Threadneedle (The Language of Magic #1) by Cari Thomas

Book Review Nov 27, 2022

My review

4/5 stars ⭐️️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I came to this series backwards, having read the novella (The Hedge Witch) earlier in the year.

Like the novella, this had a very slow pace to it compared to what I'm used to reading. The author very much chose to build a complete and full world around the characters with their use of descriptive language, and took their time to make sure that the reader had the option of completely immersing themselves in the magic. Unlike with the novella, this did make it a bit harder for me to get into this time round. I'm not sure if it was because it was a longer story, and so there was more room for exploration, or if it was because I was listening to the audiobook. Either way, it meant that I kept dipping in and out of the book around other reads, instead of focusing on just this one.

One of the beautiful things about the writer taking their time to build with great detail is that the characters all felt very complex and human. There were things that I liked and disliked about every single character - they were perfectly flawed characters, and the book was littered with the humanity of bad choices and mistakes. I think Effie was my favourite character, because she was a wonderful mix of courage, pigheadedness, vulnerability and meanness that she felt the most real to me.

Anna, as the main character was likeable, but also not. I struggled with her throughout the book, unable to decide whether I wanted her to come out of it well or not. I can't put my finger on what it was that I wasn't a fan of, but having finished the book, I'm wondering whether or not the author made her this way on purpose to drive home the point of the story. Either way, I found myself connecting more to some of the characters around Anna than to Anna herself.

The magic in the book was incredibly well-written and felt well-researched as well. It's easy for books about magic to feel very superficial, but the magic wasn't just a plot device in this book, it was the main plot driver and almost a character in it's own right. It was at the heart of everything that happened and provided an amazing ending that I totally didn't see coming. I read a lot, so most of the time I can see a plot twist coming, but I was completely in the dark on this one until it was playing out in front of Anna. It was dark and heavy, but somehow didn't feel it when I was listening to it. It was excellent.

After a slow start, I found myself finding pockets of time in my day to keep listening because I was desperately curious to know how it all played out. I'd be interested more books from the same world if the author plans on releasing more in the future.

Book blurb

Anna’s Aunt has always warned her of the dangers of magic. Its twists. Its knots. Its deadly consequences.

Now Anna counts down the days to the ceremony that will bind her magic forever.

Until she meets Effie and Attis.

They open her eyes to a London she never knew existed. A shop that sells memories. A secret library where the librarian feeds off words. A club where revellers lose themselves in a haze of spells.

But as she is swept deeper into this world, Anna begins to wonder if her Aunt was right all along.

Is her magic a gift … or a curse?