Sorcery of Thorns – Wonderfilled Reads

2019 End of Year Survey

2019 was a solid reading year for myself, if not as great as I was hoping it would be. However, I did get to read some amazing books and find new favorite authors so I can’t complain too much. I can’t wait to look back on everything that I’ve read over the past year!

If you wish to participate in the survey, please link back to the original creator – Jamie @ The Perpetual Page Turner.

2019 Reading Stats

Number Of Books You Read: 64
Number of Re-Reads: 2
Genre You Read The Most From: Fantasy

Best in Book

Best Book You Read In 2019?

Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?

Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read?

Book You “Pushed” The Most People To Read (And They Did)?

Best series you started in 2019? Best sequel of 2019? Best series finale of 2019?

Favorite new author you discovered in 2019?

Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone?

Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year?

Book You Read In 2019 That You Would Be MOST Likely To Re-Read Next Year?

Favorite cover of a book you read in 2019?

Most memorable character of 2019?

Jude is a total badass and no one can say otherwise.

Most beautifully written book read in 2019?

Most Thought-Provoking/Life-Changing Book of 2019?

Book you can’t believe you waited until 2019 to finally read?

Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2019?

“By you, I am forever undone.” – The Queen of Nothing

Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2019?

Book That Shocked You The Most

OTP OF THE YEAR (you will go down with this ship!)

Jude and Cardan… I think it’s pretty easy to see how I feel about this book.

Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship Of The Year

Morrigan and Hawthorne crack me up with their friendship. She’s cynical and he is Mr. Get-Into-All-of-the-Trouble.

Favorite Book You Read in 2019 From An Author You’ve Read Previously

Best Book You Read In 2019 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure/Bookstagram, Etc.

Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2019?

I will always go for the moody and brooding guys, especially ones with a bit of darkness in them like Nathaniel.

Best 2019 debut you read?

Best Worldbuilding/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year?

Book That Put A Smile On Your Face/Was The Most FUN To Read?

Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2019?

Hidden Gem Of The Year?

Book That Crushed Your Soul?

Most Unique Book You Read In 2019?

Book That Made You The Most Mad (doesn’t necessarily mean you didn’t like it)?

Your Blogging/Bookish Life

New favorite book blog/Bookstagram/Youtube channel you discovered in 2019?

I have done a terrible job keeping up with the bookish community this past year. Maybe that’s why I was affected by so many reading slumps – I wasn’t keeping myself hyped up.

Favorite post you wrote in 2019?

If You Liked That…Read This: Historical Fiction Edition

Favorite bookish related photo you took in 2019?

Ummm, I did not take one. Oops!

Best bookish event that you participated in (author signings, festivals, virtual events, etc.)?

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to make it to BookCon this past year but I was able to participate in the blog tour for Songs from the Deep!

Best moment of bookish/blogging life in 2019?

Probably when I finally reach over 1000 followers on my blog. I don’t really promote it a whole lot so it’s been nice to see it grow so much this year.

Most challenging thing about blogging or your reading life this year?

My reading life took a bit of a hit this year from going into so many random reading slumps, which has really affected my will to actually post regularly. It’s something I’m really hoping to not have an issue with this coming year.

Most Popular Post This Year On Your Blog (whether it be by comments or views)?

The 5 Most Disappointing Books of 2019

Post You Wished Got A Little More Love?

Top 5 Audiobook Recommendations

Best bookish discovery (book related sites, book stores, etc.)?

I don’t think I really have one this year.

Did you complete any reading challenges or goals that you had set for yourself at the beginning of this year?

Hahahahahaha… Nope, didn’t finish either of one. Epic 2019 fail.

Looking Ahead

One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2019 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2020?

Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2020 (non-debut)?

2020 Debut You Are Most Anticipating?

Series Ending/A Sequel You Are Most Anticipating in 2020?

One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging Life In 2020?

Keep away from the dreaded reading slumps and try to consistently blog post.

How did you reading year go in 2019? What was a book that surprised you the most? Did you read a hidden gem of a novel? Did any books disappoint you? Please leave a link to your reading survey in the comments below!

End of Summer Recap Book Tag

Fall is officially almost here and I am so happy. I am not a fan of the summertime and all of its hellish heat. However, I saw this awesome book tag over on the lovely Scorpio Book Dreams blog and decided that it was a good time to look back over the books that I’ve read during the past few summer months. I’m always talking about books on my TBR, so this will be a nice change of pace to reflect on the books that I’ve already finished. Please feel free to tag yourself!

Original post was created by Faith @ Bookself.

Which book can you not stop thinking about?

Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur Jaswal

I just really enjoyed this story. It was a nice feel-good story that I think everyone would enjoy picking it up. It was the perfect summer read for me. I keep waiting to hear that Mindy Kaling has optioned the rights to adapt into a miniseries or movie. I think she has the perfect writing style for a story like this.

Which book would you rather not have read?

The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

This was one of my most anticipated releases for this year.. but dear God, was it sooooooo long. And trust me, I don’t mind lengthy novels. However, I could really feel the length with this story. It took far too long to actually get into the meat of the story, which caused me to not feel the need to ever pick it up to read. I’ll just continue looking forward to the next installment of The Bone Season series and try to forget that this book caused it to get postponed.

What genre did you read the most?

Surprisingly enough, due to my recent reread of the Red Rising series, my top genre this past summer was science fiction. Which I’m actually really happy about because it is one of my favorite genres to pick up. Not to mention the fact that all of the books for that genre that I have read recently were really good. I’m also in currently in the middle of two more!

What book surprised you the most?

The Summer Before the War by Helen Simonson

I figured I would enjoy this book (helloooo, I’m a sucker for historical fiction!), but I didn’t realize how much I would love this story and all of its characters. Rye has always been on my list of English villages I’d love to visit, but now I am DYING to go see it during the summer and channel my inner Beatrice.

Which book disappointed you the most?

Just look above a couple of questions and that should answer this one too…

What was your favorite cover?

Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson

Another lovely design by the supremely talented Charlie Bowater. I honestly love all of her designs.

What was your favorite summer release?

Aurora Rising (The Aurora Cycle, #1) by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

This book was just as fun and engaging as what I was expecting from this writing duo. I thought it was a great start to another science fiction series from them. I loved how we get multiple POVs and they were each so different from one another. Also, let’s all give a cheer for the fae-inspired, Kal. Seriously… SPACE ELVES.

What book did you plan on reading but never got around to?

Kingsbane (Empirium, #2) by Claire Legrand

I actually preordered this beauty but then I realized I desperately needed to do a reread of the first book before diving in. I’ve finally gotten around to downloading the audiobook version of it and so hopefully I’ll be able to finish that after my current listen of Iron Gold. So I’m hoping to add this to my TBR for next month. It’s just been begging me to pick it up.

What’s on your Autumn TBR?

What was your favorite summer release? Was there a specific book you meant to read but never got around to it? What books do you plan on reading during this fall?

My Top Fave Reads of the First Half of 2019

Six months of reading in 2019?! ALREADY?! Yes, it is crazy and I cannot believe it either. Why is this year just going by so freaking fast? I would say I want it to slow down somewhat, but then it would take longer for fall to arrive and I just can’t have that. I need cooler weather and legging season to arrive already. But I digress… It’s time to talk about some of my favorite reads of 2019 (so far).

Skyward (Skyward, #1) by Brandon Sanderson

Believe it or not, this is my first Sanderson novel… And boy, does it not disappoint! I really enjoyed Spensa as a main character, with her quirky and strong personality. I loved how action packed this story was and that ending left me dying to find out what is going to happen next.

Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

You’re probably tired of hearing people rave about this story, but trust me when I say that it is truly worth the hype. I also recommend listening to the audiobook version, as I think it brings the story to life and the physical book might lose some of that magic.

The Night Tiger by Yangsze Choo

This was such a lovely historical fiction novel set in Malaysia. I’m not usually one for magical realism stories but I think it really worked well here, as it was blended with Chinese folklore. This is another book that I recommend the audio version of as well.

Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson

Books that alive?! Sassy sorcerers?! Extremely polite and chivalrous demons?! Yes, you can find all of that an more in this awesome novel. Rogerson has solidified herself to be a new auto-buy author for me. I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next.

A Curse So Dark and Lonely (Cursebreakers, #1) by Brigid Kemmerer

I love retellings but this one really found itself a special place in my heart. All of the characters were complex and interesting, and I can always appreciate when the love-to-hate trope is done really well. And oh boy, that ending… WOW.

Jade City (The Green Bone Saga, #1) by Fonda Lee

This was a book that I never knew I needed – an Asian inspired story about mafia-like families and kungfu. I really enjoyed the in-depth look of family relationships and what loyalty really means. This story was brutal and yet it kept leaving me wanting more.

What were some of your favorites reads of 2019 so far? Have you read any of the books on list? If so, what did you think of them?

