I'm going to keep this review short (hopefully) cause you already know how much I adore this book. I have been screaming about it on here, as well as on Instagram and Twitter. And I still can't bring myself to understand how I've read so many good books this year. I actually checked to see what my average rating is on Goodreads and I think it's gone up because I only read amazing books now or something??? I can't complain, cause I am very happy.

I attempted to read An Enchantment of Ravens a couple times, but I was either not in the mood or the reviews I had read/what I had heard from friends made me skeptical. I was hesitant to pick up Sorcery of Thorns because of that, BUT I AM SO GRATEFUL I DID.

I don't know how to write this review without screaming about Silas, but I'm going to try.

The one complaint I heard about An Enchantment of Ravens was that it was too short. It didn't build up the world as well as it could have, and the romance felt rushed into instead of gradual. SORCERY OF THORNS IS THE COMPLETE OPPOSITE.

I am OBSESSED with this world. If you love books–which I'm assuming you do–then you will absolutely fall head over heels with this one. This book is every book-lover's fantasy, but with a dash of danger, because who wants regular books that you can just open and read, when you can have books bite you and attack you and possibly steal your face and sew it onto the front cover??!

The world is so fleshed out and detailed and interesting. I loved the history surrounding the Great Libraries, how they are run an organized, the different classes of grimoires, how they are stored and taken care of, everything about Maleficts... I liked the glimpses we got of Elisabeth's past and watching her grow and develop and confront her fears and misconceptions about sorcery, the Collegium, and demons. Seeing Elisabeth realizing that what she was brought up to believe was quite different from reality was a perfect touch.

Katrien, Elisabeth's best friend and who I would honestly want to see more of, is the aromantic rep I wanted. I too would much rather dive into books and experiments than pursue romance. She's also always coming up with pranks and making trouble and asksfjkdsf I just think she's amazing.

NATHANIEL THOUGH... You know how picky I am when it comes to romance and love interests. But this book did it so well. I was not annoyed one bit. I didn't cringe at all. I loved everything. The relationship was gradual, with a lot of the typical denying-you-have-feelings-for-each-other trope, but it was done in a perfect way. The build up was rewarding. Nathaniel as a character is charming, sarcastic, and funny. He's dramatic, and a little tortured, but not so much that it makes him into an annoying, brooding character (ahem Nasir). His dynamic with Elisabeth is so much fun to read. I love how she's constantly fighting him and being annoying and making a mess of things, and how he obviously finds all of this endearing, especially cause his pet names for her made me melt cause TOO CUTE. But also, Nathaniel is also a mess and constantly needs Silas to rescue him. They're just the perfect messy pair.

ALSO ELISABETH IS TALLER THAN NATHANIEL WHICH I AM OBSESSED WITH. I keep forgetting she's like 6'3 and I think Nathaniel is 6'1 or 6'0. ITS CUTE I SHIP HARD

Elisabeth herself is such a likeable character. She grows and develops a lot throughout the book. She's so strong and resilient and intelligent. I loved her connection with the Great Libraries and the grimoires. She's not afraid to ask for help when she needs it, but she's capable on her own as well. And the relationships she forms with everyone are so impactful and heartwarming. I'm still not over her relationship with Silas and how she refused to see him as an evil demon, but as someone who loves and cares for Nathaniel and has a good soul inside.

SPEAKING OF SILAS.

SILAS IS A SMOL.

SMOL DEMON CARRIES LARGE HUMANS.

SILAS IS LIKE 5'5 AND HE CARRIES ELISABETH AND NATHANIEL MULTIPLE TIMES DURING THIS BOOK AND IT KILLED ME

I CAN'T WITH THIS CUTENESS. THE IMAGE IT CREATES IN MY HEAD IS HILARIOUS. LIKE A TINY BABY CARRYING A HUMAN. A LITTLE SUMO WRESTLER BABY CARRYING A HUMAN. THAT'S HOW I PICTURE IT, EXCEPT SILAS IS IN HIS PERFECTLY CRISP UNIFORM, NOT A HAIR OUT OF PLACE, WEARING HIS GLOVES, HIS HAIR TIED BACK. DFJDKJFSDLKFJSL I CANT PEOPLE

AND TO MAKE EVERYTHING EVEN BETTER. SILAS CAN TURN HIMSELF INTO A SMOL WHITE KITTEN. WHEN THIS HAPPENED I LEGIT SCREAMED INSIDE CAUSE THIS IS ALL I EVER WANTED. I WAS ALREADY OBSESSED WITH SILAS FROM THE MOMENT ELISABETH MET HIM AND SAID HE WAS BEAUTIFUL AND LOOKED KIND AND SHE HOPED NATHANIEL TREATED HIM WELL. BUT THEN HE TURNED INTO A KITTEN (AND LET ME SAY HE MAKES A PERFECT CAT, TOTALLY UNAPPROACHABLE, A LITTLE SASSY AND GRUMPY, CARES A LOT ABOUT GROOMING, WAS NOT HAPPY ABOUT ELISABETH'S MADE UP NAME FOR HIM) AND I MELTED INTO A PUDDLE.

AND THEN TO MAKE EVERYTHING EVEN MORE HEART-WRENCHING. WE GET NATHANIEL'S BACKSTORY AND SEE HOW SILAS HAS CARED FOR HIM AND HOW HE'S GROWN TO LOVE HIS MASTER BUT ITS ALL PLATONIC PEOPLE

PLATONIC

P L A T O N I C

I CANNOT DESCRIBE TO YOU HOW MUCH I LOVED THIS AND WANTED THIS/NEEDED THIS. ALL I WANT IS A RELATIONSHIP LIKE THIS. I WOULD LOVE A HUMAN WHO COULD TURN INTO A CAT BUT THAT IS UNLIKELY.

WE NEED MORE PLATONIC RELATIONSHIPS IN BOOKS. ROMANCE IS FINE, BUT FRIENDSHIP IS GREAT. MY HEART BROKE WHEN NATHANIEL HUGGED SILAS. IT LITERALLY BROKE. I ALMOST CRIED ON THE BUS. THIS BOOK GAVE ME MAJOR FEELS AND MOST OF THEM WERE SILAS RELATED. BUT ALSO NATHANIEL RELATED. I FELT LIKE ELISABETH, THROWN INTO THIS WORLD, MEETING A DEMON WHO CAN TURN INTO A CAT AND THEN FALLING IN LOVE WITH SAID KITTY CAUSE IT CUTE AND THEN REALIZING HOW MUCH SMOL DEMON MEANS TO NATHANIEL AND SEEING HOW MUCH SILAS ALSO LOVES HIS MASTER AND CARES FOR HIM MORE THAN HE LIKES TO ADMIT AND THEN ITS JUST A MESS OF FEELS.

Okay, I'll stop screaming. This better have convinced you to read this book. I won't get into the plot, but it was surprising and had plenty of unexpected twists and turns. I really liked how things wrapped up. The last sentence though...I CRY. It's a perfect, hopeful ending.

4.5/5 stars

(Want to add that the ending was pretty great, but I agree with another reviewer that the main villain's reasoning for what he did kind of fell flat)

IF YOU DONT READ THIS I WILL BE SAD AND SET A SMOL DEMON ON YOU