Mysteries of Thorn Manor by Margaret Rogerson – Review

Published: January 17, 2023

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Series: Sorcery of Thorns #1.5

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 188 (Kindle)

My Rating: 4 Stars

Synopsis:
In this sequel novella to 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’s 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.

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I’ve had this novella on my TBR since it was initially released because I adored Sorcery of Thorns and couldn’t wait to see what happened in what’s essentially a long epilogue. This is cozy and relatively low stakes, serving mostly to advance the characters’ relationships and most of all, it’s cute.

I can’t give too much away because it’s such a short book and the synopsis does its job well. Elisabeth and Nathaniel are essentially offending the house’s magical sensibilities with all their canoodling and they have to figure out how to stop it in time to host the Midwinter Ball. I think they’re a sweet couple and as they try to solve the ward issue, they get to explore all sorts of hidden corners of Thorn Manor. It’s a magical house, so there are entire sections both inside and outside the house that haven’t been seen in years! 

Overall, this was a sweet story with a solid amount of character development but I wish I had done a re-read of Sorcery of Thorns first. I think I would have appreciated it more if I wasn’t quite so fuzzy on the details of what happened previously, BUT I still enjoyed it! The interactions between Elisabeth, Nathaniel, and Silas were all quite touching, but I won’t go into further detail since that would be quite spoilery for the first book. The audio narration really makes this extra special, so I would definitely recommend that format as well.