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4.1 AVERAGE
4.1 AVERAGE
Don’t mess with spiritual stuff. Fiction or not.
adventurous
emotional
funny
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:
No
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
Thank you Simon and Schuster for my digital ARC!
PLEASE NOTE:Before I share my thoughts I want to point out two things 1)On contrary to MR's other works which are Romance centric plots, Vespertine does NOT have romance and if you read the book you would know that expecting romance from any of the MC's would be quite uncharacteristic. I personally don't mind lack of romance if the plot really doesn't have a scope for it but I wanted to say this because I don't want to see people rating the book low going in with other expectations than what is promised 2)If you are reading an advanced copy, you should know that the author said further edits are being made hence keep in mind that the minor inconsistencies or redundancies with prose will be taken care of
THOUGHTS:
"Perhaps deep down inside everyone was just a scared animal afraid of getting hurt, and that explained every confusing and mean and terrible thing we did"
I am a huge fan of Margaret Rogerson's Sorcery of Thorns and ever since the announcement of Vespertine I have been desperate to read an early copy-well I was not disappointed and the wait is completely worth it. Vespertine doesn't beat around the bush about serving you with darkish world, it begins on an exciting note where a 17 year old Grey sister Artemisia fights with spirits trying to rescue a novice stuck in the convent's creepy tunnel. Gray sisters are nuns in training governed by the Clerisy, that are responsible for purifying dead bodies so they won't become corrupted evil spirits. Artemisia resides in a convent at Loraille that doubles as a funeral home where nuns have different roles to play depending on their training, she is more than happy to oblige with her duties because she very much prefers the company of the dead to living due to her childhood trauma. All her plans to live a fulfilling life as Grey sister are interrupted when a group of possessed soldiers attack the convent during which time she is forced to wield an ancient holy relic (powerful spirits bound to bones of saints worn as a jewel)to save her people.
However using a relic as powerful as this is not an easy task because it involves a terrible old magic- to the point that there is no history in the records or training in the books to help Artemisia, thus she becomes a legend that only existed in stories thus far- A Vespertine! and only her and the revenant that's currently using her body as a vessel are the only hope to stop an impending doom, but the catch? Artemisia needs to trust the revenant and turn towards it for help while not allowing it to possess her at any cost because it will only lead to more disasters
What I loved the most in the book is the brilliant world and magic system Margaret Rogerson has created, it is complex, unique and detailed, there is an info dump in the beginning and could be confusing until you get the hang of it. Vespertine is set in somewhat gothic setting that involves cathedral with gothic architecture, spooky underground tunnels with traps, Mausoleums with cob webs, spirits at every turn- you get the picture! Rogerson brought the renaissance world to life with her writing and this would be a perfect Autumn read that you want to add to your Fall TBR
The next best thing in the book is the Revenant's character- a separate crucial entity of its own that's addressed as "it" making it somewhat gender fluid. Revanant's character is witty, hilarious and gleefully impertinent,I loved the revanant's dialogue's, banter between Artemisia and "it" had me giggling on many accounts. The friendship(?)that's bloomed between them is so heartwarming, here is one of my favorite quote by the Revenant
"Idiots.Humans simply love inventing superstitions and then getting killed because of
them.Or better yet, using them as an excuse to kill others"
Artemisia's on other hand is a story of a girl who is shunned due to her past, she is broken and hardened and finds solace in the unusual company of the Revenant, her character is an ode to leap first and think later to the Revenant's constant dismay, this contrast created a great dynamic between them and the other characters were also entertaining through out.I knocked off a star because I felt like the last 15-20% dragged a bit and the final battle didn't live to the buildup of the plot, that being said I ended up enjoying the book so much and am certainly looking forward to jump back into the world when the sequel arrives!
