The Vespertine

The Vespertine by Saundra Mitchell     
Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books
Publication Date: March 7, 2011
Page Count: 293

Description from Goodreads:
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.

I'm finding it hard to write a review for this book. Was it fantastic? No. Did I like it and would I recommend it to others? Yes. After reading this book I felt that high you get when you finish a book with a good ending and thought "wow that was good." but the more I thought about it the more parts of the story where a little confusing or I wish that the author had gone into more detail. The Vespertine was well written and had somewhat poetic prose. Make sure you pay attention to the dates when a new section starts otherwise you'll be a little confused. 

Overall though I did enjoy this, it makes a quick read at only 293 pages. I say go ahead and give it a chance! Here's a quote from the book that might snag your interest. 

"The stars could have burned out around us, the moon could have fallen from the sky, and I wouldn't have known it. Not when he leaned indecently close and pressed his cheek against mine to murmur, "Tell me a secret." I wanted him to tell me how he stopped time like that. How he read my mind. I wanted to admit I wondered if thoughts of me troubled him when he lay awake at night. But I could make none of that come to my lips.... Instead... I whispered back, "I've seen the future." He didn't laugh. He didn't mock, not like he had done at Privalovna's performance. In the middle of our waltz, he stopped, nose to nose with me. He uncovered me with a look that somehow bared him, too. And his question told me everything - that he stopped time because he needed me, that he read my mind because we were one. That I troubled his nights, indeed, because what he asked revealed it all. "Am I with you there?"
~Amelia and Nathaniel, The Vespertine by Saundra Mitchell 

I was able to review this book, courtesy of Netgalley.com.