Thank you to Simon and Schuster for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I really enjoyed this authors second book and was expecting to enjoy this one but in the end it just wasn’t for me. It’s not a bad book at all so please take my review with a grain of salt. I think it is well written the characters are interesting I really enjoyed the banter between the main character and the reverent. The plot was good although I do think the world building was a little too big for this book. Overall I think it was a good book it literally just wasn’t for me. The whole Gothic religion vibe is just not some thing I am typically into and this book was no different.

TW: Trauma as a child, possession (spirit), violence, murder, battles & betrayal

I adore books by Margaret Rogerson; she always gives me a great world-building but surprised me this time with a complex ( and realistically flawed) faith built world. Nuns, priests and the world haunted by the dead.
I saw a strong comparison between surviving a traumatic event when young and affecting life after as you grow. Whether this was the writer's intention or not, I invested a lot into wanting to see Artemisia get help or find moments to get better.

I enjoyed the ending and would highly recommend the book!
My only note is that a few too many slow parts and then too many fast features felt rushed or dragged out, but overall great!

As someone with the Sight, Artemisia works in a convent in order to cleanse the souls of the dead so they do not become spirits that roam the earth, intent on harming the living. When her convent is attacked, she defends it to

The revenant was such an interesting character to encounter. I enjoyed its perspective and sarcastic asides, and the relationship that builds between the two of them was so impactful. There were moments during this book that I had to put down my ereader so I could let them sink in a bit.

There is a lot of powerful messages about caring for yourself, and putting yourself in someone else's shoes (or body, as is the case with the revenant). Though this is a fantasy novel, I was left reflecting a lot about how I treat myself and my body.

Margaret Rogerson has a knack for creating characters and worlds that are so vast for a standalone book. There is a lot packed into these pages, and it is a spooky and delightful treat. The perfect read for the night of Halloween, though I'd recommend this any day.

Thank you netgalley and publisher for the arc.

Right away I knew I was going to like this one; I am a bit of a Margaret Rogerson fangirl.

A few things I want to just get out of the way:

-The cover is gorgeous! Im ashamed to admit I would have read this book based one that alone
-I love the name Artemisia (our MC)

Okay. Vespertine is a good book. I really enjoyed my read through. Did I like it as much as Sorcery of Thorns? Hmm, maybe not quite that much. But this really did keep the same characerizatoin, plot pacing and setting that had me hooked in her previous workds.

I have to admit, the whole Gray Sister thing made me think of the The Book of the Ancestor series by Mark Lawrence. For anyone else wondering if it's the same- trust me, it's not. Vespertine goes in a different direction, and it's a very enjoyable one.

A big bonus for Verspertine goes to the lack of romance. There seems to be a trend with YA books where there always needs to be romance of some sort. It gets old.

4.2/5

This book was another fantastic outing by Margaret Rogerson. Of course the world was so fascinating and I wanted to learn more about it, spend more time in it! And this time, we will because it is a series, yeah! And these characters and their stories, they were fresh and I enjoyed the journey it took them on!

It was so fascinating to learn about this world, of the remnants and of the saints, and of the nuns who work to prevent the dead from rising. It was so intriguing, and watching Aremisia learn what she honestly wanted to stay away from. And that was great, because the best ones to have power are the ones who don't want it.

When we learned about her revenant's, well, title, because he doesn't have a name, I had a suspicion. And when that part of the story played out, I was very keen to see if I was right or not, because the implications of that reveal were so very interesting! Plus it's always nice to be right!

Once that ending got going, boy, was it like domino's falling into place. Loved the action, loved how everything that they'd learned to that point came together, and loved how it all turned out! There's hope for the future, but there's also threats to be faced, and I can't wait!

I really enjoyed reading this book, and I'm so excited it's a series, because that means that we get to spend more time in this world and I can't wait for more!

