🔔 New ARC REVIEW 🔔
5 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟

I have just finished reviewing Vespertine by @margaret_rogerson which due for release on 5th October (three weeks tomorrow).

This is the first book I have read in months that has fully engrossed me huge thanks to @netgalley and @simonkidsuk

The story follows Artemisia, a novice training to become a Nun with the Gray Sisters. Her role in the world is to assist those who have passed away rest in peace, not return as a spirit.

However due to a catastrophic turn of events that is set off away from her little cathedral of Naimes, she ends up becoming possessed with a revenant, on of five, they are the worst of the worst, the most feared of all of the spirits.

This book is an absolute delight. The MC is a heroine that is self deprecating and can't understand why people want to help or see something special in her. It's just a great book.

100% Must Read. Five star. Amazing.

Margaret Rogerson’s writing is always a delight to read and VESPERTINE is no different. The story is fascinating, the world-building deep and vivid without becoming beleaguered down in exposition and the protagonist Artemisia is a complicated, imperfect, delightful mess.

Vespertine was amazing!
I am super happy to have been given the opportunity to read the EARC from Simon Teen, Margaret Rogerson and Netgalley, thank you so so much.

First of all I absolutely loved the dynamic between Artemisia and the Revenant, who is the grumpy but intriging spirit who posesses Artemisia, their friendship (of sorts) made me laugh and also fall in love a bit with the Revenant. Although I will say THIS IS NOT A ROMANCE BOOK! There is absolutely no romance… only friendship and some bad spirits.

The whole gothic vibe in this book was brilliant, Rogerson’s world building was impressive and I am in awe of how the characters all seem to intertwine without any single side character taking the limelight away from another.

I have preordered the Fairyloot edition of this book and can't wait for more of Artemisia's story to be told!

After reading both of the authors previous standalone books I was excited to read Vespertine after learning this is to be a series.

The magic system was interesting and unique and the world building didn't feel rushed. The lack of romance made the book feel a little darker and to be honest, I enjoyed that aspect, it made me connect more to the characters. There was a slight lull in the middle of the book, but the action scenes, when they arrived more than made up for it, especially when we get to see Artemesia wielding The Revenants powers.

I look forward to reading the next installment with hopefully it has lots more snarky running commentary from The Revenant!

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for the chance to read Vespertine.

Thanks to Simon and Schuster UK and NetGalley for the Advance Review Copy in exchange for an honest review.

I greatly enjoyed Rogerson’s last book ‘Sorcery of Thorns’ so I was really excited to be accepted for an advance copy for Vespertine (SUCH a great title) and I know it’s a hotly anticipated release as well so I had high expectations all around.

This book follows the story of Artemisia, a young woman training to be a nun who looks after the dead to ensure that they can pass successfully onto the next world and won’t return twisted and evil. As someone who has more than a slight morbid/creepy facet to her personality, I was already hooked after the first couple of pages. The story starts in a graveyard! I got a bit of a Red Sister vibe at the very beginning, but the books aren’t similar at all. I’m just highlighting that to say that if you are into reading about badass nuns (and who isn’t?) then this is a book that you want to check out. What I like about Rogerson is that her female characters are always a little bit different, both in appearance and personality. It’s not the usual ‘Oh I am so beautiful and quirky but the only one who can’t see it is me, tee hee’ trope that is so often a feature of the YA genre. Her characters always have an aspect of themselves that presents some kind of challenge they need to try and come to terms with and they aren’t just framed as being a kind of perfect diamond in the rough so I appreciate that as I find reading about perfectly nubile battle babes a bit of a snore at times.

What I found really cool about this book, amongst various other things, was the spirit classification. To summarise very briefly - the way someone dies can have implications for how their spirit will return. If they have not had the proper rites undertaken for them, they will return as undead spirits. So for example there are spirits of people who have died by fire, spirits of people who have drowned, spirits of murdered clerics etc. The spirits also have different classifications as to the danger they pose to the living. I just found the imagination and creativity of it cool and I was just really into the whole concept of it from the very beginning. Linked to this I also really liked the Revenants and how these were described (wouldn’t some art of these be cool? Yes, yes it would) and how Artemisia’s Revenant interacts with her and its backstory (such as we saw of it). I suppose it sounds a little bit strange for Artemisia to form a relationship with a being that is possessing her, but I loved their rapport and the relationship that builds between them.

