“It was always wise to be polite to books, whether or not they could hear you.”

Book title

Sorcery of Thorns

Author

Maraget Rogerson

Date published

04-06-2019

Date started

01-03-2023

Date finished

28-03-2023

Page count

456

Stars

Summary

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.

My review

I’ve lived in this book for quite some time. Because I’ve listened to it as an audiobook. It is such a different experience to have someone read you the book instead of reading it yourself. Elisabeth Scrivener is a character I can totally see me. Or at least, how I want to be. I’d love to be raised between the books and being able to ‘talk’ to them. I don’t want to be her with all that she’s going through in the book. I am jealous of how strong she is and how she handles the things life throws at her. You can easily say I love the character development. And, honestly, who doesn’t love a morally grey character and his humble servant? I am secretly more in love with Silas, but Nathaniel Thorne is no sore sight himself. Oh, right, the book. This book takes you on a journey of intriges, plots and some clever scheming. Don’t forget about the books! All in all, I loved this one.

My favorite quotes

“When terrible things have happened to you, sometimes the promise of something good can be just as frightening.”

“Books, too, had hearts.”

“Knowledge always has the potential to be dangerous. It is a more powerful weapon than any sword or spell.”