Shadow of Night (All Souls Trilogy, Bk 2) (All Souls Series)
The #1 New York Times bestselling second installment in the All Souls series, from the author of The Discovery of Witches and The Black Bird Oracle. Look for the hit series "A Discovery of Witches," now streaming on AMC+, Sundance Now, and Shudder! Picking up from A Discovery of Witches' cliffhanger ending, Shadow of Night takes reluctant witch Diana Bishop and vampire geneticist Matthew Clairmont on a trip through time to Elizabethan London, where they are plunged into a world of spies, magic, and a coterie of Matthew's old friends, the School of Night. As the search for Ashmole 782--the lost and enchanted manuscript whose mystery first pulled Diana and Matthew into one another's orbit--deepens and Diana seeks out a witch to tutor her in magic, the net of Matthew's past tightens around them. Together they find they must embark on a very different--and vastly more dangerous--journey. "A captivating and romantic ripping yarn,"* Shadow of Night confirms Deborah Harkness as a master storyteller, able to cast an "addictive tale of magic, mayhem and two lovers"(Chicago Tribune).
BUY THE BOOK
Community Reviews
It’s a full-fledged fantasy novel with time travel, magic, mystery, and history combined with vampires, daemons, and witches! There is so much that happens in this story that it’s a little overwhelming, but definitely entertaining. It reads well as a stand alone book, but it still helps if you’ve read the first book in the series. I’m curious how it will wrap up in the last book of the trilogy and I’m looking forward to reading it!
I am a detailed girl. I love digging into history and getting lost in something from centuries gone by, but even I have my limits. This book moved frustratingly slow and was bogged down by details and random little historical nuances that it bored even a wanna-be historian such as myself. It also introduced a myriad of new characters (many of them famous names from the time period) into a trilogy that was already pushing my character recall quota. To sum up, it was too much!!
***SPOILER ALERT***
Matthew and Diana timewalked to 1590 out of fear for what the Congregation might do to them, but once they got there, it was like they were on a holiday. They didn't seem to be in a hurry to figure things out (help Diana discover her powers, search for the "book") - both which needed to happen so that they could return to the present. But they didnt' seem to be in a rush to take on the task they had come to 1590 to tackle. Instead, they set up and "played house" in countless different locations, had multiple clothes fittings, got introduced to multiple personalities such as Christopher Marlowe, Sir Walter Raleigh and Shakespeare (just to name a few), and just seemed out to enjoy the moment in time.
Now yes, they had some pretty big assignments to take on, and I don't begrudge them a couple of weeks to just relax in their new environment. I'm not without heart after all. But it seemed to take them months of getting acquainted (or re-acquainted for Matthew) with the incredible characters of the age and relocating countless times across England before anything of importance happened. There were a few highlights that were captivating and sentimental: Matthew got to see his father again, Diana became a de Clermont, and the couple enjoyed consummating their marriage. But there were still page after page of dullness with little to no activity (hence the 3 stars review). It was hard to keep trudging through the book.
Eventually, things got a bit more exciting. Diana discovered her powers and started training, and the lost book was found. But it was quite a chore to make it that far into a tome once you've started losing interest and just want to be done with it. Book 3 is ahead of me yet, and I'm hoping it doesn't get too weighty with detail. I mean, I would like to finish this series before the end of the year after all.
***SPOILER ALERT***
Matthew and Diana timewalked to 1590 out of fear for what the Congregation might do to them, but once they got there, it was like they were on a holiday. They didn't seem to be in a hurry to figure things out (help Diana discover her powers, search for the "book") - both which needed to happen so that they could return to the present. But they didnt' seem to be in a rush to take on the task they had come to 1590 to tackle. Instead, they set up and "played house" in countless different locations, had multiple clothes fittings, got introduced to multiple personalities such as Christopher Marlowe, Sir Walter Raleigh and Shakespeare (just to name a few), and just seemed out to enjoy the moment in time.
Now yes, they had some pretty big assignments to take on, and I don't begrudge them a couple of weeks to just relax in their new environment. I'm not without heart after all. But it seemed to take them months of getting acquainted (or re-acquainted for Matthew) with the incredible characters of the age and relocating countless times across England before anything of importance happened. There were a few highlights that were captivating and sentimental: Matthew got to see his father again, Diana became a de Clermont, and the couple enjoyed consummating their marriage. But there were still page after page of dullness with little to no activity (hence the 3 stars review). It was hard to keep trudging through the book.
Eventually, things got a bit more exciting. Diana discovered her powers and started training, and the lost book was found. But it was quite a chore to make it that far into a tome once you've started losing interest and just want to be done with it. Book 3 is ahead of me yet, and I'm hoping it doesn't get too weighty with detail. I mean, I would like to finish this series before the end of the year after all.
Having finished reading A Discovery of Witches I read Shadow of Night immediately afterwards. I enjoyed this second part and like the first one found I wanted to know more about the characters and find out where the story was going.
However, unlike the first one I found it slow going to read, it wasn't a page turner for me. The historical setting was ok but full of too much historical fact and I felt, at the expense of the characters. There were fantastic descriptions of buildings and clothes and kitchens but for me the characters were lacking. It was as though I was going reading one history book entry after another at times. I enjoyed the insights into the characters back stories but these were not enough.
As for moving the story forward though it was good and I am looking forward to reading the next to find out the answers to my many questions and how it all ties together. As with many second parts in trilogy it raised more questions and loose ends than were answered.
However, unlike the first one I found it slow going to read, it wasn't a page turner for me. The historical setting was ok but full of too much historical fact and I felt, at the expense of the characters. There were fantastic descriptions of buildings and clothes and kitchens but for me the characters were lacking. It was as though I was going reading one history book entry after another at times. I enjoyed the insights into the characters back stories but these were not enough.
As for moving the story forward though it was good and I am looking forward to reading the next to find out the answers to my many questions and how it all ties together. As with many second parts in trilogy it raised more questions and loose ends than were answered.
See why thousands of readers are using Bookclubs to stay connected.