Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson

Sorcery of Thorns

by Margaret Rogerson
Published: Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2019
Pages: 464
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult
Amazon, Goodreads

There is always more than one way to see the world. Those who claim otherwise would have you dwell forever in the dark.

About the book

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

Sorcery of Thorns is set in a world in which books live; they bleed, hurt and are often dangerous, especially those called grimoires which hold spells and other magical information for sorcerers. Elisabeth, a young apprentice librarian who grow up in one of the Great Libraries after be abandoned as a baby, is woken up one night by one of the grimoires breaking free - and becoming a malefict, a hideous monster grimoires transform into when they become defective. She uncovers a shocking, deadly secret that threatens the world she’s always known.

The world is what I love most about this book. I’ve always felt like books were alive to me, that they all hold stories and are just waiting for me to pick them up so they can tell me about it.

The author parallels the importance of literature with the reverence given to grimoires in Sorcery of Thorns. Librarians have dangerous jobs; they are trusted with grimoires and are often exposed to physically threatening circumstances, such as a feisty grimoire who will bite off your fingers if you get too close. I can tell the author really loves literature.

They were knowledge, given life. Wisdom, given voice. They sang when starlight streamed through the library’s windows. They felt pain and suffered heartbreak. Sometimes they were sinister, grotesque - but so was the world outside. And that made the world no less worth fighting for, because wherever there was darkness, there was also so much light.

My favorite stories are those centered around badass, independent, sassy women who don’t need no man, and this book is no exception!

Elisabeth is highly intelligent, sarcastic, brave, bold, loyal and the kind of person you want on your side when shit goes down.

Was that a thing people just did - just gave up? When there was so much in the world to love, to fight for? “I cannot,” she said fiercely. “I never will.”

I really loved Elisabeth's character, as well as Nathaniel’s and Silas’s.

RATING (out of five puppies)

The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware

The Turn of the Key

by Ruth Ware
Published: Scout Press, 2019
Pages: 352
Genre: Thriller, Mystery
Amazon, Goodreads

After a while he just stopped sleeping. He just used to pace backwards and forwards all night long.Then he went mad. People do go mad, you know, if you stop them from sleeping for long enough…

About the book

When Rowan Caine stumbles across the ad, she's looking for something else completely. But it seems like too good an opportunity to miss -- a live-in nanny post, with a staggeringly generous salary. And when she arrives at Heatherbrae House, she is smitten -- by the luxurious "smart" home fitted out with all modern conveniences, by the beautiful Scottish Highlands, and by this picture-perfect family.

What she doesn't know is that she's stepping into a nightmare -- one that will end with a child dead and herself in prison awaiting trial for murder.

Writing to her lawyer from prison, she struggles to explain the unraveling events that led to her incarceration. It wasn't just the constant surveillance from the cameras installed around the house, or the malfunctioning technology that woke the household with booming music or turned the lights off at the worst possible time. It wasn't just the girls, who turned out to be a far cry from the immaculately behaved model children she met at her interview. It wasn't even the way she was left alone for weeks at a time, with no adults around apart from the enigmatic handyman, Jack Grant. It was everything.

She knows she's made mistakes. She admits that she lied to obtain the post, and that her behavior toward the children wasn't always ideal. She's not innocent, by any means. But, she maintains, she's not guilty -- at least not of murder. Which means someone is.

Review

I devoured this bitch in one day. The Turn of the Key is chilling, spell-binding and crazy.

A British nanny travels to remote Scotland for an in residency job, only for things to go horribly astray in the worst way - the death of an innocent child. The novel’s strongest selling point is how it’s told in the form of a letter of the nanny, who’s facing charges of the child’s murder. Rowan tells her story in a desperate plea to convince a top-natch solicitor to defend her in court.

The story is given that much more mystery and intrigue by this story-telling technique; it makes the reader immediately drawn into the plot and questioning who killed a child and WTF is actually happening? Even once Rowan reveals her tale, the author keeps up the level of suspense and mystique. Rowan also proves herself to be a somewhat unreliable narrator - she’s prone to quick anger and readers can tell she’s hiding something, though it’s not clear what until the end of the novel. Seriously though, the twists and turns in this novel will leave you with whip lash!

