Scan barcode
nalani_maria's review
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
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 against another edition
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 against another edition
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
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
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
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
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.
andforgotten's review
2.0
If I could, I'd give it 2.5 stars. It wasn't bad, but after skimming over the other reviews on goodreads I expected something amazing. Instead, it fell flat. The characterizations seem to barely scratch the surface and the plot seems to consist of a series of tropes. The premise really could have been great, but as it is it barely left any impression at all.