Threadneedle Review: Pros and Cons of Magic in London

August 2, 2021 by Bec | 4 stars, Books, Reviews

Threadneedle Review: Pros and Cons of Magic in LondonThreadneedle by Cari Thomas
Series: The Language of Magic #1
Published by HarperCollins Australia on June 2nd 2021
Source: Publisher
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Urban Fantasy, Young Adult
Amazon | Book Depository | Publisher | Angus & Robertson | Booktopia
Add to Goodreads

Within the boroughs of London, nestled among its streets, hides another city, filled with magic. ‘Magic and love. Love and magic. They destroy everything in the end …’

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?

The Good Things

  • I read Threadneedle as part of the Tandem Collective’s Aussie readalong!
  • A new upper YA contemporary fantasy series.
  • It had a really interesting and unique magic system! The magic and the world lore were my favourite parts. I couldn’t get enough of them!
  • There were some quite gruesome moments which I didn’t expect to see in this but loved!
  • It had some great characters! Rowan was my favourite, but Anna and Attis weren’t far behind.
  • The plot took turns I was not expecting, especially during the last few chapters! I thought I knew where things were going, but I was completely wrong.
  • I cannot wait to see how the story and world expand in the sequels!

 

The Not-So Good Things

  • I didn’t realise this would have a strong contemporary element. For some reason I was under the impression it was a historical fantasy (it’s not).
  • A large part of the book is set in high school. Which is fine, but some of the character motivations and plot points revolved around popularity and high school drama and I just UGH. I have never enjoyed popularity-centric plot lines. It’s why I don’t read much YA contemporary anymore.
  • I struggled through the first part because of those high school plot lines and slow pacing. I wanted more of the magic and mystery.
  • Sometimes I wondered if this book was originally intended to be a New Adult story set in university. Mostly because I didn’t think the way the characters described some things made sense for teenagers. For example, they occasionally referred to themselves as men and women… They’re 16 years old.

 


While this wasn’t the historical fantasy I was expecting, I did end up enjoying Threadneedle. It has a really interesting magic system and took some intense turns that surprised me! I’m really looking forward to seeing how everything unfolds in the sequels.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

TW: Child abuse, self harm.

Thank you HarperCollins for sending me a copy of this book and Tandem Collective Global for having me as part of the June readalong! Threadneedle is available now!

The following two tabs change content below.
Bec is an Aussie blogger and reader who loves all types of novels. Fantasy, sci fi, and historical are my usual go-to genres. If I’m not binge reading, I’m usually gaming, trying to take decent photos for bookstagram, or freaking out about silly things.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,


2 responses to “Threadneedle Review: Pros and Cons of Magic in London

  1. ella

    honestly I’m in my 30s and I’m only just getting used to saying men and women instead of guys and girls.

Leave a Reply

CommentLuv badge