Vespertine
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4.6 • 10 Ratings
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- $16.99
Publisher Description
An international bestseller!
From 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.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Filled with atmospheric details hinting at the era of Joan of Arc, this immersive tale follows Artemisia, a novice of the Gray Sisters who is around 17 and has dark hair, pale skin, and scarred hands. For the past 300 years, the Sisters have tended the dead of Loraille, an area in recovery after the spirits of the deceased rose and waged war on the living. Those with the Sight, like Artemisia, can both see the malevolent spirits and become possessed by them—but, most importantly, some are able to wield relics containing souls of varying power. Following an attack on the convent, Artemisia goes on the run with a powerful ancient relic, becoming the vessel for a sarcastic, devious revenant. Thus forms the beginning of a symbiotic relationship, both entities learning about each other amid betrayals and mysteries as they attempt to discover who is using forbidden Old Magic to keep the dead restless. Though the breakneck pacing loses traction part-way through and never quite regains its previous momentum, Rogerson (Sorcery of Thorns) deftly blends a coming-of-age tale and mythic quest in this dark fantasy. Ages 14–up.
