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hezthbookcravings's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
While this book didn't blow me away with its story, it was still an enjoyable read and a great pick if you want a unique standalone fantasy (though I doubt it's truly standalone).
I particularly liked the characters, especially Artemisia. As a loner, introvert, and eccentric character, she felt unique and refreshing. Her development throughout the story was compelling—she starts off reserved due to a difficult past but gradually opens up, becomes stronger, and forms friendships. The relationship between Artemisia and Revenant was also a highlight. They start off with a rocky relationship filled with witty banter and heated arguments, but they eventually accept each other's presence and weaknesses, forming a strong alliance. Revenant, though grumpy and prickly, shows a caring side towards its vessel. The side characters were equally amazing and had their own moments of growth.
The world-building was another strong point. The unique spirit and magic system, though initially confusing, became intriguing as I learned about the spirit hierarchy and their powers. The way the cause of death impacts the type of spirit manifested was fascinating. The grim, dark, and somber setting was vividly portrayed through the writing.
While I appreciated the uniqueness of the book, the magic system took time to understand as it wasn't well-explained initially. The pacing was inconsistent, with some parts feeling rushed and others drawn out. I wished there had been more action or events in the middle of the book. However, the pace did pick up towards the end.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. Its unique characters, intriguing world-building, and compelling relationships make it a worthwhile read, despite some pacing issues and initial confusion with the magic system. If you're looking for a unique standalone fantasy with well-developed characters and a richly imagined world, I definitely recommend giving this book a try. Just a heads-up, there's no romance in this one.
I particularly liked the characters, especially Artemisia. As a loner, introvert, and eccentric character, she felt unique and refreshing. Her development throughout the story was compelling—she starts off reserved due to a difficult past but gradually opens up, becomes stronger, and forms friendships. The relationship between Artemisia and Revenant was also a highlight. They start off with a rocky relationship filled with witty banter and heated arguments, but they eventually accept each other's presence and weaknesses, forming a strong alliance. Revenant, though grumpy and prickly, shows a caring side towards its vessel. The side characters were equally amazing and had their own moments of growth.
The world-building was another strong point. The unique spirit and magic system, though initially confusing, became intriguing as I learned about the spirit hierarchy and their powers. The way the cause of death impacts the type of spirit manifested was fascinating. The grim, dark, and somber setting was vividly portrayed through the writing.
While I appreciated the uniqueness of the book, the magic system took time to understand as it wasn't well-explained initially. The pacing was inconsistent, with some parts feeling rushed and others drawn out. I wished there had been more action or events in the middle of the book. However, the pace did pick up towards the end.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. Its unique characters, intriguing world-building, and compelling relationships make it a worthwhile read, despite some pacing issues and initial confusion with the magic system. If you're looking for a unique standalone fantasy with well-developed characters and a richly imagined world, I definitely recommend giving this book a try. Just a heads-up, there's no romance in this one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Fire/Fire injury, and Abandonment
crystalisreading's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Violence, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, and War
Moderate: Confinement, Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal cruelty, Bullying, and Suicide
bree_h_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
I was really excited to read Vespertine after reading an Enchantment of Ravens and seeing the higher overall rating for this. While I still enjoyed it and will definitely be continuing the series, there were some areas I found a bit lacking.
To start, I really enjoyed the characters. I think every one of them felt fairly well rounded and I enjoyed the scenes they were in. I quickly got attached with the limited page time provided to the secondary characters. Seeing how they interacted with each other and the implied off page interactions made them feel alive. The big three being Artemisia, the Reverent, and Leander (at least for me). I loved the dynamic between Artemisia and the Revenant, watching it grow from begrudging ally-ship to genuine care and concern. Leander and Artemisia’s dynamic too was extremely interesting, reading how they played off of and reas each other. I hope to see more of their dynamic in the future!
In contrast to the interesting characters, I found the flow of the story and the reveal of plot twist to be a bit lacking, though not by much. While overall I think the story flowed fairly well, the foreshadowing and build to the plot twist is where it fell short. I figured it out maybe part way through the book, not because of any hints dropped by the text itself, but because that’s just how these books go. If the book had built up to the reveal and better left the hints, then it would have been up a star rating. Unfortunately, the twist is fairly easy to figure out if you’re at all familiar with popular trends in fantasy right now.
The world building was something else I largely enjoyed. While it could be a bit info dump-y at times, overall I found the delivery to be concise and within what the reader needed to know without bogging things down. There were only a couple details I thought were a bit strange given the overall world and religion. There’s a comment made in the book about the world only viewing women as something that can either become a nun or pop out babies. However, this seems somewhat out of sync with the rest of the world. They worship a goddess, women are the major players in their church, they have a young woman as they head of the church, the major (if not all) saints are women, and the devil figure is a man. It seems strange to me that the oppression of women it called out when the world seems to be dominated by them. I do understand that this is inspired by Joan of Arc and wanting to make a commentary on the treatment of women. It also feels asynchronies with the rest of the work where it never seems like women are viewed in this way. It took me out of it, and while (again) I understand wanting to make a point on how our society viewed/views and treats women the line took me out of the story for a bit.
