Deborah E. Harkness

A follow-up to A Discovery of Witches finds Oxford scholar and reluctant witch Diana and vampire geneticist Matthew Clairmont in Elizabethan London, where Diana seeks a magical tutor and Matthew confronts elements from his past at the same time the mystery of Ashmole 782 deepens.

Shadow of Night

Deborah Harkness

The #1 New York Times-bestselling sequel to A Discovery of Witches, book two of the All Souls Series. Look for the hit TV series “A Discovery of Witches,” streaming on AMC Plus, Sundance Now and Shudder. Season 2 premieres January 9, 2021! 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."**

A Novel

I'm extremely behind on the group read on this but...stop breaking my heart Matthew :(

(Bre)anne✨

The #1 New York Times-bestselling sequel to A Discovery of Witches, book two of the All Souls Series. Look for the hit TV series “A Discovery of Witches,” streaming on AMC Plus, Sundance Now and Shudder. Season 2 premieres January 9, 2021! 

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."**

Amazing love it so much. It is so different to the series but not at the same time. I love the plot

Niamh

Tatiana

Shadow Of Night: 4.5/5 

I absolutely ADORED the next installment of the All Souls Trilogy. I actually liked this book way more than the first one. Maybe because the bulk of the world building was based within the first book, so this one was less confusing.

The fact that this takes place in the 1500s makes it all the better. I’m a sucker for period pieces and although this has a twist to it, I really loved the setting, the new characters, and the development we see within Diana and Matthew. 

I am really excited to pick up book 3 next month!

slay! yeah its pretty slow and not a lot of plot and theres a whole bunch of scenes that dont matter but i dont think this book needed that. i think it was trying to portray an atmosphere for people who love history and it succeeded. i like how obvious it is that the author is a historian and knows what shes talking about and i like that all that the problems between matthew and diana seem real but i wish diana talked more lol. a lot of the scenes she was just there (bc it takes place in the late 1500s so it makes sense, but this is a fantasy. couldnt we have a scene where diana talks back to a man at least once) there werent any parts where i was like “wow diana is so cool” LMAO

bella <3

No ratings for re-reads. Deborah Harkness is a god. So nice to go back and read this again and see how everything is woven together. Hoping for a read along for Book of Life soon!

TW to be added later

No ratings for re-reads. Deborah Harkness is a god. So nice to go back and read this again and see how everything is woven together. Hoping for a read along for Book of Life soon!

I tried to read this book but it is entirely too long so I listened to the audiobook instead. But the story and the plot are great. The world building and depth are impressive. She does a great job at creating a whole new universe in the first book and this book was no exception with the world building and the way she intertwined her stories into history. I can see why it is being made into a series. 

Leah Diaz 

Taylor

Entirely too long, with weak characterization and a messy plot, but still a fun ride, especially for a historian.

Kelsey Joëlle

It took me ages to get into this book. I'd picked it up before but never got past the first 3 chapters. So much new information, names and things to learn, I just couldn't. But, I'm glad that I picked the book up after watching the TV-Show for the second time. It was so good! Loved the setting, Diana and Matthew were great, so much going on. It was truly a great read.

Annabella

So the speed is a fixed feature in this story

Nicole Dykeman

A thoroughly enjoyable sequel. As with the first, this took me quite a bit of time to get through, but I enjoyed every minute of it. The historical detail and personal character flourishes are especially admirable. There’s SO much information and events jam-packed into this book. 

There were a few things that bothered me about it, though. Largely the excuses that get made for Matthew’s incredibly annoying overprotective behavior. Just because they’ve travelled back in time doesn’t mean that he’s allowed to start treating Diana like she’s property.

Maggie Gordon

Shadow of the Night took every fault from A Discovery of Witches and magnified it tenfold. While I quite enjoyed the first book in this series, I almost did not finish this second one. It was only because I am still interested in the mystery at the heart of this story that I continued onwards.

Shadow starts directly where Discovery left off, with Diana and Matthew arriving in the past. And that is where they stay for almost the entirety of the book. For an urban fantasy fan, this was not a particularly welcome development, but it could have held my attention had it been written well. However, despite my enjoyment of Harkness’ slow pace in Discovery, Shadow moves slowly to the point that the plot is left behind. It takes almost 300 pages for the book to start seriously approaching the tasks that the protagonists have gone back in time to handle. And once the tasks are addressed, they are dealt with slowly, often almost as a second thought. 

