Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson

 

I was in the mood for an escape this month, so for my next read I decided to pick up A Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson. I've had this young adult fantasy sitting on my shelf for ages now, so it was high time to finally give it a try. Ready to read about some magic and some teen angst, I dove in.

The novel is set in the world of Austermeer, a place where magic exists, but is feared by most of the population. Its use is restricted to designated sorcerer families and the rest of the population gives it a wide berth. Magical spells are recorded in grimoires, which are dangerous objects that must be handled with extreme care. Grimoires can spring to life in demon form if proper precautions are not taken. Some are powerful enough to lay waste to entire populations. To keep them contained, they are placed in special libraries and protected by wardens, a class of warrior-librarians that guard the books and monitor their usage carefully. 

The plot of the story follows a teenager named Elisabeth, a warden apprentice working at a library. Her greatest dream is to become a full fledged warden, and she takes her work extremely seriously. Everything she's worked for is thrown into chaos, however, when one of the grimoires in her library breaks out of its restraints and turns into a demon under suspicious circumstances. The demon murders the director of the library, and Elisabeth is accused of being responsible for it. In order to clear her name, she joins forces with a prominent sorcerer named Nathaniel, a partnership that challenges her preconceived notions about the danger of magic and leads her to uncover some deeply dangerous truths about the world she lives in.

Since I'm in the midst of my master's classes, I ended up taking it pretty slow with this book, just reading a chapter here and there over the course of several weeks. That ended up being a nice approach, because it allowed me time to really sink into the story and get lost in the rich, detailed world that Rogerson created. This was a well written novel, full of creative ideas and interesting plot elements. I loved the idea of warrior librarians and books that come to life. The story moved at a good pace and remained interesting throughout. I was engaged and enjoying myself the whole time I was reading, which is nice because I've found my interest in young adult fantasy waning somewhat over the years. I still read a lot of it, but it often doesn't hit me like it used to. This book reminded me of why I used to like it so much.

One element of the book that I thought was pretty unique was Nathaniel's sexuality. It's not a central focus of the story at all, but it does come up a few times that he is bisexual. He has a romance with Elisabeth, and it doesn't bother her at all. I don't often see that kind of diversity in medieval fantasy novels, so I appreciated its inclusion. It's not a big thing, but I thought it was pretty cool. 

Another element I really enjoyed were the overall themes of challenging prejudices and staying loyal to your friends. Throughout the story, Elisabeth has to adjust deeply ingrained beliefs she's held about magic for her whole life. She's been taught to distrust and stay away from sorcerers since she's been old enough to understand the words, but her interactions with Nathaniel and some other characters lead her to reevaluate her feelings and overcome them. She decides who to trust based on their individual actions rather than on broad generalizations. There are clear parallels to real social issues, but the story doesn't feel preachy. I thought Rogerson did a nice job conveying this message naturally through the plot.

Ultimately, I very much enjoyed Sorcery of Thorns. I was pleasantly surprised by the creativity of the story and I liked getting lost in the world Rogerson created. I can definitely see myself recommending this to young adult fantasy fans. Another point in this novel's favor is that it is a standalone, a thing that is very rare in this genre. I liked it being a one-and- done situation. As I don't have as much time to read as I used to, my reading time is precious. This novel was worth the time. 

2023 Reading Challenges Tally:

Goodreads Reading Challenge: 4/24

Clear the Shelves 2023: 2/24