Review: Shadow Of Night by Deborah Harkness

Title: Shadow of Night
Author: Deborah Harkness
Series: Book Two in the All Souls Trilogy
Published By: Viking (July 10, 2012)
Source: ARC Provided by the Publisher (in exchange for an honest review)
Genre: Paranormal Romance/Historical
My Rating: 5 Stars!!

Goodreads Description:
 "Together we lifted our feet and stepped into the unknown"—the thrilling sequel to the New York Times bestseller A Discovery of WitchesDeborah Harkness exploded onto the literary scene with her debut novel, A Discovery of Witches, Book One of the magical All Souls Trilogy and an international publishing phenomenon. The novel introduced Diana Bishop, Oxford scholar and reluctant witch, and the handsome geneticist and vampire Matthew Clairmont; together they found themselves at the center of a supernatural battle over an enchanted manuscript known as Ashmole 782.
Now, picking up from A Discovery of Witches’ cliffhanger ending, Shadow of Night plunges Diana and Matthew into Elizabethan London, a world of spies, subterfuge, and a coterie of Matthew’s old friends, the mysterious School of Night that includes Christopher Marlowe and Walter Raleigh. Here, Diana must locate a witch to tutor her in magic, Matthew is forced to confront a past he thought he had put to rest, and the mystery of Ashmole 782 deepens.
Deborah Harkness has crafted a gripping journey through a world of alchemy, time travel, and magical discoveries, delivering one of the most hotly anticipated novels of the season.

My Review:

I think I may have squeeled with joy when I was accepted to get an ARC copy of this book. I absolutely fell in love with the first book in this series, A Discovery Of Witches. I loved the beautiful writing and the historical feel to it. I truly loved everything about it.

In fact it was one of my top 10 favorite reads from last year, so you can see why I was so very eager to read the next installment in the series.

And thankfully it did not disappoint...at all!

Once again we are swept away in a whirl wind of secrets and half truths and mystery as Matthew and Diana step back into time into the 1590's.

We learn so much about Matthew in this one. So many of his secrets and his past are uncovered and revealed as Diana steps into his world over 500 years before she met him in her's. I love that his possesiveness towards Diana has finally come out and his love for her as well. There are a lot of tender moments between him and Diana that I just loved.

So many worthy quotes that sent my blood singing and heart soaring. I truly wouldn't have time to type them all down or sadly, to even remember them all but I felt the need to share some of my favorites.

“...And you are my life.”

“You mean wife.”

“My life,” he repeated. “You are not just my heart but its beating. Before I was only a shadow, like Goody Alsop's fetch.”

I have to say, I fell in love with Phillipe. I wasn't sure about him at first but he eventually won over my heart as we really get to know the man that raised and loved Matthew.

She isn't the only new character in this story, nor the only one that managed to sneak their way into my heart. This one is once again full of amazing friends and characters that are unforgettable and leave a lasting impression on the reader.

Gallowglass, Jack, Mary, really too many to name.

There is so much going on in this book, as always the writing is beautiful. The descriptions of the town, people, attire and setting are wonderfully done. You feel as if you are there with them experiencing it too. Harkness really brings it all to life in a way that other authors can't.

She makes it all feel so real and tangible.

We finally get to learn more about Diana and what kind of witch and powers she truly has. Why her parents did what they did to her when they bound her powers and kept it from her.

We get more of the elusive Ashmole 782 and even learn some of its secrets as well, not all of them are good. Some are down right horrific.

This was such a great sequel. I can't even express how wonderfulyl written it was and how Harkness has such a way of unfolding events and tying them together again.

I truly look forward to the last book in the trilogy. I know it too will be wonderful.