Review: The Vespertine

I ended up finishing my homework earlier than I expected. I had time to read this, so I thought I would share it right away, as this book came out today.

Title: The Vespertine

Author: Saundra Mitchell

Number of Pages: 293

Publisher:Harcourt Children's Books

Release Date: March 7, 2011

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It's the summer of 1889, and Amelia van den Broek is new to Baltimore and eager to take in all the pleasures the city has to offer. But her gaiety is interrupted by disturbing, dreamlike visions she has only at sunset—visions that offer glimpses of the future. Soon, friends and strangers alike call on Amelia to hear her prophecies. However, a forbidden romance with Nathaniel, an artist, threatens the new life Amelia is building in Baltimore. This enigmatic young man is keeping secrets of his own—still, Amelia finds herself irrepressibly drawn to him.

When one of her darkest visions comes to pass, Amelia's world is thrown into chaos. And those around her begin to wonder if she's not the seer of dark portents, but the cause.

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I got this book from NetGalley, but I had heard of this book on other blogs. I couldn’t wait to read it, so I asked, and I got it. The story just looked so good. With this setting and the gorgeous cover, I just couldn’t resist. I wasn’t disappointed.

At first, I didn’t find the plot that good, but the more I read, the more I got into it. At the end, I was loving it. It is a beautiful, and sad by moments, story that got me feeling a lot of different emotions. I ended up being way too into the story (you know, when you start screaming at certain moment… Yeah I’m that kind of girl. I’m lucky I live alone…) Plus, I absolutely love the settings. I love the 18^th-19^th century. When I saw that it was set at the end of the 19^th century, I was really excited. I love the ending. I won’t say more, because I would probably give spoilers away.

I didn’t like every character, but the ones I loved, I really loved them. I adore Nathan (I want my own for Christmas... please Santa, I promise I’ll be a good girl…) At first; I couldn’t get myself to really liked Amelia, because there was something that made her feel distant to me. Yet, in the end, I really liked her was really happy to have someone like her as a main character.

Now, the best part… The Writing. I wish I could have half the talent Mitchell has, because she writes beautifully. The story could have been horrible, but I would have read it all, because I love the way she tells it. I can’t wait to read more from her, and I now have to hold myself back not to run to the Indigo to get her first novel, Shadowed Summer.

Great book. I’ll definitely have to buy my own copy to put on my shelf. 9/10.