Rating: 9/10
I can't tell if I've gone soft lately, or if I just keep picking good books. I feel like all of my reviews this month have been positive. Sorcery of Thorns just adds to my growing list of books that I have loved this year. I listened to the audiobook on iBooks because it was only $5, and I know a deal when I see one. I went into this with no prior knowledge of the book. I did know that it had gotten great reviews on bookstagram and I thought I'd give it a blind go. Let me tell you, I really enjoyed it. I was so sad when I found out that it was a standalone book. I was not ready to let the characters go. That is the mark of a good book to me. Of course it's not the only mark, but I feel like when I get attached to the characters, I really loved a book. Rogerson has a writing style that flows seamlessly, allowing for the reader's attention to be caught very easily. This one is full of action, witty banter, a demon butler (whom I love so much), and a very slow-burn romance.
This book focuses on 16-year-old Elisabeth Scrivener who is an apprentice at the Great Library in Summershall. She was abandoned on the steps of the Great Library as a baby, where she was raised among the books. The librarians in this world don't simply shelve and locate books. They protect and withhold dangerous grimoires. Grimoires are spell books that are alive themselves. The books vary in danger based on the dark magic within. The books have personalities of their own; when provoked, they may transform into dangerous maleficts which are ghastly beasts which seek to destroy humans. As an apprentice, Elisabeth is training to watch over the grimoires and to fight the maleficts if need be. The grimoires aren't just books with personalities, their powers come from that of the sorcerers who bound them. The librarians (and therefore apprentices) are taught not to trust sorcerers, that they're dangerous and evil people. The sorcerers gain their powers from demons that they hold in their service through soul contracts. She does not trust sorcerers, she even fears them. Even Magister Nathaniel Thorn, whom she met on accident within the walls of the Great Library. Thorn is one of a long line of sorcerers, the demon in their family being one of great power. She is happy to see him leave and to never see him again after their embarrassing, hasty introduction. After a few months, there is an attack on the Great Library in Summershall. There is a death, and a class 8 grimoire is able to escape. Elisabeth stops the malefic from attacking a nearby village, but at great cost to herself. This is only the start of Elisabeth's trouble. Something big is happening in Austermere and she is at the very center of it. She realizes that she may be the only one to stop it.
The character development in this book is A+. Elisabeth gradually goes through a large change of heat throughout the book. She is really able to shake off the prejudices that had defined her in the beginning. She's barely even the same girl by the end of the book, save for her affection for the grimoires. Her relationship with Nathaniel and Silas is really able to blossom and open up into something sincere. Nathaniel also goes through a transformation from being snarky and withdrawn to brave and open. Don't even get me started on Silas. Despite how big and bad he acts like he is, there's a glimmer of humanity within him. I loved Silas so much (even if he would think I'm a big idiot for it). They just have such a great group dynamic. The banter between them all is just great, I was just completely enamored. But there is also a mutual respect and a deep sincerity between them all that is just heart-wrenching at times. Elisabeth is fairly level-headed for a YA protagonist (as much as one can be) and I respect it. Rogerson has just shown to be amazing at creating characters and writing them in a way that connects you. I was so connected to the characters that I didn't want the story to end. I'm definitely hung-over from this book.
There was also excellent world-building. The way the places in the book were described, you were really able to place yourself in the rooms with the characters. There was a lot of lush description, but not so much that it felt flowery. It felt like the perfect amount to get you into the right mindset. Rogerson built the scenery and also laid out the mechanics of the world beautifully. There was so much of Austermere's history woven throughout the book and within the story. You were able to connect the lines of old and new characters in little ways when provided with different historical aspects. It wasn't confusing or overdone either.
My chief complaint was that the choice of villain was really cliche. As soon as the chapter was introduced I was inwardly thinking, "There's no way it's them, that would just be too easy." But alas, it was. It was kind of disappointing to tell the truth. There wasn't any mystery to the identity of the villain really, which is fine with me. The story is mostly concerned with revealing them to the world while simultaneously stopping their scheme. Therefore, you have to know who the villain is for the story to work. I just kind of wish it had been somebody else. It just felt too easy. I also wish that we had gotten to learn more about Elisabeth's backstory. All we know is that she was abandoned at the library as an infant. I would have liked to have learned about her true heritage, at least a little.
The romance in the story was very slow-burn. You have a wild girl that does not trust sorcerers, coupled with a young, withdrawn warlock who hides behind this sarcastic facade. Of course, it does make for great banter. They had some of my favorite exchanges form any YA book. I really enjoyed the way he would refer to her. He always called her things like wild, unruly, wicked, or a menace; I just found it endearing because it was clear that he did as well. They both grew up largely alone, they weren't really used to affection from other people; therefore, they had trouble expressing it themselves. Elisabeth never had any parents to show her any kind of love, and Nathaniel's parents died when he was 12. The bottom line is that the darkness that surrounds him and his history doesn't scare her. Nor does her wild personality scare him. They learn how to handle each other's edges.
Do you ever read a book and recognize that the end is good, but you still don't like it because you selfishly wanted it to end a different way? That is precisely how this book made me feel. Objectively, the ending was very good. It was neat and it fit the story well. However, I'm selfish and upset because it was not the ending that I wanted. The very last page was vague and just made it worse honestly. But I know that this is just me being a brat who gets very attached to characters very easily. Once I'm attached, I just cannot let go. I will not let go either, I will continue to pine for a moment longer until I feel ready. If you don't let yourself get too attached to characters, then this book will probably make you happy. The ending felt appropriate. There didn't seem to be any real loose-ends left unattended (other than the one that was clearly left on purpose). I enjoyed this book so much, it is meant to be a standalone, but I hope the author reconsiders. I would love it if she decided to pick the story back up a few years after the events of this book. Maybe we could even get some kind of background on Elisabeth. I'm willing to take anything at this point. Sorcery of Thorns was a great YA read without too many of the YA tropes (some, but not too many).