2019 Mid-Year Freak Out Book Tag

Another half year has gone by super fast. I think it really is true what they say, “The years go fast, but the days go slow.” I think that’s especially true as you get older. I mean I will turn 30 in 18 months and that doesn’t even compute with me sometimes. However, that also means that we’ve had 6 months of reading time so far in 2019 and that is awesome. It also means that I’m THIS much closer to my favorite time of year – fall. Cold weather is calling me and I cannot wait!

Best Book You’ve Read So Far In 2019

I couldn’t pick just one book because all four of these books just rocked my freaking world this year for different reasons. I cannot recommend them enough to people.

Best Sequel You’ve Read So Far In 2019

I’m honestly just trash for this series. The first one was so unique but maybe suffered from a bit of slow pacing, but holy moly this sequel was insanely amazing. There was an outlaw style space port, cage-style fighting, etc. I don’t even know how Caine and Aguirre are going to be able to top this sequel, but I have really high hopes!

New Release You Haven’t Read Yet But Want To

Basically I’m kicking my ass over having not read these books because I am obsessed with Jeff Zentner and Emily Henry’s novels. But I will say that I own Kingsbane but I’ve been putting it aside until I do a reread of Furyborn. It’s happening soon though, for sure.

Most Anticipated Release For The Second Half Of The Year

Okay, just give me all of the books at this point. I promise I won’t complain.

Biggest Disappointment

I wish I understood what the hype was with this book but it did not work at all for me. The main character was so whiny and naïve, making it really hard for me to care about any of her thoughts. I get that maybe that’s a reason because she’s been so isolated but still, it just didn’t work for me.

Biggest Surprise

I know there was a lot of hype going around this book when it first came out, especially considering it was Reese Witherspoon’s book club pick. But even with that, I wasn’t sure it was going to work for me as I’m super picky when it comes to contemporary novels. However, I freaking loved it so much! I listened to the audiobook and it was amazing. I’ll definitely be picking up whatever else this author writes.

Favorite New Author (Debut/New To You)

I am so impressed by the world-building Fonda Lee created in Jade City. It was so impressive and interesting. This was my first read by her but I know I’m already obsessed. I can’t wait to continue with this series and also explore some of her other novels.

Newest Fictional Crush

Nathaniel Thorn is one sassy sexy sorcerer. I was living for his witty one-liners and the back and forth banter between him and Elizabeth.

Newest Favorite Character

Spensa is so feisty and strong-willed. I love that she doesn’t take no for an answer but continues to fight for what she wants and what she believes in. She’s just a little firecracker. I am slowly dying inside waiting for the sequel to come out because I cannot wait to see what she’s going to do next.

Book That Made You Cry

Yeah, I’ll admit that I shed a few tears at work while listening to this audiobook. They were happy tears though!

Book That Made You Happy

This book was just such a joy. It was engaging and fun, with a really great family story as well. It wasn’t what I was expecting at first but turned out to be just as great.

Most Beautiful Book You’ve Bought So Far This Year

What Books Do You Need To Read By The End Of The Year

Favorite Book To Movie Adaptation You’ve Seen This Year

I don’t know if it really counts since I haven’t read the books but I really enjoyed Dumplin’ and Mortal Engines.

Favorite Review You’ve Written This Year

What is your favorite book read of 2019 so far? Biggest disappointment? Have you discovered a new favorite author? What book are you most looking forward to reading in the second half of the year?

June Wrap-Up: Reviews, Reading Challenges, etc.

I will admit that this wasn’t my greatest month of reading because instead of just focusing on one book at a time, I was bouncing around multiple books. Now this isn’t a normal reading pattern for me. I’ve only just started doing this and I have no idea how I got to this place, but here I am. Ha! Anyways, I still really enjoyed the few books that I finished in June and plan to really focus on my reading for Iron Tome-A-Thon in July.

I don’t know why summer is usually the season where the majority of people read a hell of a lot, and then there’s me who struggles with it. I feel like I really get into watching movies or bingeing tv shows during the summer. But maybe I’ll get out of this phase soon? Eh, probably not.

Books Read

Long hair beauty with pink flowers

Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur Jaswal – audiobook, 4/5 stars
Freeks by Amanda Hocking – physical book, 2/5 stars
Winterspell by Claire Legrand – physical book, 4/5 stars
Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson – physical book, 5/5 stars

Total Books Read: 4

Overall in 2019: 43

Reading Challenge Updates

POPSUGAR

A book recommended by a celebrity you admire – Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows

Goodreads Challenge

Total: 43/75

Previous Total: 39/75

Blog Posts

Book Reviews

Book Review: Sorcery of Thorns

WWW Wednesday

Discussions/Misc.

Did you get a lot of reading done in June? Do you struggle to read more in the summer? Were you able to read all of the books on your TBR? Did you read any new favorites? What book did you like the least? What do you plan on reading in July?

