Vespertine by Margaret Rogerson
Jul. 10th, 2025 02:31 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
iariaI enjoyed it.
+ I found the book a really easy quick read. I zoomed through it.
+ I really liked Artemisia. I found her really relatable. I love that her trauma for so long kept her separated from other people, gradually becomes something she uses to create bonds.
+ Rathanael was wonderful too. I loved his distrust, his dismay and confusion over Artemisia and then the way he tried to take care of her when he realised that she wouldn't do it herself. His betrayal by Eugenia, the fact that he had to live through her burning herself alive, his long centuries trapped in the dark alone and the fear thats implanted deep within him - I really felt for him. I want only good things for him going forward.
+ The growing relationship between Artemisia and Rathanael was my favourite part. I loved how they slowly grew to understand each other and through that to care for the other. I loved that at separate times they claimed each other. I loved at the end him choosing to sacrifice himself to save her and her refusing to let him go. They are just delightful.
+ I loved that while Artemisia was unconscious Rathanael possessed her to tell the humans that she didn't like the smell of smoke so that she wouldn't have to wake up smelling it, awww.
+ I loved all the sort of power fantasy stuff with Verspertine Artemisia saving the day and kicking ass, and all the Saint adoration (as unwanted as it was) and the growing collection of support she could rely on.
+ I loved everyone's belief in her, the way they kept helping, kept stepping in the way of trouble to save her, sometimes without any consultation with each, just doing it.
+ I loved what the book did with Marguerite. Like Artemisia I dismissed her. But in Bonsaint she proved herself brave and clever. Her refusing to give over the reliquary, her helping Artemisia over and over took a lot of courage. I loved her luring Sarathiel into the trap. I loved the reveal of her close relationship with the shade, and her protectiveness of it.
+ I liked the slow growing friendship between Artemisia and Mauguerite. I like that even back in Naimes they were trying (Artemisia's attempt with the spider, her giving Mauguerite the answer behind the teachers back, Mauguerite being the one to leave the lotion on Artemisia's bed every night, aww) but they couldn't quite get there.
+ Artemisia was distrustful of Leander immediately but as the evidence against him piled up a part of me just wasn't convinced. There were too many little moments that hinted otherwise. So I was pleased at the reveal about what was really going on. He really seems to be set up as her love interest in further books and I'm here for that. I loved their converation on his death bed - the way he starts all 'my favourite dream where you stand in judgement over me' (!), the intensity when he says he wants her judgement, his wonderment over how she always argues with him, and that in the end she commanded him to live and he did. I also loved their fight against the rivener and wish it had been either longer or that we'd gotten another scene of them fighting together.
+ I honestly felt really bad for Gabrielle. I think it would have been very easy for the book to frame her as stupid or foolish, but instead it pointed out the heavy similarities between her and Artemisia. She was desperately lonely, scared of failing in the new position she'd found herself thrust into and uncertain, of course she'd be open to manipulation. And it's entirely possible she wasn't wrong about Sarathiel genuinely caring for her. I really liked Artemisia's whole rant/monologue at Sarathiel about his motives in killing Gabrielle. The one the resonated most was him killing her because it couldn't handle her eventual pain at his betrayal. I kind of feel sad for both of them.
+ I really liked Jean and how his story played out. I liked Charles (and Mauguerite and Artemisia) being protective, and I liked that none of his fellow soldiers blamed him for what happened.
+ I'm curious if the Revenants were ever actually human. Their descriptions at times read rather like angels. The book hasn't had any supernatural creatures but I can't help but wonder.
+ So who is the Lady fighting her cosmic game with? The Raven King who got his wish for Immortality? Death? Something released from beyond death? And who is the Lady? A diety? Or something else that was released after the Sorrow?
+ I feel like Gabriel's death was absolutely not a suicide and him choosing to jump at Leander's favouite window was an attempt for him to leave a message/warning to his brother. We don't know much about him but it seems he was someone high up so perhaps he learned something heretical that got him killed?
