Category: Young Adult

Title: Sorcery of Thorns
Author: Margaret Rogerson
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Publisher: Simon and Schuster Canada
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: June 4, 2019
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads 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.

Review:

I loved that this fantasy story was set in libraries. These libraries weren’t like the ones in our world. They were full of grimoires that could do things, such as speak. However, they could also turn into “maleficts” which were dangerous creatures. It made the library a potentially terrifying place.

I was glad that this story is a standalone. So many fantasy books turn into long series, so it is nice to have the complete story in one book.

I didn’t feel as much of a connection to Elisabeth as I wished I did. If her origins were described, I could have related to her more. All that we know is that she was an orphan and didn’t know who her parents were. I think her mysterious parentage could have created a great plot twist. There was an interesting relationship between a sorcerer and a demon, which was great to read. They became more like family than master and servant.

This was a great fantasy story!

Thank you Simon and Schuster Canada for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What to read next:

Have you read Sorcery of Thorns? What did you think of it?

Title: The Beholder
Author: Anna Bright
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Publisher: HarperTeen
Source: Indigo Summer Preview
Format: Paperback
Release Date: June 4, 2019
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Selah has waited her whole life for a happily ever after. As the only daughter of the leader of Potomac, she knows her duty is to find the perfect match, a partner who will help secure the future of her people. Now that day has finally come.

But after an excruciatingly public rejection from her closest childhood friend, Selah’s stepmother suggests an unthinkable solution: Selah must set sail across the Atlantic, where a series of potential suitors awaits—and if she doesn’t come home engaged, she shouldn’t come home at all.

From English castle gardens to the fjords of Norge, and under the eye of the dreaded Imperiya Yotne, Selah’s quest will be the journey of a lifetime. But her stepmother’s schemes aren’t the only secrets hiding belowdecks…and the stakes of her voyage may be higher than any happy ending.

Review:

I was so excited to read this book! It is set in an alternate historical world, with similar countries and empires as our world.

I noticed some historical storytellers who worked on the ship, the Beholder, right away. Homer, Grimm, and Andersen were the ones I recognized. I was so excited to find these storytellers in the book. The story also had elements of different fairytales, such as Cinderella, Snow White, and The Odyssey. Selah has an evil stepmother who sends her away, like Cinderella and Snow White. She also goes on an epic journey like Odysseus. I wish there had been more storytelling throughout the book, because I loved these references to famous tales.

I was hoping that there would be more time spend with various suitors in this story. I didn’t realize it would be more than one book, so I was a little confused as to why Selah was spending so much time with only two suitors when she had many more to visit. However, I loved the historical elements from all of the places she visited.

The ending was fast paced and exciting. It gave a great cliffhanger for the next book!

Thank you Indigo for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What to read next:

Have you read The Beholder? What did you think of it?

Title: The Wicked King (The Folk of the Air #2)
Author: Holly Black
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Source: Purchased
Format: Hardcover
Release Date: January 8, 2019
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

You must be strong enough to strike and strike and strike again without tiring.

The first lesson is to make yourself strong.

After the jaw-dropping revelation that Oak is the heir to Faerie, Jude must keep her younger brother safe. To do so, she has bound the wicked king, Cardan, to her, and made herself the power behind the throne. Navigating the constantly shifting political alliances of Faerie would be difficult enough if Cardan were easy to control. But he does everything in his power to humiliate and undermine her even as his fascination with her remains undiminished.

When it becomes all too clear that someone close to Jude means to betray her, threatening her own life and the lives of everyone she loves, Jude must uncover the traitor and fight her own complicated feelings for Cardan to maintain control as a mortal in a Faerie world. 

Review:

I loved The Cruel Prince, but it has been a long time since I read it, so I had to look up some summaries before reading The Wicked King. I’m so glad I finally read it. This was a great second book in the series.

This series has been my first real introduction into the world of Faeries. The Faerie world is explained in an easy to follow way, so I think this is a great series to read if you’re just getting into the Faerie fantasy genre.

This story was fast paced. I flew through it in one day. Everything takes place over a couple of months, but it felt like a much shorter timespan. There was a lot that happened, and it was never a dull moment.

I guessed at what would happen at the end, since I know the third book is called Queen of Nothing, so someone must become a Queen at the end. However, there was a twist that I wasn’t expecting. I’m so excited to see what happens next!

What to read next:

Have you read The Wicked King? What did you think of it?