Another issue plaguing Shadow is Diana’s development. While she has always been portrayed as a special character, this specialness never overwhelmed the fact that she had a personality and struggles. She wasn’t universally liked, and she didn’t get everything she wanted handed to her on a silver platter. She also had recognisable faults, and she suffered because of them. At least, this was all true in the first book. In Shadow, everyone loves Diana. Those who do not love Diana are punished. What does Diana do to deserve so much love and adoration? Learn Elizabethan penmanship and attempt to run an Elizabethan household. The character is rarely shown as engaging in actions of interest or value. And for such an esteemed academic, you certainly would never be able to tell from the way she talks and interacts with people. Everything that made me enjoy this character in the original book was stripped away, leaving a very hollow, uninteresting replacement that lacks any common sense or much to empathise with. 

Shadow of Night adds little to the mythology of Harkness’ world, and does a lot to dismantle the likeable characters she created in her first book (including Matthew who I didn't touch on in this review. He loses track of his intelligence as well). It reads, unfortunately, like the wish fulfilment fanfictions of young writers who are just learning their craft, and perhaps love their characters a little too much. If not for the fact that I do want to see the conclusion of the story of the mysterious alchemy text and its impact on the supernatural world, I would most certainly not be carrying on with this series.

Vilde

Mary Rose Luksha

I read all three books back to back. I think it's important to note because sometimes things can be missed or forgotten when you wait years to read a sequel.

The first hundred or so pages of this book were an absolute slog. I was super pumped Diana and Matthew were time traveling, but the whole beginning was "my how different Elizabethan England is from present day," and "reading about history isn't the same as living it." Well no shit. And the School of Night dudes were insufferable. Male posturing is no more interesting when the men are historical figures. 

Once Diana started working MAGIC then I was back into it. That's what drew me to the books in the first place. I also liked that Diana and Matthew's relationship changed. They fought, they disagreed, they made up, it was more normal and healthy unlike their relationship in the first book. And Diana finally starts to see herself as powerful, so she challenges Matthew more, which I liked. 

But same complaint as the first book, her editor was blind or not paying attention, or even worse thought the whole plot came together seamlessly.

Fraser Simons

I’ll freely admit that I just find this series quite fun and get on with the voice. I didn’t read it as critically, because this is my pop corn, fun movie type fiction. I also don’t know annnnything about the time period, and it was fun being learning a bit about it. I also do not think that historical fiction = historical accuracy, as some reviewers seem to think and require. There’s witches and demons and vampires, beside - I have no idea why you’d think it was a critical framework of the time period. 

With that said, I know I’m not reading it critically because you pretty much need to accept these books on its own terms or else be disappointed. You must be alright with the idea that these two can fall in love in like a week and go straight into a marriage. What I liked about this was that the romance is a fairy… until it’s not. There’s issues they have to navigate and they question wether they made the right decision even as their relationship is like a bullet shot from a gun still. Recklessly forward, even with substantial issues stemming from not knowing one another. I liked that it was more complicated than the first book. 

It clipped along nicely for me too. It’s a slightly step above commercial fiction for me. Readable and easy flow, decent pacing. This is also not a large book for me either, so maybe I’m just more acclimated to a structure like this. I mean, you read Sanderson and you can get through anything. 1200 pages where barely any plot happens and the most sterile prose imaginable - this is a damn gift in comparison. 

The plot was very straight forward but there’s some cool world building reveals and I just really liked the story. It was interesting and fun. Though, I strongly dislike Matthew now. I hate his pet names and how antiquated he is toward his wife, making her push back. I guess it’s going for a bad boy vibe for him but I just wanted to punch him in the face sometimes. 

Lots more witchy stuff going on, the stuff with the book of life and the time travel was just fun. I’m fine with it. 4 stars means it exceeded my expectations, and it did. I like this more than the first book, which I enjoyed but certainly raised my eyebrows at the whirlwind romance aspect to it. I think this is a stronger instalment, though I just much prefer the plot because it’s just “cooler”; so I’m somewhat biased on that front.

A follow-up to the best-selling A Discovery of Witches finds Oxford scholar and reluctant witch Diana Bishop and vampire geneticist Matthew Clairmont in Elizabethan London, where Diana seeks a magical tutor and Matthew confronts elements from his past at the same time the mystery of Ashmole 782 deepens.

Yulande Lindsay

I thoroughly enjoyed this sequel to the enchanting A Discovery of Witches. Never a dull moment with characters that were flawed in the best possible way. Highly recommended.

Sabetha Danes

Just as good as the first. You can tell that these books were researched well within the writing. Great addition to the story. Can't wait to finish the series but nervous about how it's going to end! This segment definitely added suspense to the over arching storyline. There was great character growth within this book, and questions left un answered.

