Review: Sorcery of Thorns

Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

So cute!!

"For these were not ordinary books the library kept. They were knowledge, given life. Wisdom, given voice."

In a world where magical grimoires have unique personalities and intentions, you need a heavily guarded library to store them, and capable wardens to watch over and protect them. The books store information and spells, and were created through evil sorcery. Elisabeth was an apprentice in one such library. She was brought in as a child and found a home among the ominous book stacks.

When a damaged grimoire turns into a dangerous Malefict and escapes from the library one night on a murderous rampage, Elisabeth is quick to put a stop to it. You'd think this would make her a hero, but with no witnesses, she becomes a culprit. A handsome, young sorcerer collects her so that she can be interrogated for her part in the event, and Elisabeth fears the worst from him. As it turns out, she has stumbled into an even larger plot than she realized.

Sorcery of Thorns is a light-hearted romantic fantasy. The grimoires' personalities were really fun, and I adored the love interest's overly-confident quips. Elisabeth is a bit naïve, but still a strong female lead who is quick to do the right thing for the good of all. I would say that this book was written for a teen audience.

There were a couple of plot holes and inconsistencies that drove me a little crazy at the end, and the characters tended to jump to conclusions frequently without really considering other options. Besides that, the plot was fairly simple and the villain, uncomplicated. I also found it interesting that the love interest could be alternatively mega-powerful in one scene and utterly incapable in another. There's a certain charm to it, as it turns the tables for the male to be fainting after every exertion rather than the female.

Overall I thought it was a really cute book! I give it 3.5 out of 5 stars!

Mature content: mild profanity, underage drinking, mild sensuality, alludes to abuse, violence, self harm.