PLEASE NOTE:Before I share my thoughts I want to point out two things 1)On contrary to MR's other works which are Romance centric plots, Vespertine does NOT have romance and if you read the book you would know that expecting romance from any of the MC's would be quite uncharacteristic. I personally don't mind lack of romance if the plot really doesn't have a scope for it but I wanted to say this because I don't want to see people rating the book low going in with other expectations than what is promised 2)If you are reading an advanced copy, you should know that the author said further edits are being made hence keep in mind that the minor inconsistencies or redundancies with prose will be taken care of
THOUGHTS:
"Perhaps deep down inside everyone was just a scared animal afraid of getting hurt, and that explained every confusing and mean and terrible thing we did"
I am a huge fan of Margaret Rogerson's Sorcery of Thorns and ever since the announcement of Vespertine I have been desperate to read an early copy-well I was not disappointed and the wait is completely worth it. Vespertine doesn't beat around the bush about serving you with darkish world, it begins on an exciting note where a 17 year old Grey sister Artemisia fights with spirits trying to rescue a novice stuck in the convent's creepy tunnel. Gray sisters are nuns in training governed by the Clerisy, that are responsible for purifying dead bodies so they won't become corrupted evil spirits. Artemisia resides in a convent at Loraille that doubles as a funeral home where nuns have different roles to play depending on their training, she is more than happy to oblige with her duties because she very much prefers the company of the dead to living due to her childhood trauma. All her plans to live a fulfilling life as Grey sister are interrupted when a group of possessed soldiers attack the convent during which time she is forced to wield an ancient holy relic (powerful spirits bound to bones of saints worn as a jewel)to save her people.
However using a relic as powerful as this is not an easy task because it involves a terrible old magic- to the point that there is no history in the records or training in the books to help Artemisia, thus she becomes a legend that only existed in stories thus far- A Vespertine! and only her and the revenant that's currently using her body as a vessel are the only hope to stop an impending doom, but the catch? Artemisia needs to trust the revenant and turn towards it for help while not allowing it to possess her at any cost because it will only lead to more disasters
What I loved the most in the book is the brilliant world and magic system Margaret Rogerson has created, it is complex, unique and detailed, there is an info dump in the beginning and could be confusing until you get the hang of it. Vespertine is set in somewhat gothic setting that involves cathedral with gothic architecture, spooky underground tunnels with traps, Mausoleums with cob webs, spirits at every turn- you get the picture! Rogerson brought the renaissance world to life with her writing and this would be a perfect Autumn read that you want to add to your Fall TBR
The next best thing in the book is the Revenant's character- a separate crucial entity of its own that's addressed as "it" making it somewhat gender fluid. Revanant's character is witty, hilarious and gleefully impertinent,I loved the revanant's dialogue's, banter between Artemisia and "it" had me giggling on many accounts. The friendship(?)that's bloomed between them is so heartwarming, here is one of my favorite quote by the Revenant
"Idiots.Humans simply love inventing superstitions and then getting killed because of
them.Or better yet, using them as an excuse to kill others"
Artemisia's on other hand is a story of a girl who is shunned due to her past, she is broken and hardened and finds solace in the unusual company of the Revenant, her character is an ode to leap first and think later to the Revenant's constant dismay, this contrast created a great dynamic between them and the other characters were also entertaining through out.I knocked off a star because I felt like the last 15-20% dragged a bit and the final battle didn't live to the buildup of the plot, that being said I ended up enjoying the book so much and am certainly looking forward to jump back into the world when the sequel arrives!
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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:
Yes
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« 𝚈𝚘𝚞 𝚠𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚋𝚎 𝚏𝚛𝚎𝚎, 𝚢𝚘𝚞'𝚕𝚕 𝚋𝚎 𝚊𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚎. 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚕𝚍 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚛𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚚𝚞𝚊𝚛𝚢 »
The dark universe, mixed with powers and spirits, won me over directly.
The general plot is very interesting with this mystery hanging over certain characters which keeps us in suspense until the end. Artemisia captivated me throughout my reading with her character and determination. She’s a character that I really enjoyed discovering. I liked the secondary characters too. Their link with Artemisia helped enrich this story, 𝙝𝙚𝙧 story.
The Artemisia + Revenant duo AKA the duo I didn't think I needed THAT much. Their relationship brings 'light' to this heavy atmosphere during their journey. This contrast is present throughout the book: between good and evil or the sacred and the profane for example.
