This book is the second in a trilogy. The first, A Discovery of Witches, which I wrote about in a previous blog, introduces Diana Bishop—a witch and scholar researching alchemy—who stumbles upon a long-lost manuscript. This magical text is said to reveal the genetic connections between humans, witches, demons, and vampires, and possibly even the secret to immortality.
Trilogies can be hit or miss. Writing a series—whether it’s three books or ten—gives an author room to develop characters and introduce new ones. Many authors structure each book to stand alone, with a clear beginning, middle, and end. Deborah Harkness, however, chose a different path. A Discovery of Witches ends abruptly, with no resolution—just a cliffhanger. There’s nothing worse than that kind of literary tease. Luckily, this second book was already out, so I eagerly picked up Shadow of Night
When I started this blog, my goal was to recommend books I’ve read and loved, ones I’d suggest to anyone asking, “What should I read next?” But I’m reconsidering. After all, changing direction is a writer’s prerogative, right? So let’s start here.
I picked up Shadow of Night expecting it to build on the ideas introduced in the first book. Instead, Harkness whisks us off to 16th-century Europe and leaves most of the original questions unresolved. That said, the concept of time travel—with the promise of returning to the present—is undeniably intriguing. Imagine seeing history firsthand rather than reading about it. If only I could borrow Dorothy’s ruby slippers and take a spin through time myself. Ha!
To add insult to injury, this book is long. I mean really long. Still, Harkness has succeeded in keeping me curious about Diana Bishop and Matthew Clairmont (not Riordan—my mistake!).
.
Hi,Susan. I read the first book, and found my reactions very mixed. It was a combination of excrutiatingly dull ("He moved the napkin from the left side of his pate to the right side, and I thought, is it possible for anyone to move a napkin so gracefully?"), the ludicrous ("He stood across the library from me with only his face visible, glowing in the light. I saw that his shoes were thoroughly polished."), and the (actually) very exciting (the climactic scene in the runied castle was pretty darn good).
ReplyDeleteAgainst my better judgement, I decided I'd read the second book. Your review agrees with a number of others I've read. Hm. I think I do have other things to read.
Cheers! and happy reading.
I just re-read your comments and I was wondering, Do you plan to read the last book of this trilogy? Even though I really didn't care for the second book I still wonder how it all ends. I might have to pick it up just to read the last few chapters and skip the rest of the story. Your thoughts?
ReplyDelete