Request to Readers of This Review who LOVED the bookPlease stop NOW & do not read this review. Based on the ridiculous & repetitive comments left by lovers of this trilogy, many of you cannot handle opinions that do not conform to your own & feel the need to call me stupid, tell me I have no right to read this book, & other nonsense. If you feel that way, FINE. Just stop telling me! I don't care! I don't troll lovers of this trilogy & tell them they are morons for liking the [...]

I've read some of the comments and "reviews" on here for the book and I just have to start out by saying that with the advent of blogs, review pages, etc, there have been many folks who believe that they would make excellent book reviewers. I have to say the long commentary on here of them moaning and groaning and being annoyed by an author makes me want to go stick a pencil in my eye.That being said apparently many people believe that the cosummation section of the book should have been in deta [...]

"You gave your life to me Diana Bishop. It's time to make use of it."This is a hard review to write. How do I sum up all the intense emotions and thoughts that this book conjured in me? So please forgive me if this review is not worthy of the book for this was truly an incredible story and like the first book, one I will have to read again and again. The book starts off exactly where A Discovery of Witches ended, Matthew and Diana have traveled back to Oxford 1591 in search of a witch powerful e [...]

Worst. Sequel. Ever. I loved Discovery of Witches and couldn't wait to dive into the sequel, particularly now that they have traveled back in time to Elizabethan England. Unfortunately, this outing started out bad and just got worse. Harkness punishes readers with endless dialogue between Matthew's incredibly boring friends, who there are, like six of and all six of them are interchangeable and awful. Totally unnecesary characters could have been reduced to one or two friends, since they all hav [...]

My rating: 2.5 of 5 starsShadow of Night picks up ​​ immediately after A Discovery of Witches ends (and I do mean immediately with little to no refresher. This was my second attempt at reading and I attribute my success at completing it solely because of this recap I found online which was an immense help.) with Matthew and Diana traveling back into the past to search for Ashmole 782 and to seek Diana help with her powers. For those that don’t remember​​: Ashmole 782: the bewitched alc [...]

I was fairly eager to read Shadow of Night after reading Discovery of Witches. I didn't hate it. I didn't love it. While I certainly had my qualms about the first book book (you can read my review to see about that), my review of Shadow of Night is equally ambivalent, but for different reasons. SPOILERS AHEAD!!!First, the good:- Harkness finally utilizes her skills as an Elizabethan historian for more than painting a sentimental picture of Oxford. Taking her characters into Elizabethan England w [...]

Cannot believe this book has 4 stars??? Have you read the same book I just suffered through?? (actually listened to as a 24 hour long audiobook!! should have been my first warning) I don't even want to read the 3rd book I'm so turned off by this LONG, confusing sequel. I can't imagine how she will be able to close the MANY loose ends she has floating out there. And by the way, did anyone else follow that crazy weaver business? Two more of many pet peeves about this was the lame jack be nimble, j [...]

I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley, thanks to the helpful comments from friends here on GoodReads. Following is my review of the book.This story begins at the same point where A Discovery of Witches left off, with Diana & Matthew landing safely in Elizabethan England. Diana is enthralled with the idea of “living” the historical events she has spent her life studying, and is a bit nonplussed by the fact that even with all her knowledge of the times and people, she [...]

As soon as I finished A Discovery of Witches, I immediately went online to find out when I should expect the sequel. It was a long wait, but completely worth it. Harkness' view of Elizabethan London and Europe is just awesome, and the trip to Prague was an added bonus that I had not expected. Not only did the plot line get more compelling, but Harkness was also able to weave in the difficulties of the newly wed. I savored every minute of this novel, and I can hardly wait to get it on audio.Audio [...]

I wish I could give this book more than 3 stars. To be honest it's receiving three only because I it piqued my interest just enough to finish it.I was so excited to read the second installment to Diana and Matthew's journey after reading The Discovery of Witches a couple of years ago and absolutely adoring the first book! This book, I found, was too long with too many unnecessary characters. Yes I became aware after reading the book that there is a glossary in the back of the book.but on a Kindl [...]

