Sorcery of Thorns

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Elisabeth was raised in the Great Library, where sorcerous texts are kept appeased and imprisoned lest they transform into menacing beasts. When one such monster escapes, Elisabeth is accused of conspiracy. To prove her innocence and catch the real culprits, she’ll need the help of sorcerer Nathaniel Thorn — but can she trust anyone who gained their power from a deal with a demon? Reminiscent of Howl’s Moving Castle and Strange the Dreamer, this incredible novel instantly became one of my all-time favorites. Recommended By Madeline S., Powells.com

From the New York Times bestselling author of An Enchantment of Ravens comes an imaginative fantasy about an apprentice at a magical library who must battle a powerful sorcerer to save her kingdom.

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.

"If you are looking for magic you will find it inside this book. Sorcery of Thorns is a bewitching gem, full of slow burning romance, loyal friendships, and extraordinary world building. I absolutely loved every moment of this story." Stephanie Garber, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Caraval series.

"The most joyous reading experience I've had in recent memory... It is, not to put too fine a point on it, wonderful... a master-class in plotting and prestidigitation... unabashedly romantic... a warm, honeyed bath of words and ideas." The Toronto Star

"Brimming with twisty enchantment, Sorcery of Thorns is Margaret Rogerson at her most playfully addictive. The heir apparent to Diana Wynne Jones, no one can match her dark whimsy or joyous magic. This book is sheer delight." Jessica Cluess, author of the Kingdom on Fire trilogy

This love letter to bibliophiles is dreamlike and uncanny, grounded in deeply felt emotion, and absolutely thrilling." Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)

Margaret Rogerson is the author of the New York Times bestseller An Enchantment of Ravens and Sorcery of Thorns. She has a bachelor’s degree in cultural anthropology from Miami University. When not reading or writing she enjoys sketching, gaming, making pudding, and watching more documentaries than is socially acceptable (according to some). She lives near Cincinnati, Ohio, beside a garden full of hummingbirds and roses. Visit her at MargaretRogerson.com.