TW: Self-harm, anxiety, disordered eating (minor), PTSD

This is the first book I’ve read by Margaret Rogerson, and I quite enjoyed it! The story had a lot of action and kept me interested. I also liked Artemisia’s character a lot, and rooted for her from the beginning. The worldbuilding did need some work because I had a lot of questions left unanswered. At times, it felt like the book needed some more editing to realize its full potential – but maybe that’s because I had an ARC. Regardless, I still enjoyed reading this book so I’m giving it 3/5 stars.

I wanted to love this book, the banter between the two main characters was great. But I just couldn't get into it.

I DNF on page 187, with 200 pages to go it just hadn't caught my attention enough. (It took like a month to read even that sadly)

I may revisit it at another date, I am in a reading slump that I feel effected my enjoyment and ability to get into the book.

I felt the overall mood of the book was good, it was definitely a great release for Halloween season! The main character is compelling as well.

This book wasn’t quite what I was expecting. As a whole it’s both very different and very similar to her previous works. The subject matter is not the fairy/fables of old but yet it still reads similar in tone. This book is full of ghosts and religion, of intrigue and plot twists, and a character that you cheer for even though she doesn’t seem to like herself very much. I cannot wait for the next book in the series to see what will happen next but yet it does end on a very satisfying note.

CW: As described by the author on Goodreads “self-harm, anxiety, disordered eating (minor), child neglect/abuse (past), trauma/PTSD (traumatic experiences in the past)”.

Artemisia is a novice in an order of nuns whose main responsibility is to prepare the bodies after death so their spirits do not rise to torment the living. Due to being possessed as a child - and the horrible way she was treated as a result - Artemisia tends to scare people, so she doesn’t have any friends. When an army of possessed soldiers attack her convent, intent on destroying the relic that imprisons a powerful revenant, Artemisia finds herself sharing her body with the revenant as they struggle to survive and find the person responsible for the recent uptick in spirit activity.

▪ I love a good unlikely hero and untrustworthy ally match-up. Artemisia wants nothing more than to stay in the convent and prepare the bodies for burial, but circumstances keep forcing her to the forefront of the action. The revenant possessing her is grumpy, snarky, yet wonderfully nuanced. Their partnership is wonderful.

▪ Great world-building that doesn’t get in the way of the story. Fantasy novels can easily get bogged down by descriptions, history, and exposition, slowing down the story, but I found the way all this is handled in Vespertine absolutely perfect. The reader gets all the information they need, and the story moves along at a good pace.

▪ Neurodivergent heroine. I admit I am interpreting Artemisia as neurodivergent when that may not be what the author intended. However, the way she behaves and thinks is delightfully different from the average YA heroine. I just loved the way she thinks and I felt very seen by her social anxiety.

▪ Two minor characters have the same name. This may have been changed by the time the finished book hits the shelves, but I real a lot into two of the characters having the masculine and feminine version of the same name. It ended up having no significance whatsoever and I am still a bit confused by that.

This is a fantastic YA fantasy novel. I am glad to see this may be the first in a series, because I would gladly spend more time with Artemisia and her allies. This is one of my favourite books of 2021.

This book was fine. Quite simply fine in my opinion. I've really enjoyed Rogerson's books in the past, but this felt like a recycled version of Sorcery of Thorns. The Order of Spirits felt like a substitution for the Orders of Books and Demons in SoT, there's always a surprisingly young man in a position of great power and importance who is misunderstood, and in this one in particular a spirit who has had no contact with humans for most of it's existence uses modern dialect? With no explanation? It could be mimicking the human, but it feels unnatural and takes away from the immersion.

The plot dragged through most of it. With the content, it could have been made dark and atmospheric, but instead it reads as dry and dull, overly descriptive but not in a good way. There were good points, but I'd still rate this a low 3 stars.

Onto the good. I did enjoy the different levels of spirits and their dangers, as well as the back story of what happened to the protagonist when she was possessed. Learning about the shed, and how she shuts down her body's emotional and physical needs because she had to in order to survive, was heart-wrenching.

It is a very slow paced book in my opinion, but if you like that then this could be good. I see what it was going for, but the writing style was just not what I wanted given my previous experience with Rogerson's books giving so much wonder and whimsy and magic. I think this is the last of their books I will be giving a chance.

