Vespertine: The new TOP-TEN BESTSELLER from the New York Times bestselling author of Sorcery of Thorns and An Enchantment of Ravens

This book has something I have only ever ever seen before in Lois McMaster Bujold's 5 god's series harmonious mixing of magic and religion in an immersive and well paced fantasy. Fans of her work especially with Pen and Des will love this book. The main character is a really well described nuanced Female, she has had a very restricted life but she is not an ingénue and she has a really great story arc.

— 3.5 stars⭐️⭐️⭐️💫“Sometimes, if you want to save other people, you need to remember to save yourself first.”📖 | 368 pages👤 | author Margaret Rogerson🏢 | publisher Simon & Schuster Children’s, UK📅 | release date 5 October 2021What you can expect:— Young-Adult Paranormal Fantasy— Standalone— Third-Person POV— Singular-POV— Neurodivergent Rep— Spirit-Based Magic System— Undead Apocalypse— Platonic Relationships— Animal SidekickTrigger and content warnings include: disordered eating, abandonment, child abuse and neglect (past/recounted), self-harm for ritualistic purposes, trauma and PTSD, anxiety and panic attacks, blood depiction, loss of autonomy (possession), murder, scars, fire, animal death and abuse (mentioned), drugging.Vespertine is a Young-Adult Paranormal Fantasy standalone by author Margaret Rogerson. 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 twisted spirits with a ravenous hunger for the living. She’d rather deal with the dead than the living, who point and whisper about the odd girl who was once possessed by a violent spirit. When her convent is attacked by possessed soldiers, Artemisia fights back by awakening an ancient spirit bound to a high saint’s relic. It is a revenant, a malevolent being now whispering in her head. Wielding its extraordinary power almost consumes her in body and soul. But death has come to Loraille, and only a vespertine, a priestess trained to wield a high relic, has a chance of stopping it. Yet the age of vespertines has passed, their knowledge and training lost with time. As Artemisia investigates a mystery of saints, secrets, and dark magic, an ancient evil is stirring. Can an untrained girl, tormented by the burden of containing the revenant’s devouring power, have any hope of defeating it?Vespertine delivered on the atmospheric and whimsical writing that I have come to expect from Rogerson with a darker and more sinister twist. The in-depth writing at times left me feeling compelled yet confused as this book delivers on a well-divulged history and lore which had plenty of action and battle scenes written within this book. In honesty I often find myself to struggle to visualise these scenes in general however, I found this one to be a particular struggle at certain points. There was a lot going on during these scenes and I found myself feeling overwhelmed with the need to double back and reread to re-familiarise myself with the context of the story. The pacing was slow to begin with before finding its feet and taking us off on a whirlwind of dark magic, runes and dangerous adversaries. I found myself enraptured by the lore of the world, in particular its magical system and the hierarchy of spirits. Whilst I completely understand and having the upmost respect for the author's decision, I'm devastated to learn that this planned trilogy will remain as a standalone. There are several open-ended plot points which had clearly been intended to be explored and expanded in future instalments, so unfortunately I have been left with a sense of incompletion with the questions left unanswered. However in despite of this development, Vespertine is filled with an array of strong side-characters, animal companions and a sassy FMC which makes it another notable and strong addition from author Margaret Rogerson.I absolutely adored Artemisia as a main character. I immediately felt connected to her, almost as if she had been written directly for me, and I felt immense pride over her growth throughout the duration of the story. The world has been unkind to Artemisia since infancy, as she has very rarely known a kind hand. Cast out of the surrounding social circles for her "unusual" behaviour and how she portrays herself in general. Artemisia isn't known to have friendships, so I was particularly proud to watch her overcome this and begin to let people into her life. Vespertine contains no romance which is largely unfamiliar within a YA Fantasy, however I have heard that apparently it was to be confirmed that Artemisia is Aro-Ace which makes complete sense based on her characterises and behaviours within the story. The lack of romance was well-fitted within the plot and its main character, however I am a personal lover of romance as a source of joy during dark plots within books so my own expectations had to be adjusted. I was obsessed with The Revenant from its very first moment on page. There's nothing I enjoy more than an ancient creature who is essentially fed up of humanity and is used as a source of wit and humour. The tentative partnership between Artemisia and The Revenant was interesting to watch as their fragile allegiance could've went in either direction. I was soft for the moments that The Revenant clearly cared for Artemisia and her wellbeing, and I was thrilled to see them remain united by the end.To conclude, whilst Vespertine isn't my favourite book by Margaret Rogerson it still served as an enjoyable and compelling story. I had a lot of fun trying to anticipate all of the twists and turns that were flung our way, and I continue to look forward to reading more from this author.

