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margaret_k30's review against another edition
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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Self harm, Blood, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Confinement, Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Grief, and Abandonment
Minor: Suicide
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
barda's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, and Self harm
Moderate: Child abuse, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Bullying
judassilver's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Self harm, Violence, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, and War
Moderate: Child death, Torture, Vomit, Grief, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Suicide and Pandemic/Epidemic
corallydeer's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This was a great read! I had heard that Rogerson was a phenomenal writer and I heavily agree after this first foray into her works. I loved her writing style and thought it was a great blend of fairly direct writing with prose-y styles. I loved the characters and the world so much; the banter between the revenant and Artemisia was always a great time and the world they existed in felt so unique and fresh. The beginning felt a bit slow to me, so I was sitting more at a four-star rating for a while, but the second half of the book really picked up and suddenly I felt like I couldn't put it down and now I even want to reread it! The second half quickly shot the book up to a full five-star rating for me and I can't wait to read more of Rogerson's works now!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Child death, Self harm, and Violence
Minor: Animal death, Confinement, and Suicide
Deathcrystalisreading'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
cedartonk's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Violence, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Death, Eating disorder, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Vomit, War, and Injury/Injury detail
ahalstead's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This book had be memorized by the world the author created. My biggest complaint is that the ending felt rushed and was not fulfilling. There is all of this build up that is wrapped up in less than 3 pages. The author did leave a lot of room for a sequel and hinted at one in the epilogue, so I intend to continue the series whenever that may be.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm
Minor: Suicide
pandorasxbox's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
I really enjoyed the lore of this world. It was very much inspired by Catholicism, which I grew up with. Saints are those who fought against the undead and imbued relics with power. The relics are wielded by various clergy to achieve magical effects. The vendors hawking fake souvenirs were also on point.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, and Self harm
queer_bookwyrm's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
5 ⭐ CW: Violence, blood, self-harm, death, suicide mention, immolation
Vespertine by Margaret Rogerson is a YA standalone fantasy. This is the second book I've read by this author, and it didn't disappoint! I wasn't sure what to think at first, but I quickly fell in love. Our MC has PTSD and has disabled hands. I also suspect that she is also neurodivergent and possibly aroace, but these are really just headcanons.
We follow Artemisia, a novice nun with scars on her hands and the official Creepy Weird Girl of her cohort. When Confessor Leander comes to tests the novices for their placements, the convent is besieged by thralls (people being possessed by spirits), and Artemisia is given a powerful tool called a Saint's Relic containing a Revenant. Spirits are dangerous, and it takes training to be able to control them instead of the other way around, but Artemisia finds that her revenant isn't so bad.
I loved the relationship between Artemisia and the Revenant. Because of her PTSD, Artemisia is disconnected to her body, so it takes having the revenant inside her I'm order for her to do self-care such as feeding herself, sleeping, and drinking water. The revenant reminds her that her body also carries her and she should take care of it. The Revenant had great growth. It was sarcastic, cranky, and sassy, but a good compliment to Artemisia. I found the foil of the character Leander to be fascinating as well. He seemed to be a mirror, if flawed, to Artemisia. The twist came out of nowhere! I never expect it, and it was wonderful (well, not for the characters 😆)
I loved seeing a world with so many powerful women, especially in a religious sense. Even their god is a Lady. Many powerful nuns. Don't mess with nuns. We get a lot of themes about consent, especially in regard to binding spirits and using them. It was a great magic system, and I wish I could stay in the world a little bit longer.
Vespertine by Margaret Rogerson is a YA standalone fantasy. This is the second book I've read by this author, and it didn't disappoint! I wasn't sure what to think at first, but I quickly fell in love. Our MC has PTSD and has disabled hands. I also suspect that she is also neurodivergent and possibly aroace, but these are really just headcanons.
We follow Artemisia, a novice nun with scars on her hands and the official Creepy Weird Girl of her cohort. When Confessor Leander comes to tests the novices for their placements, the convent is besieged by thralls (people being possessed by spirits), and Artemisia is given a powerful tool called a Saint's Relic containing a Revenant. Spirits are dangerous, and it takes training to be able to control them instead of the other way around, but Artemisia finds that her revenant isn't so bad.
I loved the relationship between Artemisia and the Revenant. Because of her PTSD, Artemisia is disconnected to her body, so it takes having the revenant inside her I'm order for her to do self-care such as feeding herself, sleeping, and drinking water. The revenant reminds her that her body also carries her and she should take care of it. The Revenant had great growth. It was sarcastic, cranky, and sassy, but a good compliment to Artemisia. I found the foil of the character Leander to be fascinating as well. He seemed to be a mirror, if flawed, to Artemisia. The twist came out of nowhere! I never expect it, and it was wonderful (well, not for the characters 😆)
I loved seeing a world with so many powerful women, especially in a religious sense. Even their god is a Lady. Many powerful nuns. Don't mess with nuns. We get a lot of themes about consent, especially in regard to binding spirits and using them. It was a great magic system, and I wish I could stay in the world a little bit longer.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Self harm, Violence, and Blood
Minor: Suicide