The setting I think was also portrayed effectively. I don’t know if it was intentional but to me, it felt like it had a French kind of feel to it, maybe because of some of the names of characters, places and some of the descriptions of the towns and cities and the buildings etc as well as the religious structure of it if you will. I got a bit of Joan of Arc vibes from Artemisia without it being cheesy as it’s certainly not how she sees herself but perhaps how others see her. In some sense she could be seen as a kind of saviour/Joan of Arc type figure but that doesn’t translate to her actual personality, she's not sanctimonious or preachy at all and I enjoyed her characterization.

I also really liked the whole plot device around the reliquaries. For anyone not familiar with reliquaries, they are usually rather ornate containers that are used to hold a relic of a saint. They often take the form of caskets, jewellery or little boxes etc, often highly decorated and it’s quite common to come across churches that contain holy relics in places like Paris or Rome. Some of them are very famous and people will travel from all over the world to see them. I suppose that also added to the French vibe I got from the novel as it resonated with some of the relics I have seen in churches in Paris such as Sainte-Chapelle and Notre Dame.

I also like there were a few twists and turns and red herrings in this book. There are certain things that the author sets up that don’t play out quite the way you think they will. The character of Leander for example initially seemed like he was going to be a Judge Claude Frollo type of guy but things didn’t play out the way I expected and his character isn’t one dimensional in the way it might have been in other books. Ditto also to the character of Marguerite. Rather than being the usual Mean Girl trope, there are hidden layers to who she is.
There isn’t any overt romance in this book, but I was certainly picking up some vibes between some of the characters. I’m really, REALLY hoping that this is going to be series and if it is then I would be excited to see what happens next with the characters but what also works with this book is that even if it isn’t going to be a series it still works well as a standalone.

It’s probably pretty obvious at this point that I really enjoyed this book. I’ve already purchased the Fairyloot special edition and am hoping and praying with every finger and toe crossed that there will be a sequel.

I absolutely loved Sorcery of Thorns - it was witty, had a fun concept and great characters. They both have the 'evil, powerful entity annoyed at being lumbered with the welfare of a stupid human'' trope that I love. So, if you enjoyed that, you'll love this too.

Artemisia is a trainee Gray Sister, a nun who cleanses the bodies of the dead to allow them to pass on and not become a spirit. The type of spirit and the risk it poses depends on how that person died. Some spirits are bound to relics & can be wielded by those strong enough. Artemisia awakens a revenant, an ancient & dangerous spirit, in order to protect her convent from possessed soldiers. I really enjoyed their relationship with its bantering & sniping (it's a little Venom-y). It allows you to get a clear idea of Artemisia's character & how it develops.

A creepy, spooky atmosphere & aesthetic without being proper horror plus great characters, setting and world building; I can't wait for more.

Thank you so much to Simon and Schuster UK and NetGalley for an e-copy of this book.

I had to sadly mark this book as DNF at 40%.

I am afraid this was not for me and it was absolutely nothing I had expected. I devoured An Enchantment of Ravens (I actually called in sick from work to finish that book), and loved Sorcery of Thorns, so I was quite confident I would love Rogerson’s new novel. It didn’t happen and it breaks my heart. This story is absolutely different from Rogerson’s previous works. It was too much about saints, religions, demon possessions and relics for my taste.

I am not sure how close this e-arc will be to the final version and perhaps will give it another go when the paperback is available. However, I couldn’t really get into the story. I found the world-building difficult to remember. Every now and then, you get the description of a different spirit or revenant and when it appears again later in the story I couldn’t remember its origins. With an e-arc it’s difficult to go back and review the story on a specific point, so I felt lost most of the time.

The main character Artemisia is supposed to be aro/ace, a socially awkward character but didn’t really feel like one, she lacks strong personality traits. I think the best part of the book was the banter between Artemisia and the Revenant.

The rest of the plot was quite slow, I thought nothing was actually happening and I didn’t feel invested with the character, or the story or the magic system. However, I can’t help but appreciate how Rogerson was able to reinvent herself with this story. As I said, it’s very different from her previous role, it doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing. It was simply not my kind of story.

Vespertine is Margaret Rogerson’s third YA fantasy. Having previously enjoyed her two standalones An Enchantment of Ravens and A Sorcery of Thorns, I was eagerly anticipating the release of Vespertine, which is the first novel in a new duology.

