Sadly, this book wasn’t for me. I went into it with quite different expectations and dnf’d at 45%. I needed more romance and while I appreciated the feminism plot, it just didn’t draw me in.

Vespertine was one of the funniest, most interesting, and most richly detailed books I've read in a while. I absolutely hate reading incredible series when they're only partially done. How am I supposed to wait for the rest of this mystery to unravel? Satisfying, but not for long! Then, you just want more.

This YA fantasy was quite the breath of fresh air amongst a genre currently filled with all similar staples. Holy spirits, a stubborn introverted main female lead, absolutely zero romance and just a story solely about saving the day. I burned through this in a matter of hours. My favorite part of this was the growth of the relationship between Artemisia and the revenant to basically becoming stubborn best friends. They’re there for each other - they understand each other.

The plot was great, the pacing and the world building was so well done and easy to follow. There isn’t an over abundance of characters and each character shines just the right amount. I enjoyed this a lot more than I expected to in all honesty.

Vespertine was a unique read. It was slower than the fantasy books I’m usually into, but still interesting and fun. I especially loved the dynamic between the main character, Artemisia and the Revenant.
I liked the writing style, which is something that is very important to me when picking up a book. If the writing style is bad, I will not finish it. But Vespertine had good writing and it was a good story.
I’m excited for the sequel.

Another captivating novel from Margaret Rogerson! I absolutely adored this immersive, richly-imagined YA fantasy with medieval Venom vibes and fabulous banter. Also loved how this one had a spookier, darker vibe than her previous books. I'll definitely be reading the sequel!

I really liked this book! I’ve read Margaret Rogerson’s books before (Sorcery of Thorns is amazing!) so I had high expectations for this books, and I was not disappointed!

I loved the dialogue between the Revenant and Artemisia spoke to each other. This may sound odd, but it gave me Eddie/Venom from the Venom franchise vibes for some reason, which I liked. The one thing I really enjoyed though, was the lack of romance between them. A romance arc would have been weird to say the least and I glad the author respected that.

The word building and the writing, like Margaret Rogerson’s other books, were immersive and made me want to keep reading. I was interested the entire time and finished the book wanting more!

The only thing I wasn’t a fan of, was that I felt that the ending seemed a little rushed. Other than that though, I really don’t have any other criticisms. This was a great book and I would love to read more books set in this world!

Where I liked The Enchantment of Ravens and adored Sorcery of Thorns, Vespertine didn't fall as right with me. I liked it, but the middle part started to drag a bit and it also took a while to fully get into it as I was quite confused by what was going on.

Another stunning, captivating story from Margaret Rogerson.

Vespertine was just absolutely incredible, from start to finish. Rogerson cannot miss with her stellar writing and world building skills! She entrances you from the beginning, and has you hooked with every turn of the page - I’ve never, ever felt bored while reading her work. ⁣
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Pitched as Medieval Times Venom with some hints of Joan of Arc, this story is intriguing and enticing and a perfect spooky story. ⁣Rogerson's stories are always original, and never fail to deliver exactly what you're expecting.

*one of my top 15 reads of 2021*
This book was dark, relatively fast-paced, and everything I've come to expect from Margaret Rogerson's writing (including some excellent banter between Artemisia and the Revenant). I appreciated its nuanced approach to intersections of faith, politics, and personal identity in a fantasy setting, with the added wrinkle of a world filled with undead spirits; seeing a character who is at once a nun--part of a religious organization--and someone who was previously victimized by her society's excessively religious anti-demon attitude was a compelling dichotomy.

Even more than that, the book had multiple types of representation that were extremely meaningful for me. Artemisia's social anxiety was painfully relatable, and while hers was also linked with significant PTSD (which I cannot comment on the accuracy of), it was still wonderful to read a story where the main character isn't magically "cured" of this anxiety over the course of her journey.

But most important for me was the asexual representation. Though not explicitly stated in the book, Margaret Rogerson has confirmed in external posts that Artemisia is both aromantic and asexual, as is the Revenant, and Leander is on the ace spectrum as well. It is refreshing and validating to see a book where the main character does not have any romantic involvements *and* nobody makes a big deal about that fact.

As a final note, I read this book as part of a group read with TBR and Beyond Book Club, where I ran the discussion for it, and it was very popular with the group members as well! Of note, several of the members pointed out that they felt like Artemisia may have been on the Autism spectrum, and they (as people who were also autistic) felt very seen/represented from that angle.

*I included this book in a list on my blog of books I read in 2021 with asexual representation; that post has already garnered hundreds of views.

The mission of the Gray Sisters is to cleanse the bodies of the dead to prevent their souls from turning into terrifying spirits. Artemisia may not win any award for most friends at the convent where she trains to become such a sister, but she at least knows she's good at what she's learning. When her convent is unexpectedly attacked, she must defend her home using a saint's relic that holds one of the most powerful spirits. Thus begins a long journey of Artemisia trying to figure out who was behind that attack and those that follow, all while trying not to become possessed by the spirit she was never supposed to carry at her stage of training, a spirit that could betray her at any moment.

