Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by solxtos
Vespertine by Margaret Rogerson
5.0
Loved it! I'll admit, the way the book started out with all the self-deprecation and lines about how dark and brooding Artemisia is kinda threw me off but Vespertine was just such a fun read. The power system is such a cool concept with the spirits and the religious aspect of it all. I loved the division of spirits based off of cause of death (ashgrim really is such a cool name), and the revenant lore. I enjoyed Artemesia as a main character and loved how she isn't dominated by her past experiences, having depth unrelated to her ashgrim possession. She references to it a lot, but not the point where you're sick of hearing about it. The plot progression felt natural and the plot twists were satisfying but alluded to (which contributed to the satisfying part of it. plot twists that feel out of the blue and insufficiently alluded to aren't very fun). But above all, I fucking love the revenant.
How is it that the genocidal specter that has killed thousands (millions?) out of bloodlust over the course of hundreds of years is the best character in the book? It goes from talking about how easily it could level entire cities to getting excited about getting its (her?) hair braided and wanting to try on cute hats. Seeing the revenant happy over the tiniest things was so fucking adorable.
It being a compassionate entity was equally unexpected and interesting, especially the depth of its empathy. It physically couldn't bring itself to make a tiny cut in Artemesia's forearm for the rite just because it didn't want to cause her pain, that is so cute it is so cute. It empathized with Artemesia's past and her little quirks, accommodating her fears and making sure she's not in any physical or mental discomfort. It reminded her when to eat, when to sleep and helped her navigate her fear of crowds and people. I Love It.
It's just a voice in the main character's head and somehow it has more depth and charm than any other character in the book. I had a few problems with the plot itself but b/c I like the revenant so much, they didn't really affect my reading experience.
How is it that the genocidal specter that has killed thousands (millions?) out of bloodlust over the course of hundreds of years is the best character in the book? It goes from talking about how easily it could level entire cities to getting excited about getting its (her?) hair braided and wanting to try on cute hats. Seeing the revenant happy over the tiniest things was so fucking adorable.
It being a compassionate entity was equally unexpected and interesting, especially the depth of its empathy. It physically couldn't bring itself to make a tiny cut in Artemesia's forearm for the rite just because it didn't want to cause her pain, that is so cute it is so cute. It empathized with Artemesia's past and her little quirks, accommodating her fears and making sure she's not in any physical or mental discomfort. It reminded her when to eat, when to sleep and helped her navigate her fear of crowds and people. I Love It.
It's just a voice in the main character's head and somehow it has more depth and charm than any other character in the book. I had a few problems with the plot itself but b/c I like the revenant so much, they didn't really affect my reading experience.