While I enjoyed Margaret Rogerson's Sorcery of Thorns, I adored Vespertine. Artemisia is a nun-in-training whose job is to purify dead bodies so they don't come back as evil spirits. But when the convent is attacked by possessed soldiers, she is forced to bind herself to a revenant spirit and use its power to defeat them. Cue further adventures and the discovery of dark magic that only a vespertine can hope to defeat.

I'm not sure if my favourite part of the story is Artemisia or the Revenant. Artemisia struggles with anxiety and doesn't know how to interact with people. She constantly feels awkward when she has to talk to others, and can I ever relate. But she's also got an iron will, and does what she needs to so she can save others. The Revenant is a feisty, sarcastic character in its own right, angry at its captivity. The two form an uneasy alliance (since they're stuck with each other, and all), and their banter is glorious.

There is no romance in this book, and I appreciated that. Not every story needs a romance. I read on social media that Artemisia is aromantic and asexual, but this wasn't obvious from the narrative. Apparently, editors cut lines that made that explicit. Since I read an advanced copy, I sincerely hope that they put those lines back in for the finished book. How often do we get an aroace main character? I love this representation and I want it to be explicit. (Apparently the other main characters aren't straight either? Also not made clear in the narrative, which I hope it adjusted in the final copy.)

Due to being possessed by a spirit as a child, Artemisia’s hands are severely scarred, and she often struggles to tie or grip things properly. She also has severe PTSD. I so appreciated the disability representation; it felt real, it wasn't forced, and—most importantly—it wasn't cured. Artemisia learns to manage her conditions, which is a much more authentic way to feature disabilities in a story.

October is a perfect time to release this dark story about ghosts, the undead, and a spine-tingling magic system. Easily one of my favourite reads from this year.

Verspertine was my second book from Margaret Rogerson and the second book I enjoyed! Filled with dark magic, ancient relics and possession, this book was a perfect story for the season, and one I’m excited to continue on with!

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Artemisia is training to be a Grey Sister, a nun who cleanses the bodies of the deceased so that their souls can pass on. If the bodies are not cleansed, they will rise as spirits with a ravenous hunger for the living.

When her convent is attacked by possessed soldiers, Artemisia defends it by awakening an ancient spirit bound to a saint’s relic. This revenant now resides within her own body and they end up having to work together to save the people from extremely dangerous magic and possession. Only a Vespertine, a priestess trained to wield a high relic, has any chance of stopping it. Artemisia must learn of this old magic that has been lost to time, and when word gets out that a Vespertine has come to help, some are filled with hope, while others hope to destroy her.

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The Magic system is quite detailed and moderately complex which made it a bit hard to follow at times but that being said, I still thought it was great. There are different orders of spirits, old magic, relics, revenants and possession, the highest power being a Vespertine who can wield a 5th order relic.

The main character, Artemisia, is kind of a loner, preferring the company of the dead over the living. She’s a bit awkward, a bit strange, and really just wants to keep to herself. When
she all of a sudden finds herself in a desperate situation, her true character comes forth and I must say, I found her quite refreshing from the usual strong willed and stubborn main female characters in a lot of YA fantasy these days. The banter between her and the revenant was quite humorous and entertaining, and I found myself laughing out loud in certain situations! Artemisia also has a quick wit and sarcasm I was totally drawn too 😄.

I had such a good time reading this! Artemisia and the revenant ended up being a great team and I really enjoyed following this plot as they saved everyone time after time. It was also so refreshing to not have any romance in this book - it wouldn't have worked with the plot and would have greatly taken away from the character development of Artemisia and the revenant. They were too busy kicking ass and uncovering dark secrets for there to be room for a love interest!

Margaret Rogerson mentions on Goodreads that ARC readers should be aware of changes that will be made in the final version to address word repetition and "prose that reads suspiciously as though it was written by a depressed AI struggling to imitate human behavior" - but I totally didn't find this to be the case! The only parts that felt not human were some thoughts of the revenant, but I think that was the whole point? It was a spirit and shouldn't think like a human! Not sure if that is what she was referring to, but I didn't catch other parts of the book that felt off, so I guess that means final version readers will get even more magical writing!

