Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.1 AVERAGE
4.1 AVERAGE
I've seen this book be compared to Venom but in medieval times and I have to agree!
And while the concept for this book was cool, I am a bit iffy about how I want to review it.
I had such high hopes for Vespertine because I loved both of this author's previous works so much, but I think my expectations were just a bit too high.
The beginning was a bit rocky. You're thrown right into the middle of this world with little explanation as to what is going on. Of course, the more I read on, the more things made sense as things got explained. But I honestly did consider DNFing this one at the beginning because I didn't understand and didn't care.
I do think that if you've read and enjoyed Margaret Rogerson's previous books, you'll enjoy this one as the way the author writes and unfurls the plot is similar in style.
I liked the idea behind this book and I really loved the ending and how everything came together! I also loved how there was absolutely ZERO romance! It's something I've rarely found in YA fantasy books and it was refreshing to see!
Unfortunately, the main character was kinda annoying at times. She was constantly making random remarks about how she's not pretty enough for no real reason?? Idk but it was giving a lot of "not-like-other-girls" vibes.
Anyways, I think this is still worth the read but I just put too many expectations on it.
Rating: 3.5 stars
And while the concept for this book was cool, I am a bit iffy about how I want to review it.
I had such high hopes for Vespertine because I loved both of this author's previous works so much, but I think my expectations were just a bit too high.
The beginning was a bit rocky. You're thrown right into the middle of this world with little explanation as to what is going on. Of course, the more I read on, the more things made sense as things got explained. But I honestly did consider DNFing this one at the beginning because I didn't understand and didn't care.
I do think that if you've read and enjoyed Margaret Rogerson's previous books, you'll enjoy this one as the way the author writes and unfurls the plot is similar in style.
I liked the idea behind this book and I really loved the ending and how everything came together! I also loved how there was absolutely ZERO romance! It's something I've rarely found in YA fantasy books and it was refreshing to see!
Unfortunately, the main character was kinda annoying at times. She was constantly making random remarks about how she's not pretty enough for no real reason?? Idk but it was giving a lot of "not-like-other-girls" vibes.
Anyways, I think this is still worth the read but I just put too many expectations on it.
Rating: 3.5 stars
dark
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:
Yes
Did I know I needed a book that was basically Garth Nix's Sabriel meets Tom Hardy's Venom? No. No I did not. But boy howdy, once I started reading Vespertine it sure clicked quickly that THIS - this is the book I've been looking for in my life.
Do you ever read a book that's so good that when you try to talk about it words just... don't... word? That's my trying to talk about Vespertine. Look, it's just really really great. It's not spelled out and I haven't seen this confirmed anywhere, but I think Artemesia (the main character) is neurodivergent. She has trouble with eye contact, knowing what's "normal" conversation, a flat affect, touch aversion, sensitivity to visual over-stimulation, etc. Margaret Rogerson also confirmed she's ace (she meaning Artemesia, but also Margaret Rogerson is ace as well), and there's no romance in this one.
I really loved An Enchantment of Ravens, and I adore Vespertine, and it's incredible to me how the same author wrote two just different - but both spectacular - books. She does have some themes she seems to embrace across books (like ravens). I haven't read A Sorcery of Thorns yet (but you can bet it's on my list!!) so I can't speak to how it is in comparison to these two books - maybe it bridges the gap between them and makes a better picture of who Margaret Rogerson is as a writer. I'll have to find out!
I love the world building in this. The Orders of the Dead and concept of Old Magic reminded me a lot of Garth Nix's Abhorsen/Old Kingdom series, except hey, let's add combat nuns and a (kind of pushy) goddess to the mix! I absolutely adore Artemisia and would want to give her a hug if I didn't think she's absolutely hate it, haha. Her... relationship?... with the revenant is just so amazing and definitely the best part of this incredible book. It's 400 pages and I read the entire book in one sitting. At 11 pm I looked at the clock and said "oh gosh, I should get to bed soon, I have to work in the morning" and then suddenly it was almost 1 am and I only had 40 pages left so of course I had to finish it. Vespertine was definitely my favorite book of the year.
This is the first book in a duology, but it does have a self-contained plot that is resolved by the end. There is no cliff-hanger, and if you wanted to read it as a stand alone, you could. (But trust me, you're going to want the next book!)