VESPERTINE has all the rich trademarks of a Margaret Rogerson fantasy: incredible world-building, a protagonist with a spine of steel, sharp dialogue full of banter, and gorgeous writing. In this story, Artemisia has experienced significant trauma, both in her past and through what she currently faces. Though she exists in a world with unique magic, her character arc is very grounded in a familiar reality for readers who have experienced their own traumas. She has guarded her heart closely and felt alone for so long that when potential friendships and bonds arise, she doesn't quite know how to recognize it. She can be stubborn and judgmental, but once she starts to realize initial impressions aren't always right, she opens up little by little, all in the middle of epic battles, a deadly mystery, and more.

While Rogerson's prior YA fantasies were standalones, VESPERTINE is the first in a series. Rogerson makes the transition from standalone to series seem effortless as one portion of the story is concluded but many mysteries remain for the sequel. Readers who enjoy the works of Holly Black, Robin LaFevers, and CJ Redwine are sure to find another favorite author in Margaret Rogerson.

Vespertine was a really unique and captivating read. The writing was on point, and I especially loved the fact that there wasn't a romance in the book.

Artemisia as a main character is a girl who has lived her entire life in the shadows. She doesn't try to stand out and is resigned to live her entire life in the convent, taking care of books. Things don't go as planned, however, when she gets tangled up with a Revenant, and is now sharing her body with it.

I absolutely loved Artemisia as a main character. While she was self-sacrificing, it didn't feel pathetic or worthless, but rather a great show of character on her part. She was selfless and kind, even when the world wasn't towards her. Artemisia's dynamics with the Revenant have got to be my favorite part of the book because they have such an easy going relationship together. They have to depend on each other to survive, while the Revenant is highly sarcastic and pretty rude. They both complimented each other well as Artemisia on the other hand is just wildly unhinged and doesn't really care about herself much to survive. I feel like they balanced each other out wonderfully.

This story is slow paced at first, while you get immersed in the world, but once you do it's hard to let go. There's a lot of religious imagery in terms of world-building, and it was really well done. I felt like I understood everything quickly.

This book also has what is a "found family" sort of trope, which was wonderful. Artemisia goes on a journey to grow and learn to trust others and others learn to understand her as well.

The plot itself flows nicely, as do all the Margaret Rogerson books I've read.

Finally, I really enjoyed the audiobook of this one. I read it both via ebook and audiobook, and I love what the narrator did with the Revenant's voice.

All in all, I'd say this is a book you shouldn't miss out on. It was really good, slow at first, but rewarding. Things wrapped up pretty nicely, but with the possibility of adding more, so I can't wait to see what else is coming from this series.

Vespertine by Margaret Rogerson is a book that I had extreme high hopes for. I mean, just look at that cover. If ever there was a book cover to make a siren call that I can immediately pick up on — it would be this one. I was SO excited to pick this book up. Once it came up in my reading plans, I was so, so eager. Turns out my instincts might have been a little off when it came to this book.

Rogerson’s Vespertine follows a nun named Artemesia. When her convent is under attack by malevolent spirits, Artemesia takes up a powerful relic and summons a revenant which is like the most powerful of all the spirits. From there, Artemesia leaves her convent as she’s captured by a confessor named Leander. Anyways, she escapes and it kind of is a race against time around this city called Bonsaint where Artemesia is trying to figure out what Leander is up to and suspects him of dabbling with Old Magic — which is the whole reason the dead don’t stay dead, also outlawed. Along the way, she learns that she actually does have the ability to make friends and learns it is okay to rely on the support of others.


I think where this book started to fall down for me is when I was comparing it to Grave Mercy. There’s nuns who fight and deal with death, also some French inspiration. Unlike Grave Mercy, there is no romance whatsoever. It felt like this book didn’t quite engage me. I had thought I would read this in two days and just zip right through it. Instead, I was reading all kinds of other things to avoid this book because I was bored. I actually read a very interesting long form article in GQ about Otto Warmbier instead of this book. I digress. So, I just felt like Vespertine was extremely slow paced and having read the other series mentioned, just not as good when I was making the inevitable comparison

This book was archived before I had a chance to read it unfortunately! I am super excited to read it once I can get my hands on a physical copy. ❤️

It took me a little bit to really get into this story but once I did I was hooked. I really enjoyed the journey this book takes you on from start to finish and the banter between the MC and the voice. This was something you don't see a lot in story-telling and I thought it was perfectly executed.

Vespertine by Margaret Rogerson follows Artemisia, a Gray Sister, who works preparing the deceased for burial. In her world, the dead not given burial rites rise as spirits bent on consuming the living. It’s a job that most nuns only spend a few years doing before being promoted, but Artemisia would like to stay in her role. It’s important work and it gives her reason to avoid people as they ask too many questions and are too taxing to be around.

However, something is changing. Her covenant is attacked by possessed soldiers and Artemisia must face that maybe she’s destined for more and not like everyone else. During the attack, Artemisia turns to a saint’s relic, which contains a bound malicious spirit known as a revenant. Only the revenant is much stronger than she anticipates and it possesses her almost causing her to lose herself, however, she prevails. Artemisia must become a vespertine, a high priestess who can wield a high relic; however, all vespertines have been lost to time and there’s no one to train her. In a moment of desperation, she and the revenant form a shaky truce to help stop the evil that’s spreading across the world.