This fantasy world was super cool, with an interesting hierarchy developed among those who could see spirits, and then those who were more powerfully equipped to deal with them. The types of spirits were fascinating and the magic system felt fresh and unique.

Artemisia was a great MC - she was so brave and selfless, with the perfect amounts of self-doubt and hesitancy to balance out the situation she unexpectedly found herself in. As awesome as she was, I found myself liking the revenant even more! What can I say, I love me a sassy being who pretends not to care about others but is truly a mother hen with an overprotective side. At one point it mockingly says that Artemisia must be popular at nun parties, and that honestly sums up the understanding in their relationship so well...

There are also great supporting characters who are present just enough to get to know them a bit (and one that gets a lot of page time due to being the antagonist), while also leaving the spotlight on Artemisia and the revenant. They were all really well written and it was difficult to dislike even the villains (mostly). There were a few that I wanted to know so much more backstory about (like Mother Dolours and Captain Enguerrand - I seriously love him). I would love to see more of these characters in the sequel!

The plot was pretty solid overall, with great action scenes, plenty of arguing between Artemisia and the revenant, and enough secrets to keep you guessing about what would happen next. There was a big twist at 80% that was definitely hinted at, but even after it happened I was still like "Is it a double twist?" and didn't trust it until some very ~definitive things~ happened shortly after. Even though there were some scenes that felt out of place and choppy, I really enjoyed how engaging this story was and had a great time reading it!

I was provided a free copy of Vespertine by Simon & Schuster Canada and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Vespertine follows Artemisia, a nun-in-training with the Sight, allowing her to see the restless spirits all around. When her convent is attacked by possessed soldiers, Artemisia desperately summons a revenant, a dangerous and powerful spirit, to help her defend her home; the only problem? Artemisia is untrained has no idea how to expel the revenant from her mind and back into the reliec where it has been imprisoned for centuries. As more dead rise and Artemisia is thrust into the middle of the conflict, she and the revenant have no choice but to trust one another to have any hope of surviving.

I had previously read Margaret Rogerson's prior standalone novel, A Sorcery of Thorns, and I'm pleased to report that Vespertine avoided many of the pitfalls of its predecessor. While I found Sorcery of Thorns' protagonist to be bland and lacking in complexity, Vespertine's Artemisia was multi-faceted and went through an engaging personal journey wherein she learned to overcome her trauma and trust those around her. Overall, I enjoyed Vespertine leaps and bounds more than Sorcery of Thorns, and commend Rogerson on the evolution of her writing.

Artemisia's characterization was a huge highlight in Vespertine, and while her evolving relationships with those around her were all engaging, my absolute favourite was her relationship with the revenant with whom she shared a body. After a rocky start featuring threats of possession and destruction, Artemisia and the revenant soon form a close friendship and partnership. After initially threatening her with possession, the revenant promptly realizes Artemisia's self-preservation skills are lacking as a result of her early trauma, and steps in to help her. When she skips meals and fails to rest out of a genuine inability to gauge her own needs, the revenant promises to remind her when she needs to slow down and take care of herself; when Artemisia has a panic attack and is unable to communicate what's wrong, the revenant briefly takes over her body to explain the situation and get her the help she needs. Later in the novel, upon realizing the revenant carries his own past traumas and betrayals, Artemisia is able to help him in turn.

I also want to give a shout-out to Vespertine's rich fantasy world. I can easily imagine any number of stories completely unrelated to Artemisia taking place in Vespertine's Loraille, whether in the oft-mentioned country's history or after Artemisia's time has passed.

While I loved the character development in Vespertine, the story left something to be desired. In particular, I really wish the pacing had been faster; it felt like the book spent a lot of time with Artemisia waiting around for something to happen, and not enough time on action. Additionally, I felt that the third act twist was a bit predictable, and wished the "true" villain might have been explored more deeply. Finally, it seemed like a lot of the word count towards the end of was spent on sequel set-up, and while I'm thrilled that Vespertine is getting a sequel, I do wish a bit more time could have been spent on wrapping up the plot of Vespertine less abruptly.