The novel is set in Loraille, a dark atmospheric world inspired by Medieval Europe where the dead do not rest. Artemisia is a novice training to become a Gray Sister, a nun who cleanses the bodies of the deceased to help their souls pass on. When her convent is attacked by possessed soldiers, Artemisia fights back by awakening an ancient spirit bound to a high saint’s relic.

As the vessel for this revenant Artemisia becomes a Vespertine, a priestess wielding its extraordinary power. Without any training, Artemisia struggles not to become overpowered by the revenant whispering in her mind. She must resist possession as she investigates a mystery of saints, secrets, dark magic and ancient evil.
My favourite part of the novel were the interactions and the changing relationship between Artemisia and the revenant. Artemisia was possessed by a spirit as a baby and kept locked up by her family until she was rescued by nuns. As a result, she is physically scarred and finds social interactions awkward. The revenant has been isolated since it was bound to the relic. They both influence each other’s perceptions of themselves and the world.

There is no romance in this fantasy, in contrast to Rogerson’s two previous novels. The focus is instead on the underlying plot, as well as on the symbiosis between Artemisia and the revenant. Personally, I liked this, as there wasn’t a place for romantic entanglements with the relationship between Artemisia and the revenant taking centre stage. I am looking forward to adding a physical copy of Vespertine to my bookshelves, and to re-reading the finished novel.

Thanks to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster UK Children’s for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I had previously read and loved Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson so I was super excited going into this. It did not disappoint!

Our main character Artemesia is a Gray Sister trainee, cleansing bodies of the dead to allow their souls to pass on peacefully, when her covenant is suddenly attacked. To defend herself she harnesses the power of a powerful ancient spirit (called a revenant) that has been bound to a saint's relic.

The atmosphere and world setting (middle ages, religious France vibes?) was brilliant from the very beginning and the fast paced narrative meant I flew through this! I loved the magic system with the ancient spirits and their respective lores. It reminded me of the Numina trilogy by Charlie N. Holmberg so I would definitely recommend this if you liked that.

I loved Artemesia and she underwent some great character development. In my opinion this also had some great anxiety and PTSD representation as well as ace/aro representation. Artemesia also has a physical disability that was very refreshing to see explored in YA.

My only minor criticism was the limited development of the side characters but other than that! Her relationship with the revenant was one of the highlights of the book and it just kept getting better and better! Very excited for where this series may go next.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an advanced reader's copy.

As a big fan of An Enchantment of Ravens and Sorcery of Thorns, I was very excited when I saw Margaret Rogerson was bringing out Vespertine this year and, while it’s terribly shallow, I have to admit the cover alone had me hooked – Rogerson always gets the best covers!

It can be risky to love an authors work and to then pick up another, your expectation is so high, however Vespertine was consistent, just like the authors previous work and was a delight to read. There are similarities with the previous work, beautiful cover aside, the protagonist is a young woman seeking freedom, she’s kind and blossoms on the page into a bold, brave woman and Artemisia is very easy to love and root for. This book is different in the sense that the previous books had quite a strong romantic element to it, which of course I loved because they were beautifully done, but Vespertine doesn’t have a dashing, complicated male character to be swooned over and actually, I loved it more for that because this book was Artemisia’s story to tell.

Artemisia is training to be a grey sister, a nun who cleanses the bodies of the dead so that their souls can move on and not endanger the living instead. There are various spirits, of people who have died in various ways, who can cause their own specific threats, and it’s a delightful addition to the world building to have these different categorisations of spirits wrecking havoc. When the convent is attacked by soldiers possessed and threatening the women in the church, Artemisia steps out from the shadows she chooses to hide in and awakens a revenant, a powerful and deadly spirit that has the power to destroy her foes but also destroy her in the process.

What I loved most about this book, and what made it such an enjoyable read, is the relationship between Artemisia and the revenant, who she can hear speaking to her, who can take over her body, who could overpower and possess her body. This revenant is a complex character, they can do terrible things and yet they are also a victim, wielded and trapped in an a relic for centuries, you come to care for this character and it’s vulnerability beneath the villainous banter. In many ways the revenant is the greatest companion Artemisia has ever had and vice versa and this unlikely friendship really is the heart of the book. There is also Artemisia’s growing acceptance of herself, her hands are scarred from a childhood fire, she feels weird and unlikeable, and then she becomes a Saint and she can no longer hide from the eyes of people.

This isn’t an overly complicated book, it doesn’t go to a variety of locations, there aren’t endless characters introduced (but enough on both counts to keep it interesting) and while the pacing may be a little off at times, the constant dynamic between the 2 main characters doesn’t make one page feel unnecessary.

