Reviews

El Libro de la Vida / The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness

charlote_1347's review against another edition

3.0

I originally gave this book two stars, but I felt that wasn't generous enough because my love for some of the characters in the series was vastly approved after finishing this instalment. Baldwin, for example. Gallowglass. And Jack's reappearance - that was enough to have tears in my ears. I adored the scenes which contained the ghosts of Em, Phillipe and Rebecca also, although I'm not sure I understand their relevance even now. This book's plot, on the other hand, left me out in the cold. The conclusions it drew that did not leave me scratching my head in confusion, had me pulling my hair in irritation. Matthew, a tolerable character in the first two books, became likeable in this one. I grew to admire his strategies and his endurance, and my empathy for him grew when he lowered his defences for the first time during the birth of his children. Moments like that, evidenced in characters scattered throughout the series, make the trilogy worth a read, although I would not recommend them if you're looking for a light-hearted book to read by a poolside or on a beach.

sophira's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful medium-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? Yes

4.5

jessofhearts's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional tense medium-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

4.0

rebels's review against another edition

5.0

This Book....
This Series...
will throw you into an amazing world that feels so real and palpable!!!
Also it is amazingly historically accurate and can throw you down the rabbit hole!!!
MY INSTANT FAVOURITE SERIES!!!!!
I Haven't felt so in tune with a world since harry potter!!!!

thecaffeinatedbookworm's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

4.0

jgtruesdell's review against another edition

4.0

I have been looking forward to this book for awhile. I reread books 1 and 2 and moved right to the third. It was definitely the way to go as it refreshed my memory on the plot lines and some subtle stuff I missed the first time. The third book didn't disappoint and was a very satisfying end while leaving the door open a crack for a possible future book. My only wishes would have been knowing what happened to some of my favorite characters from the second book. Mainly Pierre and Hancock. Again, if you like fantasy - witches, vampires, daemons this is a great series!

leggothemeggoreads's review against another edition

5.0

Great Series. Well worth the wait.

emilyb_chicago's review against another edition

3.0

I don't like stories where the character's powers magically increase to meet bigger challenges instead of their powers following a logical progression or them having to solve a problem thoughtfully and cleverly. This series is full of unlimited powers in the main characters. I held out hopes until the very end that we'd learn more about each of the magical species - but, even with thousands of pages, there was almost no explanation of limitations in their powers . New, random and very convenient powers appear often though.

The author does a really bad job of helping you remember who the characters are from previous books and even earlier in the book. I read the books back to back and I lost track of the characters.

Through those criticisms I still kept reading. The pedantic way of writing that so annoyed me in the first book was less obvious to me in the second and third. I don't really think it's worth reading the next two books in this series if you didn't find the characters in the first engaging, but they do get much more real and better written as the series progresses.

stardust_heidi's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense 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? Yes

5.0

kalliegrace's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

2.5

2.5 stars. There was way too much trying to happen here, and I don't think many of the threads were successfully pulled together in the end. This was the only book in the series I've read, which was my mistake. I didn't realize this was a series until I was too far into the book to quit. I think the characters were really promising, and the lore is interesting, but the pacing and side quests were just nonsense.