Vespertine
Books | Young Adult Fiction / Fantasy / Dark Fantasy
4
(346)
Margaret Rogerson
From the New York Times bestselling author of Sorcery of Thorns and An Enchantment of Ravens comes a thrilling new YA fantasy about a teen girl with mythic abilities who must defend her world against restless spirits of the dead. The dead of Loraille do not rest. Artemisia is training to be a Gray Sister, a nun who cleanses the bodies of the deceased so that their souls can pass on; otherwise, they will rise as spirits with a ravenous hunger for the living. She would rather deal with the dead than the living, who trade whispers about her scarred hands and troubled past. When her convent is attacked by possessed soldiers, Artemisia defends it by awakening an ancient spirit bound to a saint's relic. It is a revenant, a malevolent being that threatens to possess her the moment she drops her guard. Wielding its extraordinary power almost consumes her--but death has come to Loraille, and only a vespertine, a priestess trained to wield a high relic, has any chance of stopping it. With all knowledge of vespertines lost to time, Artemisia turns to the last remaining expert for help: the revenant itself. As she unravels a sinister mystery of saints, secrets, and dark magic, her bond with the revenant grows. And when a hidden evil begins to surface, she discovers that facing this enemy might require her to betray everything she has been taught to believe--if the revenant doesn't betray her first.
Fantasy
AD
Buy now:
More Details:
Author
Margaret Rogerson
Pages
400
Publisher
Simon and Schuster
Published Date
2021-10-05
ISBN
153447711X 9781534477117
Community ReviewsSee all
"I did like it but it was slow to get through for me. I liked the idea and parts of it but for some reason it just wasn't a page turner for me. "
Meagan Khatthaname
"Just a whole lot of fun to read, both action packed and dark and spooky at the same time,definitely worth a read for fantasy novel fans!"
Jonathan Kent
"I missed being a part of worlds shaped by Margaret much more than I expected. Her writing is exquisite and so fun to read. Her stories always pull me in and Vespertine was no different. I’m obsessed with all the characters including the ancient sassy spirit."
A C
Alyssa Czernek
"Well, I guess I'm getting better at figuring out what books I like. I even debated giving this four stars but I was like "but why? Why not five?" and literally couldn't think of anything. I loved this book so much and did not anticipate getting attached to the Revenant - but I will say the foreshadowing for the plot twist - very well done. I'm always torn between "do I want to not have any inkling then make the connections after" and "OMG I KNEW IT" and I think I like both equally. I do find it amusing that I was reading this at the same time as listening to Ninth House, there were some interesting similarities, although this was way more tame - due to being YA compared to Adult. Anyway, if you like any of this author's books PLEASE read this."
Jillian Selwyn
"From the moment I read an excerpt of this book I was hooked. I couldn’t wait to dive in and get more of a feel for the characters and while there are obvious religious tones (the main character is a nun after all) I absolutely enjoyed the world building and overall connections. This is the first book I’ve read by the author but it definitely won’t be the last. If you’re a fan of strong heroines (aware of their flaws) with no romantic interests, this is definitely a great read! "
Trinaty Williams
"I'm DNFing this at 52%, I do want to eventually pick this up when it calls to me but I was not able to get into it, it's not that it was bad I just didn't care about anything I was reading. <br/><br/>I will try again because I love the author's other works but right now I just can't get into this and I was more than halfway through."
Hailey Perez
"OK well this is now my FAVORITE Margaret Rogerson book!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Rook
"I liked the characters and world, but found the pacing very slow, story somewhat boring, and final chapters anticlimactic. I’d recommend it, but not as my first choice. (Side note, if you like this and want something similar or didn’t like it and want something better, try the His Fair Assassin series by Robin LaFevers! :))"
Olivia
"I chose this book as my second read of 2023 and found it to be interesting. I struggled to get into the book due to its slow pace, but I really enjoyed the world that was created. I liked the characters, but I did not enjoy the ending chapters. I felt as though the ending was anticlimactic, but would still recommend this read!"
A O
Abby Obermeyer
"This is the first Margaret Rogerson book I’ve read physically. I loved <i>An Enchantment of Ravens</i> and <i>Sorcery of Thorns</i> and their audiobooks respectively.<br/><br/>Despite being <i>very, very well written</i>, something didn’t click. I thought I was into <i>badass warrior nuns</i>, but I guess not. Not my cup of tea.<br/><br/>I think its the concept that initially threw me off. I wasn’t fully prepared for the world despite it being oddly familiar. I knew I wanted to read it, but maybe not as much as I imagined.<br/><br/>Charles is the best. He’s my favorite.<br/><br/>By the end, I was surprised by the number of twists. They weren’t the type of twists that can wrench you out of a story. They were pleasant.<br/><br/><b>Bottom line:</b> well written, but not for me.<br/><br/>And as my friends know, my favorite past time is seeing if I can recognize Charlie Bowater cover art in the fantasy section. Sooo seeing their art on a 4th MR book was an immediate win.<br/><br/>I can’t wait for the next MR book!!"
e
emma
Similar Books
4.2
3.8
4.4
4.3
4
3.7
4
4.3
4.2
4
4.3
4.2
3.7
3.6
4
3.6
3.7
4.1
3.5
4.1