Thank you so much NetGalley for the early review copy, I am a very happy reader

Vespertine is a unique and interesting concept. Artemisia is a socially awkward 17 year old, training as a grey nun and happy to hide away dealing with the souls of corpses. However, the convent is attacked and Artemisia is forced to take on the Revenant in order to try and save the Sisters from the evil spirits that are threatening her world. Unable to exorcise the Revenant, Artemisia is forced to go on the run and try to control the powerful spirit that possesses her whilst battling the Clerisy.

Artemisia is a great character. She bears the physical, phycological and emotional scars from her abused childhood, but for me it was the Revenant that really stole the show! It's a sarcastic, funny character and its 'conversations' with Artemisia had me laughing throughout.

At times, I found the world building a bit confusing but not so it detracted from the narrative. The plot was paced well and I found it refreshing to read a book with no romance for MC. This is the first Rogerson book I've read and I will be seeking out the others after this one.

Thanks to NetGalley for an e-arc of this wonderful book.

The story is very well written with an interesting premise, but I just couldn't engage into it for some reason. I tend to enjoy books with a lot of excitement which was lacking for me in Vespertine. However, I can definitely see why others really enjoyed this book. The one aspect of the story that I did love was the revenant's commentary!

After previously reading another of Margaret Rodgersons books I was excited to pick up Vespertine!

The plot of this book is addicting! It’s fast paced and keeps you on your toes, the mystery of what’s going on keeps unfolding and it wasn’t easy to predict like some books can be.

This book shows the struggles of visible disability, something I feel is often avoided in books but it was good to see representation. Artemisia having had her hands burned as a child, left her with limited movement and visible scaring, meaning she was subjected to isolation from her peers and was unable to perform tasks others could.

I loved that there was no romance in this book even though there were plenty of opportunity for this to happen. It was quite refreshing.

Artemisia and the revenants relationship is my favourite part of this book, it’s brilliant. I loved the back and forth between them and the sass and sarcasm that the revenant has. I loved seeing how the two developed together, learning of each others needs and learning to trust each other along the way.

I would absolutely recommend this to anyone who wants a fast paced read with a dark, gothic atmosphere.
I can’t wait for another book in this series!

Artemisia is a trainee nun who's childhood trauma has left her pretty socially inept. After she accidentally unleashes a powerful spirit that inhabits her body, she must learn to survive and battle and old evil threatening her land.

The world building in the book is phenomenal, with complex characters that continually surprised me. Some parts of the plot dragged a little and made the book feel overlong, but overall I would still recommend that people pick it up!

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This is my 3rd obok by Rogerson and it might be my favourite one so far. It’s quite smart and very dumny, entertaining and engaging. I will be picking up the sequel.

I have never read anything by Margaret Rogerson before but was drawn to this by the cover and the synopsis and I really loved it. The novel takes place in a world where the normal passage between life and a peaceful death has been broken and the country of Loraille is plagued by undead spirits (who are ranked according to the method of their death) who try to possess the living. Artemesia is a young girl who can sense spirits and so is a nun in training to become one of those who settles the spirits so that they pass on peacefully. Her world is shattered by an attack on her convent and her only help is a powerful spirit who has its own agenda. The character of Artemisia and the world she inhabits are brilliantly described and the whole world system works together so well. The novel has a dark, gothic feel (I got the feeling that the sun never shines) which really appealed to me.
I loved the character of Artemesia and her relationships with the other characters. The fact that she couldn’t relate to any of her fellow nuns and the definitely argumentative relationship with the revenant are all brilliant and believable. The growth of the relationships through the novel made it a real pleasure to read.
A big thanks to Net Galley and the publishers, Simon and Schuster for letting me have an advance copy in return for my honest review.

Please take in mind it’s my opinion, and everyone is allowed to have one.

How to say in a few words how much I liked this book? This book was so great, I dived right into it. The story was well written and the plot? DAMN! Each chapter something happened but it all did make sense.

I liked the characters, they were so unique and interesting. I want to see more of them.

I was kindly gifted this eARC in return for a honest, review. Thank you so much.

Margaret is literally the gift that keeps on giving! I adored Sorcery of Thorns and I absolutely adored Vespertine. The writing is brilliant, I could not put this book down for the life of me. The revenant is my fave, although I know he shouldn't be, but that's okay. I just liked the way he helped Artemisia, and I liked the control she had over him. I loved watching her grow! I think everything Margaret does is an instant buy from me if I'm totally honest.

