Fabulous reads – Shadow of Night (spoilers)

Shadow of Night, Deborah Harkness

AFTER the disappointment that was the first book in the All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness, I was filled with apprehension when I picked up the second book, Shadow of Night.

Due to the events in the last novel, the time weaving witch, Diana, and her vampire husband, Matthew, have no choice but to take a literal step back in time. The couple firmly believe that the 16th Century would be the perfect place for Diana to learn to control and harness her powers while they search for the completed version of Ashmole 782. But fate has other plans for the newlyweds.

Diana and Matthew come face to face with countless obstacles in their personal lives and in their quest for the elusive manuscript, that is believed to be the Book of Life. There are twists and turns but in the 600 pages, they were few and far between and not enough to keep me glued to the book. This is by no means a with hunt (no pun) for Deborah, but there was honestly no reason for the book to be so drawn out. Another problem I found was that there were scenes with the potential to increase the pacing of the book, but were brushed aside and completed in a few lines.

While it was better than book one, but not by much, I am positively dreading the third book, The Book of Life.