Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson
Feb. 12th, 2021 11:55 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
iariaI enjoyed it. I'd read a sequel.
+ I liked all three main characters and relationships. Elisabeth was great. I liked Nathaniel. Elisabeth/Nathaniel were wonderful. I loved Silas and everything about his relationships with Nathaniel and Elisabeth. On this front alone the book was excellent.
+ I loved the reveal about why Elisabeth is special. I love that it has nothing to do with her heritage or where she originally comes from, as I initially expected, but rather was entirely based on her being raised in a library. Something that is unique to her at this point but doesn’t have to be - that was the best part for me. I liked that it gave her not just an affinity to the books/libraries and a partial immunity to demonic magic but also changed her to be more physically durable.
+ I loved the grimoires. Everything about them worked for me. I like that there was variety in both how intelligent they were and in their temperament. The idea of them becoming Maleficts was neat. The ones in the Great Library choosing to fight and give their lives to save the world was great. I liked Elisabeth's realisation over the course of the book that the way the grimoires were treated was wrong and the implication at the end that things could change.
+ I liked all the magic world-building details. I loved the description of Nathaniel's house coming alive after he was injured and the scene where it lets Elisabeth in. I liked Silas turning into a cat. I liked the forest creature.
+ I liked that Elisabeth is the sort of librarian who wields a sword and wields it well.
+ I liked that the scrying mirror ended up being used against them when Ashcroft used it to spy on them.
+ I was pleased that Elisabeth deciding to try to call 'Silas' back worked but it makes me very curious about just who/what she brought back. Since it's not his demon name does that mean he's not a demon anymore and thus no magic for Nathaniel or deals for life force needed? Is he human or something else? What does this mean for his emotions?
+ I did find Elisabeth's naivety about the magisters slightly weird. In itself as someone raised alone in the library by people who hate them and their demons - okay. But then you add in the other apprentices and that they all apparently share the same beliefs and it suddenly doesn't make as much sense considering how vastly different magisters are seen literally everywhere else.
+ That Elisabeth was going to kill the leashed Malefict was dumb considering that is exactly the opposite of what they wanted to do. Preventing a Malefict from being killed is why they were there! Also while I knew a Malefict was going to be killed and they'd fail I kind of found how it played out a little meh. I guess since we had Nathaniel already turn one Malefict back into a grimoire and that the Chronicles of the Dead was so connected to his family and specialty I was expecting him to save it and the day, only for a different Malefict to be killed by the wardens.
+ I liked all three main characters and relationships. Elisabeth was great. I liked Nathaniel. Elisabeth/Nathaniel were wonderful. I loved Silas and everything about his relationships with Nathaniel and Elisabeth. On this front alone the book was excellent.
+ I loved the reveal about why Elisabeth is special. I love that it has nothing to do with her heritage or where she originally comes from, as I initially expected, but rather was entirely based on her being raised in a library. Something that is unique to her at this point but doesn’t have to be - that was the best part for me. I liked that it gave her not just an affinity to the books/libraries and a partial immunity to demonic magic but also changed her to be more physically durable.
+ I loved the grimoires. Everything about them worked for me. I like that there was variety in both how intelligent they were and in their temperament. The idea of them becoming Maleficts was neat. The ones in the Great Library choosing to fight and give their lives to save the world was great. I liked Elisabeth's realisation over the course of the book that the way the grimoires were treated was wrong and the implication at the end that things could change.
+ I liked all the magic world-building details. I loved the description of Nathaniel's house coming alive after he was injured and the scene where it lets Elisabeth in. I liked Silas turning into a cat. I liked the forest creature.
+ I liked that Elisabeth is the sort of librarian who wields a sword and wields it well.
+ I liked that the scrying mirror ended up being used against them when Ashcroft used it to spy on them.
+ I was pleased that Elisabeth deciding to try to call 'Silas' back worked but it makes me very curious about just who/what she brought back. Since it's not his demon name does that mean he's not a demon anymore and thus no magic for Nathaniel or deals for life force needed? Is he human or something else? What does this mean for his emotions?
+ I did find Elisabeth's naivety about the magisters slightly weird. In itself as someone raised alone in the library by people who hate them and their demons - okay. But then you add in the other apprentices and that they all apparently share the same beliefs and it suddenly doesn't make as much sense considering how vastly different magisters are seen literally everywhere else.
+ That Elisabeth was going to kill the leashed Malefict was dumb considering that is exactly the opposite of what they wanted to do. Preventing a Malefict from being killed is why they were there! Also while I knew a Malefict was going to be killed and they'd fail I kind of found how it played out a little meh. I guess since we had Nathaniel already turn one Malefict back into a grimoire and that the Chronicles of the Dead was so connected to his family and specialty I was expecting him to save it and the day, only for a different Malefict to be killed by the wardens.
