Shadow of Night: A Novel

After first hearing about A Discovery of Witches, I embarked on a journey with Diana and Matthew that was completely a enthralling, once in a lifetime experience. I have since read ADOW 3 times and have been impatiently waiting for the second book in the trilogy to surface. After getting my hands on a borrowed ARC, I was able to skip ahead of line just a teensy bit.. Suffice to say, it was worth the wait. If you haven't yet,BUY THESE BOOKS! Shadow of Night continues that amazing journey and picks up right where ADOW leaves us, and still leaves me burning with extreme impatience (already) for the third and final book in the trilogy. The book is a masterpiece of blending paranormal fantasy, historical fiction, and romance all into one seamless being. We are immediately sunk into Elizabethan London on the hunt for Ashmole 782, and thrown so many actual historical characters it can almost make the reader dizzy! The execution of said historical figures- Christopher Marlowe, Elizabeth I, etc and how they are presented to us within the story is both plausible and enlightening at the same time. It is clear that Ms. Harkness did significant historical research in the creation of this novel (as she is, in fact, a true historian after all) and in how these characters would integrate into the lives of Diana and Matthew. We follow the lead characters from The Old Lodge, back to Sept Tours, back to London, to Prague, and then back to London again in a truly epic historical journey. Along the way we learn, alongside Diana and Matthew when their marriage hits snags,secrets, heartbreak and lies, in addition to watching Matthew learn to forgive himself for the past and Diana learn the truth about herself as well as her parents. In addition to Diana and Matthew's journey into the past, we are given snippets of what events are unfolding in the future. For example,minor changes during their timewalking adventures (jewelry, simple journals,etc) are having immediate future effects. These brief views in the future are both sad and enlightening, giving the reader knowledge that Diana and Matthew are not privy to. Through their journey, they answer many of the questions asked in ADOW, but we are left with just as many new questions that gathered along the way. The book ends with the lead characters safely back in the present where they belong, but as this is only the second book in the trilogy, the problems are far from over with Ashmole 782 and the Congregation. As stated before, I may be a little biased about these books. I am a historian of science, as well as a huge book/romance/paranormal sap. But it confuses and concerns me to read other reviews that state the book has no plot. Certainly, not everyone will enjoy every single book they come across, or not like the story, or the historical aspects, or the characters.. but clearly, how anyone can even read 3 chapters into the book and state the book has no plot is simply ridiculous in my opinion. Ultimately, huge congratulations to Ms. Harkness on continuing this amazing story in epic form. Sometimes, the second book in the series can be weak. But, with a Shadow of Night, I was not disappointed at all. The worst part in all of this is I know I will have to wait just as long if not longer for book 3! For me, these books rank right up there with Harry Potter. This is a story to be enjoyed over and over, with new things to learn each time and lessons that we can all learn from and apply to our daily lives in some fashion. Thank you, again, Ms. Harkness!

For those of us who have read and reread the first two of Deborah Harkness' All Souls Trilogy novels, I am guessing that like me, you yearn for the third in the series and check her website often. But that kind of quality cannot be rushed so we wait and some of us reread them. These novels are packed with details and character depth that they warrant rereading. I hardly ever reread a book no matter how good the book, nor how bored I am. But there are always exceptions to the rules and I do love those exceptions. Even if you do not like novels with witches and other creatures, even if you would never read Tolkien's books or Harry Potter or anything with magic in it, make an exception and read these. She has an amazing understanding of people (for what does it really matter if a character in a book is somewhat different as her characters are; we are all different in some manner). And she has a way of finding the healthy and loving solutions we would all like in our lives and rarely find in our reading. Deborah Harkness has created a world within our world which is intricate, and exciting; with in-depth characters you love and those you do not; but all of them are believable. As you read you will find that the species of her characters is much less import than their ability to love even when it is difficult and to face their fears and desires. This novel picks up exactly where the last ended and I was lucky for it was available when I finished Discovery or Witches. In this one there are more and delightful characters added. Together they make a whole and set the stage for the third and last book. If you have ever found yourself less than happy with who are, if you have ever known great joy or fear or deep sorrow, if you struggle to master yourself or have problems loving yourself or trusting others, you will find the same struggles within the novels' characters and even better: the hope and joy we all want. In fact, Harkness writes so well that they are more than characters; you may find yourself or friends within her pages. I enjoy historical novels with some mystery within them. There are many authors I can recommend but none do as wonderful a job. Deborah Harkness is an historian and a very, very gifted writer. No wonder she needed to branch out into novels. While I liked historical settings, until these books, I never realized what wealth history can add. These books are not just set in an historical time, they involve real people who she threads through her stories; albeit she takes some artistic license with a few of them yet still gives us something believable. Her approach makes it all the more enjoyable. She writes so well that I actually bought one of her history books. History can be fun if told by an excellent storyteller and Deborah Harkness is that. I should know for I am a story teller and a poet and very difficult to please. "It began with absence and desire, it began with blood and fear, it began with The Discovery of Witches", which is the title of the first book. Long ago, I wrote poems about the same forces in life for desire, blood and fear are central concerns no matter what else comes our way. Oh and few more notes: aside from her first novel debuting at #2 on the New York Times Best Seller list, being named one of the best books of February 2011 by Amazon, and selling in at least 34 countries another tidbit which may interest you is that Warner Bros bought the movie right and hired David Auburn (Lake House) to adapt the stories. And you can bet those of us who have loved her novels are anxiously awaiting the first movie. Check out You Tube for more on that.

Boa continuação do primeiro livro e deixa um gancho muito bom para o segundo. Excelente continuação, e deixa o leitor afoito para ler a conclusão. Série muito boa, adorei. Abordagem muito singular sobre criaturas. Excelente.

Deborah knows how to mix up fantasy romance and historic facts into one great amusing story. Nice twists here and there.

"Shadow of Night" è un viaggio affascinante e immersivo che porta il lettore in un mondo dove storia, magia e romanticismo si intrecciano con maestria. Deborah Harkness dimostra ancora una volta il suo talento nel tessere una narrazione ricca e avvincente, elevando la trilogia All Souls a un livello superiore con questo secondo capitolo. Il romanzo riprende da dove ci aveva lasciato A Discovery of Witches, portando Diana Bishop e Matthew Clairmont indietro nel tempo, nella vibrante epoca dell'Inghilterra elisabettiana. L'ambientazione storica è incredibilmente dettagliata e realistica, segno dell'impressionante ricerca svolta dall'autrice. Ogni scena trasporta il lettore nelle strade affollate e nei salotti intellettuali del XVI secolo, offrendo un'esperienza di lettura quasi cinematografica. Uno degli aspetti più apprezzabili di Shadow of Night è la capacità della Harkness di bilanciare i vari elementi della trama: c'è la tensione romantica, l'intrigo storico, l'avventura e, naturalmente, la magia. Il ritmo è ben calibrato, con momenti di azione che si alternano a riflessioni più profonde e a dialoghi brillanti. Se siete fan del primo libro, questo sequel non vi deluderà. Shadow of Night espande il mondo di All Souls in modi sorprendenti, preparandoci a un finale che si preannuncia epico. È un romanzo che cattura il cuore e la mente, perfetto per chi ama le storie che mescolano storia, fantasy e romanticismo in un mix irresistibile. Consigliatissimo!

I really loved reading this book and took my time to read it as well because I enjoyed reading it so much and wanted to grasp every detail. Deborah Harkness woves her words together wonderfully and draws her characters interesteringly and with depth and passion. It is a joy reading her work and getting a glimpse into her imagination. I often had goosebumps reading it.

Part of the all souls trilogy.. am hooked