Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness

English: Christopher Marlowe’s memorial IN the Churchyard at St Nicholas, Deptford (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

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…

Sandy’s Review:

After I read Discovery of Witches I could not wait to read what happened to Diana and Matthew after they picked up their feet and put them down.  Once they landed on the floor of Matthews home in 1590 I was excited to read who they were going to run into.  I loved the way Deborah Harkness brought Christopher Marlowe, Thomas Harriot, Sir Walter Raleigh, and Queen Elizabeth I to life.  When you read history through her imagination it is funny to think of these historical figures as daemons, witches, vampires, or just humans who are privy to it all.

During this whole ordeal with going back in time Matthew is transformed into the person he was in the 1500’s but with the knowledge of the future.  This frustrated him at times because he tries to undo injustice in the past but time has a way of repeating itself anyway.  I loved the whole idea of going back so that Diana could learn her skills as a witch and for them to acquire the manuscript they need, however after awhile it seemed fruitless.  Once they went to Prague I was done and just wanted them to leave and go home (their time). Deborah Harkness is very descriptive about everything so this is a long read and it will be worth it to find out the conclusion of this couple in the 3rd book.

Buy here:Shadow of Night: A Novel (All Souls Trilogy)

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A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

Description:

Bodleian Library in Oxford, England (Photo credit: Wikipedia)Deep in the stacks of Oxford’s Bodleian Library, young scholar Diana Bishop unwittingly calls up a bewitched alchemical manuscript in the course of her research. Descended from an old and distinguished line of witches, Diana wants nothing to do with sorcery; so after a furtive glance and a few notes, she banishes the book to the stacks. But her discovery sets a fantastical underworld stirring, and a horde of daemons, witches, and vampires soon descends upon the library. Diana has stumbled upon a coveted treasure lost for centuries-and she is the only creature who can break its spell.

Debut novelist Deborah Harkness has crafted a mesmerizing and addictive read, equal parts history and magic, romance and suspense. Diana is a bold heroine who meets her equal in vampire geneticist Matthew Clairmont, and gradually warms up to him as their alliance deepens into an intimacy that violates age-old taboos. This smart, sophisticated story harks back to the novels of Anne Rice, but it is as contemporary and sensual as the Twilight series-with an extra serving of historical realism.

Sandy’s Review:

Deborah Harkness is a very descriptive and imaginative writer.  When I read this book (I have several times) it makes me feel like I am at Oxford, I can imagine what the Bodleian Library looks and smells like.  The way she describes her characters you get an exact feel for their personalities.  This is the same way I felt when I read Annie Rice’s Vampire Chronicles.  Her love and respect for history is very evident in her writing.

Diana Bishop is very frustrating at times because she is headstrong, stubborn, and denies her heritage so much that she almost dies because of her ignorance.  Once she realizes she may have put herself, her family, and that of witch kind in jeopardy she is all to willing to jump in with both feet.  Matthew Clairmont is of course the otherworldly handsome vampire with a possessive nature. There are twists and turns in this book that kept my heart racing and shocked me. If you are a lover of paranormal romances you will thoroughly enjoy this book.

One thing that I have to warn readers about this book, it ends on a cliffhanger of sorts, not to worry the second installment is already available to read.  The third book in the series should be out by years end.

Purchase here:A Discovery of Witches: A Novel (All Souls Trilogy)