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4.1 AVERAGE
4.1 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I continue to love everything Margaret Rogerson writes, I can't wait to reread this in November!
oh I’m so sad I didn’t enjoy this book. I loved Sorcery of Thorns from this author, but this didn’t do it for me. I was bored and uninterested! I think i have come to realize I don’t really like the whole possessed by evil spirit thing (shockingly).
My second 2 star read in a row at the end of the year has me bummed for real
My second 2 star read in a row at the end of the year has me bummed for real
I was very hesitant about starting this book but since it was a monthly buddy read with some good friends, I gave it a try anyways. And I’m really glad I did! I was hesitant because it’s marketed as YA and those are so often just not for me anymore. I also saw it described as horror but for me personally it felt like a normal fantasy book rather than horror.
I really enjoyed the character development and the world. The story had good depth too. Some things were more predictable while others were fun surprises, but they were all handled pretty well even if I did expect them. I also enjoyed some of the misleading and twists and how everything was resolved. There were some small details that were a little questionable but they didn’t really affect my overall enjoyment very much. My standout favorite part was the main spirit of the story. He was absolutely hilarious and added some great levity.
While it does have potential for continuation, I personally hope this stays a standalone. I like how it ended with some loose threads but the big questions answered. I personally like it when it’s not all neat and tidy at the end. I’m really happy I gave this book a try and already have another of requested at the library from the same author.
I really enjoyed the character development and the world. The story had good depth too. Some things were more predictable while others were fun surprises, but they were all handled pretty well even if I did expect them. I also enjoyed some of the misleading and twists and how everything was resolved. There were some small details that were a little questionable but they didn’t really affect my overall enjoyment very much. My standout favorite part was the main spirit of the story. He was absolutely hilarious and added some great levity.
While it does have potential for continuation, I personally hope this stays a standalone. I like how it ended with some loose threads but the big questions answered. I personally like it when it’s not all neat and tidy at the end. I’m really happy I gave this book a try and already have another of requested at the library from the same author.
Triggers: anxiety, self harm, a “minor” depiction of disorder eating (author’s own words), flashbacks of neglect/abuse, trauma/ PTSD.
Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.
If this was the first book I ever picked up by this author I’d never give her another chance. As it is, I’m not sure I’ll read anything else by her and I throughly enjoyed her other books.
This follows artemisia, who lives in a convent that teaches the girls how to wield magic in protection against spirits. One day her convent is attacked by some possessed soldiers and she becomes the keeper of this old relic- and is possessed herself. All of this sounds like the making of a good story right? Ehh…
So here’s the thing, Robson is known for her atmospheric books but this just did not pull through. The only atmosphere that I felt in this whole mess was boredom. I didn’t care about the mystery of the Old Magic, nor about the mystery of who the fucking demon was that possessed her. I mean, girl gets possessed as a baby and burns herself and even then it’s not an interesting story.
It picked up at about the 80% mark but that’s way to long for this story. The ending was fine, if slightly anticlimactic but overall fine.
Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.
If this was the first book I ever picked up by this author I’d never give her another chance. As it is, I’m not sure I’ll read anything else by her and I throughly enjoyed her other books.
This follows artemisia, who lives in a convent that teaches the girls how to wield magic in protection against spirits. One day her convent is attacked by some possessed soldiers and she becomes the keeper of this old relic- and is possessed herself. All of this sounds like the making of a good story right? Ehh…
So here’s the thing, Robson is known for her atmospheric books but this just did not pull through. The only atmosphere that I felt in this whole mess was boredom. I didn’t care about the mystery of the Old Magic, nor about the mystery of who the fucking demon was that possessed her. I mean, girl gets possessed as a baby and burns herself and even then it’s not an interesting story.
It picked up at about the 80% mark but that’s way to long for this story. The ending was fine, if slightly anticlimactic but overall fine.
4.75/5
if i had a dollar for each time margaret rogerson made me like the actual devil in her books i would have two dollar. which isn't a lot but it's weird that it happened twice??? i will absolutely love it if she ever decides to make a continuation for this book!! also i found it hard to be scared of the revenant when all i could hear whenever it speaks to artemisia was the voice of venom speaking to eddie
edit: just found out that this book was marketed as venom meets joan of arc and giggled
if i had a dollar for each time margaret rogerson made me like the actual devil in her books i would have two dollar. which isn't a lot but it's weird that it happened twice??? i will absolutely love it if she ever decides to make a continuation for this book!! also i found it hard to be scared of the revenant when all i could hear whenever it speaks to artemisia was the voice of venom speaking to eddie
edit: just found out that this book was marketed as venom meets joan of arc and giggled
adventurous
challenging
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
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Artemisia is a Grey Sister who works alongside the nuns of the convent, preparing the corpses for their final resting place. But when an army of possessed soldiers comes to destroy the one place that has made her feel at home, she is forced to use the relic of a saint to protect the monastery.
The world building is simple but interesting, with well-developed themes of religion in that era. Although the pace is slow, we manage to immerse ourselves in this world and connect with the characters.
