Don’t miss VESPERTINE (Margaret K. McElderry Books | On Sale 10/5/21) the first book in a suspenseful new fantasy trilogy about a young woman who must risk possession for power to fight the restless, relentless dead and protect the living. With deliciously dark undertones interspersed with thrilling battles and scintillating wit, VESPERTINE is a must-read perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo’s Ninth House and Garth Nix’s Old Kingdom series.
Artemisia is training to be a Gray Sister, a nun who cleanses the bodies of the deceased to prevent their spirits rising 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 how she got them.
When her convent is attacked by possessed soldiers, Artemisia must defend it by awakening an ancient spirit bound to a saint’s relic. It is a revenant, a malevolent being that threatens to possess her should she drop her guard but a moment. For death has come to Loraille, and only a Vespertine, a priestess wielding a high relic, has any chance of stopping it. Will exerting its extraordinary power consumer her?
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.
Wielding the dead grants power and a chance to save the living… but at what cost? With a steady pulse of tension beating throughout the action, characters that resonate as complicated and complex with their foiled desires and darkness, and exquisite prose, VESPERTINE is Rogerson at her finest and a must-read YA book of the fall.
My Eerie Vespertine Recommended Playlist
- Seven Devils by Florence & The Machine – Honestly, I’m almost positive that Florence Welch wrote this song specifically for this book… but no need to fact check me! 😉
- Hy-Brasil by Allison Russell – This song mentions magic and just in general gives off very spooky vibes. I imagine it playing while being stuck in the catacombs below Artemisia’s convent chapel.
- Heads Will Roll by Yeah Yeah Yeahs – If the spirit army had its own anthem playing as they attacked, this would definitely be it.
- Leave My Body by Florence & The Machine – Have you ever thought about what song would make for a perfect spirit possession scene? Well we have found the winner.
- Soul Wars by AWOLNATION – Let’s just replace “Soul” with “Martyr”, deal?
- Running Up That Hill by Placebo – Not to spoil anything, but I feel like this song is a good representation of a certain relationship that develops in this book…
- Your Guardian Angel by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus – I really think our dearest revenant would get really annoyed if I said this represented them. So guess what? It represents them!
- Holy Water by Freya Ridings – The Clerisy is very full of themselves as a whole, so I’m sure they’d love to have a song just for them.
- No Time To Die by Billie Eilish – This one goes out to the baddest cat of them all, Mother Dolours. She is a total badass and I need more of her ASAP.
- Never Say Die by CHVRCHES – Artemisia might hate being the center of attention and has the social skills of a peanut, but she will do whatever it takes to save the people of Loraille.
MARGARET ROGERSON is the author of the New York Times bestsellers An Enchantment of Ravens and Sorcery of Thorns. She has a bachelor’s degree in cultural anthropology from Miami University. When not reading or writing she enjoys sketching, gaming, making pudding, and watching more documentaries than is socially acceptable (according to some). She lives near Cincinnati, Ohio, beside a garden full of hummingbirds and roses. Visit her at MargaretRogerson.com, on Twitter @MarRogerson, and on Instagram @margaret_rogerson.
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