Overall, Vespertine was an enjoyable read with great character development, and I look forward to seeing where Rogerson takes them in the series' next installation.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Shuster Canada for the e-ARC.

I went into this book wanting to love it, but unfortunately I really didn’t, and it was a struggle for me to finish. I loved the authors last book so much, and the writing in this book was also great, but I just couldn’t get into it. There was no romance, which some people might appreciate, but I prefer to have in my books. I also found that I just didn’t connect with the world that the author was building at all. I feel overall that this was a good book, but not one that was meant for me. I would probably only recommend it to readers who expressed an interest in similar titles.

I pushed off reading this for so long. I liked An Enchantment of Ravens and loved Sorcery of Thorns even more, so I was equal parts ecstatic and nervous to read this because my expectations were so high. I was expecting Rogerson to yet again step up to the plate and knock it out of the park, and she didn't disappoint. She left me wanting more, but in the best way possible. This was sensational, and here is why I thought so.


Writing:

I have no complaints about the writing aside from some very minor details. The story was the slightest bit slow on the uptake, but it picks up speed really quick and the pacing is fine from then on. The only other small issue I found was the use of italics. I thought it was a smart idea to use them in order to distinguish the thoughts of the revenant compared to the rest of the characters, but it was inconsistent at times. I will not fault the book for that though as I expect that it will be fixed for the final version.


Plot:

I generally don't like books with a focus on religion, and to some extent, there were some aspects that were still iffy for me, but when it comes to Rogerson, not even that could stop me from liking this book. The religious elements worked really well to create an interesting story and elevate it as this was a lot more complex than your typical supernatural/paranormal story.

As I said before, the plot was a bit slow on the uptake even though you start the book right away with the catalyst for the main character's journey. While I would have liked the exposition to be in the first chapter, we do end up getting it really early on which I appreciated. That is more of a personal opinion though as I like for my books to give me an info dump right in the beginning for context. And, even though the introduction was slow, the set-up for our main character to meet was well-done.

From then on, I really don't have to say as I breezed through this book in one sitting. I think that says enough though as Rogerson was able to keep me entirely engrossed in the book from beginning all the way to the end. As for the ending though, I found that it did end rather quickly without much of a conflict, but I wasn't left unsatisfied though which was good. My only quip with the ending is that it was rather abrupt and I would have liked for it to be just a bit longer so that the reader can know what the next step in the journey is.


World-Building:

One thing you cannot deny when it comes to Rogerson is that she knows how to create a world. Being able to craft a whole new world that is complex enough to carry the story without being overwhelming is hard, and this is especially so when it comes to a standalone. Rogerson manages to find the perfect spot in between by creating a world that is rich in both history and potential. Steeped in religion and history, those aspects do most of the heavy lifting with just enough fantasy elements added into the mix to satisfy any fantasy reader.

The hierarchal system that was used to classify the different types of spirits was a good way to separate and introduce the main creatures in the world. I appreciate how Rogerson took an extra step in making the world more complex by not classifying all spirits as simply just vengeful ghosts. Each classification is different as a result of the way in which they died, which is fascinating. As a side note, there is a list included at the end of the book which is very helpful and I would definitely award bonus points for that. Books that include an appendix of information that is crucial for understanding the world are very much so appreciated by the reader.

A key aspect of this world is the use of relics as a form of weapon. Relics are objects that are closely related to that of a saint and mainly come in the form of a part of their body. In this world, relics are imbued with the presence of spirits and the wielder, if they are strong enough, can call upon its abilities. I thought that this was a rather innovative and unique way to connect the religious and historical aspects of the world to the fantasy ones. The idea of having objects imbued with either magical abilities or forces is not a new one, but it made for an interesting story nonetheless.

