Book Review: Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson

Read if you like:

Standalones

Bookish MCs

Libraries and books in fantasy novels

Tall, strong heroines

Victorian-esque settings

The magical worldbuilding in Harry Potter

Enemies to Lovers (sort of?)

This is the second book by Margaret Rogerson I’ve read this year (the first was An Enchantment of Ravens). I definitely enjoyed it, but I did prefer Ravens to it. However, don’t let that dissuade you. If any of the above elements appeal to you, you’re going to love this book.

The details: I really enjoy Margaret Rogerson’s writing. I like third person limited as a POV, and her metaphors and description really add to the experience of the worldbuilding. Perhaps the greatest strength of SoT is in the magical elements and the way they manifest in her world.

As a library apprentice, Elisabeth cares for grimoires, which I would describe as magical books, maintaining them and keeping them from turning into nasty magical creatures. Her and her fellow apprentices or wardens have an aversion to magisters, or sorcerers, but they need their services sometimes (this was a little confusing and contradictory). Enter magister Nathaniel Thorn, a prickly (haha) sorcerer who Elisabeth and her friend Katrien break library rules to catch a glimpse of. From there, a tragic inciting incident takes Elisabeth away from her beloved library and on an adventure involving Thorn and his mysterious servant, Silas.

Rogerson doesn’t pull any punches, keeping the tension and conflict ramped up through much of the story with magical battles and perilous, bloody situations. There are plenty of libraries, a magical cat, demon-inspired magic, and a mediocre enemies-to-lovers romance. I really wanted to ship Nathaniel and Elisabeth, but the sexual tension was just never there for me. I think it was because Nathaniel’s character could’ve been developed a bit more in ways other than backstory.

The team dynamic with Elisabeth, Silas, Nathaniel, and Katrien was well done, and the most satisfying emotional aspect of the book. There were some plot holes and contradictions that distracted me a little, but I still read beyond what I intended to most nights, which for a tired, jaded adult (me!) is a reliable marker of a good book. The quality of the writing and worldbuilding definitely keeps this in 4 star territory.