From the author:
Trigger warnings
Self-harm, anxiety, disordered eating (minor), child neglect/abuse (past), trauma/PTSD (traumatic experiences in past). None of the abuse or trauma is sexual in nature. Very brief suicide mention in the epilogue, concerning a character from the past who never appears in the book.
A digital ARC of this book was provided by the publisher via Edelweiss+ for review. All opinions are unbiased and my own.
Like this review?
Check out more of my reviews on my blog, Elley the Book Otter
Do you ever read a book that's so good that when you try to talk about it words just... don't... word? That's my trying to talk about Vespertine. Look, it's just really really great. It's not spelled out and I haven't seen this confirmed anywhere, but I think Artemesia (the main character) is neurodivergent. She has trouble with eye contact, knowing what's "normal" conversation, a flat affect, touch aversion, sensitivity to visual over-stimulation, etc. Margaret Rogerson also confirmed she's ace (she meaning Artemesia, but also Margaret Rogerson is ace as well), and there's no romance in this one.
I really loved An Enchantment of Ravens, and I adore Vespertine, and it's incredible to me how the same author wrote two just different - but both spectacular - books. She does have some themes she seems to embrace across books (like ravens). I haven't read A Sorcery of Thorns yet (but you can bet it's on my list!!) so I can't speak to how it is in comparison to these two books - maybe it bridges the gap between them and makes a better picture of who Margaret Rogerson is as a writer. I'll have to find out!
I love the world building in this. The Orders of the Dead and concept of Old Magic reminded me a lot of Garth Nix's Abhorsen/Old Kingdom series, except hey, let's add combat nuns and a (kind of pushy) goddess to the mix! I absolutely adore Artemisia and would want to give her a hug if I didn't think she's absolutely hate it, haha. Her... relationship?... with the revenant is just so amazing and definitely the best part of this incredible book. It's 400 pages and I read the entire book in one sitting. At 11 pm I looked at the clock and said "oh gosh, I should get to bed soon, I have to work in the morning" and then suddenly it was almost 1 am and I only had 40 pages left so of course I had to finish it. Vespertine was definitely my favorite book of the year.
This is the first book in a duology, but it does have a self-contained plot that is resolved by the end. There is no cliff-hanger, and if you wanted to read it as a stand alone, you could. (But trust me, you're going to want the next book!)
From the author:
Trigger warnings
Self-harm, anxiety, disordered eating (minor), child neglect/abuse (past), trauma/PTSD (traumatic experiences in past). None of the abuse or trauma is sexual in nature. Very brief suicide mention in the epilogue, concerning a character from the past who never appears in the book.
A digital ARC of this book was provided by the publisher via Edelweiss+ for review. All opinions are unbiased and my own.
Like this review?
Check out more of my reviews on my blog, Elley the Book Otter
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
"They weren't bad people, just people who had been through too much."
⭐⭐⭐⭐
⭐⭐⭐⭐
It was good! I thought it was cool that the author made Artemisia (great name) autistic in a time when that wasn’t a thing.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Author describes it as “medieval Venom with nuns and ghosts” and I can think of no better way to describe this book. I enjoyed reading this so, so much. The character of Artemisia is compelling, and you find inter-woven through the story, snippets of why she is the way she is. But as strange as it sounds the Revenant is my favourite character from this book. He is so snarky and just tired of everyone’s shit. The way that both characters grow is believable in the narrative, so often with YA books growth happens all at once, in this it was in a believable timeframe. Their distrust of each other and their growing friendship is everything, the perfect blend of dislike, exasperation, defence of each other and near constant bickering was perfect to me.
The world building and magic system is intricate but understandable. Not everything is dumped on the reader at the beginning, but we get to learn through the book. The religion is a gigantic part of this book, we are in the world where saints aren’t just some dusty relics of a bygone era but living, and in the process of doing the deeds which elevated them to that status in the first place.
Video Review Here - https://youtu.be/4K3DIQTYKO0
The world building and magic system is intricate but understandable. Not everything is dumped on the reader at the beginning, but we get to learn through the book. The religion is a gigantic part of this book, we are in the world where saints aren’t just some dusty relics of a bygone era but living, and in the process of doing the deeds which elevated them to that status in the first place.
Video Review Here - https://youtu.be/4K3DIQTYKO0