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4.1 AVERAGE
4.1 AVERAGE
Thank you NetGalley and Simon and Schuster UK children’s for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
5/5 stars
I couldn’t set this book down! This book will be perfect for fall with the spooky aspects(spirits, incense, cathedrals). I was very intrigued by the world and the ranks of the spirits. I also loved the mystery of it and trying to unravel the secrets the revenant was hiding!
I loved that Artemisia struggled with real things and was still scared even though she was a strong heroine. I also really liked that the revenant was all scared of things even though he was a high ranking spirit. I loved their relationship and banter. Even though he didn’t show it you could tell he enjoyed Artemisia.
There was no romance in this book and I think that was best. There was so much going on that there didn’t need to be romance. It was more important to the storyline to not have romance in my opinion. A lot of books can fall flat without romance but I don’t think this book suffered that at all!
The unexpected friendship that blossomed between Marguerite and Artemisia was so pure and wholesome. I was glad Marguerite was there to remind Artemisia that she wasn’t alone. And Marguerite took care of her at the covenant without her even knowing it.
The ending was a little anticlimactic but still fit the story. I would have liked a chapter or 2 before the epilogue. Since you have this big event and then boom epilogue. Made it seem a little rushed.
Overall greatly enjoyed the story and would recommend it if you like fantasy and adventure!
5/5 stars
I couldn’t set this book down! This book will be perfect for fall with the spooky aspects(spirits, incense, cathedrals). I was very intrigued by the world and the ranks of the spirits. I also loved the mystery of it and trying to unravel the secrets the revenant was hiding!
I loved that Artemisia struggled with real things and was still scared even though she was a strong heroine. I also really liked that the revenant was all scared of things even though he was a high ranking spirit. I loved their relationship and banter. Even though he didn’t show it you could tell he enjoyed Artemisia.
There was no romance in this book and I think that was best. There was so much going on that there didn’t need to be romance. It was more important to the storyline to not have romance in my opinion. A lot of books can fall flat without romance but I don’t think this book suffered that at all!
The unexpected friendship that blossomed between Marguerite and Artemisia was so pure and wholesome. I was glad Marguerite was there to remind Artemisia that she wasn’t alone. And Marguerite took care of her at the covenant without her even knowing it.
The ending was a little anticlimactic but still fit the story. I would have liked a chapter or 2 before the epilogue. Since you have this big event and then boom epilogue. Made it seem a little rushed.
Overall greatly enjoyed the story and would recommend it if you like fantasy and adventure!
I really wanted to like this one and I did at the start, but this just wasn’t for me. The world-building was too big for its own good and it just wasn’t fun to read anymore.
Comment vous dire, une héroïne qui porte en prénom mon pseudo, je ne pouvais pas louper ça et en plus c’est écrit par une autrice que j’aime beaucoup : Margaret Rogerson.
Pour cette sortie, les éditions Big Bang/Castelmore nous on a gâté avec une édition reliée, simplement magnifique ! On peut dire qu’ils ont mis le paquet dessus !
Et sinon, concernant l’histoire ? Eh bien, je suis ressortie conquise malgré un début que j’ai trouvé un peu longuet et monotone. Heureusement dès qu’Artemisia se fait posséder par le revenant, et qu’elle s’enfuie, ça devient plus intéressant.
Cependant, je tiens à vous prévenir, c’est une histoire très introspective. On est beaucoup dans les émotions très sombres d’Artemisia qui n’a pas eu une vie très simple et qui a tendance à s’oublier dans tous les sens du terme (elle en fait pas mal baver à son corps). Une héroïne apathique au bord de la dépression qui se sent investie d’une mission, un peu comme Jeanne D’Arc. Même si nous sommes dans un univers imaginaire, la religion y a une place très importante, d’autant plus que notre héroïne est une nonne… forcément, l’inverse aurait été étonnant.
Nous suivons donc Artemisia dans sa quête de vérité avec le revenant qui est dans sa tête. J’ai adoré la relation qui se met en place entre eux. Un peu comme une sorte de mentor récalcitrant et son élève qui n’a aucune envie de recevoir de leçon. Si au départ ils ne se font pas confiance, ils vont devoir apprendre à compter l’un sur l’autre.