There were some elements of the world that I wished were more prominent as they were intriguing. For example, the Raven King was mentioned in passing as he was an important historical figure, albeit not a good one, so I would have liked for him to have a more prominent role in the story. I also would have liked to know more about the other revenants as they are only mentioned in passing as well. I would 100% be down to reading a compendium of the different spirits and historical figures, or a history of them.


Characters:

This may seem like a weird detail to fixate on, but I am going to start by saying that Artemesia was well named. For some context, both Artemesia I and II of Caria (I am unsure which one is being referred to) were depicted as being both brave and clever women, and as such I find her namesake to be fitting as Artemesia didn't shy away from danger. She was entirely aware of her own character and was rather bold when she needed to be. What I also liked about her was that she had severe scar tissue on her hands. In the realm of YA fantasy, most main female characters are depicted as being perfect, so it is nice to see a character with some form of physical disfigurement.

Then we have the revenant, who was an absolute joy to read about. They gave me very strong Loki vibes, and it worked perfectly not only as they helped lift your spirits with their sassy banter, but their dynamic with Artemesia was interesting to read about too. As a spirit that no longer inhabits a body, the revenant had no gender which was another interesting aspect of their character as I haven't read any books that feature a gender-neutral character.

Aside from Artemesia and the revenant, none of the characters fell flat. Marguerite, Charles, and Jean all pulled their own weight as supporting characters, and the villains also kept the story interesting as well.

There was no romance, which is a first for Rogerson but I can't say whether or not I am disappointed. If you don't like romance in your fantasy novels then this would work for you. I think this goes to show that you don't always need romance as the connection between Artemesia and the revenant is more than enough, especially when I got the banter between them which I love in a romance anyway.


Concluding Thoughts:

If anything, reading this has only confirmed that I would read anything Rogerson puts out. She excels in all aspects of this novel, from the plot to the world-building and the characters. If you enjoyed her last novels, then you most likely won't be disappointed by this one as well. If you are looking for something with similar vibes, I would suggest maybe Jujutsu Kaisen. The dynamic between Artemesia and the revenant reminded me of Itadori and Sukuna.

Vespertine is about a girl who experienced severe emotional trauma and abuse from a young age teaming up with an ancient spirit with the power to possess her in order to prevent a ghostly uprising.
The main character Artemisia was possessed as an infant, leading to her lash out violently. Her parents assumed she was beyond hope and isolated her because of her challenges. As a result, she never learned to socialize in ways expected in society and finds understanding the behavior of other difficult. I like how the book treats her as her own individual rather than treating her differences as something that must be overcome.
I really loved this book, Artemisia experiences the world in a truly unique way, which helps Vespertine stand out in the sea of cookie cutter YA fantasy.

I received an advanced copy of this book for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you so much to Simon teen and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this e-arc!
Let me preface by saying that anyone who knows me knows that Sorcery of Thorns and An Enchantment of Ravens are two of my all time favourite stand-alones, so I had no doubts that this book would be an instant love for me, but was hesitant when I found out that there was no romance in the story (I do love me some romance).
When I picked up the book, though, this became a non-issue. I didn’t miss the romance because I felt so fulfilled by many of the other elements. I would have to say one of my favourite aspects of the book was the witty banter, and many times I found myself actually laughing out loud, which is a very rare experience for me while reading.
I loved the little bit of found family that was developing in the last bit of the book, and how we actually saw character development happening with our protagonist.
I loved the setting and the magic system, and felt that there was just the right amount of world building where it didn’t feel overly complicated and I didn’t feel bored reading about it- clearly, since I consumed this book within 24hrs.
I was also pleasantly surprised when I found out that there will be more books! I felt the ending left me satisfied but excited for her next adventure!

Thank you so much Simon & Schuster Canada and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this E-ARC.

I can confirm that Rogerson is an auto-buy author for me. I can't help but read everything she publishes, and Vespertine is no exception.

Vespertine was a solid fantasy read for me.

The book contained a cast of strong characters. The plot that kept me hooked until the very end.

