Sorcery of Thorns

Non-Spoiler Review:

One of the best YA fantasy standalone I've read in a very long time. It's an entertaining read with fun characters and an interesting world.

The main three characters in this book are complex and whilst they are strong and powerful, they don't suffer the same fate as other YA characters in being almost invincible - they are certainly not. Their dynamic is fun and fresh, and friendships do feature quite heavily in the story.

The romance is not one of the main focuses on the narrative, and rightly so, as the potential romance isn't really the main character's biggest problem - so I enjoyed the fact they all kept a level head about it. But the romance itself was sweet and fun, and felt like a nice addition that wasn't
shoehorned in.

The villain and the ‘evil plot' in this were interesting, but I would have preferred for Rogerson to go into greater detail surrounding this. You knew enough to understand what was going on, but personally I would have loved to know more about the ‘evil plan' and conspiracy featured in the story.

The pacing of this was a little strange at time, particularly in the first half of the novel, but it wasn't so bad it made the read enjoyable.

A fairly solid YA fantasy I would recommend to those who enjoy fantasy and are not expecting a high-fantasy read.

Spoiler Review:

A breath of fresh air in the YA fantasy landscape right now when it feels like it's exclusively made up of long high-fantasy series. This has interesting world building and a plot that doesn't feel compromised because it's only in one book - it feels complete.

Elisabeth was a YA female character I loved. She has a genuine character arc as she learnt from the world - which is a luxury not all female YA protagonist get to experience. She's smart, courageous and curious but she also has her flaws and her own inner conflicts.

Nathaniel whilst he read sometimes like a typical YA male love interest, it was clear he had his own personality and demons (literally). I really enjoyed how Rogerson didn't sweep his obvious mental health problems under the rug, but fully explored them and didn't allow the reader to see a male character with mental health struggles as weak. Similarly, Silas also seemed like a typical YA sidekick but was complex as well and was fun to read.

My biggest criticism of this book is probably the lack of finer details for Ashcroft and his plan. I would have loved to have known more about him and how he came up with the plan, why he was so obsessed with it beyond the ‘family' excuse. He's not the most complex villain I've ever read, but regardless he was a good one.

I enjoyed reading this and will be picking up ‘An Enchantment of Ravens' at some point (even though I know it's different from this one).

Read my full review here: https://moonlitbooks.home.blog/2020/03/31/sorceryofthorns/