+ I found the book a really easy quick read. I zoomed through it.
+ I really liked Artemisia. I found her really relatable. I love that her trauma for so long kept her separated from other people, gradually becomes something she uses to create bonds.
+ Rathanael was wonderful too. I loved his distrust, his dismay and confusion over Artemisia and then the way he tried to take care of her when he realised that she wouldn't do it herself. His betrayal by Eugenia, the fact that he had to live through her burning herself alive, his long centuries trapped in the dark alone and the fear thats implanted deep within him - I really felt for him. I want only good things for him going forward.
+ The growing relationship between Artemisia and Rathanael was my favourite part. I loved how they slowly grew to understand each other and through that to care for the other. I loved that at separate times they claimed each other. I loved at the end him choosing to sacrifice himself to save her and her refusing to let him go. They are just delightful.
+ I loved that while Artemisia was unconscious Rathanael possessed her to tell the humans that she didn't like the smell of smoke so that she wouldn't have to wake up smelling it, awww.
+ I loved all the sort of power fantasy stuff with Verspertine Artemisia saving the day and kicking ass, and all the Saint adoration (as unwanted as it was) and the growing collection of support she could rely on.
+ I loved everyone's belief in her, the way they kept helping, kept stepping in the way of trouble to save her, sometimes without any consultation with each, just doing it.
+ I loved what the book did with Marguerite. Like Artemisia I dismissed her. But in Bonsaint she proved herself brave and clever. Her refusing to give over the reliquary, her helping Artemisia over and over took a lot of courage. I loved her luring Sarathiel into the trap. I loved the reveal of her close relationship with the shade, and her protectiveness of it.
+ I liked the slow growing friendship between Artemisia and Mauguerite. I like that even back in Naimes they were trying (Artemisia's attempt with the spider, her giving Mauguerite the answer behind the teachers back, Mauguerite being the one to leave the lotion on Artemisia's bed every night, aww) but they couldn't quite get there.
+ Artemisia was distrustful of Leander immediately but as the evidence against him piled up a part of me just wasn't convinced. There were too many little moments that hinted otherwise. So I was pleased at the reveal about what was really going on. He really seems to be set up as her love interest in further books and I'm here for that. I loved their converation on his death bed - the way he starts all 'my favourite dream where you stand in judgement over me' (!), the intensity when he says he wants her judgement, his wonderment over how she always argues with him, and that in the end she commanded him to live and he did. I also loved their fight against the rivener and wish it had been either longer or that we'd gotten another scene of them fighting together.
+ I honestly felt really bad for Gabrielle. I think it would have been very easy for the book to frame her as stupid or foolish, but instead it pointed out the heavy similarities between her and Artemisia. She was desperately lonely, scared of failing in the new position she'd found herself thrust into and uncertain, of course she'd be open to manipulation. And it's entirely possible she wasn't wrong about Sarathiel genuinely caring for her. I really liked Artemisia's whole rant/monologue at Sarathiel about his motives in killing Gabrielle. The one the resonated most was him killing her because it couldn't handle her eventual pain at his betrayal. I kind of feel sad for both of them.
+ I really liked Jean and how his story played out. I liked Charles (and Mauguerite and Artemisia) being protective, and I liked that none of his fellow soldiers blamed him for what happened.
+ I'm curious if the Revenants were ever actually human. Their descriptions at times read rather like angels. The book hasn't had any supernatural creatures but I can't help but wonder.
+ So who is the Lady fighting her cosmic game with? The Raven King who got his wish for Immortality? Death? Something released from beyond death? And who is the Lady? A diety? Or something else that was released after the Sorrow?
+ I feel like Gabriel's death was absolutely not a suicide and him choosing to jump at Leander's favouite window was an attempt for him to leave a message/warning to his brother. We don't know much about him but it seems he was someone high up so perhaps he learned something heretical that got him killed?