Il y a également tout un panel de personnages secondaires aussi intéressants qu’importants, comme le confesseur, Leander qui n’aura de cesse que de vouloir la capturer ou encore son amie Marguerite qui s’avère être une alliée de poids.
Bref. Vous l’avez compris, j’ai passé un très bon moment avec ce nouveau roman fantasy de Margaret Rogerson. L’univers est passionnant même si j’aurais aimé en savoir plus. Concernant Artemisia, c’est une héroïne qui sort des sentiers battus et qui peut ne pas plaire de par son caractère très sombre, limite suicidaire.
Si vous aimez les histoires plutôt lentes où la psychologie et l’introspection priment sur l’action et l’aventure alors Vespertine est fait pour vous. Dans mon cas, la sauce a bien pris ! J’adore le style de cette autrice.
Pour cette sortie, les éditions Big Bang/Castelmore nous on a gâté avec une édition reliée, simplement magnifique ! On peut dire qu’ils ont mis le paquet dessus !
Et sinon, concernant l’histoire ? Eh bien, je suis ressortie conquise malgré un début que j’ai trouvé un peu longuet et monotone. Heureusement dès qu’Artemisia se fait posséder par le revenant, et qu’elle s’enfuie, ça devient plus intéressant.
Cependant, je tiens à vous prévenir, c’est une histoire très introspective. On est beaucoup dans les émotions très sombres d’Artemisia qui n’a pas eu une vie très simple et qui a tendance à s’oublier dans tous les sens du terme (elle en fait pas mal baver à son corps). Une héroïne apathique au bord de la dépression qui se sent investie d’une mission, un peu comme Jeanne D’Arc. Même si nous sommes dans un univers imaginaire, la religion y a une place très importante, d’autant plus que notre héroïne est une nonne… forcément, l’inverse aurait été étonnant.
Nous suivons donc Artemisia dans sa quête de vérité avec le revenant qui est dans sa tête. J’ai adoré la relation qui se met en place entre eux. Un peu comme une sorte de mentor récalcitrant et son élève qui n’a aucune envie de recevoir de leçon. Si au départ ils ne se font pas confiance, ils vont devoir apprendre à compter l’un sur l’autre.
Il y a également tout un panel de personnages secondaires aussi intéressants qu’importants, comme le confesseur, Leander qui n’aura de cesse que de vouloir la capturer ou encore son amie Marguerite qui s’avère être une alliée de poids.
Bref. Vous l’avez compris, j’ai passé un très bon moment avec ce nouveau roman fantasy de Margaret Rogerson. L’univers est passionnant même si j’aurais aimé en savoir plus. Concernant Artemisia, c’est une héroïne qui sort des sentiers battus et qui peut ne pas plaire de par son caractère très sombre, limite suicidaire.
Si vous aimez les histoires plutôt lentes où la psychologie et l’introspection priment sur l’action et l’aventure alors Vespertine est fait pour vous. Dans mon cas, la sauce a bien pris ! J’adore le style de cette autrice.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Unfortunately I found this really boring. It was very well written and I enjoyed Artemisia. But most of the book was just Artemisia and the spirit possessing her having conversations in her head. There were occasionally other character around but not often.
This is a fantasy world filled with all kinds of ghosts that are captured, destroyed, freed, or used by nuns and priests. Artemisia becomes possessed by a powerful type of spirit and goes on the run and eventually has to fight another powerful spirit that is trying to rise. She makes friends with her spirit and they remain entwined in the end. There is no romance in this book.
A lot of reviews mention that Artemisia has anxiety or PTSD. But I thought she had autism. I have autism myself and I related to a lot of her experience. The way she hated crowds and socializing could be due to anxiety. But there were a lot of other things that I don’t think could be explained by anxiety or PTSD. Such as how Artemisia had trouble understanding facial expressions or voice inflections. There were several times where she mentioned that she didn’t understand what someone was trying to tell her with a “pointed look”. Also several times where ppl misunderstood her, assumed she meant something different. Also she was often very honest and blunt, and she didn’t understand why ppl would ask her something if they didn’t expect an honest answer. Also there were a few mentions of how she made other ppl uncomfortable because her face was often blank or emotionless.
