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novelsbycaitlin's review against another edition
3.0
I cant decide if I want to rate it 3 1/2 or a four.
Okay, I'll admit. I love historical novels. In fact, I love history, so when I read the description that this would be taking place in the Victorian era, New York. I was in. In other words, again, this may be a little bias review.
The book starts off slow, even feels a little tedious. Mitchell wants everything to feel authentic in the book. The clothes, the environment, the city, the dialogue, even the narrative. And that's where it gets tedious. For the first two or three chapters I pushed myself through. It's hard getting use to MItchell's...old? style of writing. But once you get past it, suddenly you're reading a sentence and you understand it without really knowing how. In other words, you've read enough to comprehend it on your own. Yea, I know, I'm making no sense but we all do it. We'll read something, half assed, but we still understand what we're reading, just not to it's full extent. Plus, while I'm not reading a bunch of YA, I'm reading stuff like, Reflections of the Revolution in France and The Vindication of the Rights of Women. Or The Poor Man's Opera. So reading tedious/ old writing isn't something new to me.
Mitchell does a wonderful job at bringing us to the Victorian era in Baltimore. I'm not gonna lie, I was sqeeing like a little fan girl when she first described Baltimore, with the docks and all those sailors. Oh boy. And the best part? Through out the book this historical aspect continues. But I'm not a historian, so I can't tell you if everything was accurate, but man, it seemed pretty damn close.
For once I wasn't ready to stab the MC. Amelia was actually a pretty efficient character. She knew her place in society and she knew what a lady should and shouldn't do, but just because she knows, doesn't mean she actually does. Everything she does made sense. When she started giving "fortunes" out to others, I loved how she stood tall, making sure no one took her as a crazy fraud, nor did she want them to take her as a scary witch. Plus Zora was like her manager, but not pushy, and inspired by money (they didn't charge a fee for fortunes). Zora overall was a great friend/character and I loved her just as much as I like Amelia. My point is, the characters were decent and believable. There weren't any cliches (well, it's the in the Victorian Era, so lets hope there will never be any usual stereotypes) so everything felt fresh.
The romance was actually nice for once. Usually, I'm rolling my eyes at romance in YA novels now a days. Honestly, everything is driven by love, when in reality, love isn't the center of the world. But in The Vespertine, the romance was sweet. Probably because it started off slow, but also, because Amelia knew her loving Nathaniel was impossible, him being on the bottom of the social chain. (I loved how Mitchell really made it clear that society was important. All the girls dreamed of getting married, living there life with a man that they weren't suppose to be with. It was a very romantic idea, marrying below you for love, but you could tell they all were aware of how difficult life would be if they actually do that, especially Amelia.) But of course, she's attracted to him, without a reason. Not like I haven't heard that one before. Nathaniel wasn't your typical Male Lead. He had depth but at the same time, I felt we hardly got to know him. I think I'd like the couple better if I Nathaniel revealed himself a bit more.
The plot was the weakest point in the book. Let's say, about half way, things start to boil, but it's tiny tiny bubbles. Near the end it reaches boiling point. The water is spewing over, getting everywhere, and then all the sudden it stops. The end. When the plot wasn't in motion, either romance development or society/world building was in play. Honestly, I'm confused. It ended so fast, and so sad, but what the heck? I mean, there's no cliff hanger, but I keep asking myself, "What the hell is up with fire and wind?" "Why are they so attracted to each other?" "What are they gonna do now?" "Why so sudden?" Unanswered questions leave potential for a sequel, but I feel these unanswered questions, are big ones. Something you can't just ignore.
Thus instead of the four I want to give, The Vespertine gets a 3 1/2.
Okay, I'll admit. I love historical novels. In fact, I love history, so when I read the description that this would be taking place in the Victorian era, New York. I was in. In other words, again, this may be a little bias review.
