Synopsis (From Goodreads)
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 firs
My Review
3 out of 5 stars
It’s been awhile since I’ve read a book that involves a character being possessed by some sort of supernatural being and being able to control and communicate with it. While it’s not a new concept at all, I definitely enjoyed it here. The revenant is a mean grumpy creature that is all powerful, but has to put up with a strong female character who talks her way into getting the revenant to do what she wants it to do. Overtime it is gradually revealed that said grumpy spirit actually has a bit of a heart and starts to care for his vessel, providing advice to keep her healthy and interfering when it will keep her alive. It’s a little predicable as others I’ve read like this are similar, but it is just cute, you know?
I also really enjoyed all the spooky vibes of this book. It deals with spirits that can possess others. There is a hierarchy to the spirits that designates their strengths and abilities. The atmosphere is chilling– crypts are explored, the nuns themselves have to cleanse the dead souls, and old magic is being used to control an army of spirits. Really it’s a great book to read around Halloween.
The characters are all well-developed. I especially liked the relationships that are crafted amongst them. Not only in Artemisia and her spirits, but also with some of the side characters– the nuns, some people she saves, and her friends.
There was some slight pacing issues with some parts of the story seeming slow and not really important, but overall it adds to the new world Ms. Rogerson is trying to create. I’m looking forward to the next installment. It is a lot different from the author’s other works, so if you like her work, just expect something new here; it is her first series after all. I also recommend this if you’re looking for a YA fantasy that has a spooky setting and doesn’t focus on romance (at least not in this first installment).
Thank you to the publisher for providing a free eARC via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
See this review on Goodreads and on Storygraph.
Mad Scibrarian 