Shadow of Night (All Souls Trilogy, Bk 2) (All Souls Series)

Last week I was mostly MIA... Well that's thanks to the fact I had started this book. It's a hefty read just like its predecessor was, and just like the final installment will be I'm sure. Once again I was transported into a world of humans, witches, vampires, daemons and more... And once again I LOVED it.

This book picks up right where book one left off. We find Diana and Matthew at the destination of their time walking... the year 1590. Elizabethan England. I am someone who has a lot of love for anything to do with history. I love reading about past eras, whether in fact or fiction. So I was excited to follow this story and devour every single detail I could, not just about the characters but also about the setting...

There is a lot of detail packed into these pages. For me I love a book with a heavy dose of detail as long as it adds to the story being told and in this case it was certainly warranted. There is no way the author would've been able to paint such a vivid picture of the Elizabethan era if she didn't spend the page space on building up every little detail from the clothing, the food, the buildings, the etiquette right down to the smells and strange little quirks of the period. I LOVED the detail that Deborah Harkness went into. I didn't begrudge one single sentence of her world building. It was beautifully done. I really enjoyed that the same level of care that Harkness took in the first book with describing the scientific aspects of the story was also paid to the historical aspects in this installment. For me I think what really highlighted the almost unimaginable alien feel of the time period was that we were seeing it through Diana's eyes. Through her very modern, current day eyes. For as much as she is a history buff, she is still from our way of life. Having her deposited into 1590 highlighted just how much the world has changed.

Time traveling can be a very tricky plot to both write and follow as a reader. I really enjoyed the authors take on this subject... that said, there is always going to be some threads of the story that do raise question marks and it's certainly no different here. I do wonder about the 'old' Matthew who reappears with apparently no knowledge of the events his future self participated in after Diana and 'current' Matthew return back to the current day. Think about it too hard and there are a lot of 'what if's' there. Also the creatures that are let in on the secret of the time traveling have their future completely re-written, just by the fact they know what they know. But the implications of all of this can't ever possibly be fully covered and explained.

On the other hand, the fact that the characters need to be careful about altering history is brought up quite a few times and this is actually one of the parts of the time traveling storyline I really enjoyed. How the author focused on the seemingly smallest things (the set of miniatures for example) and linked through them to chapters set in the current day was the perfect way to tie the story together and keep the pace and story going in the here and now as well as in the past. I loved that we got to check in with characters such as Marcus, Em, Sarah, Ysabeau and Sophie as well as some characters that weren't familiar from the first book but I'm sure will be by the end of the last. This last point also goes for the characters introduced in the past. I loved getting to meet the people from Matthews past that I had heard of, I loved following Matthew and watching him be able to see people that he had lost long ago. There were some very poignant reunions; the chapters spent on their visit to Sept-Tours were my absolute favorites of the whole book.

The plot-lines covering the manuscript and Diana's powers all progressed at least in part. As far as Diana's learning of her craft, even though I felt like it was a bit stop/start on the whole, I still really loved the direction this storyline ended up taking. There were some unexpected surprises and reveals about Diana and her powers and it was so satisfying that by the end of this book she had actually moved forward in learning about and managing her powers. The manuscript had a lot of writing time spent on the hunting of it. The actual acquiring of it...Not so much. But that doesn't at all reduce the shocking discovery about its nature and I'm very interested to see where this particular storyline heads next, it's gotten steadily creepier and creepier and I'm sure there's much more of that to come.

Finally...The love story. As much as this is a story about creatures, magic and time travel, it's just as much a story of a romance. The relationship between Matthew and Diana is the crux of this series. Everything comes back to them and their connection and in this book everything is taken up a few notches and we start to see exactly what is riding on this love story. Both characters develop and grow along with their relationship and I love that there is progress in this respect. Nothing drives me crazier than a love story that's stagnant. Probably my biggest hope for Diana and Matthew is that they get some form of HEA once all is said and done. I'm still unsure what that HEA will look like, but I am staying optimistic!

So yes, this is a long read. Yes, this has A LOT of detail, historical and otherwise and yes it is based on a romance. I feel that all of these aspects make it work as a brilliant second installment in this trilogy. It feels like we are hurtling towards all of these threads of stories being tied into finality and I literally cannot wait until July 15th when the final book is released... I can guarantee I won’t be sleeping much that week... I have big hopes.... huge hopes!

Diana and Matthew timewalk to 1590 in search of witches who can teach Diana about her magic; they also hunt for an elusive book; strengthen their relationships with each other, their fathers, and the various creatures they spend time with; and, though they thought it impossible, Diana becomes pregnant.

(Though reviews are inherently subjective, I prefer to provide some organization to my opinions through the use of a personal rubric. The following notes may contain spoilers.)