It’s really interesting how The Turn of the Key is both modern yet Victorian, like an older Gothic mystery story. At times I kept forgetting that the novel is set in this century. To me, this juxtaposition shows how evil and horror can take place anywhere, even in modern times.

The Turn of the Key is a FANTASTIC read; I’d recommend it to anyone wanting a good, spooky read.

RATING (out of five puppies):

WWW Wednesday (8/21/19)

In this weekly meme, I will answer three questions:

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish?

What do you think you'll read next?

This meme is held by samannelizabeth.wordpress.com. Just answer the three questions below and leave a link to your post in the comments for others to look at. No blog? No problem! Just leave a comment with your responses. Please, take some time to visit with other participants and see what others are reading.

What are you currently reading?

I'm currently reading Us Against Them by Fredrik Backman. It's the follow-up to Beartown, which is about how a small, hockey-obsessed town is shaken up when the star player is accused of rape. I've been wanting to read this for a while!

What did you recently finish?

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch - Dark Matter is a mind-bending, sci-fi thriller! Definitely worth the read! Check out my full review here!  Dark Matter on Goodreads. My rating: ★★★★★

The Trespasser by Tana French - Tana French writes excellent mystery/thrillers and this one is no exception! You should pick up her books if you're looking for a good mystery. The Trespasser on Goodreads. My rating: ★★★★

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty - I've finally read this book after all the hype when the TV series first came out! I really loved it. The novel accurately portrays the thought process of domestic violence victims. Read my full review here.  Big Little Lies on Goodreads. My rating: ★★★★★

What do you think you'll read next?

I've checked out the ebook for Warcross by Marie Lu, so I'll read that next and I've checked out the physical forms of the first two books in the Across the Universe trilogy/series (I can't remember if it's a series or trilogy).

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

Big Little Lies

by Liane Moriarty

Published: Berkley, 2014

Pages: 458

Genre: Contemporary, Thriller

Amazon, Goodreads

"They say it's good to let your grudges go, but I don't know, I'm quite fond of my grudge. I tend it like a little pet."

About the book

A murder ... A tragic accident .... Or just parents behaving badly? What's indisputable is that someone is dead.

Madeline is a force to be reckoned with. She's funny, biting, and passionate; she remembers everything and forgives no one. Celeste is the kind of beautiful woman who makes the world stop and stare but she is paying a price for the illusion of perfection. New to town, single mom Jane is so young that another mother mistakes her for a nanny. She comes with a mysterious past and a sadness beyond her years. These three women are at a crossroads, but they will all wind up in the same shocking place.

Review

Big Little Lies is a suspenseful, character-driven read that highlights domestic violence and the importance of being kind to others.

The story is centered around three moms: Madeline, an extroverted force of nature; Jane, a shy, timid young mother; and Celeste, a drop-dead gorgeous woman who has a beautiful family and all the money she could ever need. Jane is new to the area and quickly finds herself in hot water when her son is accused of chocking another child during Kindergarten orientation. School politics and drama quickly elevate when the other child's mother, Renata, finds out her daughter is the victim of bullying and wants Jane's son suspended. Madeline deals with family escapades while it's slowly revealed that Celeste's picture perfect life is hiding a dark secret; this all comes to play in a horrifying murder.

It's reveled at the beginning of the novel that a murder has taken place but no other details are given. The snippets of interviews from minor characters in the story provide an excellent layer of suspense; the reader can tell that the dramas of Madeline, Jane, and Celeste are going to rapidly intertwine and explode into violence, which makes the book impossible to put down.

Throughout this storyline, the author does a great job of flushing out the characters to create what feels like REAL people that I could to and touch. Big Little Lies does a great job of showing the true mindset of domestic violence victims. You may find out a woman is continuously being hit by her significant other and think, "What is she even doing? If a man ever treated me like that I'd leave that night." But it's so different when it's actually happening to you. Victims rationalize to themselves and make themselves believe it was that bad or it was their own fault. I love how the author was able to portray this misconception about domestic violence.

