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cassandrareads_'s review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual violence, Pregnancy, and Torture
katvou's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol, Blood, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Murder, and Pregnancy
Minor: Addiction, Animal death, Drug use, Kidnapping, Medical content, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Violence
nutmeg1013's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Miscarriage and Pregnancy
laura_mcloughlin's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
My favorite of the series. Yes, the plot is extremely slow moving. It takes almost half the book for Matthew and Diana to actually start doing the thing that sent them to Elizabethian England. Do I care? No, I do not. I like the meandering plot and the characters we meet along the way.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Miscarriage, and Blood
Moderate: Grief, Sexual content, Violence, Pregnancy, and Death of parent
Minor: Drug abuse, Suicide attempt, Antisemitism, and Child abuse
juliette_95's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Torture and Pregnancy
Minor: Miscarriage and Sexual content
beccaand's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Blood
Moderate: Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Violence, Torture, and Death of parent
Minor: Drug use and Antisemitism
laurajeangrace's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Blood, and Death
Moderate: Torture, Sexual content, Miscarriage, Death of parent, Confinement, and Pregnancy
nestofwordsandblankets's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
Shadow of Night is a great example of middle book syndrome chock-full of expected tropes and loose ends. There are several trigger warnings that should be researched prior to reading this book.
While there was great imagery of Elizabethan London, the story dragged on with more characters than necessary. I love a good historical reference, but I found myself rereading passages to confirm the connections between the players in this time-traveling adventure. The name index at the end of the book was very helpful.
Matthew and Diana were not likable in most of the story. Their relationship fell into a negative cyclical pattern, which was distracting to the story. How can two people, who are so entrenched in defending their love and discovering truths, feel so unsure about each other? Why would you time travel with someone then? This dynamic made it difficult to believe their relationship was fated and worth fighting for.
There were several open-ended plot lines, which only added to the confusion and frustration of this story. I can only hope the third book will have answers, though a few Elizabethan characters may never have their true conclusion.
While there was great imagery of Elizabethan London, the story dragged on with more characters than necessary. I love a good historical reference, but I found myself rereading passages to confirm the connections between the players in this time-traveling adventure. The name index at the end of the book was very helpful.
Matthew and Diana were not likable in most of the story. Their relationship fell into a negative cyclical pattern, which was distracting to the story. How can two people, who are so entrenched in defending their love and discovering truths, feel so unsure about each other? Why would you time travel with someone then? This dynamic made it difficult to believe their relationship was fated and worth fighting for.
There were several open-ended plot lines, which only added to the confusion and frustration of this story. I can only hope the third book will have answers, though a few Elizabethan characters may never have their true conclusion.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Mental illness, Drug use, Death, and Toxic friendship
avadore's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
Listen - I take the criticisms of this book very seriously. It is a bit ridiculous. But I am lapping it up! I love this historical fantasy garbage fire! I also found it weirdly touching that Dianna's miscarriage was shown with care but also unflinchingly. Would I really recommend this series to everyone? No, but if you want a trilogy to dig into that really goes some wild places then sure. Give it a go.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy
Moderate: Miscarriage, Torture, Mental illness, Medical content, and Grief
theespressoedition's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Reading this series has been such an experience for me. As someone who grew up with such intense love for YA fantasy, moving into adult fantasy has been a little bit of a struggle. While yes, I find myself relating with the characters a bit more because I'm in their age group, it seems like adult fantasy, as a whole, takes a much slower pace to focus on world-building. I'll admit that I prefer quicker paces and more focus on character development, but I'm learning to appreciate this genre more and more, and the All Souls books are really helping with that!
Because this was a sequel, it followed the same progression as a lot of fantasy sequels and slowed down a lot to introduce you to the world in which the characters are living. I found myself zoning out a few times, but I think that a lot of that had to do with the fact that I'm not the biggest fan of historical references (which is why I tend to stay away from historical fiction) and so the true immersion into the 16th century was a bit uninteresting to me, personally.
That being said, I did, however, really enjoy how so many of the characters were real people. Maybe it's not exactly what they were like in reality, but it made the story more fun because it gave me the chance to imagine what they could've been like in those circumstances. There were a few really interesting references to well-known individuals that made my mind continue to ponder long after I finished the book (ex: Annie and who she actually was!)
One of the things this series has done is stick in my brain. Just like when I finished the first book, I've found myself revisiting the plot of the sequel to consider certain things and how they could play into the future of the story. Even though I might not have been 100% immersed in every single part while I was actively reading, it won't leave my mind now that I've completed it. This alone makes me all the more excited to dive into The Book of Life.
I can't wait to see what happens next!
Because this was a sequel, it followed the same progression as a lot of fantasy sequels and slowed down a lot to introduce you to the world in which the characters are living. I found myself zoning out a few times, but I think that a lot of that had to do with the fact that I'm not the biggest fan of historical references (which is why I tend to stay away from historical fiction) and so the true immersion into the 16th century was a bit uninteresting to me, personally.
That being said, I did, however, really enjoy how so many of the characters were real people. Maybe it's not exactly what they were like in reality, but it made the story more fun because it gave me the chance to imagine what they could've been like in those circumstances. There were a few really interesting references to well-known individuals that made my mind continue to ponder long after I finished the book (ex: Annie and who she actually was!)
One of the things this series has done is stick in my brain. Just like when I finished the first book, I've found myself revisiting the plot of the sequel to consider certain things and how they could play into the future of the story. Even though I might not have been 100% immersed in every single part while I was actively reading, it won't leave my mind now that I've completed it. This alone makes me all the more excited to dive into The Book of Life.
I can't wait to see what happens next!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Torture, Violence, and Child abuse