Reviews with content warning for Grief - 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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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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neonfrills's review

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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? It's complicated

4.0

Summary: Joan of Arc meets Venom. High fantasy setting where a nun ends up taking on this powerful spirit called a Relevant to help her fight. Normally it would most likely end up possessing her, but she’s able to keep it at bay and a la Venom, it becomes this sassy demon in her head who she has to work with to beat back this undead horde that is sweeping the land.

Characters: I love Artemisia and the Revenant's relationship. I went in thinking this was going to be a romance (because when something gets sold as Venom inspired, you can’t convince me that Eddy and Venom aren’t in love), but instead we got an honestly really sweet friendship of “Girl and her weird, murderous Pet Monster”, which I also adore. I really loved all of the side-characters who end up making up Artemisia’s squad, and how over the course of the story, Artemisia learns to trust people and let them help her carry her burden instead of thinking she has to always be alone.

The only character I didn’t love for most of the book is Leander, mostly because I am begging Margaret Rogerson to not make him come back as the love interest in the next book. I have 3 people I’d much rather have her with (Marguerite, The Revenant and Jean), but also No Love Interest Supremacy. Artemisia doesn’t need a boyfriend to make her story worthwhile!!

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chamaeleontis's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-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

5.0

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