Plot and Setting: 4.4 -- Plot is engaging from start to finish. Has many unique elements, no major holes, and a sense of focus. Major plot points are dropped or not resolved (cliffhanger). Setting is clear and believable. Timeline may be a bit hard to follow. A unique element here is that we basically have 2 simultaneous timelines. Not only are Matthew and Diana learning more about themselves and each other, there are also complicating factors and dangerous predicaments in both the 16th and the 21st centuries. The main focus is the past, but scattered scenes from the present keep reminding us that time is passing there, too. There are so many different elements at play, but, amazingly, it holds together well. The timeline is harder to follow here than in book 1, mainly because it's spread over a longer period of time. There's at least one spot where things don't seem to line up, but the landmarks of different festivals and feast days help maintain clarity.

Characters: 5 -- Relatable, realistic, interesting, dynamic characters. Even minor characters have depth, as do the relationships between characters. While all the characters from the first book are continuing their own stories, we only get glimpses of the 'present,' and get introduced to a whole new cast of characters in the past. There's really no overlap beyond Matthew and Diana, and all the new characters we meet are at least as vivid and fascinating as those we met before. The depictions of actual historical figures have that additional interesting element of fiction representing, at least a little, historical truth. Some very powerful (and complicated!) family relationships, especially as Diana and Matthew relate to Philippe, Stephen, and Jack and Annie.

Mechanics and Writing: 5 -- Few, if any, typos, punctuation issues, or word errors. (<3/100pgs) Intelligent use of POV. Skillful writing that adds to the story. Errors include: mild punctuation or formatting issues, some small inconsistencies. POV is mainly 1st-person Diana, with some scenes (all or almost all when Diana is not present to narrate) in a sort of universal 3rd-person narrative, dipping into the thoughts of whoever is needed to tell the important details.

Redeeming Value: 3.2 -- Partially focused uplifting themes or lessons. Drugs, alcohol, violence, etc, are not glorified, though there is definitely shaky ground. Several mildly explicit sex scenes. Implied moral guidelines for behavior. More of the kind of vampire morality that involves bloodshed and power plays. The added element of blood rage, which takes a vampire even further into unreasoning violence. A few scenes involving characters high on opium, though this is not looked on with approval. Diana and Matthew are married, and they have sex. It's described in more detail than I would prefer, but really the focus each time is on how sex plays into their overall relationship. In other words, it's fairly explicit, but not gratuitous. Some great themes about second chances, reconciliation, forgiveness, family, and love.

Personal Enjoyment: 4.5 -- I loved it. Highly enjoyable and very entertaining, with perhaps an issue or two that tempered my pleasure. I’d enjoy reading it again.

Certain books captivate your attention right from the start and stay with you long after you've finished reading them. Shadow of Night is most certainly one of those books.

I was a huge fan of A Discovery of Witches and was eagerly awaiting the sequel as soon as I was done reading the first novel. I absolutely loved Shadow of Night and was not dissapointed in the slightest. In many ways I enjoyed this novel even more than the first. I loved that the sequel picked up right where DOW ended. The authors detailed description of each place that Matthew and Diana visited in the past really made me feel that I was actually there and seeing through Diana's eyes.

I will say that there are many new characters thrown into the sequel, often times many come in at once, and you must pay close attention to take in what is going on and who is saying what at certain points in the book. However, the characters are so richly written that it's well worth it to keep a mental checklist of who's who, and also there is a helpful character listing in the back of the book to correspond with each place Matthew and Diana are currently in. I also enjoy Ms. Harkness's dry humor in the way that the characters interact with each other as well.

I have read many of the reviews, and have noticed that several people have commented that the theory of "time-walking" was flawed and that the theory seemed to change throughout the book. I will say that the theory did seem to change several times, but only because Matthew and Diana really had no idea as to the rules of "time-walking" and visiting the past, and how their time there would effect the future as well. They were both figuring things out as they went along, so it was a natural progression that the theories changed as the novel moved on. I also have read that the novel read somewhat like a history book because of the author's love of history. However, I felt that the history was woven into the storyline and helped establish the setting. Also, being that the main character Diana is a historian herself, it would make sense that the details that were noted would be looked at by Diana since that is her passion and life's work.

I enjoyed the flashes to present day while Matthew and Diana were still in the past and how current events were corresponding with what was happening in the past as it was happening, I felt it really helped tie everything together. You also are really able to see the progression of not only Matthew and Diana's relationship, but of their understanding of each other as individual persons and his/her needs. It makes their relationship seem more believable and not stagnant.

I so enjoyed this novel from start to finish and was so sad to have finished it as quickly as I did. I will definitely be re-reading it again (not flying through the pages quite so quickly!) hoping to take in some points that I missed from the first time!! I of course am eagerly awaiting the final book in the series to see how the story finishes!