'Vespertine’ is the third young adult fantasy book by Margaret Rogerson, author of ‘An Enchantment of Ravens’ and ‘Sorcery of Thorns‘. Unlike her previous works, ‘Vespertine’ is the start of an intended series – although it works as a standalone, telling a complete and intriguing story. Chronicling the life of a nun who can see spirits, parts are reminiscent of stories like ‘The Raven Boys’ and ‘Ninth House‘, but overall ‘Vespertine’ is a unique and compelling tale set in a creative world with huge potential for the rest of the series.

In Loraille, the dead do not rest, rising as vengeful spirits with an insatiable hunger for the living. Those who can see spirits are bound to become nuns – cleansing the bodies of the deceased so that their spirits can pass on – or soldiers, protecting the masses from the undead threat. Artemisia is training to become a Grey Sister – but when her convent is attacked by possessed soliders, she finds herself awakening an ancient spirit to protect it. The spirit threatens to possess her the moment she drops her guard – but with an unknown threat controlling Loraille’s dead, working with the spirit and becoming a Vespertine might be her only change to save Loraille. As Artemisia travels across Loraille, she and the spirit start to reach an understanding. But the more Artemisia learns – and the closer they become – the more she’s forced to question everything she’s been taught, including whether she’s on the right side.

The worldbuilding is one of the best parts of the book. Loraille is run by a religious order worshipping the Lady and her chosen Saints – seven women who defeated the Revenants, the strongest of the undead spirits, and bound spirits to their will. The Saints are all long dead, but their power lives on in relics – objects containing a bound spirit, allowing its power to be harnessed. Rogerson avoids info-dumping, yet the story is never confusing – the worldbuilding is woven seamlessly into the narrative, with enough revealed to allow understanding yet plenty kept in the dark to maintain a sense of intrigue. Loraille feels European in inspiration, with the Clerisy sharing aspects with the Catholic Church, but there are enough differences to feel fresh. The system of dead spirits and their differing powers is also well crafted – simple in concept, thus easy to understand, but executed with impeccable atmosphere. The overall effect is a spooky book, dark in places, with a perfect combination of mystery and exposition.

Artemisia is a solid main character, but the best part about her is the contrast between her personality and that of the spirit she binds herself to. Artemisia is a survivor. Possessed by a vengeful spirit as a baby, she was rescued by the nuns – but only after her entire family died in mysterious circumstances, leaving Artemisia physically scarred and the rest of her community blaming her for their deaths. As a result, Artemisia is feared and avoided, with few friends and little knowledge of how to interact with others. She’s prickly and stubborn, with a reckless disregard for her own safety – but she’s also caring and loyal, as much as she tries to hide it. The spirit is the first companion Artemisia has ever really had – and whilst neither of them trust the other, the way their relationship grows, driven by mutual loneliness, is incredible to read. Its amazing how Artemisia’s view of herself finally starts to change as the spirit points out how differently she regards herself and others.

Unusually for a young adult fantasy, there’s no romance in this book. There are several characters who, in other books, might have developed into love interests, but Rogerson chooses to instead focus entirely on the underlying plot and Artemisia’s growth and development as an individual. Personally, I loved this – its nice seeing a story with the confidence to stand alone without relying on a romantic subplot to add interest, and it never feels necessary. If you’re not a fan of romance, this is definitely the book for you.

Rogerson has mentioned that there will be a few edits to the pose and flow in the final version that haven’t appeared in the advanced copy. As it stands, ‘Vespertine’ is an excellent read but one that doesn’t quite have the magic of ‘Sorcery of Thorns’. Its hard to pin down exactly what is missing – but its possible that with edits that magic will be captured again so I’m excited to read the final version when it publishes.

Overall, ‘Vespertine’ is an intriguing tale about ghosts, survival, and secrets set in a compelling alternative medieval Europe. Recommended for fans of creative young adult and adult fantasy, books without romance, and exceptional character growth.

Brilliant. Awesome. Loved it! I am so glad I received an ARC of this book.

It was my first time reading anything by Rogerson but I can safely say it will not be the last! Vespertine gripped me from the very beginning and had me laughing throughout. I love a certain sassy relationship and kind of wish there was more to read.

I am hoping there is a book that will return to this world, it was so good!