A Treason of Thorns Offers Intriguing Mental Health Parallels but Falls Short on Character

HarperTeen

On author Laura E. Weymouth’s website, readers can find content warnings for her books as well as a contact page in case they have any questions regarding the subject matter she includes in her writing. This kind of inclusiveness and willingness to discuss subjects like abuse and mental illness is always something I’m happy to see, and it endeared me to her latest novel, A Treason of Thorns, even more than I already was. Weymouth does a fantastic job at creating an allegory of the vicious cycles of anxiety and abuse; however, the rest of the story’s mechanics leave much to be desired.

A Treason of Thorns is about Violet Sterling, a teenager set to inherit the coveted role of Caretaker for one of the Great Houses of England. These houses possess botanical magic, and a Caretaker helps a house regulate its magic safely—at the cost of their own lives. After Violet’s father is accused of treason and passes away while under house arrest, she knows it’s time to go back to her house, named Burleigh, and take her rightful place as Caretaker. But the king of England is determined to thwart her plans and maintain absolute control over Burleigh, and Violet finds herself in a race against time to save Burleigh from being torched to the ground.

My own unique mental health situation strongly influenced my reading of this book. I suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder, and I noticed parallels between my own struggles and the relationship Violet has with Burleigh House. She grew up being conditioned that it is a beautiful place and necessary for the survival of the West Country, but her father’s death has left Burleigh in a dangerous state of desperation. Trying to control Burleigh’s magic takes a toll on Violet in the form of mortar from the house seeping into her blood and weakening her, but no matter how many times her loved ones tell her to leave the grounds and start a new life, Violet refuses, believing she must fix Burleigh herself before disaster strikes. OCD works much the same way: people observing from the outside don’t understand why the sufferer can’t just stop worrying or giving into compulsions, while to the sufferer, the only way to make the worrying go away is to find temporary relief in compulsive behavior. Violet feels that her intervention is necessary to saving Burleigh, even though it’s obvious that while funneling house magic brings a short-lived solution, her continued use of it wears her down until it nearly kills her. It was interesting for me to connect my own mental health journey to Violet’s story, and it was the only facet of this book that I genuinely liked.

Everything else about A Treason of Thorns was not as thought-provoking or enjoyable. The summary I’ve provided in this review is only a small portion of the rules of this universe, and I admit I had a difficult time trying to explain them in writing. I’m still not sure I quite understand how the houses’ magic works because more and more of it was added as the story went on, and it got to be too confusing for me to follow. Near the end is when I really became frustrated because the plot twists that were included I had either seen coming or were too cliché for me to take seriously.

While the plot is incredibly thick, the characters are the exact opposite. Violet is determined, sometimes anxious, and that is about it. The only other character who really has any substance is the Burleigh House itself, with violent mood swings and tendencies to change the weather depending on how it’s feeling. The other characters are very one note and not that interesting, and some really have no purpose at all and could have been left out entirely. The most disappointing case is Wyn, Violet’s childhood friend and her parents’ ward since they were both six. I was getting vibes of him possibly being a love interest for Violet, and I was correct to assume that, but there was no evidence to suggest a well-founded romance between the two. Wyn being a male friend from Violet’s past should not automatically mean they belong together, especially since most of the book consists of Violet being obsessed with her beloved Burleigh. They definitely care for each other, but their romance was almost like flipping a switch; suddenly they were kissing, and I had no idea where it had come from.

If I hadn’t been reading A Treason of Thorns for a review, I probably would have stopped reading around the first couple of chapters. I’m glad I was able to connect with Violet’s dangerous adoration for Burleigh House, but the rest of the story was too dense for me to really immerse myself. I like the idea of a sentient house with magic (I grew up with the Disney Channel film Smart House), and the premise definitely sounded promising. But underneath the tangled mess of a magic system are nothing but threadbare characters and a very weak semblance of urgency to save a House that, quite frankly, should be burned down. I’m usually not one to side with villains, but I agree with the king—Burleigh should have been torched, if only to save me from the disappointment waiting at the end.

A Treason of Thorns is out September 10, 2019, from HarperTeen.