So imagine you’ve written a story about vampires and witches who hunt for a mysterious book full of power and life. The story is set in the modern day with much of the action taking part in the city of Oxford along with many memorable scenes occurring in the Bodleian library. It all sounds pretty decent. Your central character slowly falls in love with a vampire: the feelings are returned. The two decide to pool their resources as they are both working for very similar aims. Their hunt for the [...]

This book was unbearable. I wrote a really lengthy review then lost it before saving, but I have so many problems with this book that I honestly don't feel like writing them up again.I'm just going to lay out some general reasons why you shouldn't read this book:Most of the new characters are either boring or annoying. Matthew also becomes immensely annoying with his constant desire to keep secrets and treat her like she is incapable of understanding him.If a character is annoying the author wil [...]

What a wonderful, vibrant, rich exciting thriller/mystery/love story this is.Loved how the supernatural is woven through the story as Diana and Matthew journey through Elizabethan Europe. A cracking read, and a worthy sequel to DoW. Can't wait for the next one.

Re-read 12/17/17I didn't dislike this novel any on a re-read. Indeed, knowing what's going to occur in the next novel actually improved the overall plot for me. I originally came to the conclusion that most of the historical plots were relatively inconsequential. After all, aren't we playing tourists with the time-travel bits? But no. The plots and the carry-through with a large cast of characters both vampire and other feels entirely justified on the re-read. Other than that, I pretty much sque [...]

I'm bored out of my mind and just can't read another page. I've been reading this book for over a week, hundreds and hundreds of pages, and virtually nothing has happened. There has been so little forward progress, it's astonishing. Too many boring, insignificant characters have been introduced. The amount of historical information and intricate detail is remarkable, but also mind-numbing. So many times I wanted to scream "Just get on with the story already!". Farewell Diana and Matthew. I hope [...]

Every so often, a book comes along. It’s everything you imagine a great fiction to be. It evokes the tremendous joy of just being able to read, to immerse yourself in a book so fully, to jump into a journey where every sense in your body is heightened, and your mind stimulated. Then the last page is turned, you sigh with sadness since you know you will not be able to find another book like this for a long, long time. Shadow of Night is such a book.I wrote these in my review of the first book o [...]

My Diana and Matthew:Wow, what a sophisticated and remarkable story! Shadow of Night was like nothing I have ever read before and it surpassed all my expectations. This book offers the most amazing mixture of romance, history, paranormal and action. It was equally good (if not better) as first book and I enjoyed reading this book immensely.Shadow of Night is that kind of book which you cannot put down because you need to know how things are going to end up. Simultaneously, you are trying to read [...]

Historical detail & slow pace drags down sequelThough I had a rocky experience with Harkness' first novel, A Discovery of Witches, I began reading Shadow of Night with hopes that its setting in the past would add intrigue and excitement to the unfolding story. Unfortunately, it did not, and the story became more plodding and convoluted in this installment.Shadow of Night suffered most from its almost obsession-like focus on detailing every aspect of the historical period in which it was set. [...]

I FINALLY finished this darn book - thank heavens. It was a struggle and I was so disappointed. It was OK in the very beginning, then got totally lost in all of the non-directional padding and finally had some of the earlier pizzazz in the last 10 pages. I'm sure I'll read the last one, but not with any of the excitement that I had while waiting for #2. When I turned over the last page I was furious to find that while I was struggling to keep all of the characters straight in my mindey were all [...]

The tale literally picks up right where Discovery of Witches left off. Diana and Matthew find themselves landing back in Elizabethan London. Diana is thrilled to be able to visit a period she has studied but finds herself woefully unprepared. She quickly realizes that even with her education she is completely out of her element. From her speech to her mannerism it is obvious to all; she isn’t from around here. With the aid of Matthew’s eccentric friends, they will work to assist Diana with t [...]

