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yilliun's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Silas🥹
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, and Death of parent
Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders
hotwaterbottle's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
A solid entry into the magical library canon! Leans a bit YA with thinly written secondary characters, but outlines an original take on living magical books and the world that created them.
Scratches the itch left by early exposure to Garth Nix's Lirael. Includes light reflection on the morality of societal structure, primarilythe treatment of demons/grimoires and the assumption that demons are inherently evil, but not to the extent of the Scholomance trilogy.
Scratches the itch left by early exposure to Garth Nix's Lirael. Includes light reflection on the morality of societal structure, primarily
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement and Death of parent
Moderate: Forced institutionalization and Murder
readabookortwo's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.25
"She now understood that the world wasn't kind fo young women, especially when they behaved in ways men didn't like and spoke truths men weren't ready to hear"
I have wanted to read Sorcery of Thorns for five years since it very first came out and I am SO happy that I have finally read it. This book is filled with so much magic and warmth I have loved so much of my time reading it.
I loved Elizabeth as a main character she is absolutely so badass, I loved the way that she changed over the course of the book and realised how outdated some of the views and prejudices are, I love that she was always willing to put herself in danger to protect those she loved and just wanted to save everyone even if she died in the process. I absolutely love her so much!!
My favourite character was Nathaniel he absolutely made me giggle so much, I loved his sarcasm but also the way he cares so much. He's been through so much and you can tell how traumatised he is from those events but he never wants that to stop him, always goes along eventually with Elizabeth and her plans and I absolutely adored him. He wasn't willing to bow down to what everyone and the world wanted from him, to what they thought he should do, he carved his own path and deserves every bit of happiness.
I also, of course, loved Silas. You can tell how much he cared for these people even though he felt he shouldn't have, he wanted Nathaniel and Elizabeth to be alive and safe at all times. He absolutely made me bawl my eyes out and I loved the relationship between him and Nathaniel, the two of them truly cared so deeply foe each other and it was really beautiful.
"She looked across the shining city, ancient, impossibly vast and wondered how all that light and beauty could exist side by side with so much darkness"
As a book lover, I of course, love when I read a book that is about books. And this one was about books and I loved the element of the grimoires and how they played a role in the story. It just felt so magical and warm and I think really had an important message about how people treat each other and the things that are different.
"Sometimes they were sinister, grotesque- but so was the world outside. And that made the world no less worth fighting for because wherever there was darkness there was also so much light."
Overall, I really really enjoyed this book! I think the pacing lacked in some places but the overall plot and characters really had me falling in love with the book. I'm so, so happy that I finally read it and hope to read the novella soon!!
I have wanted to read Sorcery of Thorns for five years since it very first came out and I am SO happy that I have finally read it. This book is filled with so much magic and warmth I have loved so much of my time reading it.
I loved Elizabeth as a main character she is absolutely so badass, I loved the way that she changed over the course of the book and realised how outdated some of the views and prejudices are, I love that she was always willing to put herself in danger to protect those she loved and just wanted to save everyone even if she died in the process. I absolutely love her so much!!
My favourite character was Nathaniel he absolutely made me giggle so much, I loved his sarcasm but also the way he cares so much. He's been through so much and you can tell how traumatised he is from those events but he never wants that to stop him, always goes along eventually with Elizabeth and her plans and I absolutely adored him. He wasn't willing to bow down to what everyone and the world wanted from him, to what they thought he should do, he carved his own path and deserves every bit of happiness.
I also, of course, loved Silas. You can tell how much he cared for these people even though he felt he shouldn't have, he wanted Nathaniel and Elizabeth to be alive and safe at all times. He absolutely made me bawl my eyes out and I loved the relationship between him and Nathaniel, the two of them truly cared so deeply foe each other and it was really beautiful.
"She looked across the shining city, ancient, impossibly vast and wondered how all that light and beauty could exist side by side with so much darkness"
As a book lover, I of course, love when I read a book that is about books. And this one was about books and I loved the element of the grimoires and how they played a role in the story. It just felt so magical and warm and I think really had an important message about how people treat each other and the things that are different.
"Sometimes they were sinister, grotesque- but so was the world outside. And that made the world no less worth fighting for because wherever there was darkness there was also so much light."
