|| Mini Reviews… Heartstream & Sorcery of Thorns ||

As I’ve been reading so many books recently I decided to do mini reviews of two completely different books here. I received Heartstream from July’s Book Box Club (you can see my unboxing here) I listened to the audiobook of Sorcery of Thorns from Scribd which I’ve only just discovered but it is a massive game changer as I listen to so many books on audio!

I just wanted to see you. Before the end. A taut psychological thriller about obsession, fame and betrayal, for fans of Black Mirror. Cat is in love. Always the sensible one, she can’t believe that she’s actually dating, not to mention dating a star. But the fandom can’t know. They would eat her alive. And first at the buffet would definitely be her best friend, Evie. Amy uses Heartstream, a social media app that allows others to feel your emotions. She broadcasted every moment of her mother’s degenerative illness, and her grief following her death. It’s the realest, rawest reality TV imaginable. But on the day of Amy’s mother’s funeral, Amy finds a strange woman in her kitchen. She’s rigged herself and the house with explosives – and she’s been waiting to talk to Amy for a long time. Who is she? A crazed fan? What does she want? Amy and Cat are about to discover how far true obsession can go.
– Goodreads –

I absolutely loved the concept of this book! Being able to stream feelings from someone possibly on the other side of the world through an app! Along with the other narrative which focuses on fans who become obsessed with celebrities to the point that it consumes their whole life.

I was pretty disappointed with the execution of this book, once I finished it I saw that it was a YA thriller which you can definitely tell. This book could have been taken so far yet it was definitely held back to keep it relevant for young adults. That being said this was a really quick read and for the majority of the book I was really enjoying it. I just can’t give this any higher than 3 and a half cups of coffee as I was left wanting more.

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.
– Goodreads –

Who can resist magical libraries with badass librarians? This was such a fun read! I really enjoyed Nathaniel and Silas as characters and finding out about their complex relationship as master and servant. Whereas I didn’t feel as connected with Elisabeth as I thought I would.

I did listen to this on audio which may have been the reason why I was struggling to keep up with it. The narrator was fab but there was such much detail that I had to keep going back and re listening to sections. I don’t really know how I feel about the ending it was a little flat and didn’t wow me.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and I can understand the hype for this,it’s made me want to read Margaret’s other book An Enchantment of Ravens.
Sorcery of Thorns is definitely worth 4 cups of coffee out of 5!

Have you read any of these books? I would love to hear your thoughts on them.

See you in the next one…