edition Reprint
- Format Paperback (US Trade)
- Pages 480
- Language English
Reviews
vagasker
Written on Apr 17, 2021
Quirky Cat
Written on Mar 29, 2021
Will there come a day when I don't read (and immediately fall in love with) a book about magical libraries and books? Maybe. But today is not that day! Sorcery of Thorns, by Margaret Rogerson, is a fantastic magical journey, one that I wish lasted longer.
As an infant, Elisabeth was left on the front steps of one of Austermeer's Great Libraries. The Director chose to let her stay, and thus she grew up knowing the wonder – and dangers - of books. Elisabeth understands their uses and knows full well how dangerous they can be when provoked, or worse, damaged.
An act of sabotage cost her library the loss of their Director and put Elisabeth in a lethal situation. Somehow, despite doing her best to save the day, she's the one looking guilty. Still, to protect the rest of the libraries, she must learn how to stand up once again and fight.
“It was always wise to be polite to books, whether or not they could hear you.”
Why didn't I read Sorcery of Thorns sooner?! I honestly think that novels surrounding magical books are my weakness – I will love every single one I read. So I don't know why it took me so long to read this, but I know that I immensely enjoyed it.
Austermeer's Great Libraries were immediately a point of fascination for me, naturally. I loved Elisabeth's perspective on them, as being the only person to grow up in them, she sees them quite a bit differently than most. I'm not ashamed to admit that a small part of me is jealous of her experiences in that department.
The stakes are high, and the magical elements made the tale all the more interesting, as did the potential love interest, Nathaniel Thorn. He managed to add tension, humor, and even more threat to the table.
“Knowledge always has the potential to be dangerous. It is a more powerful weapon than any sword or spell.”
I know and understand that this is a standalone novel – but I would honestly love to see more of the world (and libraries) developed throughout Sorcery of Thorns. I feel like there's so much more that Margaret Rogerson could do here. That being said, I'm probably just going to happily read whatever she writes next, regardless of what world it is set in.
Check out more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
Jo
Written on Mar 18, 2021
Trigger and content warnings are under spoilers.
Trigger/Content Warnings: This book features vomit, blood, sexism and misogyny, a panic attack, confinement, forced institutionalisation, violence, and description of wounds.
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.
alisoninbookland
Written on Sep 22, 2020
*chef's kiss* Absolute perfection for me.
Djilan
Written on Sep 7, 2020
And the books and Libraries, loved them! And Nathaniel, Elizabeth, Silas and Katrien. The humor despite all the serious things happening. It lifted the tension from time to time.
Yes, really loved reading this story!
Nessa Luna
Written on Jun 13, 2020
ƈօʀɨռռɛ
Written on Jun 4, 2020
whisperingchapters
Written on Feb 25, 2020
bumblingbookworm
Written on Jan 5, 2020
My first 5 star read of the year and a reread at that! I first read this in September 2019, and I've been wanting to reread it ever since. I know this book isn't perfect but I love everything about it and it was such a joyous read. The characters were absolutely delightful, I just want to be their friend - and I really want a demon who turns into a cat in my life! Basically, Silas must be protected at all costs. Also, Elizabeth is so awkward but it's so endearing, and Nathaniel is a precious bisexual bean. Please give me more of them!
One of my favourite aspects to this book was how the libraries and the grimoires had their own personalities, it was like they were another character in the book. I've also read An Enchantment of Ravens, the author's debut, and I can see the author's growth in this book - the added length was also wonderful, as it allowed her to fully flesh out the fantasy world. This was one of my favourite books of 2019, and it just makes me want to squee with joy. I know this is a standalone, but I need more of this world and these characters in my life. I also definitely need to get my own copy, as I can see many more rereads in my future!