#BookReview: A Treason of Thorns by Laura E. Weymouth

Synopsis: Violet Sterling has spent the last seven years in exile, longing to return to Burleigh House. One of the six great houses of England, Burleigh’s magic always kept the countryside well. And as a child, this magic kept Violet happy, draping her in flowers while she slept, fashioning secret hiding places for her, and lighting fires on the coldest nights to keep her warm.

Everything shattered, though, when her father committed high treason trying to free Burleigh from the king’s oppressive control. He was killed, and Vi was forced into hiding.

When she’s given a chance to go back, she discovers Burleigh has run wild with grief. Vines and briars are crumbling the walls. Magic that once enriched the surrounding countryside has turned dark and deadly, twisting lush blooms into thorns, poisoning livestock and destroying crops. Burleigh’s very soul is crying out in pain.

Vi would do anything to help, and soon she finds herself walking the same deadly path as her father all those years before. Vi must decide how far she’s willing to go to save her house—before her house destroys everything she’s ever known.

Content warnings are available via the author's website.



Goodreads | Amazon

Rating: 2 Stars
My Review: Lord I really kind of hate these books from late 2010's they all had the same set up of 80% build up then the last 20% was where everything went down.  And this one pretty. much felt this way as well.  I was so bored most of the time and I ended up skipping towards the end just to see if it paid off and well it really didn't. 

From School Library Journal

Gr 9 Up-In this inventive and atmospheric tale, Weymouth imagines a world in which places have as much soul and heart as the people who live within them. Violet Sterling has grown up believing that she one day will be Caretaker of Burleigh House and, as such, she must put her house before everything else. Burleigh is one of the great houses that has long stabilized the English countryside. However, the house's health is declining-the result of being enslaved to a line of cruel kings. Everything gets worse when Violet's father is convicted of treason and executed, leaving Violet to wonder how she can balance her own desires against her obligation to Burleigh. This book does a beautiful job imagining the ways that a human being and a house might communicate, often wordlessly, through looming clouds, creeping vines, rising mortar, and profusions of thorns. Weymouth is lyrical in rendering the atmosphere around Violet, and these descriptions only make the elements of grief and pain in Violet's story stand out more starkly as her journey progresses. This story is engrossing, grounded in the complex emotions and experiences of its characters. Ultimately, Weymouth creates a unique setting to draw out questions about fate versus free will and duty versus the call of one's heart. Violet is identified as white, and there are secondary characters of color. VERDICT Recommended for readers who enjoy atmospheric writing, strong female leads, and fantastical storytelling.-Talea Anderson, Washington State Univ., Pullman, WA.α(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.  --This text refers to an alternate kindle_editionedition.

Review

"A fierce and haunting book...I could not escape the power of its wild magic, or the raw, indomitable spirit of its heroine."

-- "Margaret Rogerson, New York Times bestselling author"  --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

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Posted in: 2 Stars, Edelweiss, HarperTeen, Review, Young Adult