The book starts off slow, even feels a little tedious. Mitchell wants everything to feel authentic in the book. The clothes, the environment, the city, the dialogue, even the narrative. And that's where it gets tedious. For the first two or three chapters I pushed myself through. It's hard getting use to MItchell's...old? style of writing. But once you get past it, suddenly you're reading a sentence and you understand it without really knowing how. In other words, you've read enough to comprehend it on your own. Yea, I know, I'm making no sense but we all do it. We'll read something, half assed, but we still understand what we're reading, just not to it's full extent. Plus, while I'm not reading a bunch of YA, I'm reading stuff like, Reflections of the Revolution in France and The Vindication of the Rights of Women. Or The Poor Man's Opera. So reading tedious/ old writing isn't something new to me.
Mitchell does a wonderful job at bringing us to the Victorian era in Baltimore. I'm not gonna lie, I was sqeeing like a little fan girl when she first described Baltimore, with the docks and all those sailors. Oh boy. And the best part? Through out the book this historical aspect continues. But I'm not a historian, so I can't tell you if everything was accurate, but man, it seemed pretty damn close.
For once I wasn't ready to stab the MC. Amelia was actually a pretty efficient character. She knew her place in society and she knew what a lady should and shouldn't do, but just because she knows, doesn't mean she actually does. Everything she does made sense. When she started giving "fortunes" out to others, I loved how she stood tall, making sure no one took her as a crazy fraud, nor did she want them to take her as a scary witch. Plus Zora was like her manager, but not pushy, and inspired by money (they didn't charge a fee for fortunes). Zora overall was a great friend/character and I loved her just as much as I like Amelia. My point is, the characters were decent and believable. There weren't any cliches (well, it's the in the Victorian Era, so lets hope there will never be any usual stereotypes) so everything felt fresh.
The romance was actually nice for once. Usually, I'm rolling my eyes at romance in YA novels now a days. Honestly, everything is driven by love, when in reality, love isn't the center of the world. But in The Vespertine, the romance was sweet. Probably because it started off slow, but also, because Amelia knew her loving Nathaniel was impossible, him being on the bottom of the social chain. (I loved how Mitchell really made it clear that society was important. All the girls dreamed of getting married, living there life with a man that they weren't suppose to be with. It was a very romantic idea, marrying below you for love, but you could tell they all were aware of how difficult life would be if they actually do that, especially Amelia.) But of course, she's attracted to him, without a reason. Not like I haven't heard that one before. Nathaniel wasn't your typical Male Lead. He had depth but at the same time, I felt we hardly got to know him. I think I'd like the couple better if I Nathaniel revealed himself a bit more.
The plot was the weakest point in the book. Let's say, about half way, things start to boil, but it's tiny tiny bubbles. Near the end it reaches boiling point. The water is spewing over, getting everywhere, and then all the sudden it stops. The end. When the plot wasn't in motion, either romance development or society/world building was in play. Honestly, I'm confused. It ended so fast, and so sad, but what the heck? I mean, there's no cliff hanger, but I keep asking myself, "What the hell is up with fire and wind?" "Why are they so attracted to each other?" "What are they gonna do now?" "Why so sudden?" Unanswered questions leave potential for a sequel, but I feel these unanswered questions, are big ones. Something you can't just ignore.
Thus instead of the four I want to give, The Vespertine gets a 3 1/2.
nalani_maria's review against another edition
4.0
The first hundred pages of The Vespertine were maddeningly frustrating. It was slow and nothing too interesting was happening. Amelia was all about Nate, but at least she admits that she is obsessed with him. It wasn't until the last hundred and something pages that I could not put the book down. Everything was falling into place and you learn more of Nate and the Vespers. I began to understand Amelia and Nate's relationship more and I learned to love their characters. The writing in this book was amazing. The way that Saundra Mitchell wrote in words of that time period blew me away. You can tell a lot of research was put into this book because of the historical accuracy. All in All I give this book a four.
