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A review by alliehwilliams
The Vespertine by Saundra Mitchell
5.0
In 1889, Amelia van den Broek travels to stay with her cousins in Maryland, hoping to find a socially appropriate suitor to elevate her social and financial status. Baltimore is a welcome change in atmosphere and excitement from the rural, remote setting of her brother’s home in Broken Tooth, Maine. Swept into the social whirl of her host family, the Stewarts, Amelia soon makes new friends, attends elaborate dinner parties and dances, and exchanges calling cards with Baltimore’s elite. And most importantly of all, finds herself drawn to artist and professional dinner guest Nathaniel Witherspoon.
Not all of Amelia’s social success is due to her personality or the Stewart’s patronage, however. Amelia has discovered a new talent—the ability to see into the future. At first Amelia must look into the sunset to witness events before they happen but before long, she’s encouraged to try writing down her premonitions while in a trancelike state. She and her special gift are much in demand wherever she goes, but when her premonitions become more ominous, Amelia finds herself shunned and possibly in danger.
The paranormal element of The Vespertine is a slow burn, but worth the wait. Amelia is a realistic heroine and while I never shared her fascination with Nathaniel, I completely believed it. My lack of feeling for Nathaniel is not a failing of the author or text, but more a result of my distrust of him and reluctance to invest in him as a love interest. I was also distracted by my worries over the fate of her cousin Zora’s love affair. The characters are all believable, especially Amelia, Zora, and Zora’s mother. Amelia’s sister-in-law is also an especially sympathetic character.
Saundra Mitchell is an incredibly talented author, capably balancing plot and character development and show vs. tell. The dialogue is deftly handled and seems appropriate to the period without discouraging readers who prefer a more contemporary story and setting. Mitchell has created a completely believable world that feels authentic to the period, without dragging the reader down in excessive detail.
My only reservation about The Vespertine is that the ending practically begs for a sequel but I don’t know if one is planned. However, this book is an enjoyable read in its own right, sequel or no.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed The Vespertine and plan to add the author’s previous title, Shadowed Summer to my to-be-read (TBR) pile. I highly recommend this title to lovers of paranormal and historic fiction with a romantic bent.
Not all of Amelia’s social success is due to her personality or the Stewart’s patronage, however. Amelia has discovered a new talent—the ability to see into the future. At first Amelia must look into the sunset to witness events before they happen but before long, she’s encouraged to try writing down her premonitions while in a trancelike state. She and her special gift are much in demand wherever she goes, but when her premonitions become more ominous, Amelia finds herself shunned and possibly in danger.
The paranormal element of The Vespertine is a slow burn, but worth the wait. Amelia is a realistic heroine and while I never shared her fascination with Nathaniel, I completely believed it. My lack of feeling for Nathaniel is not a failing of the author or text, but more a result of my distrust of him and reluctance to invest in him as a love interest. I was also distracted by my worries over the fate of her cousin Zora’s love affair. The characters are all believable, especially Amelia, Zora, and Zora’s mother. Amelia’s sister-in-law is also an especially sympathetic character.
Saundra Mitchell is an incredibly talented author, capably balancing plot and character development and show vs. tell. The dialogue is deftly handled and seems appropriate to the period without discouraging readers who prefer a more contemporary story and setting. Mitchell has created a completely believable world that feels authentic to the period, without dragging the reader down in excessive detail.
My only reservation about The Vespertine is that the ending practically begs for a sequel but I don’t know if one is planned. However, this book is an enjoyable read in its own right, sequel or no.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed The Vespertine and plan to add the author’s previous title, Shadowed Summer to my to-be-read (TBR) pile. I highly recommend this title to lovers of paranormal and historic fiction with a romantic bent.