Description (From Amazon):
Deborah Harkness exploded onto the literary scene with her debut novel, A Discovery of Witches, Book One of the magical All Souls Trilogy and an international publishing phenomenon. The novel introduced Diana Bishop, Oxford scholar and reluctant witch, and the handsome geneticist and vampire Matthew Clairmont; together they found themselves at the center of a supernatural battle over an enchanted manuscript known as Ashmole 782.
Now, picking up from A Discovery of Witches’ cliffhanger ending, Shadow of Night plunges Diana and Matthew into Elizabethan London, a world of spies, subterfuge, and a coterie of Matthew’s old friends, the mysterious School of Night that includes Christopher Marlowe and Walter Raleigh. Here, Diana must locate a witch to tutor her in magic, Matthew is forced to confront a past he thought he had put to rest, and the mystery of Ashmole 782 deepens.
Deborah Harkness has crafted a gripping journey through a world of alchemy, time travel, and magical discoveries, delivering one of the most hotly anticipated novels of the season
Review:
All year I have been anticipating the sequel to “A Discovery of Witches.” As usual Diana Bishop is sarcastic and fascinated by history. Used to studying history through books, Diana is thrown into a new element in “Shadow of Night.” Diana and her vampire lover Matthew go back in time to 1590.
Matthew is so ancient he is already familiar with the times. Diana on the other hand must strive to conceal her odd modern ways. The witch trials brew nearby, and they face danger from many sides. Diana must quickly learn to fit in and master her powers.
While I enjoyed the first half of the book, my entertainment leveled off half way in. The book is huge at 577 pages. I cannot forsee the events of the third book, but I definitely think that a chunk of this book could be cut out.
Page by page Shadow of Night is well written. However, the overall plot gets hidden under side trips in history. Diana and Matthew have extended adventures in England, France and Prague. This was too much for one book.
“Shadow” is peppered with famous characters: Shakespeare, Sir Walter Raleigh, Mary Sidney (the Countess of Pembroke), William Cecil, Elizabeth I, Rudolf II and more. Each location involves an elaborate cast of friends, servants, and antagonists. A historian perhaps would have an easier time of keeping this all straight, but that’s out of my ability!
Also I found this book to be a little skinny on depth. Some very important character development occurs but the other contents take away from their gravity.
I didn’t find the suspense to be as integral to this installment. Not that I wish torture on a character but it sure did make “A Discovery” compelling. I got the impression that Deborah Harkness was being too nice. Enemies made threats but few attacks on the main characters.
If you’ve been missing the characters of “Discovery” and ready for a nice thick read, then you might just love this. I recommend this highly to anyone interested in European or British history!
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I really enjoyed this book – I love the relationship between Diana and Matthew. I’ll be eagerly awaiting the third installment.
Erin thanks for dropping by! What was your favorite setting?