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amandasbookreview 's review for:
The Book of Life
by Deborah Harkness
I have finally completed the All Souls Trilogy! The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness is the final book in this epic series. Again, this installment picks up right where book 2 left off. Matthew and Diana missed quite a bit while they were in Elizabethan London. Diana’s world is about to collapse, but she must stay strong. The Congregation is causing problems, making it more difficult to complete Ashmole 782. Everyone seems to be after the pages. In order to survive, Matthew and Diana must find the pages and discover what secrets Ashmole 782 holds. However, people from Matthew’s past will set out to destroy them forever.
I am still trying to gather my feelings about this book. There are so many questions that I feel, didn’t feel fully answered. I loved A Discovery of Witches. I did enjoy Shadow of Night, apart from some unnecessary details and Matthew. Matthew is back to his old self, thank god…he was insufferable in SON. Diana shows equal parts strength and doubt. One thing she is always certain of is Matthew, which can be frustrating at times. I feel that they only think about themselves and each other, rather than everyone else. I don’t want to bring up spoilers, but the questions brought up in ADOW never get answered. Well…one could argue that it gets answered but definitely not in a satisfying way.
The cast of characters are more intriguing than Matthew and Diana. Jeez, my favorite character is actually the house! It is sad when a house is more entertaining than the main characters. I wish there were more scenes with the house in this installment. As always, I love Gallowglass and Ysabeau. In fact, I would read a book about those two in a heartbeat.
One of my biggest issues is the dynamics in this world. They are separated into humans, witches, daemons, and vampires. Now, whenever Diana or Matthew tell a human what creature they are, the human does not seem to be shocked by it. Everyone just accepts it in a heartbeat, even though, the creatures have been hiding themselves from the humans since the beginning of time. It just didn’t seem realistic. Even though, I did enjoy Matthew’s humor about not sparkling as a vampire. It made me chuckle.
“No, I’m a vampire.” Matthew stepped forward, joining Chris under the projector’s light. “And before you ask, I can go outside during the day and my hair won’t catch fire in the sunlight. I’m Catholic and have a crucifix. When I sleep, which is not often, I prefer a bed to a coffin. If you try to stake me, the wood will likely splinter before it enters my skin.” He bared his teeth. “No fangs either. And one last thing: I do not, nor have I ever, sparkled.” Matthew’s face darkened to emphasize the point.”
THE BOOK OF LIFE
One of my favorite parts of this series is the detail. Yes, there is some detail that is totally unnecessary. But it is specifically the historical detail that makes this series so enchanting. I love the blend of science, history, and reality. Yes, I was overall unsatisfied with this book. But overall, I did enjoy the whole series. I rate this book 3 out of 5 stars.
I am still trying to gather my feelings about this book. There are so many questions that I feel, didn’t feel fully answered. I loved A Discovery of Witches. I did enjoy Shadow of Night, apart from some unnecessary details and Matthew. Matthew is back to his old self, thank god…he was insufferable in SON. Diana shows equal parts strength and doubt. One thing she is always certain of is Matthew, which can be frustrating at times. I feel that they only think about themselves and each other, rather than everyone else. I don’t want to bring up spoilers, but the questions brought up in ADOW never get answered. Well…one could argue that it gets answered but definitely not in a satisfying way.
The cast of characters are more intriguing than Matthew and Diana. Jeez, my favorite character is actually the house! It is sad when a house is more entertaining than the main characters. I wish there were more scenes with the house in this installment. As always, I love Gallowglass and Ysabeau. In fact, I would read a book about those two in a heartbeat.
One of my biggest issues is the dynamics in this world. They are separated into humans, witches, daemons, and vampires. Now, whenever Diana or Matthew tell a human what creature they are, the human does not seem to be shocked by it. Everyone just accepts it in a heartbeat, even though, the creatures have been hiding themselves from the humans since the beginning of time. It just didn’t seem realistic. Even though, I did enjoy Matthew’s humor about not sparkling as a vampire. It made me chuckle.
“No, I’m a vampire.” Matthew stepped forward, joining Chris under the projector’s light. “And before you ask, I can go outside during the day and my hair won’t catch fire in the sunlight. I’m Catholic and have a crucifix. When I sleep, which is not often, I prefer a bed to a coffin. If you try to stake me, the wood will likely splinter before it enters my skin.” He bared his teeth. “No fangs either. And one last thing: I do not, nor have I ever, sparkled.” Matthew’s face darkened to emphasize the point.”
THE BOOK OF LIFE
One of my favorite parts of this series is the detail. Yes, there is some detail that is totally unnecessary. But it is specifically the historical detail that makes this series so enchanting. I love the blend of science, history, and reality. Yes, I was overall unsatisfied with this book. But overall, I did enjoy the whole series. I rate this book 3 out of 5 stars.