Remember when I read A Discovery of Witches and I said it was great and I couldn't wait to read the second one? Well, I didn't wait to read the second one. In fact, I read it almost immediately after I finished the first one and if this is possible, it was better than its predecessor.
Shadow of Night picks up right where Discovery of Witches ended. Diana and Matthew have traveled back to Elizabethan England to search for not only the manuscript Diana found in the Bodlian Library, but also to find a mentor to help Diana figure out magical powers.
As expected, this does not go nearly as smoothly as Diana and Matthew would have hoped and all sorts of problems occur including Matthew's betrayal by a wishful would-be lover and someone accusing Diana of being a witch. If you throw in drawing Queen Elizabeth's ire and the general issues that come with actually being a witch and living in 1590.
This novel was a natural one for me to love. I adore historical fiction, I like historical romance, and I've been extremely into fantasy lately. Also, this novel is about a book. Yeah, I have a thing for books about books. I also really like Harkness' characterizations. She takes historical figures, sometimes shadowy figures, and not only seamlessly develops a persona for them but also weaves them into her super natural universe. She's fabulous!
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| {Source: Goodreads} |
Shadow of Night picks up right where Discovery of Witches ended. Diana and Matthew have traveled back to Elizabethan England to search for not only the manuscript Diana found in the Bodlian Library, but also to find a mentor to help Diana figure out magical powers.
As expected, this does not go nearly as smoothly as Diana and Matthew would have hoped and all sorts of problems occur including Matthew's betrayal by a wishful would-be lover and someone accusing Diana of being a witch. If you throw in drawing Queen Elizabeth's ire and the general issues that come with actually being a witch and living in 1590.
This novel was a natural one for me to love. I adore historical fiction, I like historical romance, and I've been extremely into fantasy lately. Also, this novel is about a book. Yeah, I have a thing for books about books. I also really like Harkness' characterizations. She takes historical figures, sometimes shadowy figures, and not only seamlessly develops a persona for them but also weaves them into her super natural universe. She's fabulous!
I've been wanting to read this series for a while now. But I had no idea Queen Elizabeth was in the sequel! I didn't think it was possible, but now I think I want to read this series even more!!
ReplyDeleteI love books about books, too! I cannot wait for the third book in this series. I'm in love with Matthew Clairmont.
ReplyDeleteThis is such a fantastic series - I recommend to everyone. Professor Harkness definitely rewards studious readers who want to pursue her nuggets about mythology, science, alchemy, science, geography, religion, etc. I'm (not) patiently waiting for news about the movie and that Richard Armitage has been cast as Matthew Clairmont. You can see the campaign at www.armitage4clairmont.com or www.facebook.com/ armitage4clairmont
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