Margaret Rogerson

Enchanting, cozy, humorous.

Okay.

So.

Were you looking for cozy, gripping, humorous, slightly dark, enchanting, incredibly comforting, books?

Because I have them for you.

Margaret Rogerson’s YA romance called An Enchantment of Ravens is another one that I flirted with for a long time before trying. A long time. Eventually, though, I picked it up. It’s now one of my top choices to bring on vacation because it’s just…it’s like settling into the perfect chair on a rainy day with a cocoa.

I think I actually read Sorcery of Thorns¹ first (Audible sales make me try new things) and I liked it well enough. If you’re an Evangelical, you may have a harder time with the fantasy world of Sorcery of Thorns because they have “demons” and that’s the acceptable way of getting magic. It’s nothing like Bible representations of demons, however the word choice and presence of pentagrams will be difficult for some. Sorcery of Thorns also features sentient books and warrior librarians who keep the books and see to their care and feeding—which is super cool—and the story is quite interesting. Likeable characters, interesting mystery, soft romantic angle. It feels more middle grade to me even though it features 17/18 year old orphans.

But I’m not really here to talk about Sorcery of Thorns. I’m here to talk about her other two stand alones, An Enchantment of Ravens² and Vespertine³ which I’ve gotten the impression aren’t quite as popular as Sorcery of Thorns (probably due entirely to Nathaniel Thorn) but I think are much stronger works.

Here is the Goodreads summary for An Enchantment of Ravens:

With a flick of her paintbrush, Isobel creates stunning portraits for a dangerous set of clients: the fair folk. These immortal creatures cannot bake bread or put a pen to paper without crumbling to dust. They crave human Craft with a terrible thirst, and they trade valuable enchantments for Isobel’s paintings. But when she receives her first royal patron—Rook, the autumn prince—Isobel makes a deadly mistake. She paints mortal sorrow in his eyes, a weakness that could cost him his throne, and even his life.

Furious, Rook spirits Isobel away to his kingdom to stand trial for her crime. But something is seriously amiss in his world, and they are attacked from every side. With Isobel and Rook depending upon each other for survival, their alliance blossoms into trust, perhaps even love . . . a forbidden emotion that would violate the fair folks’ ruthless laws, rendering both their lives forfeit. What force could Isobel's paintings conjure that is powerful enough to defy the ancient malice of the fairy courts?

Isobel and Rook journey along a knife-edge in a lush world where beauty masks corruption and the cost of survival might be more frightening than death itself.

Isobel is, perhaps, one of the most sensible and self aware heroines I have ever encountered in literature. She falls in love, and recognizes how silly she feels while feeling the feelings, and later on recognizes the difference between her intense crush and real love. From this summary, you can’t tell how delightful Rook is. He’s a compelling, fun, heroic, character.

The world isn’t particularly large, but is well contained and consistent. Her fey are a beautiful and terrible people—and their beauty is entirely fake. They have traded feeling and creativity for immortality. But what if they could be more?

I love this story. It’s whimsical. It’s macabre at times. It involves solid (if imperfect) family relationships. It’s clever. It’s hopeful. It flirts deliciously with tragedy but love triumphs in the end.

It is YA, but no one is childish (well, except some fey), and it’s just a delightful story.

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Vespertine is a bit more unique. It’s….about fighting the undead. Like ghosts, rather than zombies. It’s not bloody, per se, or even gooey, but it’s intense at times and…somewhat spooky? I don’t know, I don’t like creepy, but I like some grimdark, and this is probably grimdark. But it’s not like…dark grimdark. It makes me laugh too much for that. It’s a dry humor that holds real charm for me.

Here is the Goodreads summary:

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 first.

By the time Vespertine was released, I was already a “I am definitely going to preorder this” fan thanks to An Enchantment of Ravens. And I loved this book starting at the dedication, which was “To everyone who would rather sit in a corner petting the dog than make conversation at a party. this one’s for you.”

Artemisia is a kind but socially awkward protagonist. She had an extremely traumatic early childhood, and has grown into a quiet, compassionate, and intelligent young woman. She lives in a world where, essentially, the doors of death are broken and unless prepared properly the dead don’t stay dead, but haunt the land as terrible specters. It’s a rich, if macabre, world, with a church that has become the government because they’re the only ones equipped to protect people. The story is complex, the characters, including the supporting cast, interesting and three dimensional.

This is a story about friendship, stewardship, kindness, empathy. It’s a tale that gently suggests we look beyond appearances. There are good people, there are bad people. Even the villains are motivated by relatable human emotions.

I expect some Evangelicals will get hung up on the terms like “relic” and the way possession is a central part of the story—and if that’s an issue for you, skip this one. But it’s a shame because the way the relationship between Artemisia and the Revenant grows and changes as Artemisia offers empathy and kindness without letting the Revenant push her around is inspiring. Anyone who works with hurt things—be they human or animal—will resonate with this story.

I also appreciated that there wasn’t any romance in this story (well, some is implied between a couple side characters). I think if there are more books about Artemisia, there is a chance there could be romance, but it’s really not necessary. This book stands alone and ends really beautifully.

If you aren’t randomly mind-yelling “Crumbs!” or “NUN!” and then smirking gleefully to yourself at the end…I guess you’re brain isn’t quite as weird as mine.

From a craft standpoint, I think it’s Rogerson’s best work to date. The story, the plot, the characters, all shine. Her command of language is accessible and polished at the same time.

Anyway, I’m eagerly awaiting whatever Rogerson decides to write next. But if she decides to rest on her laurels instead, she’s already created something beautiful and should be proud.

1. Sorcery of Thorns is a light 1 on the spice-o-meter

2. An Enchantment of Ravens is light 1 on the spice-o-meter

3. Vespertine is a 0 on the spice-o-meter.