Hey bookish friends,
Not only do I have a audiobook review for you today, I also have a fun freebie at the bottom of the post that you'll want to grab! Read on to find out what I thought of the second installment in the All Souls Trilogy, Shadow of Night.
Not only do I have a audiobook review for you today, I also have a fun freebie at the bottom of the post that you'll want to grab! Read on to find out what I thought of the second installment in the All Souls Trilogy, Shadow of Night.
Publisher: Viking Penguin | Penguin Audio
Release Date: July 10, 2012
Format: Audio MP3
Pages: Hardcover: 584 pages | Audio Length: Approx 24.5 hours
Narrator: Jennifer Ikeda
Source: Audible
Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, Historical Fantasy
Review Date: November 25, 2015
Rating: 4 bookmarks
Synopsis: 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 realize 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...
I really enjoyed Shadow of Night. I found it very interesting to see Diana and Matthew in the 1500's. That's what I liked most about this installment. Getting a visual of 1590 London society, and seeing historical figures in a fictional way was pretty entertaining. The plot also took us to France and the Czech Republic for a short time, but a majority of the story was set in and around London. If you don't already know, the intent behind going back to this point in time was to find a witch to help Diana develop her abilities while remaining fairly hidden.
While did enjoy it, I still felt that the book was a little longer than it needed to be. It seem to drag on at times and sometimes I couldn't really figure out exactly where the author was going. Honestly, because of the long parts with too much information, I was very happy that I was listening to an audiobook instead of reading it. I fear that had I been reading, I would have not enjoyed as much.
While did enjoy it, I still felt that the book was a little longer than it needed to be. It seem to drag on at times and sometimes I couldn't really figure out exactly where the author was going. Honestly, because of the long parts with too much information, I was very happy that I was listening to an audiobook instead of reading it. I fear that had I been reading, I would have not enjoyed as much.
Speaking of the audiobook, same as with Discovery of Witches, I liked the audiobook narration. This is a very good book to listen to in the car or while working. The narrator, Jennifer Ikeda did an excellent job keeping my attention. Her narration really brought the characters to life and helped to push a sometimes slow moving plotline along.
I knew going into this book that there would be some jealousy from Matthew's old "friend" and I was glad that it didn't go the route that I expected it to. Which would have been no good for anyone involved. But on the other side, we did experience storylines that the came about because his closest friend at the time was severely jealous of his Diana.
The character development was very good, I felt that there was forward movement with the major characters. Especially Diana, we got to know more about her witch talents, and I must say it's a very unique route that Harkness decided to take. On another note, Matthew and his caveman persona seemed to take a step back for a majority of the book before he pulled it together. I suspect that him adjusting to being in that time really fed into his "me man, you woman" mentality.
I knew going into this book that there would be some jealousy from Matthew's old "friend" and I was glad that it didn't go the route that I expected it to. Which would have been no good for anyone involved. But on the other side, we did experience storylines that the came about because his closest friend at the time was severely jealous of his Diana.
The character development was very good, I felt that there was forward movement with the major characters. Especially Diana, we got to know more about her witch talents, and I must say it's a very unique route that Harkness decided to take. On another note, Matthew and his caveman persona seemed to take a step back for a majority of the book before he pulled it together. I suspect that him adjusting to being in that time really fed into his "me man, you woman" mentality.
I appreciated that there were some very powerful women in this book. From very powerful witches, to a Queen, and a Alchemist, there are lots of women to show how smart and forward-thinking women could be in that time.
The story stayed in the 1590 s for almost all of the book, near 97%. Personally I would have liked a little more time in the present or even a little bit of going back and forth between the present and the past. Just something to add a little twist to it. Unfortunately that's not what we got, but what got instead was did work. One thing that I found odd is that with all of the changes in history that were taking place, in general, it seemed like Diana and Matthew were oblivious to what the consequences could be for creating all of the ripples in history. I'm sure there will be some sort of downside to what they influenced in the past. There has to be in order for the story to come full circle. Another thing that I found odd is that several characters went my several different names (in addition to the vampires), that may be a product of that time, but I found it a little annoying at times.
There wasn't a jaw dropping cliffhanger at the end of this book, which was a little disappointing. Knowing that we have one more book to go I was hoping for a magnificent cliffhanger and it fell short. There were also lots of loose ends that I look forward to getting a clear resolution on. I know that it seems like I had a lot issues with the book, but I still rated 4 bookmarks. When I first finished the audiobook I was ready to rate it 3 bookmarks, but after the story settled with me for a few days, I upped the rating because when it was all said and done, I realized that I wanted to jump right into the final installment despite the issues I had with this book. I definitely love that Diana is such a strong heroine and I feel vested in her story particularly.
If you read and enjoyed the Discovery of Witches, you should definitely read Shadow of Night. You'll want to continue on and get a peek into the past. I'm looking forward to seeing what the conclusion of this trilogy brings for Diana, Matthew and the creature society at large.
Before you go - be sure to check out the newest release of the All Souls universe. Read on to learn more.
Happy Reading & Listening,
~Tamara
The story stayed in the 1590 s for almost all of the book, near 97%. Personally I would have liked a little more time in the present or even a little bit of going back and forth between the present and the past. Just something to add a little twist to it. Unfortunately that's not what we got, but what got instead was did work. One thing that I found odd is that with all of the changes in history that were taking place, in general, it seemed like Diana and Matthew were oblivious to what the consequences could be for creating all of the ripples in history. I'm sure there will be some sort of downside to what they influenced in the past. There has to be in order for the story to come full circle. Another thing that I found odd is that several characters went my several different names (in addition to the vampires), that may be a product of that time, but I found it a little annoying at times.
There wasn't a jaw dropping cliffhanger at the end of this book, which was a little disappointing. Knowing that we have one more book to go I was hoping for a magnificent cliffhanger and it fell short. There were also lots of loose ends that I look forward to getting a clear resolution on. I know that it seems like I had a lot issues with the book, but I still rated 4 bookmarks. When I first finished the audiobook I was ready to rate it 3 bookmarks, but after the story settled with me for a few days, I upped the rating because when it was all said and done, I realized that I wanted to jump right into the final installment despite the issues I had with this book. I definitely love that Diana is such a strong heroine and I feel vested in her story particularly.
If you read and enjoyed the Discovery of Witches, you should definitely read Shadow of Night. You'll want to continue on and get a peek into the past. I'm looking forward to seeing what the conclusion of this trilogy brings for Diana, Matthew and the creature society at large.
Before you go - be sure to check out the newest release of the All Souls universe. Read on to learn more.
Happy Reading & Listening,
~Tamara
Get the Kindle version here: 
| Get the Audible version here: 
| Get the Audible version here: The All Souls Real-Time Reading Guide | FREE!
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For those of us currently reading (have read, or will read) the All Souls Trilogy, you don't want to miss this!
Last week Penguin released a free, e-book only, richly illustrated real-time reading guide that brings to life the world created by Deborah Harkness in A Discovery of Witches and Shadow of Night, retracing the events of these two bestselling novels with illuminating behind-the-scenes details and real-life events that figure into the books. It’s available for pre-order now. The All Souls Trilogy began with A Discovery of Witches and continued with Shadow of Night. Now, as The Book of Life has brought Deborah Harkness’s #1 New York Times bestselling trilogy to its conclusion, re-immerse yourself in the enchanting fantasy world she has created and enrich your experience of the heart-stopping finale. |
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