darriananders's review against another edition
3.0
I always judge a book by it’s cover, and I was really looking forward to this one. It was a bit hard to read and a bit confusing, I feel there were parts of the story that should have been reordered or explained better or maybe just left out. The ending was pleasant and left me considering reading the next in the series. I wasn’t incredibly bored or struggling to get through this book, although I just finished one that was unbearable. I would say this book is best for high school level readers. Some of the language is confusing being set in late 1800s but overall not too difficult. The story has potential, I would expect the second book to be completely different. Maybe more focus on mythical/magic events?
ashreads10k's review
5.0
I downloaded The Vespertine from Netgalley, and it actually has the honor of being the very first book I’ve ever read on my Nook. And I’m very glad I did. I really enjoyed The Vespertine.
Amelia was an interesting character. In the first few pages of the books, judging by her behavior and how her brother was treating her, I thought she was some little ho-ho who had compromised her virtue and then went insane. Needless to say, the very beginning of the book was engrossing, and instantly caught me in. I needed to know what would happen.
I think the biggest thing about this book, is it leads you to believe that it’s more than it is, and after you read it, you’re left thinking “That wasn’t what I expected at all, but I loved it anyway.” That’s exactly what happened to me. From the cover, I went in with the notion of some epic fantastical romance with a magical, mysterious twist. What I got was a fantastical romance with a magical mysterious twist. (Without the epic.) It was a wonderful book, with a plot that moved and just the perfect pace, entrancing yet deliciously shady characters, and lots of Victorian-esque romantic drama. Sprinkle on a few pinches of magic, and you have The Vespertine.
The romance between Amelia and Nathaniel was…. Thrilling. As a Victorian Era enthusiast, I already knew the decorum and rules set for this sort of society. So reading about Amelia and Nathaniel breaking those rules gave me butterflies, and I was practically swooning along with Amelia. They lived in a time when people did not go on dates to fall in love; they simply married for status, wealth, and beauty. Amelia is forced to disregard the aforementioned traits if she truly wants to be with Nathaniel… and she sure as hell does.
The paranormal elements came into play when we find out that Amelia has the ability to see the future. Only glimpses in the light of the setting sun, but those glimpses make her the most sought after girl in society. They also forewarn to disastrous events, which cause more trouble than help. Nathaniel has his own magical secret, but I’ll leave that for you to find out…
I am a major fan of historical fiction, but I find that I don’t read it enough as I would like. This novel is both historical, but with paranormal elements, so I think that any fans of paranormal should LOVE The Vespertine.
That cover is BEYOND gorgeous.
Plot: 3.5/5
Characters: 5/5
Uniqueness\Creativity: 4/5
Writing: 5/5
Cover: 6/5!
Overall: 5/5
Amelia was an interesting character. In the first few pages of the books, judging by her behavior and how her brother was treating her, I thought she was some little ho-ho who had compromised her virtue and then went insane. Needless to say, the very beginning of the book was engrossing, and instantly caught me in. I needed to know what would happen.
I think the biggest thing about this book, is it leads you to believe that it’s more than it is, and after you read it, you’re left thinking “That wasn’t what I expected at all, but I loved it anyway.” That’s exactly what happened to me. From the cover, I went in with the notion of some epic fantastical romance with a magical, mysterious twist. What I got was a fantastical romance with a magical mysterious twist. (Without the epic.) It was a wonderful book, with a plot that moved and just the perfect pace, entrancing yet deliciously shady characters, and lots of Victorian-esque romantic drama. Sprinkle on a few pinches of magic, and you have The Vespertine.
The romance between Amelia and Nathaniel was…. Thrilling. As a Victorian Era enthusiast, I already knew the decorum and rules set for this sort of society. So reading about Amelia and Nathaniel breaking those rules gave me butterflies, and I was practically swooning along with Amelia. They lived in a time when people did not go on dates to fall in love; they simply married for status, wealth, and beauty. Amelia is forced to disregard the aforementioned traits if she truly wants to be with Nathaniel… and she sure as hell does.
