Reviews

Vespertine, by Margaret Rogerson

Only show reviews with written explanations

spindola's review

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Vespertine caught me completely by surprise. The book throws you into a dark world where spirits threaten to inhabit those who are gifted with supernatural abilities. God is a Woman. A Catholic Church adjacent group governs over a theocratical society. There is a underlying feeling that something just doesn’t feel quite right.

Margaret Rogerson takes the time to introduce our shy and imperfect MC.

Spoiler

Artemisia suffered a painful childhood that and the author does not shy away from that. Her childhood absolutely impacts her decisions and shapes her fear.

The fact that Artemisia is not a perfect hero is my favorite aspect of the book. She is a relatable person. Her decisions make sense given her past. Her awkwardness is honest. She makes mistakes and tries her best to just be a decent person. What more could you ask for in a MC?

kirstenariel's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

alyara's review

Go to review page

dark hopeful inspiring 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

4.0

annabithebook's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

This book is more of a 3.5 but when pressed, I had to round down. I really struggled with this book. I am a massive Margaret Rogerson fan but this book felt simultaneously rushed and not developed far enough. It struggles with the "dropped in the world no backstory" which usually authors will creatively find ways to provide the background as you go along. I felt like the world/mythos was seemingly too massive to weave in this way and it left me feeling very confused and not clear on how all of it works together. I feel like this rating might improve upon a re-read, however, I don't have the motivation to read it again. The ending didn't leave me wanting more and therefore I'm not even excited/looking forward to the next one, sadly. There were moments where Rogerson's writing shone and the connections/depth/character development were incredible. But where the characters shone, the plot suffered. The revenant was, by far, the standout superstar of this novel, he gets 5 stars. Caitlin Davies brought these Characters to life brilliantly and I love her narration style!

ellieanor's review

Go to review page

medium-paced

5.0

britterization's review

Go to review page

3.0

It's His Fair Assasin meets The Bartimaeus Trilogy meets Shadow & Bone. Longer review to come - I liked it! 3.5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for the eARC which I received in exchange for an unbiased review. Vespertine is out 05 October.