Scan barcode
A review by asreadbykat
The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness
3.0
True Rating: 3.5/5 Stars
Trigger/Content Warnings: allusions to and conversations about rape used for "breeding," torture, graphic depictions of the result of torture, mildly detailed descriptions of childbirth
Overview: Reading this trilogy has taken me roughly a year to do, not only because they're thick and I read other books between, but also because I wanted to give myself the time to really think about each book. Others have spoken very highly of these books, and I wanted to try and give them justice because, no matter what else happened in the pages, it was clear the author was passionate about the work.
As of finishing this final book, my personal ranking of the three goes: "A Discovery of Witches," "The Book of Life," and "Shadow of Night." The first book was the most focused of the three, it's concern primarily Diana and Matthew's relationship and the problems surrounding it along with the introduction of the mysterious book. The second book was a vague disappointment to me; I expected it to be the best, as the author is a historian and the book took place in the past. Unfortunately, while historical names and places were dropped, it felt like an almost never-ending story of Matthew and Diana constantly arguing over control and secrets.
This third book brings us back to the modern day, and it gave me hope that maybe things would pick up. They did, but it also had its own downsides.
What I Didn't Like:
Rape as a Plot Device
This book lost an entire star in the rating because I am NOT a fan of rape being used to further a plot. If it's a small but legitimate part of a character's backstory, I can live with it. But to use rape to show someone as a villain, or to spur a plot point on is something I cannot condone. And it was mentioned A LOT. The "villain" brings up those desires numerous times throughout the book, so we as readers can never escape it. And the biggest problem is that the character who uses this plot doesn't even play a large role in the book until the last 100-150 pages, but his "desires" are brought up numerous times before then! The only thing I can say is that at least there is no graphic depiction of rape or even a vague mention of it happening in present time, because I would have DNF'ed the book quickly.
Busy Plot
There was just way too much being done in this book. A dozen different plot threads, all needing to be tied up to make this a nice, neat trilogy. Really, the plots should have been divided into two different books. The ending of the book felt anticlimactic because it was too rushed, since the other 500-530 pages of the book had been dedicated to different plots points. And the plot with the Congregation and the Covenant didn't get nearly the amount of time it deserved. The author clearly did her best, but there was just too much going on and not enough pages available.
What I Liked:
Some New Characters
Even though we already had a large cast, I loved the introduction of some new characters. Phoebe and Chris were both great and worked well with the pre-existing cast -even if it did feel like they were there just to have everyone nicely paired up at the end. It was also enjoyable to see other members of the Congregation, other witches apart from Diana and her family. They brought a welcome relief from the Clairemont family drama.
Diana and Matthew's Growth
I legitimately almost cried in joy when the two really started working together instead of trying to hide things from one another. It was one of my biggest problems with the second book; they would keep secrets, those secrets would be found out, and angst and arguments ensue. There is a bit of this at the beginning of the book, but thanks in large part to the extended cast, it goes away fairly quickly. I finally began to feel like Diana and Matthew's relationship was actually a healthy, equal one, and not "the adult version of 'Twilight'," as I've heard people refer to it. It was nice to see Matthew become more gentle and vulnerable, and Diana become stronger and more confident. By the end, they truly were equals and I definitely enjoyed that growth.
The Lore and Reality Checks
There was a lot of talk about Weavers in the second book, but it's not until this one that we really get to see what it means and how important they are. I love that the author actually took the time to have Diana explore and come into her power, and contrasted it with the power of her aunt. It was also interesting to see how that growth and exploration leads to the TRUE "Discovery of Witches" and the implications for all creatures. It was very nice to see that the author didn't let her world suffer in favor of romance.
The Humor
The series as a whole doesn't have a ton of humor, but this book definitely had some of the funniest lines and scenes that had me snickering and laughing out loud. They always came at the right moment too, when some levity was actually needed.
Final Thoughts:A pretty solid if slightly shaky ending to an interesting series. While it won't make the #1 spot on my "Witchy Books" list, I will be re-reading the series again and it is one of my favorites if only because of how different it is.
TL;DR:/b> New characters and more humor helps balance out the darker and more serious plot, but recurring mentions of rape (used as a plot device) make the book a difficult read for some. It also tries to do too much.
