Narrator: Emily Ellet Publication Date: January 17, 2023 Format Read: Audiobook Audiobook Length: 3 hours and 52 minutes Page Length: 188 pages My Rating: 4 / 5 stars Links: Amazon | Apple Books | Audible | Barnes and Noble | Goodreads |...
Narrator: Emily Ellet
Publication Date: January 17, 2023
Format Read: Audiobook
Audiobook Length: 3 hours and 52 minutes
Page Length: 188 pages
My Rating: 4 / 5 stars
Links: Amazon | Apple Books | Audible | Barnes and Noble | Goodreads | Google Play | Kobo | Libro.fm
Previous books in the series: Sorcery of Thorns
SYNOPSIS
In this delightful sequel novella to the New York Times bestselling 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’’ 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
I’m not usually one for novellas, but this was much needed after reading Sorcery of Thorns. The ending for that book was too open-ended for my tastes. But everything gets cleared up here! And we get a much more satisfying HEA between Elisabeth and Nathaniel, so that’s fun.
We find out in the last book that when sorcerers call forth their demons, they have to make a deal. In Nathaniel’s case, he made a deal to give years off his life for Silas. I wondered how the book was going to handle that because how are we going to have a happy ending if we’re worried about Nathaniel (and possibly Elisabeth) dying young? You can never know what those years might mean. We get a much more satisfying answer here that is a happier one in my opinion. Also, we get Silas back and he is delightfully as sullen about fashion as ever.
Nathaniel is reluctantly in charge of putting together and HOSTING something called a MIdwinter Ball, where sorcerers travel to attend a party that is hosted by a chosen magister. It just so happens that it is Nathaniel’s year. There’s a character hanging around the mansion, Mercy, who we met previously. She’s taken on some household duties much to Silas’ dismay.
But the mystery in this book, as the title suggests, isn’t related to the Ball at all. The manor has gone all awry with magic and the only way to fix it is if Elisabeth and Nathaniel really prove their love to one another? I think that’s the gist of it. There’s three trials of sorts but in any case, this story is cute because the threat is a minimal threat to the characters, and we just really get to see Elisabeth and Nathaniel be cute and in love with one another.
There are maybe a few loose ends to whatever Silas is doing, but it’s not a huge thing that bothers me if we never get a follow-on book or anything like that (though I am always here for more books set in this world). The epilogue is in Silas’ POV, so that was interesting. I bet he has SO many stories he could tell, after serving the Thorn family for so many generations.
The audiobook bothered me a little less with this book. I think the quiet whisperings were at a minimum, and the strange accent in the book was less overbearing. My one issue with this book is maybe that the cover art is a little too highly saturated compared next to the author’s other books, but it’s not a HUGE deal. Just something that bothers me personally that I’m sure bothers no one else.
This story served as an extended epilogue to Sorcery of Thorns and I’m so glad it exists. I highly recommend it. This is a must read for anyone who read the first book and is looking for a satisfying ending to the characters’ stories.