Then, basically, I like the romance as a background but the fact that there isn't any makes the story even better than I would have hoped. It didn't bother me at all, quite the contrary, because it was smooth and I didn't feel the lack of romance at any time.
« 𝚂𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎𝚜, 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚙𝚎𝚘𝚙𝚕𝚎, 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚛𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚖𝚋𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚏 𝚏𝚒𝚛𝚜𝚝 »
You should also know that the story is in the first person. Being used to the third person, I had a little trouble getting started but as I liked my reading and it was fluid, I moved on.
The only negative point of the story: I found the ending too fast and some passages in the book too slow.
The only advice I can give: don't read this book if you want romance but you should still give it a chance!!
PS: even if I liked that it was a oneshot, if she does another volume I wouldn't say no.
★ ★ ★ ★.5
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«𝚅𝚘𝚞𝚜 𝚗𝚎 𝚜𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚣 𝚙𝚊𝚜 𝚕𝚒𝚋𝚛𝚎, 𝚟𝚘𝚞𝚜 𝚜𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚣 𝚜𝚎𝚞𝚕. 𝚅𝚘𝚞𝚜 𝚊𝚞𝚛𝚎𝚣 𝚏𝚊𝚒𝚝 𝚍𝚞 𝚖𝚘𝚗𝚍𝚎 𝚟𝚘𝚝𝚛𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚚𝚞𝚊𝚒𝚛𝚎»
L’univers sombre, mélangé à des pouvoirs et des esprits, m’a directement conquise.
Le plot général est très intéressant avec ce mystère qui plane sur certains personnages qui nous tient en haleine jusqu’à la fin. Artemisia m’a captivé tout au long de ma lecture avec son caractère et sa détermination. C’est un personnage que j’ai vraiment apprécié de découvrir. Les personnages secondaires, je les ai bien aimés aussi. Leur lien avec Artemisia ont permis d’enrichir cette histoire, 𝙨𝙤𝙣 histoire.
Le duo Artemisia et Revenant aka le duo dont je ne pensais pas avoir autant besoin. Leur relation permet d’apporter de la ‘lumière’ à cette ambiance pesante durant leur périple. Ce contraste est présent tout au long du livre : entre le bien et le mal ou le sacré et le profane par exemple.
Ensuite, de base, j’apprécie bien la romance en tant que second plan mais là, le fait qu’il n’y en ai pas rend l’histoire encore mieux que je l’aurai espéré. Cela ne m’a pas du tout dérangé, bien au contraire, car c’était fluide et que je n’ai ressenti le manque de romance à aucun moment.
« P𝚊𝚛𝚏𝚘𝚒𝚜, 𝚚𝚞𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚘𝚗 𝚟𝚎𝚞𝚝 𝚜𝚊𝚞𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚕𝚎𝚜 𝚊𝚞𝚝𝚛𝚎𝚜, 𝚘𝚗 𝚍𝚘𝚒𝚝 𝚍𝚎 𝚜𝚘𝚞𝚟𝚎𝚗𝚒𝚛 𝚍𝚎 𝚜𝚎 𝚜𝚊𝚞𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚜𝚘𝚒-𝚖𝚎̂𝚖𝚎 𝚎𝚗 𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚖𝚒𝚎𝚛 𝚕𝚒𝚎𝚞 »
Il faut aussi savoir que le récit est à la première personne. Étant habituée à la troisième personne, j’ai eu un peu de mal au démarrage mais comme j’ai aimé ma lecture et que c’était fluide, je suis passée outre.
Le seul point négatif de l’histoire : j’ai trouvé la fin trop rapide et quelques passages dans le livre trop lent.
Le seul conseil que je peux donner : ne lisez pas ce livre si vous voulez de la romance mais vous devez quand même lui donner sa chance !!
PS : même si j’ai aimé que ce soit un one shot, si elle fait un autre tome je ne dis pas non.
★ ★ ★ ★.5
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adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
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:
Complicated