Trigger/Content Warnings: allusions to and conversations about rape used for "breeding," torture, graphic depictions of the result of torture, mildly detailed descriptions of childbirth
Overview: Reading this trilogy has taken me roughly a year to do, not only because they're thick and I read other books between, but also because I wanted to give myself the time to really think about each book. Others have spoken very highly of these books, and I wanted to try and give them justice because, no matter what else happened in the pages, it was clear the author was passionate about the work.
As of finishing this final book, my personal ranking of the three goes: "A Discovery of Witches," "The Book of Life," and "Shadow of Night." The first book was the most focused of the three, it's concern primarily Diana and Matthew's relationship and the problems surrounding it along with the introduction of the mysterious book. The second book was a vague disappointment to me; I expected it to be the best, as the author is a historian and the book took place in the past. Unfortunately, while historical names and places were dropped, it felt like an almost never-ending story of Matthew and Diana constantly arguing over control and secrets.
This third book brings us back to the modern day, and it gave me hope that maybe things would pick up. They did, but it also had its own downsides.
What I Didn't Like:
Rape as a Plot Device
This book lost an entire star in the rating because I am NOT a fan of rape being used to further a plot. If it's a small but legitimate part of a character's backstory, I can live with it. But to use rape to show someone as a villain, or to spur a plot point on is something I cannot condone. And it was mentioned A LOT. The "villain" brings up those desires numerous times throughout the book, so we as readers can never escape it. And the biggest problem is that the character who uses this plot doesn't even play a large role in the book until the last 100-150 pages, but his "desires" are brought up numerous times before then! The only thing I can say is that at least there is no graphic depiction of rape or even a vague mention of it happening in present time, because I would have DNF'ed the book quickly.
Busy Plot
There was just way too much being done in this book. A dozen different plot threads, all needing to be tied up to make this a nice, neat trilogy. Really, the plots should have been divided into two different books. The ending of the book felt anticlimactic because it was too rushed, since the other 500-530 pages of the book had been dedicated to different plots points. And the plot with the Congregation and the Covenant didn't get nearly the amount of time it deserved. The author clearly did her best, but there was just too much going on and not enough pages available.
What I Liked:
Some New Characters
Even though we already had a large cast, I loved the introduction of some new characters. Phoebe and Chris were both great and worked well with the pre-existing cast -even if it did feel like they were there just to have everyone nicely paired up at the end. It was also enjoyable to see other members of the Congregation, other witches apart from Diana and her family. They brought a welcome relief from the Clairemont family drama.
Diana and Matthew's Growth
I legitimately almost cried in joy when the two really started working together instead of trying to hide things from one another. It was one of my biggest problems with the second book; they would keep secrets, those secrets would be found out, and angst and arguments ensue. There is a bit of this at the beginning of the book, but thanks in large part to the extended cast, it goes away fairly quickly. I finally began to feel like Diana and Matthew's relationship was actually a healthy, equal one, and not "the adult version of 'Twilight'," as I've heard people refer to it. It was nice to see Matthew become more gentle and vulnerable, and Diana become stronger and more confident. By the end, they truly were equals and I definitely enjoyed that growth.
The Lore and Reality Checks
There was a lot of talk about Weavers in the second book, but it's not until this one that we really get to see what it means and how important they are. I love that the author actually took the time to have Diana explore and come into her power, and contrasted it with the power of her aunt. It was also interesting to see how that growth and exploration leads to the TRUE "Discovery of Witches" and the implications for all creatures. It was very nice to see that the author didn't let her world suffer in favor of romance.
The Humor
The series as a whole doesn't have a ton of humor, but this book definitely had some of the funniest lines and scenes that had me snickering and laughing out loud. They always came at the right moment too, when some levity was actually needed.
Final Thoughts:A pretty solid if slightly shaky ending to an interesting series. While it won't make the #1 spot on my "Witchy Books" list, I will be re-reading the series again and it is one of my favorites if only because of how different it is.
TL;DR:/b> New characters and more humor helps balance out the darker and more serious plot, but recurring mentions of rape (used as a plot device) make the book a difficult read for some. It also tries to do too much.