Rogerson is known for her rich story-telling and while Vespertine deviates from her other books in feel, her storytelling ability remains the same. She creates another immersive and well-plotted story with amazing pacing from start to finish. Vespertine is rather dark and has a serious undertone, whereas a lot of new YA fantasy is written in a light-hearted tone with lots of character-driven banter. While this book is comped as Joan of Arc meets Venom, a good comparison in terms of feel, storytelling, and fantasy elements is Garth Nix’s Sabriel.

The revenant and Artemisia’s dynamic is the highlight of the book. Artemisia has struggled her whole life with forming connections with others but connects with the revenant almost instantly. Their precarious truce and relationship are often rife with mistrust that must be overcome to be successful and while they are in their very nature on opposite ends of the battlefields, they find that their agendas can both benefit from the others' help. Without cooperation neither can be successful. To reference Sabriel again, the revenant is very reminiscent of Mogget.

This book includes some representation of social anxiety, PTSD, as well as physical disability. It is mentioned throughout the book how Artemisia is very uncomfortable in social situations and prefers to surround herself with the dead instead. In addition to her anxiety, Artemisia was severely burned as a child, resulting in burns on her hands leaving them severely damaged and she struggles to use them. She also has PTSD resulting from the event in which she was burned. While these characteristics make it intimidating for her to form friendships, she does realize that she must rely on others and form bonds to be successful on her quest despite her discomfort. Artemisia’s character growth comes from her not only growing into her role as a vespertine but in her growth as a person and opening up to others, something that can be extremely intimidating for everyone.

Vespertine is a strong debut of a new series and one of our favorite reads of 2021!

A fellow librarian first recommended Margaret Rogerson's other books, and I loved the world building and writing style. This book was definitely darker, but the author explains that she wrote this during lockdown and the finished version is actually a little different. I'll definitely go back to check it out.
However, I really enjoyed this story. I thought the banter was dry and witty between the main character and the spirit, and the plot was just great overall. Looking forward to the sequel.

I recommend this one. It's a good book and everyone should read. Of course I would love to have this book in my bookstore.

A fantasy novel with my favorite kind of worldbuilding -- where you are set down in the middle of the characters' lives and gather the information you need from the story without unnecessary exposition. Rogerson does that so well and sets up a unique world around her main character, Artemisia, a young woman in training to become a Gray Sister, one of the nuns who prepare the bodies of the dead so their souls will pass on properly to the afterlife. When her convent is attacked by soldiers possessed by the dead, Artemisia accidentally awakens the spirit bound to an ancient saint's relic and gains its magical powers. Untrained in how to control such a spirit, now bound to her mind, Artemisia is vulnerable to possession herself -- but instead starts conversing with the spirit, eventually befriending it while on the run from priests and clergy who think her possessed. Artemisia and the revenant, as the spirit calls itself, are well developed characters and their conversations are a delight. Artemisia's social anxiety/agoraphobia/? is well portrayed without being explicitly described or used as cliche. As Artemisia learns more and more about the history of magic, spirits, and saints, readers will be excited to follow along with the smooth expansion of the world. The ending leaves me hoping for a sequel.

I recommend this. It's a new good book in this world to read. Vespertine should be read by everyone who needs a good fantasy read.

Vespertine was one of those books that I find hard to put down. The story changes in so many various ways, that it was hard to figure out from one chapter to the next. In one chapter, I thought I knew who the bad guys were, and in the next I flipped to thinking they were other people. There was no true situation in which I knew for sure who I was rooting for and who I wasn’t.

Characters
I loved the writing in this book. It was for sure a fantasy book, and had some really interesting characters. Artemisia was the Main Character, and we read the story through her eyes. At no point did I believe Artemisia was a bad guy, but she had some morally gray points, especially when she was training with the Revenant. She knew that some of what she was doing would be considered “bad” by many around her, but she also knew that in order to do what needed to be done, she was going to make some “bad” decisions. I couldn’t fault her for that.

World Building
I loved the world in Vespertine. I could really see the various settings, because Margaret did such a good job describing them. I traveled with Artemisia, and I fought with her as she trained to be a Vespertine. Her struggles were my struggles, and her victories were mine. This world that Margaret created allowed for all of this imagination, and I will always be grateful to her for that.

Writing
At no point in this book did I feel either overly intelligent, or overly stupid. Margaret’s use of language wasn’t flowerly, but it also didn’t feel stilted. I’ve read some books that used that flowery, descriptive language, but I’m glad Margaret didn’t, because it wouldn’t have fit with Artemisia’s personality. This book was in first person, so when an author is able to show the narrator’s personality through that type of writing, it’s a home-run for me!

Overall Opinion of Vespertine
I absolutely loved Vespertine. The story was amazing, the characters were fun and believable, and the settings were awesome. I had a hard time putting this book down, and had to remind myself to sleep and work. Luckily for me, reading is also part of my job, because otherwise I’d be in trouble.