Book Review: Shadow of Night

Shadow of Night (All Souls Trilogy #2)
Deborah Harkness

Release Date: July 10, 2012

Book Description:
IT BEGAN WITH A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES.

Historian Diana Bishop, descended from a line of powerful witches, and long-lived vampire Matthew Clairmont have broken the laws dividing creatures. When Diana discovered a significant alchemical manuscript in the Bodleian Library,she sparked a struggle in which she became bound to Matthew. Now the fragile coexistence of witches, daemons, vampires and humans is dangerously threatened.

Seeking safety, Diana and Matthew travel back in time to London, 1590. But they soon realise that the past may not provide a haven. Reclaiming his former identity as poet and spy for Queen Elizabeth, the vampire falls back in with a group of radicals known as the School of Night. Many are unruly daemons, the creative minds of the age, including playwright Christopher Marlowe and mathematician Thomas Harriot.

Together Matthew and Diana scour Tudor London for the elusive manuscript Ashmole 782, and search for the witch who will teach Diana how to control her remarkable powers...

Amazon US | Goodreads

Review:
Second in Deborah Harkness’s bestselling All Souls Trilogy, Shadow of Night is a breathtakingly beautiful and historically rich tale of love and marriage, trust and family, magic and mystery, and a long lost manuscript known as Ashmole 782. Picking up where A Discovery of Witches left off, Shadow of Night plunges its readers into the intricate and colorful world of 16th century Elizabethan England, where Diana and Matthew find themselves among Matthew’s friends, a famed group of poets and scientist known as the School of Night. Still, journeying into the past to find a manuscript and a witch to educate Diana quickly proves to be a much more cumbersome and time-consuming task than Matthew would expect. And soon the whirlwind of intrigues and conspiracies, not to mention Matthew’s countless identities and many masters, threaten to envelope them all together.



From the cunning court of Queen Elizabeth I, to French domains and enigmatic persona of Matthew’s father – Philippe, to the artistic wonders of Prague and the Holy Roman Emperor, Rudolf II, Diana and Matthew will be tested in more ways than one… Along with a cast of incredibly multifaceted characters both new and old Deborah Harkness takes us on a journey through time.

I first read A Discovery of Witches and Shadow of Night back to back in the summer of 2012 and fell in love with its characters and magic. I’ve never considered myself much of history buff but Deb has made a convert out of me – her vivid prose brought to life the events of the past and revived my interest in both history and reading. Feeling immersed in this magical world and invested with Matthew’s and Diana’s story I plunged in, savoring as much as I could. And the second volume delivers without a doubt (although A Discovery of Witches remains my personal favorite).

The character growth is tremendous. We get to see and learn more of Matthew’s history, while Diana slowly comes into her own powers. And there is no doubt that she will be a force to be reckoned with in the future. But Diana’s life has been changing so rapidly and having suddenly found herself in the 16th century she has to deal with more than just adjusting her speech, dress, and learning to behave like a proper Elizabethan wife. Her newly married life also proves at times challenging. Not to mention that they have to deal with a growing household among other things. So expect adventures and much more.

There are plenty of moments to love in this book, from seductive and playful, to touching and heartbreaking, it is an emotional rollercoaster and I dare you not to fall in love. So, if you’ve read an enjoyed A Discovery of Witches this gorgeous follow-up novel is a delightful treat and a must read.

Recommended

All Souls Trilogy:
A Discovery of Witches (All Souls Trilogy #1)
Shadow of Night (All Souls Trilogy #2)
The Book of Life (All Souls Trilogy #3)
Expected Publication: July 15, 2014