I loved the interactions between the M/C and the Revenant. Their back and forth banter was delightful to read.

Vespertine was such a unique twist on the idea of nuns and ghosts. I felt Rogerson nailed the gloomy atmosphere that surrounded her world.

My only critique is that I hope the final version includes a glossary. A lot of the church terms went above my head. I felt like a glossary could help to brighten the reading experience.

Overall, I will be on the lookout for book two. I'm excited to see how this series will further unfold in the future.

I love everything by this author! Vespertine did not disappoint me at all. The author drew me in right from the start and kept me interested throughout. I love the imperfect heroine as well as the references to the Catholic church and its ritual. This is one novel I will definitely reread. It is so good, I needed to get a physical copy for myself.

Wow, wow, wow! I've loved all of Margaret Rogerson's other books, and this one was no exception. In fact, I think Vespertine is my favourite yet. The pacing was fantastic and I never got bored or felt like I was counting the pages. The main character was perfectly balanced between being likeable while still being flawed and realistic, making it effortless to become invested in her story. The book had a lot of great humour with sobering moments sprinkled throughout to really pull at your heart strings. The first thing I did when I finished the book was look up whether there would be a sequel, and I was so excited and relieved to see that this will be a duology. I can't wait to see how this story unfolds and I will be anxiously awaiting the day that I can dive back into Artemisia's world again.

This is a fun start to a new fantasy series about a young introverted nun who gets pushed out of her comfort zone and must take down an unknown force.

Since the age of ten, Artemisia has been a Gray Sister, tending to dead bodies lest they become corrupted and a danger to the living. Artemisia understands the dead, the living, not so much. When it’s time for her class of nuns to be tested to determine their futures, Artemisia plans to fail in order to remain at the convent and continue looking after the dead and avoid human interaction. However, when the convent suddenly comes under attack, Artemisia becomes half-possessed by an ancient revenant and is now sharing her headspace with the snarky spirit. Together, they must unravel a mystery involving saints, nuns, Old Magic, and deception.

I’ve read and loved Margaret Rogerson’s past novels, so I thought this would be no different. While I enjoyed this, I didn’t love it as much as the previous two standalone books; it was still a solid read.

There’s the right amount of atmospheric writing with a couple of heart-pounding action scenes. I took off 1.5 stars because the narration was a tad slow and aimless at times (I read somewhere that the author started another round of editing after e-galleys became available, so the final copy might be less rambling). Overall, I felt that the author introduced the world in easily digestible amounts.

The revenant and Artemisia are the dynamic duo I didn’t know I needed. Their endless banter had me chuckling more than a few times.

I am excited for the sequel.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

Thank you to Margaret K. McElderry Books for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book was so unique, it captured my attention from the start. It starts off with action and it's dark and eerie. I pictured it set in a gloomy French country village. There is something so magical about Rogerson's writing. It is so enchanting. I absolutely fell in love with An Enchantment of Ravens because of this.
This book focuses on a nun named Artemisia who is a nobody, she doesn't have friends or a family. The religion in this world is so fleshed out as well as the descriptions which I loved! Artemisia's only friend who is kind of a grey character is a revenant, who she isn't sure she can trust. They have great banter throughout the book. I loved how human and awkward Artemisia was. It was refreshing. Artemisia goes from being a nobody to people believing she is a Saint and she hates the attention 😂 there is hints of romance and Artemisia also develops friends which were so sweet.

Vespertine is not only my favorite Margaret Rogerson book I've read so far but It's also one of my favorite reads of the year.

The world-building and atmosphere is absolutely incredible. I think this is a perfect spooky fall read just because of the vibes this book gives off. I enjoyed the way Rogerson created the different classes of spirits and how dangerous they were. It made for fun action scenes and made me want to know more about the revenants and the spirits and how they are misunderstood. Here's to hoping we get to learn more about them in the sequel.