The paranormal elements came into play when we find out that Amelia has the ability to see the future. Only glimpses in the light of the setting sun, but those glimpses make her the most sought after girl in society. They also forewarn to disastrous events, which cause more trouble than help. Nathaniel has his own magical secret, but I’ll leave that for you to find out…
I am a major fan of historical fiction, but I find that I don’t read it enough as I would like. This novel is both historical, but with paranormal elements, so I think that any fans of paranormal should LOVE The Vespertine.
That cover is BEYOND gorgeous.
Plot: 3.5/5
Characters: 5/5
Uniqueness\Creativity: 4/5
Writing: 5/5
Cover: 6/5!
Overall: 5/5
deduvick's review
3.0
A period piece, without being too period-y. Yes, there are corsets and there are dances, but there is also the mysterious Nathaniel and Amelia's own unexplained power of prophecy. The story hinges on the things Amelia sees to propel it, though it seems like she and those around her never really try to influence or change those visions. A quick, fun, engrossing read, but I almost feel that I have not actually grasped a lot about the story on reaching its end. That isn't to say not to read it, but perhaps to not expect much more from it.
hoping4more's review against another edition
4.0
The cover art sold me on this one before I even read the first page, the writing is what kept me gripped until the end. I love it when the prologue gives away just enough to make you think you know what's going to happen without really giving you anything at all. Beautifully written piece of work.
A tale of a girl who can see the future and how it brings her world down around her.
My full review here:
http://alwayshoping4more.blogspot.com/2011/01/vespertine-arc-review.html
A tale of a girl who can see the future and how it brings her world down around her.
My full review here:
http://alwayshoping4more.blogspot.com/2011/01/vespertine-arc-review.html
roseice's review against another edition
4.0
A charming, quick read. Took a while to pick up the pace, but when it did, definitely worth four stars. Looking forward to reading more of Mitchell's books!
scribesprite's review against another edition
3.0
The characters I could never really get into. Not Amelia or her cousin or her friends or even her love interest. I didn't hate any of them but they just didn't work for me. Amelia seemed a bit too immature acting so gleeful at 'misbehaving'. I know she's 16 and I could say okay maybe that is why but than she also says she loves Nathaniel which I think requires some maturity.
I'm not a huge fan of love at first sight and this is definately one of those. There were one too many hand brushes, lustful glancing at each others lips, and not enough actual getting to know each other for me to believe it's love. Sounds more like just lust to me.
The magical elements of the book kind of take a backseat or at least they didn't seem like that big of a deal until maybe near the end. There wasn't as much peril as I thought there was going to be. Sure there are some haunting moments but I didn't feel the antcipation for most of the book. It was really focused on the romance and since that didn't do it for me I felt their were lulls at some parts.
That being said I loved the concept of the book. It was entertaining and I did like seeing the era of the late 1800s again. Amelia does a little bit of growth.
Near the end things started picking up and the magical elements do play a significant role in it so I still think it has some good qualities in it.
I'm not a huge fan of love at first sight and this is definately one of those. There were one too many hand brushes, lustful glancing at each others lips, and not enough actual getting to know each other for me to believe it's love. Sounds more like just lust to me.
The magical elements of the book kind of take a backseat or at least they didn't seem like that big of a deal until maybe near the end. There wasn't as much peril as I thought there was going to be. Sure there are some haunting moments but I didn't feel the antcipation for most of the book. It was really focused on the romance and since that didn't do it for me I felt their were lulls at some parts.
That being said I loved the concept of the book. It was entertaining and I did like seeing the era of the late 1800s again. Amelia does a little bit of growth.
Near the end things started picking up and the magical elements do play a significant role in it so I still think it has some good qualities in it.
anne_abundantcolors's review against another edition
2.0
It reminded me a lot of Chime-magical powers, guilt, love story, etc. I think Chime was a darker and more complex book so I'm rating this one less star.