Sorcery of Thorns (Sorcery of Thorns, #1) in Lost Between The Covers

Jul 08, 2019 Drew's ambitious reading rated it it was amazing

Shelves: audiobook, hardcover, fantasy, owlcrate, own-books, scribd, signed-copies, 2019-favorite-books, 2019-reads, new-releases

Wow what a lovely surpised of a novel this was!(:

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Jul 18, 2019 Courtney rated it it was amazing

Shelves: books-i-own, read-in-2019, 5-stars, romance, fantasy, lgbtqia, magic, made-me-cry, historical-fiction, favourite

This book completely blew me away. I wasn't expecting to get as sucked in as I did. The magic system made me so happy. Books that contained magic? Amazing. Set in a Library? Sign me up! It just felt so magical. I fell in love with the characters. (I think I fell in love with Nathaniel a bit too much...heh) They seemed very real, a bit more mature than you would expect but that didn't bother me. Also, the romantic build made me so happy. The way they slowly realised how they felt was really well ...more

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Sep 11, 2019 Leelynn (Sometimes Leelynn Reads) ❤ rated it really liked it

Full review on my blog Sometimes Leelynn Reads ...more

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Jun 23, 2019 Sammy rated it really liked it

Intro:
I wasn't so sure on this story when I first started the book, it seemed like it would be too predictable, and the introduction just didn't stand out for me. Elisabeth was an okay protagonist, though seemingly a little useless and flat at times, though what did intrigue me was the grimoires. And I particularly liked the way the library felt so alive, it's almost a book lover's dream; though maybe without the monsters.
Nathaniel was supposed to be the mysterious and intriguing character but h Intro:
I wasn't so sure on this story when I first started the book, it seemed like it would be too predictable, and the introduction just didn't stand out for me. Elisabeth was an okay protagonist, though seemingly a little useless and flat at times, though what did intrigue me was the grimoires. And I particularly liked the way the library felt so alive, it's almost a book lover's dream; though maybe without the monsters.
Nathaniel was supposed to be the mysterious and intriguing character but having read so many YA books recently, I knew which way that was going to go. Though admittedly I was pleasantly surprised with where his story ended up.
One of the real positives about this book is that the reader is thrown into the action very early on, and the pace of this storyline is maintained throughout.
Middle:
I'm glad this book moved on quickly from the introduction, I think partly due to the fact I wasn't entirely captivated by Elisabeth or Nathaniel, I preferred when the other storylines began to weave their way in.
I particularly liked the backstory between Silas and Nathaniel; this made for some fantastic scenes later in the book and only furthered my intrigue to know more about the magic in this world. It became much darker than I thought it would too - bonus point!
Half the disappointment was that Elisabeth herself didn't poses magic and so our insight into this side of thing was limited to her conversations and interactions with Nathaniel. But overall the world in Sorcery of Thorns is beautiful and contains a love-hate relationship with magic that gave it the edge over other YA fantasies.
Ending:
The ending of this book has a fantastic twist, and really brings out the internal conflicts of many characters. Silas in particular - who was a favourite of mine throughout most of the story - has a fantastic arc which is concluded towards the end of the book in expert fashion.
Characters:
Elisabeth: An overall likeable character and I had to admire her heart and fearlessness, to me she just wasn't a stand-out protagonist. It wasn't a negative point in terms of the overall story, I just wasn't entirely connected with her.
Nathaniel: A character who had a little bit of a predictable storyline; not unlike Elisabeth. Though I liked their interaction and felt that they complemented one another well. He's a bit of a cinnamon roll kind of person.
Silas: Well this guy is great. He has a fantastic storyline throughout Sorcery of Thorns and provides a level of intrigue separate to that of the main plot.
Narrative:
This is an easy read, and flows well. The descriptions of both character and scenery have a good balance with action throughout the story though it is work noting here how beautiful those scenery descriptions are particularly of libraries - calm down fellow bookworms.
Rating and General Comments:
This book was a pleasant surprise, throughout the first few chapters I wasn't completely blown away and I expected it to be relatively predictable. In some ways it was, but I liked the darker turn it began to take, and I loved the captivating storyline (once it got started). There was a good cast, and their development both as individuals, and as a group was really excellent.
Overall I'm awarding this book 4.5/5 - I loved the world and the magic and I think the only thing I would've preferred is more of an insight into the world of sorcerers. Though the idea of the grimoires was insanely satisfying as a storyline anyway. ...more

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Jul 08, 2019 Eva rated it liked it

This wasn't my cup of tea. Beautiful writing but I couldn't get into the story whatsoever ...more

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Mar 16, 2024 Rachel Leanne rated it liked it

This is a whimsical, magical tale, containing touches of humour and romance as well as found family and strong friendships.