WWW Wednesday – June 26th, 2019

Welcome to WWW Wednesday which is currently being hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World of Words. It’s really just a place to do little update on what all you’ve been reading lately. Anyone is welcome to join, just leave a link to your post in the comments and be sure to give the appropriate credit to Sam!

The Three W’s are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

What are you currently reading?

Long hair beauty with pink flowers

Winterspell by Claire Legrand – physical book
Red Rising (Red Rising, #1) by Pierce Brown – audiobook
Middlemarch by George Eliot – physical book

I’m doing a reread via audiobook of the entire Red Rising series before the next book is released at the end of July. I forgot how amazing this story is and starting Darrow’s journey again from the beginning has been amazing. He’s such an interesting character, whether you like him or not.

I’m still slowing moving my way through Winterspell. It’s a heavy book and the world-building is taking me a little longer to fully grasp, but I’m really enjoying the story. I hope to finish this within the next few days.

I haven’t read much of Middlemarch this past week, as I’m just picking it up when I feel like it. I enjoy taking my time with such a long classic read. I think this one will take me all summer to work my way through.

What did you recently finish reading?

Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur Jaswal – audiobook
Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson – physical book, REVIEW

All I want to say is that I really enjoyed both of these stories. They’re extremely different but I had such a strong connection to both of them. I cannot recommend them enough!

What do you think you’ll read next?

The Poppy War (The Poppy War, #1) by R.F. Kuang – physical book
Foundryside (Founders, #1) by Robert Jackson Bennett – physical book
The Savior’s Champion (The Savior’s Series, #1) by Jenna Moreci – physical book

Iron Tome-A-Thon begins on the 1st, so my focus for July is going to be adult fantasy. I cannot wait!

What are you currently reading? What books did you finish this week? What are you planning on reading next? Have you read any of the books on my list? If so, what did you think of them? Leave a link to your WWW Wednesday post in the comments below!

Book Review: Sorcery of Thorns

Margaret Rogerson has truly solidified her spot on my favorite authors list with her sophomore release, Sorcery of Thorns. I thought I loved An Enchantments of Ravens, but it was nothing like my experience with this 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.

First off, let me just say how happy it makes me when a book revolves around the love of books. Like I immediately connect so well with the story and characters when they share that same joy with me. With that being said, when I first found out this book is based around a library and books that are basically living creatures, I knew that I was going to love it. And I was right.

I think Rogerson, once again, has created such an interesting world. It was really interesting in how the magic system works in this world, with magic being controlled by the sorcerer’s and their connection with demonic beings. I loved how she was able to add some darker elements like that to the story… Gimme all the darkness! The world was so interesting but we only got to see and learn about this one small area, which I would’ve preferred a bit more about some of the other countries that they mention going to war with multiple times. I like to think that that means there’s room to explore more in this world in other books (even though Rogerson states this is only a standalone).

I just love Elizabeth as a character. She isn’t perfect and more than a little bit awkward, due to having grown up in the library with no social interaction really besides fellow librarians. Also, her relationship with books in general is a MOOD. The only difference is that her books can respond to her, while mine are still just inanimate objects. Dammit. But even though I love Elizabeth, Thorn is my baby. He has the best dry/sarcastic personality, constantly throwing out these witty one liners. I live for characters like that and he just gave me exactly what I love in my fictional boyfriends. And last but not least is Silas, the mysterious servant. Silas is actually the glue that keeps all of our characters together. He’s very quiet and polite, but with an edge.

You can really see the growth of her writing in Rogerson’s sophomore novel. I thought the overall plot was much more engaging from start to finish than An Enchantment of Ravens. I never felt like the plot was too rushed or too slow, but moved at a steady pace throughout the story. I appreciated the length of the novel, as it allowed us to really immerse ourselves in the world and gave us enough time to really get to know the characters. The ending was really well done as well. It gave me just enough to leave me satisfied but also wanting more. Not really sure if that makes sense or not, but there it is.. Just know that you really need to read this book, especially if you weren’t completely satisfied with An Enchantment of Ravens.

Final Verdict: 5/5 Stars

Have you read Sorcery of Thorns? Did you enjoy it more than An Enchantment of Ravens? Are you as obsessed with Thorn as I am?

WWW Wednesday – June 12th, 2019

elcome to WWW Wednesday which is currently being hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World of Words. It’s really just a place to do little update on what all you’ve been reading lately. Anyone is welcome to join, just leave a link to your post in the comments and be sure to give the appropriate credit to Sam!

The Three W’s are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?