Overall, I really really enjoyed this book! I think the pacing lacked in some places but the overall plot and characters really had me falling in love with the book. I'm so, so happy that I finally read it and hope to read the novella soon!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Kidnapping, and Death of parent
annakh16's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
This was good fun. The book is usually advertised as a “book about books/magical library“ fantasy romance. Personally, I thought it was more plot-focused than vibey and the romance was also pretty subtle. (No criticism, just an observation).
Elisabeth was a likeable MC, I particularly enjoyed how self-assured she was. Nathaniel‘s humour reminds me of Will Herondale which is always a plus.
However: if I had seen one more mention of Elisabeth‘s height, I think I would’ve run head-first into a wall. She‘s tall. We get it. Please stop!
A lot of plot points in the first half were fairly predictable imo. The overall mystery/conflict was fun but didn’t have me super hooked. One reviewer pointed out that the villain is your classic delusional, “I‘m doing this for the good of the world“ type, which I have read a ton of times before and this didn’t add anything new - so maybe it was that.
So overall, nothing that blew my socks off. But a solid read that I had a good time with.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child death, Forced institutionalization, Car accident, and Death of parent
The car accident is actually a carriage accident but this was the closest match I could find.wren_cat's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Forced institutionalization
Minor: Child death and Death of parent
jzupp's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Slavery, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child death
black_cat_iiix's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence and Forced institutionalization
Minor: Death of parent
lue_moon's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Quintessential YA fantasy; the kind of book I would have absolutely made part of my personality as a kid had I read it then. Magic, demons, libraries with sword-weilding librarians and books with their own personality and unique power. Hell yes. It was a fun read set in an immersive world. Absolutely YA, so if you're not a lover of YA, it won't be for you. But if you want to tap into memories of jumping into a magical world like you did as a kid or teen, this just may do it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Forced institutionalization, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Child death
fayesavanne's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Love how books were such a big part, reminds me of howl's moving castle and loved the romance
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Murder
Minor: Child abuse, Vomit, and Sexual harassment
toastyghosty13's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This was such a fun read that was so nostalgic for me!! It reminded me of the books I loved to read as a kid (i.e. The Septimus Heap series) and I really enjoyed it. I listened to this as an audiobook, which was narrated by Emily Ellet whom I have heard narrate before. I love her voice which just added to the enjoyment.
Elizabeth Scrivener is an interesting and capable character that has a mysterious backstory where she was left on the doorstep of a great library and subsequently raised in the library. She is falsely accused of a crime and then transported to the main city by a magister Nathaniel Thorn and his butler Silas. This sets off a chain of events where they have to work together to unravel the mystery behind the chaos around the city. I loved watching them grow closer and also learning more about the characters and why their similarities brought them closer. There were also some great villains in this story, and it felt like a lot happened without it feeling too rushed or forced.
My understanding is that this is a standalone book for the most part, but that there is a follow up novella that continues the story but with a different and more lighthearted plot. I sincerely hope there is more in the works for this "series?" in the future, since it seems that the novella was published in 2023, roughly 4 years after the publishing of Sorcery of Thorns in 2019. Sorcery of Thorns has the closure to finish as a standalone novel, but my hopes for more books are still high since it has been revisited with the novella Mysteries of Thorn Manor.
I highly highly recommend this book if you want a fun story with loveable characters, a great villain, a unique magic system, and some nostalgic vibes. It was an absolute joy to listen to the audiobook and I plan on buying a physical copy!
Elizabeth Scrivener is an interesting and capable character that has a mysterious backstory where she was left on the doorstep of a great library and subsequently raised in the library. She is falsely accused of a crime and then transported to the main city by a magister Nathaniel Thorn and his butler Silas. This sets off a chain of events where they have to work together to unravel the mystery behind the chaos around the city. I loved watching them grow closer and also learning more about the characters and why their similarities brought them closer. There were also some great villains in this story, and it felt like a lot happened without it feeling too rushed or forced.
My understanding is that this is a standalone book for the most part, but that there is a follow up novella that continues the story but with a different and more lighthearted plot. I sincerely hope there is more in the works for this "series?" in the future, since it seems that the novella was published in 2023, roughly 4 years after the publishing of Sorcery of Thorns in 2019. Sorcery of Thorns has the closure to finish as a standalone novel, but my hopes for more books are still high since it has been revisited with the novella Mysteries of Thorn Manor.
I highly highly recommend this book if you want a fun story with loveable characters, a great villain, a unique magic system, and some nostalgic vibes. It was an absolute joy to listen to the audiobook and I plan on buying a physical copy!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Forced institutionalization and Blood
Moderate: Death and Death of parent