I liked the role reversal of the male and female leads in this book, it goes against what we usually see in fantasy novels. Elizabeth is physically strong and skilled with a sword, whereas Nathaniel wields the magic (and needs saving a lot). Occasionally Elizabeth’s character made some annoyingly silly moves, but on the whole I did enjoy her as our lead. She’s strong minded, This is a whimsical, magical tale, containing touches of humour and romance as well as found family and strong friendships.

I liked the role reversal of the male and female leads in this book, it goes against what we usually see in fantasy novels. Elizabeth is physically strong and skilled with a sword, whereas Nathaniel wields the magic (and needs saving a lot). Occasionally Elizabeth’s character made some annoyingly silly moves, but on the whole I did enjoy her as our lead. She’s strong minded, cheeky and a pretty great female role-model. Nathaniel was an interesting character too, with a compelling back-story, tonnes of sass and hilarious one-liners. Silas on the other hand really stood out to me, mostly because he’s so unique and I haven’t really come across a character like him before.

I liked the world-building in this book too, the Grimoires were such a unique touch, and I loved learning about them and the libraries they were housed in. I also found the magic system fascinating, it was well mapped out, and I liked the way we were introduced to it slowly, learning as Elizabeth does.

This book was diverse too with disabled characters, plus both aro-ace and bisexual representation.

I did find this book a little predictable, I guessed that a lot of the twists were going to happen, before they happened. Also the plot wondered a bit, there were multiple points in the story where the book could have ended, but then it just kept going. The plot didn’t feel completely organised, but it was still enjoyable anyway.

One other issue that I had was that this book does end without tying everything up. We are teased about the future but it’s pretty much left open. Originally this book was a standalone so I am not a fan that there were so many loose ends. Personally, I like a satisfying ending with each loose thread tied into a neat bow. I think there is a novella now, but I’m still left a little disappointed that I didn’t see a tidy ending that I’d hoped for, as it was so refreshing to find a standalone fantasy book that could be read in one go without sequels. But this ending felt more like the end of the first book in a duology or series, without the satisfaction of knowing we will get a proper ending at the conclusion of the series.

However, all in all, this was a fun, if a little predictable read. With a whimsical, magical world and enjoyable, interesting characters. ...more

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Aug 01, 2019 the_queen_of_books24 rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: to-re-read, books-with-pretty-covers, owned, characters-i-love, love-love-love, so-beautiful, audiobooks, scribd, read-in-2019

I’m not crying, you’re crying. Oh wait.

This book was incredible. It would have got 5 stars for sheer enjoyment, ingenuity of premise, characters and plot, but I felt disappointed by the villain - it was plainly obvious to me who it was quite early on, and the fact that it wasn’t a red herring, as I’d initially thought based on the fact that they guessed who it was rather fast, made it all the more so. But apart from that, I LOVED this book. I will rave about it forever!!

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Jun 26, 2021 Lauren added it

Shelves: dnf

DNF. I'm so sad, I really wanted to love this book. I've tried reading Sorcery Of Thorns 3 times, and I just keep getting into a slump. I've heard some amazing things about this book, and I just seem to be in the minority, by saying this book wasn't for me.

Even though Sorcery of Thorns was not for me, I have no doubt that other people will absolutely love this book, especially YA fantasy fans.

*Thank you to Netgalley, and the publishers for my gifted copy, this is my honest opinion.* ...more

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Jul 20, 2019 Rachael Mills rated it really liked it · review of another edition

The perfect story for bookworms with a fun plot and engaging characters. Unfortunately, I read C.G. Drews' review just before I started this book which had me making comparisons to Clockwork Angel all the way through 😂 - it is definitely very similar in vibe, setting, and character. There was also a little bit too much telling instead of showing for me. Overall though, I really enjoyed the escapism and sheer celebration of books so would definitely recommend it. ...more

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