When lust and vanity consume a humble young soul, nothing is left but a faint flame in the darkness of the void.

The solace and contentment of Henrique’s simple life as a small-town tailor’s apprentice vanish when his ambitions turn him overnight into one of the most powerful and influential personalities in early-1800s Europe. His quick ascension to the upper echelons of the leading Iberian Empire reveals a man torn between the pure heart he once was, and the grim shade of what he has now become: a spirit obsessed with expensive material possessions and the urge to acquire the unattainable.

Henrique succumbs to the ever-growing desires and beguiling passions tormenting his mind, causing a rupture between reason and a desolate world of ice and snow where pain is the key to salvation.

Will he survive his encounter with the colossal emptiness and find the righteous path to lead him out of his agony?

Come and indulge yourself in this startling tale of coldness and wonder.

As Cold As Thorns tells the story of a man who is truly becoming as cold as thorns.

Henrique: A royal tailor with great talent and incomparable skill is determined to be the best tailor the world has ever seen. His thirst for fame, power and the “unattainable” added to his great ambition, awakens a darkness in his soul and this darkness is battling with the little light left in him.

Sometimes he is driven by good forces which makes him a compassionate and loving person, at other times he is driven by dark forces and he becomes cold and scary. He tries to hold on to his good side for the people he loves but his selfish desires always gets in the way.

The battle between good and evil is getting fierce by the day as the darkness is closing in on him. In such a battle, one can only pray that good wins.

This is a fictional book with characters that fit perfectly into its unique plot. Isis Sousa gracefully combined suspense, intrigue, betrayal, love, obsession, mystery with a little bit of romance to produce a wonderful story.

As Cold As Thorns is thrilling, it makes you hold your breath at some point in anticipation. It keeps unfolding gradually keeping you glued the whole time.

Isis Sousa’s ability to describe even up to the tiniest detail is amazing. It makes you understand the role of each character and the struggles they are experiencing in their own lives clearly. I love the use of pictures, it added a nice touch to the book. It was not like a kiddies playbook with so many colourful pictures, but it was moderate and mature.

I would fully recommend this book but you must be able to cope with a level of blood, and this book is just the first part of a series. The only regret I had was that I could not complete the story, I look forward to the other books in the series. I rate As Cold As Thorns 5 stars.

I am an artist; illustrator and graphic designer who writes on my free time. But with all the imagination I have running lose, there came some stories… And there came some books!

I am born and grown up in Brazil, however I live in Mid-Norway with my beloved husband, in a tiny valley surrounded by mountains and with very few neighbours.

When I’m not doing artwork and illustration for clients, I’m doing woodcarving, painting ornaments, painting artworks for myself, and so on. Love Arts, History, Heavy Metal and Dark things.

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