The writing style in this book is very good, however ultimately I decided to DNF it because the concept was not my cup of tea.

This book was an absolute joy and delight to read. I had so much fun following Artemisia’s story. The characters were well developed and well written, and the setting was beautifully flushed out. The twist at the end was absolutely amazing! One of my very favourite books this year.

While I did find this book pretty repetitive and the prose felt off at times, I saw that the author had made a note online that ARCs were released before the book was going to get heavily edited.

I’m still giving this 4 stars because I can see that I’ll probably love the finalized version of this cool story.

I look forward to rereading this in its finished form.

Thank you Simon and Schuster Canada for sending me an eARC via netgalley for an honest review.
4/5 stars
This was a really good book! I liked the premise, the characters, and the plot.
Artemisia only wants to become a Gray Sister and tend to the bodies of the dead, but when her convent is attacked by possessed soldiers she accidentally releases a revenant. The revenant and Artemisia must work together to discover the truth behind an evil plot, and to save themselves all while the threat of the revenant possessing Artemisia and destroying humanity is hanging over them.
Artemisia was an amazing character. I liked the ways that the author showed her mental and physical scars, and how they may have hindered her in some ways, they strengthened her in others. Artemisia’s growth throughout the book was good, and I liked seeing her build relationships with the people around her. I also adored her relationship with the revenant. The revenant was one of my favourite parts of this book, and seeing the connection and relationship between Artemisia and the revenant grow and change was amazing.
I felt like the plot moved along at a really good pace. There was lots of action, but there were also lots of quiet moments of discovery. The writing style was easy to follow, and I thought the author did a good job with the worldbuilding and the different kinds of spirits. Things were explained when they were necessary, so I didn’t really feel like there were any big info dumps, but I also felt like I had a good understanding of everything.
If you’re looking for a different kind of ghost story with characters who aren’t sure how to work together, I’d suggest picking up Vespertine.

This was my first ever read by Margaret Rogerson, and I had high hopes after all the great things I have heard about her past novels.

It is a solid story with a lot of potential. It did take me longer to read as I did have to take breaks. I am a huge baby and the subject matter had me on edge.

I think a lot of people will really love this story. I tried to step out of my comfort zone and I believe this is completely its not you its me situation.

I will say tho, this book does touch on very heavy subjects and I wouldnt recommend for the weak of heart.
Content Warnings: abandonment, child neglect / abuse in past, possession (the mc uses self-harm in the past + threats of suicide to get spirits to leave her body - both very brief mentions), brief mention of animal abuse, mention of animal deaths, blood depictions, vomiting, drugging, anxiety depictions, talk of plagues, loss of a loved one in the past, mention of spiders, talk of suicide, death, and please note this is a book about sharing a body with an ancient spirit.

This was my first Margaret Rogerson book. I had heard a lot of really good things about her other books so I was excited to start this one and I think it was perfect for the Halloween season. Artemisia has the sight and is training at a convent to cleanse the bodies of the deceased so their spirits can pass on. Otherwise they return as malevolent spirits seeking to possess the living. I liked how there was a whole hierarchy of spirits based on how they passed away. When Artemisia's convent is stormed by a horde of spirits, she ends up bonding with a relic of the highest order spirit, called the revenant, in an attempt to hold them off. She soon learns there is a more sinister plot at work, and with the revenant's help has to uncover the truth and save the city.

I really liked Artemisia. She is a very introverted character and I liked to see that. Her relationship with the revenant and their inner dialogue was the best part of the book. It has a very snarky personality that offset Artmesisa's more subdued demeanour perfectly.

I wouldn't say that the book was slow because there was a lot of action, but there were some parts I found it harder to concentrate and understand all of the world building. I think this may have been my own fault though because I was reading it later at night.

