Undeniably thrilling and absolutely addictive! Vespertine has all the richly detailed and lyrical prose of Rogerson’s previous works but with a darker edge—we’re talking ravenous souls, martyred saints and ancient spirits. The Perfect read for spooky season! “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 their souls pass on (stopping the spirits from rising with a ravenous hunger for the living.) She would rather deal with the dead who (unlike the living) don’t trade whispers about her scarred hands and troubled past. But when her convent is attacked, Artemisia has not choice but to awaken an ancient spirit,bound to a saints relic in order to save it. For the spirit is a revenant, a malevolent being possessing great power—and controlling it almost consumes her. But death sweeps the country and only a Vespertine, a priestess trained to wield a high relic, has any chance at stopping it. With all knowledge of Vespertines lost to time, Artemisia turns to the last remaining expert for help:the revenant. As she unravels the sinister mystery causing the dark magic, her bond with the revenant grows. And when a hidden evil resurfaces, she discovers she just might have to betray everything she was taught to believe—if the revenant doesn’t betray her first... Honestly I am absolutely in love with this book, words cannot do justice to how amazing I thought it was. The world building was superb,the setting was rich in detail and the descriptions both vivid and immersive! Artemisia is a wonderfully complex protagonist that will certainly tug on your heart strings,her bond with the revenant (and their dynamics throughout the novel) were also really intriguing and undeniably entertaining. I literally cannot wait for the sequel! Overall, this was an incredibly enjoyable story that I definitely think will appeal to fans of YA Dark Fantasy and Rogerson’s previous book Sorcery of Thorns.
And also a massive thank you to Simon&Schuster and NetGalley for the digital arc.
Vespertine by Margaret Rogerson is out 5 October 2021
Rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5