Reviews tagging 'Death'

Vespertine by Margaret Rogerson

65 reviews

siannas_second_library's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5


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elke_go_read's review against another edition

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adventurous dark medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I was attracted to this as a fan of the Fair Assassin trilogy by Robin LaFevers and this did fit that bill - dark, atmospheric, with spirits and dangerous situations in a medieval-ish era with a strong heroine. But I had trouble getting through it which I think was just my mood. If the plot sounds good to you, go for it! 
I have seen other reviews state this is the start of a series but it felt self-contained and while it maybe can continue, this story is wrapped up just fine. No cliffhanger.

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jenna36's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional 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

3.75


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starlessnights's review against another edition

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2.75


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valpyre's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional 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? It's complicated

4.5

i have been so excited to read this book ever since rogerson announced its existence. i have always appreciated her skill for balancing internal and external detail and exposition, almost seamlessly. the world of loraille (fantasy france, admittedly) was so intriguing with the history that rogerson crafted in and around it. the clerisy was intimately familiar as a higher religious power, but its fantastical origins added depth and made me think about all kinds of theories as i read on.

when i started the book, i was immediately taken in by the protag, artemisia -- so much of her inner monologue was relatable, in the way that she was blunt and didn't socialize or act how others expected her to. i admit that i got a little annoyed when it was revealed how much she had assumed/ignored about the people around her later on, just pushing the boundaries of her surface level "not-like-other-girls" behaviour that i think rogerson had skirted well for most of the book. i think rogerson does a great job of showing us who people are in her books -- there are always wonderful little details dropped throughout, little dots to be connected. i also felt pretty touched as artemisia gained support throughout the book, as she is someone who is so used to being or feeling like she is alone. 

the concept of the undead was really interesting to me as well. i often find rigid hierarchies/categories of fantastical beings to grow old quickly, but i think rogerson had enough variety in her undead that i didn't get tired of reading encounters with them. i'm intrigued to see where she will take artemisia and the revenant after this installment -- i loved how their relationship grew as the book went on, and i'm really curious if the revenants origins will ever be revealed.

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e_flah's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional 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? It's complicated

5.0

At this point, I have a well-established track record of hesitantly picking up books by Margaret Rogerson only to fall hopelessly in love with them. Vespertine was yet another work of magic that had me rearranging my schedule in order to read it as quickly as humanly possible.

Artemisia was such a lovable protagonist; by the end of the first chapter, I wanted to take her under my wing and protect her from the world. Her character growth over the course of the book was extraordinarily well done. The dynamic between Artemisia and the revenant possessing her was one of my favorite things about the story. They look out for each other in unexpected ways and start to heal from previous traumas together. Plus the revenant is full of A+ quips that helped lighten up a book about the threat of the undead launching the country into another bloody war.

Vespertine was such a great read. I'm already looking forward to revisiting it as I'm sure there are lots of neat world-building details I missed the first time around.

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abbyschalupa's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional reflective 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


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yvonne_cl's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75


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morriganslibrary's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5


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foreverinastory's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional 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

5.0

Agh this was so fun! I'm really glad this is a series!

Rep: White aroace (author confirmed) female MC with scarred hands, anxiety and possibly neurodivergent, BIPOC male side character.

CWs: Abandonment, body horror (possession by spirits), past mentions of child abuse, confinement, death, fire and fire injury, injury/injury detail, mental illness (anxiety), murder, panic attacks, violence.
 

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