Reviews with content warning for Fire/Fire injury - Vespertine

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.

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jenniferwong's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

4.75

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rowyn_reads's review against another edition

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adventurous dark 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 book is amazing. I loved the story telling, the world building and the characters. Such a brilliant read that sucked me into this dark fantasy world and kept me hooked throughout

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laurenleigh's review against another edition

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adventurous funny hopeful 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

4.0

Though I don’t think I came to this book at quite the right time and struggled a bit to get into it, I found the premise alone quite interesting, especially as a Catholic high school survivor lol. This world is pretty much ruled by the Church, and there are evil (or maybe not so evil?) spirits that can possess certain people, those with “the sight” to see them. Our main character and her developing relationship with her possessor was surprisingly sweet and heartwarming! I also loved the “turns out that girl you think is weird is actually an awesome friend to have” trope. Great audiobook narrator too; her voice for the revenant was amazing.

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bellebookcorner's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark funny informative mysterious tense 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

4.5

“Sometimes, if you want to save other people, you need to remember to save yourself first.”

I love the world building in this story with nuns, sassy demons, and different classifications of spirits are all very fascinating.

The writing style is detailed and also easy to follow which makes it easy to get lost in it.

I love the interaction between Artemisia and the Revenant, they bicker with each other and the Revenant sassy remarks always liven up the story even more. I also like the growing enemies to friendship between artemisia and Marguerite, Marguerite is not the character I thought I knew.

Surprisingly, I don’t mind the lack of romance in this story. I was already preoccupied with everything that has been going on with saving the world.

The ending is wrapped up nicely, although it also left some unanswered questions which lead me to believe there would be a sequel. (I thought this one was a standalone just like other previous books)

I found out that this is a beginning of a series, nevertheless Vespertine can still be read as a standalone.

Overall, this is a fascinating, action-packed and enjoyable read. I really enjoy myself reading about this universe and getting to know the characters inside.

I’m really looking forward to read the next book from this author in the future!

Actual Rating: 4.5⭐

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anniereads221's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious slow-paced

5.0

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baroo92's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

Super interesting worldbuilding! I was fascinated with the hierarchy of ghosts and their abilities. It definitely was a bit more tense and dark than I was expecting, coming straight from SoT- but a very cool narrative overall.
I really liked the explanation of the MC’s traumas and how they effected her- I personally read her as autistic coded, but that may be just me. The relationship with the revenant had similar tones to the relationship with Silas in SoT- a creature both terrifyingly deadly, and begrudgingly affectionate. It’s always a nice dynamic to see a traumatized kid befriend a centuries-old eldritch being!

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nxpe's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious tense 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

4.5

17 September 2024: 4.5 stars

I still fully stand by my review below. I did lower my rating a little bit, because last time I think I was just a bit caught up in the Margaret Rogerson excitement. This one is still a favourite, and by no means is me lowering the review reflective of me liking it any less. I just feel that a 4.5 more accurate portrays my feeling for the book.

I once again loved the friendship portrayed in this book. I really love that Artemisia is quite socially anxious (it was represented really well). And both her friendship developments between

Marguerite

and

the Revenant

was very cute. Especially the latter. I'm once again happy that there is no romance arc for this story, because it truly isn't needed.

I really enjoyed the Revenant's character (once again). He is just so funny, and kind of reminds me of The Nightmare from One Dark Window. Which I love! And I'm going to be so honest, I teared up when

the Revenant yelled "This is my human!"

on page 332... Oh. My. God. It's just so sweet, I feel like I might combust even thinking about it.

I do have to say, I felt this last time as well, and that is the pacing is a bit odd during the first 30-40%. Not in a poorly written way, just in a "I need to get used to this" way. So that part was a bit tough but did not ruin the story for me in the slighest.

I did originally think the ending could lead to a potential sequel, and I would love to see a return of these characters. However, I like the openness of the ending in general. Like... there could be a sequel, but it doesn't need one either. It feels like a very realistic ending for the characters and the world, which I really appreciated.

I'm very happy I reread this, because it was so good. I can't wait to reread her other books as well.

22 December 2022: 5 stars

Margaret Rogerson does not write a bad book- I am convinced. This book was so amazing, and I enjoyed it so much!

I was not expecting the extreme plot twists nearing the end, but they were very welcomed. I was convinced the priest had some sinister, horrendously evil plan... So, it being the Divine was a shock to me (I didn't mind though, she annoyed me a little bit).

I love the friendship development between Artemesia and Marguerite. I was worried because of the lack of romance in the book, but genuinely it wasn't needed. The friendship development between them and between Artemesia/revenant was beautiful. Also, I love the revenant! It was so funny, clever, and I love that it cared for it's vessels.

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