A Vision of Boring

The Vespertine by Saundra Mitchell

Summary: 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.

Review: Another girl with special powers who falls in instalove with a mysterious boy set against a historical fiction background. 
The book starts out right away with the reader finding out that Amelia was ruined. Way to kill any suspense. Of course you still have to read to figure out why she gets ruined, but it was not a good way to start the book. So Amelia starts to have visions and meets an artist. She is instantly drawn to him and the slightest touch makes her lose her mind. I know physical touch can be very exciting, especially when one is a teenager, but I am sick of all these girls losing their minds at any touch by a boy they like. 

I honestly wasn't sure why Nathaniel was around as much as he was. Why would he be invited to high society balls? I would think he would only be invited to people's houses to actually paint pictures. I am not sure how historically accurate this book is. I did enjoy some of the supernatural elements, especially the visions, but I didn't care for any of the characters. There was some tragedy and somehow Amelia was ruined, but I never did figure out exactly why. 

Rating:

Recommendation: I would recommend this book to those that really enjoy historical fiction with supernatural elements.