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neonfrills's review against another edition
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!!
Content Warnings
Minor: Suicide, Torture, Kidnapping, and Grief
booksthatburn's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
VESPERTINE is a bloody tale of revenants, reluctant saints, and unlikely allies in a world where the dead walk.
I like the banter between Artemisia and the revenant. This is one place where the audiobook narrator's performance really shines, as it enhanced an already excellent story by making the revenant's voice pitch perfect for its characterization. Their conversations sometimes feel like banter while staying generally appropriate to the seriousness of each new situation. I was worried that Trouble (the bird) would be a gimmicky animal sidekick, but his appearances are brief and important. He has enough of a presence to keep his few contributions from coming out of nowhere, and his relatively few appearances keep the narrative from feeling like a comedic trio of possessed, possessor, and animal friend.
The worldbuilding is filled in gradually, starting with Artemisia’s incomplete understanding of the history of her home and the forces at play, then gradually filling in as she learns from the revenant and tries to stay alive.
The way this handles trauma, mental illness, and disability in the narrative is pretty great. It's a world where magic is real and very present, but while magic completely dispels some ailments it's not treated as a cure-all. Artemisia has burn scars on her hands which affect her daily existence. The way her hands healed affects her motor skills and ability to sense things like temperature. She still has panic attacks and various levels of mental distress when triggering events occur. There's a minor character who is deeply traumatized by an unrelated experience with possession, and even the revenant has a phobia borne of trauma. It's a world filled with undead, death, and violence, and the way that all the characters are either explicitly or implicitly traumatized accordingly helps it feel cohesive in a way I hadn't expected but very much appreciate.
The plot builds slowly, focusing more on Artemisia's efforts not to get caught once she has the revenant, then gradually she ends up in a position to do more with the information which became available to her. It has great "accidental hero (saint)" vibes with a plot that backs that up.
I like the banter between Artemisia and the revenant. This is one place where the audiobook narrator's performance really shines, as it enhanced an already excellent story by making the revenant's voice pitch perfect for its characterization. Their conversations sometimes feel like banter while staying generally appropriate to the seriousness of each new situation. I was worried that Trouble (the bird) would be a gimmicky animal sidekick, but his appearances are brief and important. He has enough of a presence to keep his few contributions from coming out of nowhere, and his relatively few appearances keep the narrative from feeling like a comedic trio of possessed, possessor, and animal friend.
The worldbuilding is filled in gradually, starting with Artemisia’s incomplete understanding of the history of her home and the forces at play, then gradually filling in as she learns from the revenant and tries to stay alive.
The way this handles trauma, mental illness, and disability in the narrative is pretty great. It's a world where magic is real and very present, but while magic completely dispels some ailments it's not treated as a cure-all. Artemisia has burn scars on her hands which affect her daily existence. The way her hands healed affects her motor skills and ability to sense things like temperature. She still has panic attacks and various levels of mental distress when triggering events occur. There's a minor character who is deeply traumatized by an unrelated experience with possession, and even the revenant has a phobia borne of trauma. It's a world filled with undead, death, and violence, and the way that all the characters are either explicitly or implicitly traumatized accordingly helps it feel cohesive in a way I hadn't expected but very much appreciate.
The plot builds slowly, focusing more on Artemisia's efforts not to get caught once she has the revenant, then gradually she ends up in a position to do more with the information which became available to her. It has great "accidental hero (saint)" vibes with a plot that backs that up.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Murder, Death, Violence, Self harm, and Vomit
Moderate: Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Panic attacks/disorders, Injury/Injury detail, Terminal illness, Suicide attempt, Mental illness, Ableism, Excrement, Kidnapping, and Slavery
Minor: Child abuse and Suicide
flyfarther79's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Confinement, and Death
Minor: Kidnapping, Murder, Violence, Abandonment, and Panic attacks/disorders
breezer's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
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? Yes
5.0
I had previously read and loved Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson so I was super excited going into this. It did not disappoint!
Our main character Artemesia is a Gray Sister trainee, cleansing bodies of the dead to allow their souls to pass on peacefully, when her covenant is suddenly attacked. To defend herself she harnesses the power of a powerful ancient spirit (called a revenant) that has been bound to a saint's relic.
The atmosphere and world setting (middle ages, religious France vibes?) was brilliant from the very beginning and the fast paced narrative meant I flew through this! I loved the magic system with the ancient spirits and their respective lores. It reminded me of the Numina trilogy by Charlie N. Holmberg so I would definitely recommend this if you liked that.
I loved Artemesia and she underwent some great character development. In my opinion this also had some great anxiety and PTSD representation as well as ace/aro representation. Artemesia also has a physical disability that was very refreshing to see explored in YA.
My only minor criticism was the limited development of the side characters but other than that! Her relationship with the revenant was one of the highlights of the book and it just kept getting better and better! Very excited for where this series may go next.
Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an advanced reader's copy.
Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an advanced reader's copy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Panic attacks/disorders, Religious bigotry, and Self harm
Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Kidnapping, and Suicide
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