My favorite aspect of Vespertine has to be the strange but endearing relationship between the Revenant and Artemisia. I loved how this relationship was developed. It sort of sneaks up on you and as the book went on I became very attached to the Revenant? I'm not even sure how it happened, but suddenly they were my sweet slightly evil spirit who I wanted to protect at all costs. I found myself laughing out loud and smiling because I loved the dynamic between Artemisia and the Revenant so much. There is no romance in this book so if you're looking forward to that, I would be aware that this is quite different from the heavy romance content in Margaret Rogerson's other books. That being said, this did not hinder my reading experience at all. If anything, the relationship between the Revenant and Artemisia made up for any craving of romance I had.

I really enjoyed the anxiety and PTSD rep. It's wonderful to read about a character who feels the same way about being in crowds or talking to strangers as I do and I think that just made me relate and love the book even more. It's not often that the main character in a fantasy novel has social anxiety but I thought it was handled really well in this book.

This was an action-packed, thrilling and eerie read and I can't wait to learn more about this world and the characters! I am truly obsessed.

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon Schuster Canada for this review copy.

I was so excited for this book, I loved Rogersons books in the past and the magic and worlds she created. But this book was not for me. I made 40% in and couldnt finish it. I kept trying to continue it hoping it would pick up. We get some back story in the beginning but the next 20-30 percent is Artemisia going place to place not doing much and arguing with the Revenant in her head. Then revenant isnt the evil character I expected. I was bored waiting for something to happen (we get a couple cool very short fights) The writing just feels bland.

Thank you Simon & Schuster Canada and NetGalley for an eARC of ‘Vespertine’!

So. Having read both of Margaret Rogerson’s previous books—and enjoying both too—‘Vespertine’ just proves that this author keeps developing her craft and strengthening her storytelling. I loved this book!

Artemisia is such a complex, heavily layered character—and not always perfectly or even easily relatable, but consequently so human, so real, so believable and utterly compelling. I would even argue that her imperfections are what make her relationships with the rest of the cast so significant and essential to her own character development as well as key plot developments. In fact, I might further argue that not a one of the core cast are cardboard cookie cutter shapes just taking up space on the page—every single one (and I can think of at least 10 off the top of my head) contains layers and is further formed and developed by personal histories and past and current choices made as we learn throughout the course of the story.

And as much as I am all for character-driven plot lines, I have to say that there are some incredibly stellar action moments in this book too: like hold your breath and cheer moments. 😊

That said, the one mini-critique I have is the distinctly recognizable patterns/tropes that may or may not be staples of all her books so far—meaning (in my humble opinion) that she is risking predictability in her writing. The particularly obvious one (again, to me) and WARNING! SPOILER ALERT! is the super-powerful-but-amoral-sidekick-essential-to-defeating-the-big-bad-but-only-through-self-sacrifice bit. Not that I object to this trope? But I very much saw a reiteration of Silas in the Revenant. (Though maybe I am being overly judgmental? Because I still honestly adore both of these characters regardless of—or maybe even due to—their similarities.)

All together though? Easily a 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 read for me! And crossing my fingers for more—though I never can tell with her endings… 😉

Thank you so much to Simon & Schuster Canada for providing me a copy in exchange for a review.
Please be warned this review contains mild spoilers for this book.

Margaret Rogerson has done it again! From a magical painter, an orphan with a special relationgship with books to a priestess who fights against the dead with her own secret weapon, which just happens to be a sassy spirit.

Vespertine starts with our main character Artemisia working with the gray sisters to purify the deceased to make sure their spirits are put to rest. When an unexpected attack on her covenant leaves her with no other options, Artemisia finds herself accepting the help of one of the most dangerous spirits to save her covenant and Loraille.

To say I was already excited for this book is the understatement of the century. I had loved Margaret's past two standalones and thought I was prepared for this book. I was not expecting the darker story of Artemisia nor the overall vibe the book gives off. Compared to Margaret's past two books, this was quite the change but I believe it was done perfectly. I love seeing authors try new things in their writing and I truly believe that Vespertine will shine on its own because of this.