Big Little Lies is a great read, and from what I hear a great show (though I haven't watch it yet!). It's definitely one I'd recommend and that I regret not picking up earlier.

RATING (out of five puppies):

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

Dark Matter 

by Blake Crouch
Published: Random House, 2016
Pages: 342
Genre: Science Fiction
Amazon, Goodreads

But it’s all, in the end, just life. We see it macro, like one big story, but when you’re in it, it’s all just day-to-day, right? And isn’t that what you have to make your peace with?

About the book

"Are you happy with your life" Those are the last words Jason Dressen hears before the masked abductor knocks him unconscious. Before he awakens to find himself strapped to a gurney, surrounded by strangers in hazmat suits. Before a man Jason's never met smiles down at him and says, "Welcome back, my friend."

In this world he's woken up to, Jason's life is not the one he knows. His wife is not his wife. His son  was never born. And Jason is not an ordinary college physics professor, but a celebrated genius who has achieved something remarkable. Something impossible.

Is it this world or the other that's the dream? And even if the home he remembers is real, how can Jason possibly make it back to the family he loves? The answers lie in a journey more wondrous and horrifying than anything he could've imagined - one that will force him to confront the darkest parts of himself even as he battles a terrifying, seemingly unbeatable foe.

Review

I started Dark Matter thinking it was going to be a weird sci-fi novel but it ended up being so much more than that.

Jason Dessen is a physics professor at a community college who faced a promising career as a budding scientist at 20 but, when his girlfriend got pregnant, choose to focus on his family. Fifteen years later, he wonders what if?

During a night out celebrating a friend’s success, Jason is held at gunpoint then transported into a world where, on that fateful time where he needed to choose between his career and family, he chooses his career. Not everything is as it seems and all Jason wants to do is get back to his family, but the path is dangerous and virtually impossible.

Dark Matter is suspenseful and mind-bending! To me, the book highlights the importance of living without regrets and in the moment; you can’t live life being miserable about every potential mistake you made because that will come back to haunt you.

I feel like I can’t say that much without giving away parts of the plot so, suffice to say, just go read it because it’s a great book!

RATING (out of five puppies)

WWW Wednesday (8/14/19)

In this weekly meme, I will answer three questions:

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish?

What do you think you'll read next?

This meme is held by samannelizabeth.wordpress.com. Just answer the three questions below and leave a link to your post in the comments for others to look at. No blog? No problem! Just leave a comment with your responses. Please, take some time to visit with other participants and see what others are reading.

What are you currently reading?

I picked up The Trespasser from the bargain bin at Barnes and Noble last month, and I'm finally getting around to reading it. I am enjoying it, though it drags in comparison to her other novels. Once I finish this one, I believe there will only be one book of hers left that I haven't yet read.

What did you recently finish?

The Magicians by Lev Grossman - So I did enjoy reading The Magicians, but I felt like the characters were a bit annoying and there wasn't much of a plot. The Magicians on Goodreads. My rating: ★★★

Final Girls by Riley Sager - Final Girls is a great thriller full of suspense and mystery! I'm excited to pick up Lock Every Door. Final Girls on Goodreads. My rating: ★★★★★

Deserve to Die by Miranda Rijks - I got Deserve to Die on NetGalley, and I was pleasantly surprised by this book. The author does a great job keeping up the suspense in the novel, but I was a big disappointed with the ending. It's still a good read, though! Deserve to Die on Goodreads. My rating: ★★★★

What do you think you'll read next?

I've checked out There There from the library, so that'll be next on my list. I might read a mystery or two I have at home after this one.

Top Ten Tuesday / Book Characters I'd Love to be Besties With

Top Ten Tuesday is a book blog meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week's topic is Book Characters I'd Love to be Besties With. Let's get to it!

Simon Spier from Simon vs the Homo Sapien Agenda - Simon, because we all need a gay best friend!

Hermione Granger from Harry Potter - I'd love to be friends with anyone from HP, but I feel like I'd click well with Hermione.

April May from An Absolutely Remarkable Thing - If you haven't read this book, which if you haven't you need to, April is sassy, hilarious girl who would be awesome to be besties with! We have the same type of humor, so I think we'd get along really well.