I also think some of the themes could have been better explored. Artemisia is a nun, raised in a fairly sequestered convent who is quickly persecuted by the higher ups in her religion once she takes control of a powerful relic and saves several people. Throughout the book it feels like things are being setup for Artemisia and other characters to explore their feelings on the religion, what they’re taught, religious trauma, and corruption within the hierarchy. Yet it never really pulls at those strings and dives into them. Considering how the book is setup and what seems to be implied throughout the text, I wish it were a larger focus. While I don’t expect Artemisia to abandon her religion, I wish more time had been given to explore the issues within it. Hopefully it’s something we’ll get more of in later books, assuming the talk of a series is true.
Overall, I enjoyed this book and will happily read the others if/once they come out. I do, however, think this book could have benefited from a few more revisions and being a little bit longer to better build up to twist and explore themes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
charloforce's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Fire/Fire injury, and Abandonment
Moderate: Torture and Murder
Minor: War
asiamd's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book was sooooo good. I loved the main character and her revenant!! The way the author added depth and feelings to every character that came on the page was amazing. I really adore books that allow for villians to also be victims of pain and fear and I felt like this book did a great job of incorporating that wit a kind of anti-hero in the revenant as well as all the other spirits throughout the book. I really liked the different take on religion as well, while it was really similar to Christianity(?) with the blind belief of the people, the praying, and the saints, Rogerson also made it unique in the book by adding a more ghostlike twists that in my opinion added way more humanity to what the spirits were. Overall I really enjoyed this book and read it in one day 🤭 so 10/10
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Forced institutionalization, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Violence, Abandonment, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Suicide, Vomit, and War
kaiyakaiyo's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I REALLY liked this. Artemisia is a fun, strange main character that misses social cues and has social anxiety, but it isn’t written in that cloying internalized misogyny “I’m not like other girls” way. She just feels like a real girl that spent her formative years in a terrible situation, and doesn’t quite know how to interact as a result. She also doesn’t fall into the boring misanthrope trope; she is incredibly kind and empathetic despite thinking she’s terrible at people & kind of wishing they’d leave her alone.
The world building in this novel is exquisite! I love when religious institutions are called into question and have their agendas interrogated. The friendships and interpersonal connection in this book are so heartwarming yet nuanced.
I loved how Artemisia was able to step back and consider how cloying and sacrificial “chosen one” mentality is, and is able to empathize even with villains for that reason. Often in fantasy you get people chosen for or pushed into some grand fate and they kinda just… go with it. In this, Artemisia goes with it, but she also clearly articulates how shitty and painful and isolating the road will be, and how much she feels like a pawn in someone’s game. She’s tired, she forgets to eat, she realizes that caring for herself is just as important as the mission she’s on.
10/10 would recommend and I would not mind if this turned to a series (duology would be nice but I will take 3 if I must)
The world building in this novel is exquisite! I love when religious institutions are called into question and have their agendas interrogated. The friendships and interpersonal connection in this book are so heartwarming yet nuanced.
I loved how Artemisia was able to step back and consider how cloying and sacrificial “chosen one” mentality is, and is able to empathize even with villains for that reason. Often in fantasy you get people chosen for or pushed into some grand fate and they kinda just… go with it. In this, Artemisia goes with it, but she also clearly articulates how shitty and painful and isolating the road will be, and how much she feels like a pawn in someone’s game. She’s tired, she forgets to eat, she realizes that caring for herself is just as important as the mission she’s on.
10/10 would recommend and I would not mind if this turned to a series (duology would be nice but I will take 3 if I must)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Self harm, and Murder
Moderate: Child death and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Suicide
leloly's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
marsh_mall0w's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Self harm, Fire/Fire injury, and Abandonment
Moderate: Child abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, Religious bigotry, Gaslighting, and War
Minor: Gore
lilifane's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I think I just love Margaret Rogerson stories and characters.
This one is much darker than Sorcery of Thorns, but I loved the atmosphere so much. The story takes place in a France inspired fantasy world that reminded me a lot of the atmosphere in A Plague Tale (just with ghosts/demons instead of rats). I also loved the characters with all my heart. Artemisia, the traumatized nun with social anxiety and a penchant for self sabotaging, and the Revenant, an ancient, grumpy demon that wants to kill everyone, are just a great pair. Their banter is the best and the way their "relationship" develops is so wholesome. Also, amazing side characters, character dynamics and character development in general. And it never gets boring, the plot progresses at a constant pace and although you see a lot of things coming, there are still some unexpected twists.
There was some really interesting discussion about the masses idolizing/worshiping a person and basically making them a symbol for their religion and how this affects this person.
I'm actually sad to leave this world behind.
This one is much darker than Sorcery of Thorns, but I loved the atmosphere so much. The story takes place in a France inspired fantasy world that reminded me a lot of the atmosphere in A Plague Tale (just with ghosts/demons instead of rats). I also loved the characters with all my heart. Artemisia, the traumatized nun with social anxiety and a penchant for self sabotaging, and the Revenant, an ancient, grumpy demon that wants to kill everyone, are just a great pair. Their banter is the best and the way their "relationship" develops is so wholesome. Also, amazing side characters, character dynamics and character development in general. And it never gets boring, the plot progresses at a constant pace and although you see a lot of things coming, there are still some unexpected twists.
There was some really interesting discussion about the masses idolizing/worshiping a person and basically making them a symbol for their religion and how this affects this person.
I'm actually sad to leave this world behind.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Eating disorder, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Bullying and Grief
omega's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Violence
Minor: Child abuse and Panic attacks/disorders