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Book: “Among the Thorns” by Jennifer K. Lambert
Publishing Info: Bramble, July 2026
Where Did I Get this Book: ARC from the publisher!
Where Can You Get this Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | IndieBound
Book Description: Ambitious young sorceress Rose of Northbrooke is about to graduate. She’s the only known dream sorcerer of her generation and she’s a remarkable one—formidably powerful, strikingly beautiful, and destined for greatness. No wonder she has a prince of the realm trailing her skirts.
But when rumors of dream magic gone awry reach her ear, Rose discovers she’s not the only oneiromancer of her generation. And she might not be the most powerful.
In a faraway cottage, Thorn has lived a simple and isolated life. She’s kept hidden by magic that prevents her from wandering past the cottage fence. Thorn longs to be a part of the world, to learn more about her magic, to be rescued by a prince who could love her with his whole heart.
When she discovers there’s another dream sorceress out there who has everything Thorn has ever wanted—freedom, education, prince and all—her acceptance of her isolation transforms into a hunger for everything she has been denied. Everything Rose has.
When Rose and Thorn meet, they realize their lives have been a lie and their fates have been carefully planned by political schemers. The outcome is only one sorceress can live in the open, reap all the glory of her kingdom, and claim the prince’s loving hand… condemning the other to a life of perpetual non-existence.
Previously Reviewed: “Never the Roses”
Review: This one didn’t quite hit the highs of “Never the Roses,” but I still think it was an enjoyable, quieter fantasy read all the same. This quieter approach is one of the things that made both the first book and now the second stand out in the romantasy genre. We often see books in this genre rely on either spunkier heroines, quippy dialogue, or snappy action. But here, the pacing takes its time introducing the three characters, and much of the plot revolves around the dynamics formed between them.
I did enjoy all three of the characters, for the most part. Rose could come across as harsh at times, especially in the beginning chapters, but as she came into her own and understood the true circumstances of her life and Thorn’s, I loved her arc. Thorn was a great character from the start, much more reserved and needing to deal with the trauma inflicted upon her throughout her life. Hers is a story of discovering the strength within and the bravery of finally reaching out to take what is yours. Sebastian had his moments (I enjoyed his relationship with his half-sisters), but he was also the least interesting of the three. As this is very much Rose and Thorn’s story, I was ultimately fine with this, but it did leave me feeling a bit less interested in his particular parts of the story.
I did struggle a bit more with the writing here. There was nothing overtly bad about any of it, but for whatever reason, I continuously felt a bit removed from the action. It was one of those books where I never felt drawn into the story and was always very aware of the process of reading. I’m not sure exactly where the change came from, however, between this one and the first. Perhaps the writing here simply felt a bit more simplistic and didn’t flow as nicely. Perhaps the pacing was just a bit too slow in this one to really grab my attention like the first book did.
It was an enjoyable read, however, and I liked how things were wrapped up in the end. I’m still waiting on some sort of resolution for our main characters from the first book, though, so I hope a third book is on the horizon! But if you’re a fan of slower-paced, quiet romantasy, this is definitely one that might be of interest to you!
Rating 7: I struggled to fully connect with this one as much as the first book, and I’m not sure why. But it was still a lovely romantasy with a heavy focus on two strong women, each demonstrating that there are different ways to have strength.
Reader’s Advisory:
“Among the Thorns” can be found on this Goodreads list: July 2026 Most Anticipated Romance Releases.
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