Vespertine by Margaret Rogerson

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. The dead of Loraille do not rest, Artemisia defends it by awakening an ancient spirit bound to a saint’s relic. It is a revenant, a malevolent… Read more.