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popthebutterfly 's review for:
Vespertine
by Margaret Rogerson
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Disclaimer: I received the e-arc and finished book from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book: Vespertine
Author: Margaret Rogerson
Book Series: Vespertine Book 1
Rating: 3/5
Recommended For...: young adult readers, fantasy, religion based
Genre: YA Fantasy
Publication Date: October 5, 2021
Publisher: Mcelderry Books
Pages: 387
Recommended Age: 15+ (Scars, Religion, Death, Plague, Possession, Gore, Violence, Animal Gore, Animal Death)
Explanation of CWs:
Synopsis: 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.
Review: The book was okay for the most part. I thought the character development was fairly well done and the plot was intriguing. The book had good writing for the most part and I loved the back and forth between the relic and Artemisia.
However, there were a lot of things I didn't like about the book. The world building was lacking in my opinion and I really wanted to know more about what the world looked like rather than just travel through it rapidly. I thought the book was really hard to get into. The book jumps into the story and doesn't do well at explaining the context or why certain things happen. The magic isn't explained at all. The book is fairly heavy handed on some religion and it's hard to know which one it's based on when there's little context clues. Lastly, the book reminded me a lot of Emily Duncan's Wicked Saints books and I really hated being reminded of that book. Overall, the book is bland. I say it time and time again that books where most of the plot is only told via the book blurb is not a good book and time and time again I prove myself right. When the author does more to explain the book on Goodreads via an update than the book does for 387 pages, that says, to me as a reader, that the book cannot hold its own.
Verdict: Not for me, but maybe for you
Book: Vespertine
Author: Margaret Rogerson
Book Series: Vespertine Book 1
Rating: 3/5
Recommended For...: young adult readers, fantasy, religion based
Genre: YA Fantasy
Publication Date: October 5, 2021
Publisher: Mcelderry Books
Pages: 387
Recommended Age: 15+ (Scars, Religion, Death, Plague, Possession, Gore, Violence, Animal Gore, Animal Death)
Explanation of CWs:
Synopsis: 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.
Review: The book was okay for the most part. I thought the character development was fairly well done and the plot was intriguing. The book had good writing for the most part and I loved the back and forth between the relic and Artemisia.
However, there were a lot of things I didn't like about the book. The world building was lacking in my opinion and I really wanted to know more about what the world looked like rather than just travel through it rapidly. I thought the book was really hard to get into. The book jumps into the story and doesn't do well at explaining the context or why certain things happen. The magic isn't explained at all. The book is fairly heavy handed on some religion and it's hard to know which one it's based on when there's little context clues. Lastly, the book reminded me a lot of Emily Duncan's Wicked Saints books and I really hated being reminded of that book. Overall, the book is bland. I say it time and time again that books where most of the plot is only told via the book blurb is not a good book and time and time again I prove myself right. When the author does more to explain the book on Goodreads via an update than the book does for 387 pages, that says, to me as a reader, that the book cannot hold its own.
Verdict: Not for me, but maybe for you