Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own. 

 

Book: Mysteries of Thorn Manor 

 

Author: Margaret Rogerson 

 

Book Series: Sorcery of Thorns Book 1.5 

 

Rating: 4/5 

 

Diversity: Tall MC with anxiety. Bisexual character who uses a mobility device. 

 

Recommended For...: young adult readers, fantasy, romance, demons, bookish book, novella 

 

Publication Date: January 17, 2023 

 

Genre: YA Fantasy          

 

Age Relevance: 14+ (romance, parental death, death, language, torture) 

 

Explanation of Above: There is a lot more romance in this book than its predecessor. There are mentions of death and parental death. There is one instance of cursing. There is torture mentioned. 

 

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books 

 

Pages: 184 

 

Synopsis: In this sequel novella to Sorcery of Thorns, Elisabeth, Nathaniel, and Silas must unravel the magical trap keeping them inside Thorn Manor in time for their Midwinter Ball! 

 

Elisabeth Scrivener is finally settling into her new life with sorcerer Nathaniel Thorn. Now that their demon companion Silas has returned, so has scrutiny from nosy reporters hungry for gossip about the city's most powerful sorcerer and the librarian who stole his heart. But something strange is afoot at Thorn Manor: the estate's wards, which are meant to keep their home safe, are acting up and forcibly trapping the Manor's occupants inside. Surely it must be a coincidence that this happened just as Nathaniel and Elisabeth started getting closer to one another... 

 

With no access to the outside world, Elisabeth, Nathaniel, and Silas - along with their new maid Mercy - will have to work together to discover the source of the magic behind the malfunctioning wards before they're due to host the city's Midwinter Ball. Not an easy task when the house is filled with unexpected secrets, and all Elisabeth can think about is kissing Nathaniel in peace. But when it becomes clear that the house, influenced by the magic of Nathaniel's ancestors, requires a price for its obedience, Elisabeth and Nathaniel will have to lean on their connection like never before to set things right. 

 

Review: For the most part I thought this was a good sequel novella. The novella picks up sometime after the events of the first book and discusses how there is some magic afoot that is causing our characters to become trapped in Thorn Manor. They all take a deep dive through Nathanial’s family history to figure out how to undo the spell. The book was a pretty fun little novella that offered some great backstory to not only Nathanial’s family but also some to Silas. The book further develops Elisabeth and Nathanial’s relationship as well. I thought the world building was great and the pacing was very well even. 

 

The only issues I had with the book is that it felt like the character development was a bit lacking and overall it felt kind of unnecessary for this book to exist? I thought the first one ended perfectly and this one, while a fun and amazingly cute novella, just left more questions than answers for me. 

 

Verdict: It was great! Loved it!