Historical

Vespertine by this wild abyss

I was eleven when my third husband died. The people of Aegyptus thought I was cursed but they didn't understand. They didn't understand that I was more than a wife—more than a woman. Magna Mater had chosen me.

Rated M.

Status: incomplete

Vespertine is wonderfully written. It’s very introspective and prose heavy, but it’s written so beautifully and well that it doesn’t deter from the quality of the read. The narrative in itself is captivating; add the plotline and you'll be struggling to stop reading this one!

Noemi is an intriguing and extremely real character; she comes to life on the page. She feels isolated and angry after years of abuse and neglect from her previous husbands and her mother. She shuts down, blocks people out and becomes highly cynical. Those traits are commonly found in real life. Often this type of character is poorly written, with overly angst driven thoughts all whining about their situation; this doesn't happen here.

Her grandmother brought her up before her mother takes her away to marry at a young age. By the age of eleven her third husband died and she was to marry her fourth, Chal (a somewhat confusing character, who you're never sure whether to like or despise), the brother of the previous three husbands, all of which died under suspicious circumstances. The story follows through her new marriage, showing her grow and begin to fight against her sad existence.

The downsides are that: Noemi is really quite young. Certain scenes throughout involving adult situations can make a reader feel uncomfortable. While this isn't necessarily a bad thing, it's something to note if you dislike that sort of material. Noemi's cold personality can get a little tiring also, where you may end up screaming at her to just get up and do something.


- Natasha.