The main character Artemisia was unlike other characters I've read about. She constantly pushes herself to do the wrong thing, and has very real feelings about the people around her. Being possessed for the second time in her life doesn't help her. I wouldn't quite describe Artemisia as a morally gray character, just someone who's lost and trying to pick between two wrong things.

Don't even get me started on the Revenant. I love how the Revenant has no assigned gender ( no spirits do after they've passed which is so cool ) but the reader can instantly draw dark and mysterious vibes from this character. One of my favorite parts of this novel included the Revenant's character arc - witnessing this chaotic, selfish spirit become friends with Artemisia was extremely powerful. Both are considered outcasts in their own groups but are able to overcome their differences to work together.

The only part I struggled with reading this novel was the terminology. There are lots of new terms I needed to look up and learn to further my reading experience, but this was 100% a personal thing. Even if I couldn't quite narrow down the definition of the term, I was still able to keep reading. I also didn't know until I finished the book, but there is an entire terminology guide at the back of the novel.


Overall, this book was a wild ride from start to finish. I am so incredibly thankful to have an early glimpse into Margaret Rogerson's new world and I cannot wait for it to hit shelves.

I was pretty close to rounding up on this one but I'll admit that, just around the time of the big climax and showdown, I sorta lost the plot. But so much of this was so good.

I'll admit I definitely expected to like this considering how much I enjoyed Sorcery of Thorns. I definitely saw some shades of that same brilliance in this book, too, and particularly enjoyed this offering's snarky otherworldly companion -- having not read the author's debut I can't say for sure this is a trend in all her books but two out of three is definitely worth noting!

I enjoyed so much of this world with its restless dead, this character with her rather horrible backstory and subsequent current-day struggles, and one minor-ish secondary character, too, who had not a single line of dialogue but totally stole my heart.

I'll admit I did see one twist (if you could call it that) coming along the way, so that wasn't a surprise, but one or two things post-reveal definitely were. Again, I don't quite know where things went wrong for me but.. something didn't quite work near the end which explains why I can't round up. That said, I was super pleased that not only does this seem to be yet another fantasy standalone but this one has no romance.. and does not suffer at all for it.

While this won't end up a favourite, I still had a really good time with it. And having seen a post on GR indicating she's made a lot of revisions since the ARC, I may even give this a reread in a few months and see if that can push this up a few points. Either way, though, Rogerson is definitely an author I will continue to pick up and, very likely, enjoy.

3.5 stars

I was first intrigued because I adore Margaret Rogerson's writing, and I enjoyed her previous standalones, but even MORESO, I saw her describe 'Vespertine' as "medieval Venom starring a nun and a ghost".

This definitely has Venom vibes, and reminds me a lot of video games I've played before, including Dark Souls and Bloodborne, while also reminiscent of Joan of Arc. It's such a fantastic autumn read, and I highly recommend reading this closer towards Halloween! It's dark and spooky, and has all of the ancient crypt, dim candlelight, midnight mist vibes. And further, it tackles the ideas of fate, divinity and faith, while we also witness Artemisia - and others - face their trauma.

For something within the realm of 400 pages, it was an incredibly fast read. I was sucked into the story right away, and I found the pacing to be good. I was able to get through this rather quickly because of this. I loved the banter between Artemisia and the revenant, and the dynamic they share. I really enjoyed watching Artemisia grow in her relationships with others as well.

The only downfall, in my opinion, is the lack of representation and the somewhat anticlimactic ending. There was a lot of buildup to a huge human-spirit-revenant fight that I was incredibly hyped up for, so I was expecting something different from what we received, though I did still enjoy it.

While the story itself is self-contained enough as a standalone, I'm intrigued about future installments! I would love to see more of Artemisia and the revenant.

Another fascinating tale from Margaret Rogerson. Vespertine is the story of a young nun with a haunted past, who develops a connection with an ancient revenant. A powerful being that has been locked away in an artifact. The Revenant and Artemisia are both interesting characters with many layers that you discover as the story evolves. Well I enjoyed the book I was a little sad there was no romance. I’m looking forward to the next book to see how these two characters continue to evolve.