Book Review: The Vespertine

Wow, wow, wow! I am SO late getting to this book review. I finished over TWO WEEKS AGO, you guys. I guess life has just made things a little hectic lately.

So, without further ado, here it is:

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.

**ARC Courtesy of NetGalley

Goodreads: 4 out of 5 stars

First of all, let me say that I absolutely ADORE this cover. One can tell it's a historical novel without ever picking it up. But the girl running away gives it an edge of mystery--what's she running from?

The book begins with Amelia being treated as a crazy person in her brother's house and, through a series of flashback chapters, we see exactly what happened the spring/summer before that led to her downfall.

Amelia was sent to Baltimore to stay with a cousin and, hopefully, find a new husband. Through dinners and balls and fancy dresses, I was swept away to a world that I wish still existed. Amelia and her cousin crush on boys, but must remain ladies about it--totally different from our day and age, but makes for great sexual tension between Amelia and her crush, Nathaniel (who I absolute LOVE).

Amelia learns that she has a special power--she can foresee the future at dusk every day. When Amelia's cousin learns what's going on, they begin the business of taking calls to read futures. But soon the predictions come true, and some are more deadly and have greater consequences than imagined.

While I love being transported to a different time period, this book was a little tedious at times. I understand the prose has to fit the voice and era of the character, but there were moments where I wanted to stop and move on to something else. I pressed forward, though, and I'm glad I did. There's a slight twist at the end that left me satisfied and happy, and wondering what happens next.