Vespertine (Hardcover)
November/December 2021 Kids Indie Next List
“Rogerson proves she is a master of fantasy with Vespertine, a dark, richly wrought tale about trust, betrayal, and truth set in a world where the dead do not stay dead. Vespertine is my latest obsession.”
— Chelsea Stringfield, Parnassus Books, Nashville, TN
Staff Reviews
I think each of Margaret Rogerson's books are better than the previous! Vespertine has it all. The gothic setting lend the events of the story an opressive and mysterious feel throughout the entire novel. Then, we get a magic system that feels simultaneously ancient and unique, only to top it off with a heart-pounding cat-and-mouse chase with morally gray and unreliable characters around every corner. Every time I thought I had things figured out--another plot twist was revealed! Though I loved it all, the snarky revenant was my favorite part and had me cackling along with it.
— From Leah's Picks
Margaret Roberson has done it again, I don’t know how but she has written another masterpiece. Vespertine is an inventive creation full of perseverance, dedication, and heroics. Devoted to the Lady, Artemisia has accustomed herself to a quiet existence as a nun after her horrific childhood. She is going to stay at her convent serving as a barrier between death and the living, seeing that souls are laid to rest peacefully. But destiny comes knocking at her door and before she knows it she is the only person who can defend the living from spirits. With an evil plot afoot and people suddenly praising her as a hero, Artemisia must risk everything she is and might become by partnering with the enemy to save the world as she knows it. Making unlikely friends along the way she learns that sometimes you need to accept help before you can help anyone else. I cannot stop thinking about this book, reveling in the world Rogerson has created and getting caught in the web she has woven.
— From Sam's PicksFrom the New York Times bestselling author of Sorcery of Thorns and An Enchantment of Ravens comes a thrilling, “dark coming-of-age adventure” (Culturess) about a teen girl with mythic abilities who must defend her world against restless spirits of the dead.
The spirits of the dead 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 ravenous, hungry spirits. She would rather deal with the dead than the living, who whisper 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 whose extraordinary power almost consumes her—but death has come, 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, Artemisia discovers that facing this hidden evil might require her to betray everything she believes—if the revenant doesn’t betray her first.
— Buzzfeed
“Vespertine is far and away Rogerson’s best work yet, a dark coming-of-age adventure about faith, belief, and morality in many forms.”
— Culturess
"Rogerson excels at creating fantasy worlds that feel lived in. Vespertine blends darkness, thrills and satisfying characterization for an engrossing fantasy tale."
— Book Page
"Amid escalating danger and an unfolding mystery, Rogerson unveils a grim and intriguing world with a rich, plot-relevant history inspired by late-medieval France....A satisfying, but open-ended resolution demands for the story to continue. A dark and enthralling journey."
— Kirkus Reviews
“A splendidly dark story…and a plot that crackles with tension.”
— Shelf Awareness for Readers
“Filled with atmospheric details…Rogerson deftly blends a coming-of-age tale and mythic quest in this dark fantasy.”
— Publishers Weekly