This is a fantasy world filled with all kinds of ghosts that are captured, destroyed, freed, or used by nuns and priests. Artemisia becomes possessed by a powerful type of spirit and goes on the run and eventually has to fight another powerful spirit that is trying to rise. She makes friends with her spirit and they remain entwined in the end. There is no romance in this book.
A lot of reviews mention that Artemisia has anxiety or PTSD. But I thought she had autism. I have autism myself and I related to a lot of her experience. The way she hated crowds and socializing could be due to anxiety. But there were a lot of other things that I don’t think could be explained by anxiety or PTSD. Such as how Artemisia had trouble understanding facial expressions or voice inflections. There were several times where she mentioned that she didn’t understand what someone was trying to tell her with a “pointed look”. Also several times where ppl misunderstood her, assumed she meant something different. Also she was often very honest and blunt, and she didn’t understand why ppl would ask her something if they didn’t expect an honest answer. Also there were a few mentions of how she made other ppl uncomfortable because her face was often blank or emotionless.
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Margaret Rogerson creates such compelling worlds within her books. In Vespertine, you find yourself amongst the undead along with Artemisia, a young nun thrust into battle when she becomes host to a revenant, an incredibly dangerous, ancient spirt bound to a saint’s relic. The relationship between Artemisia and the revenant is well developed, and I'll gladly revisit the world of Vespertine for book two.
This book was very okay for me. The first half of the book was very hard to get into, but the ending made up for it.
I thought this was good, but not great. Full disclosure- I picked up this book because after I read One Dark Window by Gillig, many people said that this book did the 'snarky monster in a girl's head' plot better. I agree and disagree with this statement.
The absolute best part of this book is the monster in Amelia's head. It's hilarious, grumpy, and protective - all of my favorite traits! I thought Amelia made a very fun MC as well. But I was misled to believe the monster was going to become the love interest (just like I was misled for One Dark Window) and now I'm frothing at the mouth to find a book THAT ACTUALLY HAS THIS PLOT.
I also loved that this world and its magic was built around catholicism. I love books that take all the creepy parts of a modern religion and then make it into a twisty magic system. I thought the vibes of this book were spot on, and I felt totally immersed while reading.
I thought the plot was just fine. It's not incredibly notable, but not done poorly either. I had fun while reading and would recommend it for the sarcastic monster and immaculate vibes!
The absolute best part of this book is the monster in Amelia's head. It's hilarious, grumpy, and protective - all of my favorite traits! I thought Amelia made a very fun MC as well. But I was misled to believe the monster was going to become the love interest (just like I was misled for One Dark Window) and now I'm frothing at the mouth to find a book THAT ACTUALLY HAS THIS PLOT.
I also loved that this world and its magic was built around catholicism. I love books that take all the creepy parts of a modern religion and then make it into a twisty magic system. I thought the vibes of this book were spot on, and I felt totally immersed while reading.
I thought the plot was just fine. It's not incredibly notable, but not done poorly either. I had fun while reading and would recommend it for the sarcastic monster and immaculate vibes!
Artemisia of Naimes is one of the Gray Sisters, and her dream is to stay and tend the dead forever. However, life has other plans for her. She ends up becoming linked to a revenant, and must figure out where the Old Magic is coming from before disaster and tragedy occur.
This was easily one of my favorite books that I've read all year. I enjoyed Artemisia as a heroine, because she was so real. She had times where she was afraid, but her thoughts were pragmatic and even in danger, she did not hesitate to harm herself in order to save others. She is witty, self deprecating, but also quite insightful. She is a main character that I admire wholeheartedly.
The magic system was simple, yet detailed, and was interwoven perfectly with the religious aspects of the novel. I really enjoyed the interactions between Artemisia and the other characters, especially the revenant. I definitely will be preordering the sequel the instant it is announced!
This was easily one of my favorite books that I've read all year. I enjoyed Artemisia as a heroine, because she was so real. She had times where she was afraid, but her thoughts were pragmatic and even in danger, she did not hesitate to harm herself in order to save others. She is witty, self deprecating, but also quite insightful. She is a main character that I admire wholeheartedly.
The magic system was simple, yet detailed, and was interwoven perfectly with the religious aspects of the novel. I really enjoyed the interactions between Artemisia and the other characters, especially the revenant. I definitely will be preordering the sequel the instant it is announced!