Celaena Sardothien from Throne of Glass - Celaena because everyone wants to be friends with a motherfcking badass!

Arya Stark from Game of Thrones - Arya's another badass that I'd want on my side.

Evie O'Neill from The Diviners - This is an amazing series! Evie is an outgoing party girl, which is just the type of extrovert that would take an introvert like me under their wing.

Veronica Mars from the book/TV series - I've loved the Veronica Mars TV series ever since it first aired. It's now been rebooted on Hulu, and the original creator is a co-author on a new book series. I've read the first book and really enjoyed it!

Lazlo Strange from Strange the Dreamer - Lazlo seems like a cool dude who has all the qualities I'd want in a friend; he's loyal and a genuinely good person.

Wade Watts from Ready Player One - I like nerdy boys so I think I'd like being friends with Wade.

Mark Watney from The Martian - Mark is hilarious... even when he's stranded on Mars, he's cracking jokes and keeping your spirits up. He sounds like the perfect friend to have when you're going through a rough time.

What about you? What book character would you love to be besties with? Let me know in the comments!

WWW Wednesday (8/7/19)

In this weekly meme, I will answer three questions:

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish?

What do you think you'll read next?

This meme is held by samannelizabeth.wordpress.com. Just answer the three questions below and leave a link to your post in the comments for others to look at. No blog? No problem! Just leave a comment with your responses. Please, take some time to visit with other participants and see what others are reading.

What are you currently reading?

I'm almost finished with The Magicians by Lev Grossman. It's really good so far. I was surprised by how quickly it progresses; we go through Quentin's entire five years at Brakebills in the first part of the novel. Still good though!

What did you recently finish?

I recently finished The Wonder, which is a great historical fiction novel about a British nurse who travels to rural Ireland for the strange case of a young girl who hasn't eaten in four months but who, apparently, doesn't need food. I also read The Broken Girls, which is a spooky thriller. Both are great novels.

What do you think you'll read next?

I picked up Final Girls and There There from the library. There are also some ebooks I'm on the wait list for... I'll probably also continue with The Magicians trilogy.

July 2019 Wrap-Up

For the month of July I read a total of 14 books! I devoured the Legend series and participated in The Reading Rush, so that mostly contributed to this month's high number.

City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert - Really enjoyed this one! ★★★★
The Legend series by Marie Lu - Overall, the series is entertaining and fun. Legend: ★★★★, Prodigy: ★★★, Champion: ★★★★
Normal People by Sally Rooney - I was really surprised by Normal People. It's a depressing love story that shows the importance of hope. ★★★★★

No Exit by Taylor Adams - I liked the premise but didn't care for the characters. ★★★
Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell - Then She Was Gone was another read in which I enjoyed the story line, but I felt like it started to fall apart in the middle and I got bored. ★★★
Wilder Girls by Rory Power - A fantastic read! Creepy, suspenseful and addicting. Wilder Girls definitely lives up to the hype. ★★★★★
The Cheerleaders by Kara Thomas - I wasn't a fan of this one. I kept feeling bored while reading. ★★

 

Miracle Creek by Kim Angie - Miracle Creek is a great read that combines family drama, murder and a thrilling courtroom aspect! ★★★★★
Descendant of the Crane by Joan He - I checked out the ebook from my library because I've seen good reviews on it, but the Descendant of the Crane was not my cup of tea. ★★
City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab - This book is a really enjoyable middle grade read. I especially liked the plot. ★★★★

As part of The Reading Rush:

The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black - I enjoyed this more than I thought I would! An excellent read. ★★★★★
Carrie by Stephen King - I finally read the book for the first time. I really liked this a lot more than the movies; the book provides additional background on Carrie and what happens after the prom incident. ★★★★★
Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli - I liked the book in general but I'm not a fan of Leah as a character. ★★★
Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur - After reading this, I don't understand the hype surrounding the book. I'm not a big poetry reader, but I don't see how the majority of the pieces are considered poems. ★★

What did you read in July? Let me know in the comments!