Sarah Ryan

Picking up immediately where the first book ended, this second part of the trilogy is set largely in Elizabethan London. Magic and historical fiction with some thriller elements woven through. Loved!

Sophie Hutchings

By far my favourite in the trilogy, I loved the time walking, the way the historically characters fitted effortlessly in with the story and the most of all I loved their trip to France to see Matthews father. 

Amazing read. Would recommend it to everyone and anyone. PERFECTION 5*

A follow-up to the best-selling A Discovery of Witches finds Oxford scholar and reluctant witch Dina and vampire geneticist Matthew Clairmont in Elizabethan London, where Dina seeks a magical tutor and Matthew confronts elements from his past at the same time the mystery of Ashmole 782 deepens. Reprint.

Trula Rockwell

Again, I am thoroughly impressed with the way this book is written. Of course, people will most likely compare it to Twilight still. However I have found that as Deborah has written, we still are learning more and more about the male lead's past in a way that was never covered of Edward Cullen. So take that.

With the race through history and Diana meeting people that she had only read about, this book kept me on my toes. I couldn't wait to get to the next page and sometimes had to go back and read a page due to my excitement of the story being told on the pages.

Becky

This book was spectacular. It didn't quite live up to the first but I loved it in its own unique way. It was a different story to the first. It was paced differently and it was a different does and it perfectly suited that period. I could quite happily read it again. I can hardly wait for the third.

Sophia De La Garza

This book was a whirlwind of emotions. So much happened and I can't even discuss it without spoiling but man I think I loved this more than the first book. 
4.5 stars, I can't wait to eventually get to the 3rd book

Maribel González

La segunda parte me ha gustado un poco más que la primera, a excepción de algunas cosas. La adaptación de los personajes al nuevo entorno no me convencía al principio, pero la trama de las brujas salva la historia (una vez más). Además, creo que la autora une bien la ficción con la realidad, por lo menos, en cuanto a personajes se refiere. Varios de los secundarios me han conquistado (Gallowglass!) y el final me ha dado un poco de pena. Tengo ganas de ver qué se cuece en el tercer libro y descubrir el desenlace de esta historia.

Ebony Francis

Brought me joy as a historian to see the relationships between historical figures and the characters of the book.

Ren Christina

I adored the first book in this series but I absolutely LOVED this installment. While many have had issues with the length and subject, I wholeheartedly enjoyed both. I love dense historical fantasy, or dense fantasy in general, and this was no exception.

We get to meet more of Matthew's family, his friends from centuries past, and THERE IS SO MANY HISTORICAL FIGURES TO SCREAM OVER???? My favourite was without a doubt William Shakespeare, but Kit Marlowe was a close second. Also, can we please talk about Kit and Matthew. Please. The one-sided yearning, the angst, the betrayal. It was brilliantly done.

I loved the relationship between Diana and Matthew even more in Shadow of Night, for we got to see them settling into the new normal that is their relationship. There are missteps and sweet moments a plenty. 

It may have taken me just under 6 months to read but I'm so glad I took my time to savour the journey.

Nora Reisenberger

I just wrote a review and then the app crashed 🤦🏻‍♀️
Maybe one day I’ll re-type and formulate my thoughts but for now - The essence of that:

Solid book 👍🏻 
Great fantasy, very cool journey into the past.
To a life Matthew thought he’d left behind and Diana desperately needs to find herself.
Secrets are unveiled and alliances forged.
(Gallowglass is amazing 👌🏻)

We visit a world imagined as it would be if creatures such as vampires, witches and werewolves shaped and took part in historical events around the time of Shakespeare, Marlowe and Queen Elizabeth I.

Really cool look into history through the eyes of an author who clearly knows her stuff 🙌🏻✨

✨get transporter back in time ✨

Basically if you enjoy historical fiction and fantasy with a dash of romance, and a whole lot of magic then this is the book for you!

So why only three stars?
This is a solid book, hence the positive three star rating, it just didn’t *wow* me as much as the first one did... that little extra spark that caught my interest in the first just... didn’t sparkle as brightly.
It was still there but the glitter was missing. It wasn’t as shiny and new as the first book.

Basically I think the same could have been achieved in a slightly shorter amount of pages...
It’s very much a book that needed to happen between the first and the third. And if does deliver in it’s own rights as well.

The atmosphere and mood of the book is grade A amazing and the detailed descriptions paint a vivid picture of the past.

I just kind of felt like the sense of urgency from the first book was kind of lost a little bit.

Trust me, my first review was more eloquent and generally better - but I’m not in the mood to re-type it and do it all over again 🙈 maybe another time.

Shadow of Night

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