There is no romance, which is somewhat uncommon in these stories so if that's something you'd prefer definitely pick this one up. Personally, I prefer romance in my stories to really keep me engaged. If there is no romance, then the plot has to be super interesting. This is the main reason I didn't give it a five star rating. But I do feel like some romance might have been getting set up for the next book (I think there is a next book?). This one definitely had a full story and could have been a standalone, but there was some setup in the epilogue that makes me think there will be a sequel. I definitely enjoyed it enough to be interested in reading the sequel, and would recommend this book to YA fantasy lovers.

Artemisia is training to be Grey sister, an order of holy women who protect the kingdom from the spirits of the dead. Though she is surrounded by Sisters and fellow novices, Artemisia feels forever alone due to the terrible scars on her hands, and the fact that she was possessed by a spirit as a child. When her convent is attacked, Artemisia rushes to search for Sister Evangeline who possesses a holy relic containing a fifth order spirit. But she arrives too late, and a dying Sister Evangeline passes on the care of the relic, and its inhabitant, to Artemisia. Artemisia wields the relic and the spirit within to save her home, with disastrous results. The spirit, a powerful one called a Revenant, is now bound to her. Artemisia is taken to the city by cleric Leander, who fears the possessed nun. On the way to the city Artemisia witnesses firsthand the danger the people are in from the dead, and together she works with the Revenant to protect them.

I have been a fan of Margaret Rogerson’s since I read her debut An Enchantment of Ravens. Vespertine is the best book by this author yet.

Vespertine is a tale about a nun who walks that thin line between religious hero and heretic. As it involves a possession of sorts, a large part of what's happening is a dialogue between warring personalities, which I absolutely lived for.

The difference between good and evil often isn't as obvious as we think, and I loved all of the ways that this book explored that idea. If you'd like a comparison, I would go with a mix of Prosper's Demon and Joan of Arc. It was mysterious and magical and heartbreaking, and I have some interesting thoughts coming out of it that I cannot wait to share with anyone else who reads Vespertine. It may not be Margaret Rogerson's usual love story, but it's a beautiful quest full of self-discovery and empathy that hit home in a much more powerful way.

While it took me a while to get into the story, once I did, I was hooked and needed to keep reading to see the relationship develop between the revenant and Artemisia. I would have liked to have seen more action but recognize the world building going on in this book. I’ll be curious to see where the author takes the story in sequels.

While I enjoyed Margaret Rogerson's Sorcery of Thorns, I adored Vespertine. Artemisia is a nun-in-training whose job is to purify dead bodies so they don't come back as evil spirits. But when the convent is attacked by possessed soldiers, she is forced to bind herself to a revenant spirit and use its power to defeat them. Cue further adventures and the discovery of dark magic that only a vespertine can hope to defeat.

I'm not sure if my favourite part of the story is Artemisia or the Revenant. Artemisia struggles with anxiety and doesn't know how to interact with people. She constantly feels awkward when she has to talk to others, and can I ever relate. But she's also got an iron will, and does what she needs to so she can save others. The Revenant is a feisty, sarcastic character in its own right, angry at its captivity. The two form an uneasy alliance (since they're stuck with each other, and all), and their banter is glorious.

There is no romance in this book, and I appreciated that. Not every story needs a romance. I read on social media that Artemisia is aromantic and asexual, but this wasn't obvious from the narrative. Apparently, editors cut lines that made that explicit. Since I read an advanced copy, I sincerely hope that they put those lines back in for the finished book. How often do we get an aroace main character? I love this representation and I want it to be explicit. (Apparently the other main characters aren't straight either? Also not made clear in the narrative, which I hope it adjusted in the final copy.)

Due to being possessed by a spirit as a child, Artemisia’s hands are severely scarred, and she often struggles to tie or grip things properly. She also has severe PTSD. I so appreciated the disability representation; it felt real, it wasn't forced, and—most importantly—it wasn't cured. Artemisia learns to manage her conditions, which is a much more authentic way to feature disabilities in a story.

October is a perfect time to release this dark story about ghosts, the undead, and a spine-tingling magic system. Easily one of my favourite reads from this year.