This is a really interesting gothic tale of spirits, people and unlikely bonds.Artemisia is a fascinating and compelling autistic-coded character that despite various trials attempts to make the right decisions for the sake of others.Gothic fantasy is an underwritten genre and the worldbuilding in this novel based in it, favouring a pseudomedieval setting is intriguing.Easily a favourite consise read for the year and on any dark gloomy days where a comforting gothic read of characters facing adversity is welcome.

An enjoyable read. This is a very interesting character, world system framework. I am pleased it is a stand alone story, although it can easily extend to a series. Although the main character can do with a rest after her adventures.

Thank you to Net Galley and Simon & Schuster and of course Margaret Rogerson for a ARC of this book in exchange for an honest Review.This is my first Margaret Rogerson and wow did i love it !! I have had her others on my TBR for so long and not got around to then I certainly will be now !Brilliant story and I didn't want it to end can't wait for the next book. The relationship between Artemisia and The Revenant was fantastic. I am looking forward to where their relationship will go next.

Great book!!! Loved everything about this book The heroine is soo well developed and their is so much depth and character to our main heroine.

The title says it all. Margaret Rogerson has that ability to transport a reader into her world, with a well paced tale that is immersive and keeps the reader turning the pages. The fact there’s a sequel coming out should be no surprise, and one I'm looking forward to. Her ideas are unique, peppered with appropriate levels of humour. Roll on book 2.

I was pleasantly surprised, I downloaded the sample, started reading it a few weeks later, then I was hooked. Downloaded the book finished it in three or four days. Interesting and captivating it pulls you along like the great writers of old. I need more! First time in 30 plus years I've been pulled by a story. Congratulations 🎊

There were some people who had commented that the main character's sexuality wasn't very clear, but it is. She never comes out and says it, but how many people actually do? Especially people who are super awkward and don't even think about that sort of stuff? It's completely in character and doesn't ever come off as an excuse to help hide or censor identities in this book (saying so would be tantamount to blaming a person who is color blind for not being able to correctly identify certain colors when they literally could not tell the difference).Now that that's out of the way.This book is simply one of the best books I've read due to a combination of plot, world building, and character development/interaction. The plot didn't jump out at us from the very start, and while it wasn't the biggest shock in history, it was strong, solid, and something that our mc actually struggled with (it always was still very elegantly constructed, with enough misdirection to keep you doubting even if you were pretty certain of your own guess.The world building: it was great, it wasn't completely based off of our world, it had its own mechanics that were completely its own, it was explained well, in ways that didn't feel like giant info dumps but instead integral to our characters situation or thought processes. Overall, it was executed well, and introduced well.The characters: this first book, many of the characters are just getting to know each other. There's no rushed declarations of love, no ease in five chapters, there are only realistic reactions between people who despite their different backgrounds don't want to be lonely anymore, and want to be good friends (even sometimes in spite of moral alignment). It made for truly powerful scenes when characters finally came together.

Como todos los libros de Margaret Rogerson, Vespertine tiene una trama original y personajes con los que es fácil encariñarse. No tiene una subtrama romántica; se centra más en amistades.

Recensione non per il libro in sè, ma per come è arrivato. Ho acquistato il libro per "nuovo" e invece sembra più che di seconda mano. La sovraccopertina è strappata (come si vede in foto) in alto sulla costina, oltre ad essere sporca nel dietro e ad avere gli angoli piegati.

This is another great young adult fantasy book by Margaret Rogerson. I’ve long been a fan of Rogerson’s work. Especially Sorcery of Thorns has been a long-time favorite of mine.While this book differs from her previous works in some ways — no romance and a slower plot, for one thing — it still had what I can only describe as the same essence as her previous books. For me, they all have a quiet sort of magic that enthralls me each time and characters that I come to love and cherish.Highly recommended.