Wednesday, January 19, 2011

The Vespertine by Saundra Mitchell

The Vespertine (The Vespertine #1)
Author: Saundra Mitchell
Release Date: March 2011
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Pages: 304
Age Rank: Young Adult
ISBN-13: 9780547482477
ISBN: 0547482477

GoodReads Summary:
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.

My Review
A beautiful, haunting story set in the ninteenth century. Amelia van den Broek is sent to Baltimore to stay with a cousin, in hopes of finding a husband that lives up to her brother's standards. Instead, she discovers she has an ability to look into the sunset, and see glimpses of the future. Ameila also finds a forbidden love in starving artist Nathaniel Witherspoon, who has a secret of is own to keep.

I really enjoyed reading this book. The language is absolutely beautiful, it reads like a classic. The descriptions were fascinating, and well thought out.

The relationship between Ameila and her cousin Nora were quite touching. It felt more like they were actually sisters instead of cousins. The romance between Ameila and Nathaniel is captivating. I wanted them to be together as much as Amelia did. Although I did feel a bit bad for Nathaniel that she was playing games in some parts, pushing him away, and for things he couldn't control.

The Verspertine was an excellent read. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It definitely kept my attention, and when I wasn't reading it, it was still on my mind. I'm looking forward to reading the second book in the series next year.

Wonderful work, Mrs. Mitchell!
Thank you to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and NetGalley for allowing me to read the advance copy of this book!

My GoodReads Review

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