I am going to refrain from rating Shadow of Night. I absolutely adored Discovery of Witches and couldn't wait to dive into the sequel, so barely being able to get through this book pains me to no end. For me, the plot just dragged on and on and seemed endless. I got so tired of reading the endless dialogue between Matthew's friends. I had a hard time keeping anything straight and found it all hard to follow. All in all, Shadow of Night was simply not a book for me. Admittedly, I ended up skimmin [...]

This is the second book in the All Souls trilogy and mostly takes place in 1590/1591 after Diana and Matthew have time-walked there to be safe from the congregation, find the manuscript of Ashmole 782, as well as a witch capable of teaching Diana about her strange magic.It is thus that we meet characters like Walter Raleigh, Christopher Marlowe, Elizabeth I and even Matthew's father Philippe, who has quickly become my favourite character (along with Matt's nephew Gallowglass).The book takes plac [...]

If you were infatuated with A Discovery of Witches (and if you weren't I seriously wonder about you), you will be head over heels in love with Shadow of Night. SON picks up right where ADOW left off with Matthew and Diana landing in Elizabethan times (1590s). Diana is shocked when she learns that Matthew, who goes by Matthew Roydon in this time period, was a player in the elusive School of Night (Marlow, Raleigh, Chapman, Harriott) as well as friend to Shakespeare. Diana has quite a time trying [...]

This book is an excellent follow up to A Discovery of Witches. I was afraid that the sequel would not live up to my expectations that have been building for a year since I read the first one. Luckily, that fear was incorrect.Shadow of Night starts immediately where Discovery left off and begins to weave in various historical figures throughout the book right up until the end. In the first book there were many descriptions about the food and wine with great detail, in this one the detail is in th [...]

Quick review:Cover: Okay Rating:RSteaminess:Steamy Thumbs Up:4Overall: The pacing was better. The story more interesting.Characters: Well writtenPlot: A step back in time to hopeful help the future.Page Turner: Yes Series Cont.? Yes Recommend:YesBook Boyfriend: MatthewSUMMARY (50 words or less)Again the story was long but length wasn’t the issue here. The research details didn’t bog us down but I found myself missing them. The story wasn’t as predictable as the last. However, there were a [...]

I had high hopes for this book after hearing about all the interesting places Diana Bishop (witch and historian) and Matthew (her vampire husband) would visit using time travel. Unfortunately, what resulted in between the hefty 600 pages, was a lot of frustration, boredom, and just a general feeling of "make it stop".The Discovery of Witches, the first in the series, had so much potential but just ended up having too much of a resemblance to Twilight and too much irrelevant waffle. Shadow of Nig [...]

October 2017: Changing my rating to 5 stars. When settling in to reread this one, all I could remember is that they were going to the past. There were so many things I was delighted to be surprised with, so many characters I loved, and a few I wanted to junk punch. I will definitely be starting book 3 right away. Original review4.5 stars I definitely enjoyed it more than the first book. Love where it starts, where it ends and everything in between. I can't wait to see where book 3 is going to ta [...]

I was so overwhelmed with emotions and thoughts in my head when finishing this book, that I wanted a day to sleep on it, before writing a review. It was the first thing on my mind when I woke this morning. I wish that I could recall my dreams, because I am sure that the characters were in them, and will be for weeks to come. First, I love that the author continues the story right where the first book left us. Diana and Matthew traveling back in time. Right away we are thrown into Matthew's life [...]

melissa413readsalotI'm not even sure where to begin. I didn't like this book as much as the first one. I loved the first one! I'm not sure what happened my mood.e book itself. I do believe the last book in the trilogy will be as good as the first and I can't wait to read it. There were so many people in this book, but the author listed in the back of the book who everyone was in case you got lost. Some of the things seemed to drag on but I can see where the author needed to add so much informati [...]

Harkness has performed the ultimate magic trick of following up an excellent first novel with a truly stunning sequel. In Shadow of Night, the newly married Diana and Matthew time-travel to 1590 England to learn more about Diana’s uncontrollable magical powers and to try to locate the mysterious manuscript Ashmole 782. Diana’s understanding of her husband deepens as he interacts with old friends such as Christopher Marlowe and Sir Walter Raleigh and deals with the political events of the tim [...]