G. Bianco, 2019
 Living in a library seems like any book-lover’s dream. Living in a library filled with magical books sounds even better! However, being raised among grimoires has its dangers, and in Margaret Rogerson’s newest novel, Sorcery of Thorns, the protagonist must face these dangers to protect everything she has grown to love. Elisabeth was raised within the walls of one of Austermeer’s Great Libraries, and has always known one thing: all sorcerers are evil. Growing up among magical grimoires that whisper on shelves and, if provoked, transform into grotesque monsters of ink and leather, she dreams of becoming a warden and protecting the kingdom from their power. But when Elisabeth is falsely accused of setting a grimoire free, she is sent to the capital to face justice. There she must defend herself and the kingdom from a dangerous conspiracy with the help of the sorcerer, Nathaniel Thorn, and his mysterious demonic servant, whom she has always been taught to mistrust. As her alliance with Nathaniel grows stronger, Elisabeth starts to question everything she’s been taught to believe about magic, libraries, and even herself, all while trying to save it from destruction. This novel was absolutely fantastic! The characters and the plot were the perfect meshing of magic, fantasy, and perseverance. Fantasy lovers will rejoice at the amazing world Rogerson is able to create. And with just the right amount of romance mixed in, this story will appeal to a slew of different readers. I found myself grinning like an idiot from laughter at Nathaniel’s amazing one liners and sarcasm. Elisabeth was an amazing character in the respect that she was relatable, yet didn’t strike me as too much of the cliché heroine in a fantasy novel. The most genius characterizations of the story had to be Silas, Nathaniel’s demon servant. Without giving too much away: he was such a complex character that you truly couldn’t decide whether he was good or evil, or if he even knew the difference between the two. But Rogerson was able to take this inherently cruel character and transform him into a symbol of love and sacrifice. It truly is beautiful to read. The novel moved at a perfect pace as well. The plot line moved fast enough to keep the reader engaged, but slow enough to cover important details and subplots. Every mystery connected at the end and concluded very nicely, yet still left me wanting just a bit more. With no current plans for a sequel, Sorcery of Thorns is a great stand alone novel. However, a sequel definitely wouldn’t be opposed by this reader! The characters and story were just beautifully written, one can’t help but want to read more of Elisabeth and Nathaniel’s story. Overall, fans of young adult literature who appreciate a good romance, magic, books, danger at every turn, weird demons, and badass fighting will fall in love with this novel. 
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 The bestselling author of How To Walk Away is back with another story about love, family, and hope. Katherine Center’s new novel, Things You Save in a Fire, follows a female firefighter on her journey of forgiveness and finding love, as she grapples with traumatic events from her past. Cassie Hanwell is great in an emergency. Being a phenomenal firefighter and one of the only women on her squad, she has made a name for herself as one of the best and feels like she has finally found her place in life. However, when Cassie has to move in with her estranged and sickly mother, she must also leave behind her progressive Austin firehouse and move up to Boston, where the crew is less than welcoming. To these old-school firemen, the thought of a woman being a firefighter is blasphemous. The only person who doesn't mind having Cassie around is the handsome new rookie, who Cassie can’t seem to take her eyes off of. With her career and life turning upside down, Cassie is finding it harder and harder to follow one major rule her old captain told her to follow: don't date firefighters. Can Cassie bring control back into her life in order to be taken seriously, or will she allow herself to feel love for the first time? This heartfelt and delicious romance is so much more than just a sweet love story. It also tackles themes such as female empowerment, forgiveness, and dealing with things in the past that have hurt you. Cassie is such a lovable character and the reader can’t help but root for her the entire novel. Her strength, both physical and mental, is showcased numerous times throughout the story and is something to be admired. The firehouse shenanigans are nothing short of funny and bring a sort of comic relief to the plot. All of the characters bring such joy to the story that the reader will want to jump right into the novel and join in on the firehouse basketball matches, too! However, mixed in is Cassie dealing with trauma and pain that has haunted her for the past 10 years. Her journey of forgiving not only those who hurt her, but herself as well, is powerful and inspiring. Center eloquently writes “Yes, the world is full of unspeakable cruelty. But the answer wasn’t to never feel hope, or bliss, or love—but to savor every fleeting, precious second of those feelings when they come.” This story not only allows readers to connect with Cassie through her journey, but also appreciate the love and support they have in their own lives. The message isn’t to focus on the bad in the world, but to take that cruelty and twist it into a beautiful feeling that can be appreciated even more. With a strong female character at the heart of this dramatic, yet funny love story, this novel is a must-read! If book lovers still aren’t convinced enough to read this book, then read it just to see what firefighters must deal with in their line of work. The bravery and heroism described in this novel gives the reader such a new level of respect for the real firefighters out there who work hard to protect their communities and what they have to deal with at the end of the day. Center’s novel is to be released on August 13, 2019, but has already gotten quite a lot of buzz from fans. An early copy release from Book of the Month subscription box as a July Pick, this novel already has an average 4.5/5 stars on sites like Goodreads and Amazon. Things You Save in a Fire is a great summer read and romance and fiction fans alike will not be disappointed by Cassie’s story.  |
AuthorHi! My name is Elisa and my bookshelf is quite literally overflowing! Join me in my journey of reading as many books as humanly possible! Archives
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