4.5 stars for Vespertine by Margaret Rogerson
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.
"Sometimes, if you want to save other people, you need to remember to save yourself first."
I read this gorgeous book (just look at this Fairyloot edition!) way back in February. I had just started a new job and then came down with COVID and it's sat in the drafts folder since then. The 4 months in the drafts folder says nothing about the book and everything about my follow-through (or lack thereof). I love Margaret Rogerson's books and this one is no different!
Artemisia is an unsuspecting, kind of unlikely, hero and that's one of the reasons why I like her so much. Due to no fault of her own, she's an outsider but because she's an outsider, it makes her more open-minded and the perfect vessel for the revenant. It's also what makes her friendship with it so wonderful and...kind of pure. These interactions are at the center of the book and necessary in order for Artemisia to learn to build friendships later on with Marguerite, Charles, and Jean. Those additional connections were needed to make Artemisia a more well-rounded character.
"If there's one thing I can always rely upon, it's the reassuring dependability of human idiocy. Give your kind of a century or so, and they'll happily repeat the exact same mistakes that nearly wiped them all out a few generations before."
I'm also really curious as to how Leander will fit into the next book and who the "Lady" might really be. I know this review is a little light, but I read it a while ago, and also...it's hard to not spoil anything. In general, if you have been a fan of Rogerson's past books (and books like hers), then pick this one up. I don't think you'll be disappointed and it'll be a great addition to your Margaret Rogerson collection!
Artemisia forgets to eat a lot in this book. It's actually a point of contention between her and the revenant because it keeps yelling at her for not taking care of herself. Because of that, my options for staying true to the food in the book were somewhat limited, however; bread is consistently one thing she's able to get a hold of. I took that opportunity to continue practicing my bread-making skills. I used a classic white loaf recipe from BBC Good Food (https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/classic-white-loaf). It's an easy recipe and made great toast and sandwiches. It's nice to be able to make it fresh at home and not always have to pop to the shop when we run out of bread.
Thanks for stopping by (and dealing with my severely-delayed review)!
-Kim
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