Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson
I will never not be sad that I didn’t review this book when I read it back in 2020. Back then I didn’t think people would be interested in reading reviews for every book I read, but clearly I was wrong about that. There’s a pretty big part of me that’s itching to read this book again. Especially after reading the sequel novella a couple of years ago and remembering just how much I love this world.
It took me over two weeks to read this book because my life was so busy back then. Hats off to anyone that works in retail full time that can read multiple books a week – it’s seriously difficult. I also didn’t try to get through books at a particularly fast pace back then because I uploaded blog posts sporadically. The fact that I rated it 3.5/5 stars when it took me so long to get through really speaks to how much I actually enjoyed this book. Maybe a re-read review of this book would be a good idea.
For this one, you’ll just have to take my word for it. It’s a beautiful read that shows how powerful books can be. If you like the idea of badass librarians fighting alongside sorcerers, this is the book for you.
Synopsis: All sorcerers are evil. Elisabeth has known that as long as she has known anything. Raised as a foundling in one of Austermeer’s Great Libraries, Elisabeth has grown up among the tools of sorcery—magical grimoires that whisper on shelves and rattle beneath iron chains. If provoked, they transform into grotesque monsters of ink and leather. She hopes to become a warden, charged with protecting the kingdom from their power.
Then an act of sabotage releases the library’s most dangerous grimoire. Elisabeth’s desperate intervention implicates her in the crime, and she is torn from her home to face justice in the capital. With no one to turn to but her sworn enemy, the sorcerer Nathaniel Thorn, and his mysterious demonic servant, she finds herself entangled in a centuries-old conspiracy. Not only could the Great Libraries go up in flames, but the world along with them.
As her alliance with Nathaniel grows stronger, Elisabeth starts to question everything she’s been taught—about sorcerers, about the libraries she loves, even about herself. For Elisabeth has a power she has never guessed, and a future she could never have imagined.
Damsel by Evelyn Skye
You might be thinking “I saw your review of this and you only gave it three and a half stars, why is it in this post?” and honestly, I did really enjoy this book. I’m not sure how much I would have liked it if I hadn’t seen the film first, but I do think it was a good adaptation (the film came first I think).
However, the book does offer much more world building and lore. You delve deeper into the reasonings behind the ancient ceremonies and the motives behind the dragon. Elodie also has much stronger character development and her backstory as the daughter of a Lord that oversees a struggling desert civilization makes her survival skills much more believable.
You also learn more about the ‘princesses’ that came before. These flashback chapters were some of my favourite parts of the book.
I think if you enjoyed the film it’s worth checking out the book too. They have their differences so you’ll get something from both and the endings are also a little different so you won’t know exactly what’s going to happen.
Synopsis: Elodie never dreamed of a lavish palace or a handsome prince. Growing up in the famine-stricken realm of Inophe, her deepest wish was to help her people survive each winter. So when a representative from a rich, reclusive kingdom offers her family enough wealth to save Inophe in exchange for Elodie’s hand in marriage, she accepts without hesitation. Swept away to the glistening kingdom of Aurea, Elodie is quickly taken in by the beauty of the realm—and of her betrothed, Prince Henry.
But as Elodie undertakes the rituals to become an Aurean princess, doubts prick at her mind as cracks in the kingdom’s perfect veneer begin to show: A young woman who appears and vanishes from the castle tower. A parade of torches weaving through the mountains. Markings left behind in a mysterious “V.” Too late, she discovers that Aurea’s prosperity has been purchased at a heavy cost—each harvest season, the kingdom sacrifices its princesses to a hungry dragon. And Elodie is the next sacrifice.
This ancient arrangement has persisted for centuries, leading hundreds of women to their deaths. But the women who came before Elodie did not go quietly. Their blood pulses with power and memory, and their experiences hold the key to Elodie’s survival. Forced to fight for her life, this damsel must use her wits to defeat a dragon, uncover Aurea’s past, and save not only herself, but the future of her new kingdom as well.
Check out Young Creative Press on all socials
You can also check out my StoryGraph here
Like this post? Why not read this one too: To Be Read: ARC Update // March 2026