A review by micaelamariem
Time's Convert by Deborah Harkness

emotional hopeful tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

 
I was so excited to dive back into the All Souls universe. I had adored the original trilogy and when I found out that there were two more books, I was ecstatic. Though, I was a little nervous because, in my experience, books that continue after the original series end tend to not be as good. Still, I dove into Time's Convert by Deborah Harkness, published by Penguin Books, with nervous expectations. 
Deborah Harkness is more than just an author. Her novels have a historic quality because she spent a lot of her life as a history professor and she spent her PHD studying the history of magic, where a lot of the story's inspiration came from. 
In Time's Convert, the novel is mainly focused on Marcus and Phoebe with a few updates from Diana and Matthew. Phoebe has decided to make the transition to vampire and become Marcus's mate. In order to do so the traditional way, they must spend ninety days apart while Phoebe makes the transition. During this time, Marcus stays with Matthew and Diana at Sept-Tours and is nostalgic for his own transition in the midst of the American and French Revolution. 
My initial misgivings proved to be correct--this book was not as good as the original trilogy. It wasn't bad, per se, but I didn't find it as enjoyable. I'm having a hard time deciding how to rate it, so bear with me as I talk with you all about what I liked and didn't like to process it! 
As far as characters go, there wasn't really anything new added to them. The most interesting aspect, in my opinion, was getting to know Phoebe better. But, honestly, she seemed to just be an art version of Diana and Marcus is a more naive version of Matthew. 
Atmosphere, though, was the best part of the novel. As always, Harkness did a beautiful job at describing when and where the setting was--important in a book that splits timelines. She painted the Revolutions and modern day in a way that activated all the senses and really included the reader. The vivid descriptions made my heart soar.
Version 1.0.0 
Similarly, the writing style was beautiful. I totally understand that her writing style isn't for everyone, but if you enjoyed the initial trilogy, you'll also like the writing style here. It's sophisticated and vivid. 
As for the plot, I wasn't as interested. It was fascinating to see Phoebe's transition, but as for wading through Marcus' memories, I didn't care much for. I already knew the formula--trauma, transition, make mistakes or be evil for a while, be redeemed. Perhaps being set in a historic period I didn't care much about anymore didn't help. I did also enjoy Diana's chapters and getting to know her children. 
I also didn't think there was much intrigue to the book. There weren't a lot of plot twists--I kind of already knew how things would turn out. Nothing besides a new familiar really kept me turning the pages or kept me up at night. 
Logically, most things made sense. We had the same tradition yielding vampires and witches keeping them on their toes. The one thing that made me yield was the one scene in which Matthew (in the past) was with Juliette and didn't say anything as she had slaves to feed from. That does not sound like Matthew to me, not like anything he'd stand for. It was Past Matthew but I still lost a lot of respect. 
Overall, I enjoyed Phoebe's and Diana's chapters but, unfortunately, the majority of the book was Marcus' memories and I just could not get into them. I read for the women, I guess, and the writing descriptions. 
With that in mind, I think I'll be giving this book three stars. It was okay, but I wouldn't have missed anything if I hadn't read it. Will I read Black Bird Oracle? Yes, because I can't abandon the characters now. But I don't have high expectations for it. 
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