We have a main character with trauma and a sad backstory, which is one of the most used tropes in fantasy. I liked seeing the consequences of her childhood abuse in the present.
The writing was simple but kept me interested in her story from the beginning of the book. All the secondary characters were also good. I liked how versatile the revenant's personality was.
Overall, this was a good book.
tw: abandonment, child neglect, child abuse in past, possession, self-harm, threats of suicide, grief. brief mention of animal abuse, mention of animal deaths, blood depictions, vomiting, drugging, anxiety depictions, talk of plagues, loss of a loved one in the past, mention of spiders, death.
Artemisia is a Grey Sister who works alongside the nuns of the convent, preparing the corpses for their final resting place. But when an army of possessed soldiers comes to destroy the one place that has made her feel at home, she is forced to use the relic of a saint to protect the monastery.
The world building is simple but interesting, with well-developed themes of religion in that era. Although the pace is slow, we manage to immerse ourselves in this world and connect with the characters.
We have a main character with trauma and a sad backstory, which is one of the most used tropes in fantasy. I liked seeing the consequences of her childhood abuse in the present.
The writing was simple but kept me interested in her story from the beginning of the book. All the secondary characters were also good. I liked how versatile the revenant's personality was.
Overall, this was a good book.
tw: abandonment, child neglect, child abuse in past, possession, self-harm, threats of suicide, grief. brief mention of animal abuse, mention of animal deaths, blood depictions, vomiting, drugging, anxiety depictions, talk of plagues, loss of a loved one in the past, mention of spiders, death.
I absolutely adored this book. It had a bit of a slow beginning for me, but I devoured the last half. Vespertine has most of my favorite elements in a story:
✅ a fierce, believable, complicated heroine forced to battle both her inner and outer demons
✅ fantastic chemistry and friendships between characters
✅ deep, nuanced world-building
✅ solid writing
✅ enemies to friends tropes
Artemisia is not your average MC. She is stoic, anxious, and tries to avoid people at all cost. There is quite a bit of emotional distance between her and everything that’s happening in the book because of her personality. As such, this book reads in a more detached manner than what I would normally choose. That being said, once I learned more of Artemisia’s backstory and why she is the way she is, I was emotionally hooked and ended up loving it.
Rogerson’s a wonderful writer. For a pretty dark, violent book, there were plenty of places where I laughed out loud while reading it. The conversations and dialogue between Artemisia and the revenant were some of my favorite parts of the book. Highlights include:
✨“Stupid? If there’s one thing I can always rely upon, it’s the reassuring dependability of human idiocy. Give your kind a century or so, and they’ll happily repeat the exact same mistakes that nearly wiped them all out a few generations before.” (p. 66 in the hardcover).
✨“Oh, pardon me, you’re a nun. Silly of me to suggest that you’ve ever imagined a single delightful experience in the entire span of your dull, miserable, hateful nun existence.” (p. 125)
The ending has unexpected twists and turns that I really did not see coming. I am very excited for the sequel, and can’t wait to see where Rogerson takes us next. Thank you so much to Simon Teen for providing me with a finished copy of this book.
✅ a fierce, believable, complicated heroine forced to battle both her inner and outer demons
✅ fantastic chemistry and friendships between characters
✅ deep, nuanced world-building
✅ solid writing
✅ enemies to friends tropes
Artemisia is not your average MC. She is stoic, anxious, and tries to avoid people at all cost. There is quite a bit of emotional distance between her and everything that’s happening in the book because of her personality. As such, this book reads in a more detached manner than what I would normally choose. That being said, once I learned more of Artemisia’s backstory and why she is the way she is, I was emotionally hooked and ended up loving it.
Rogerson’s a wonderful writer. For a pretty dark, violent book, there were plenty of places where I laughed out loud while reading it. The conversations and dialogue between Artemisia and the revenant were some of my favorite parts of the book. Highlights include:
✨“Stupid? If there’s one thing I can always rely upon, it’s the reassuring dependability of human idiocy. Give your kind a century or so, and they’ll happily repeat the exact same mistakes that nearly wiped them all out a few generations before.” (p. 66 in the hardcover).
✨“Oh, pardon me, you’re a nun. Silly of me to suggest that you’ve ever imagined a single delightful experience in the entire span of your dull, miserable, hateful nun existence.” (p. 125)
The ending has unexpected twists and turns that I really did not see coming. I am very excited for the sequel, and can’t wait to see where Rogerson takes us next. Thank you so much to Simon Teen for providing me with a finished copy of this book.
Great book! Finished it in a day. Pacing was perfect and kept me enthralled the whole time. Writing was enjoyable with some very beautiful prose sprinkled through out and the story had me engaged the whole time (even though I called the "bad guy" early on, there was a twist to it that I didn't see coming!) Also I truly loved the main characters and Rogerson does a wonderful job of fleshing them out. If you're looking for your next fantasy book, make sure to pick up a copy of Vespertine!