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A review by asreadbykat
Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness
3.0
True Rating: 3.7/5 Stars
After I read "A Discovery of Witches," I was beyond excited to read this next part of the trilogy. I was especially excited knowing that this book would take place primarily in the past, which would undoubtedly be an experience given the author's credentials.
Sadly, that is what kept the book from getting a full five stars from me. Yes, they travelled to the past, and yes, there were plenty of name drops I recognized and some I didn't, and it was great to see Diana's historian mind go crazy realizing that knowing something is very different from experiencing it. However, a good chunk of that travel to the past is spent in both Diana and Matthew arguing, yet again, about different aspects of their relationship. On the one hand, it makes complete sense given that they haven't known each other that long. On the other hand, it gets very frustrating to see a couple having the same argument over and over again for at least 300 pages of a 700 page book. Any time that could have been spent on really fleshing out the past they travelled to was spent on those arguments, which means at times it feels like nothing of substance really happens.
That being said, the writing itself is just as good as the first book, and it was easy to see the author's passion for history through not only Diana's own excitement, but also the settings and details added in. We do, FINALLY, get to see Matthew and Diana become closer and accept each other for who and what they are. There were some plot points I didn't even consider, and it was nice to see them coming in.
All told, I do recommend this book for anyone who enjoyed the first novel and wants to see where it goes next. I just wouldn't expect huge steps in terms of the plot, and instead expect a slightly slower pacing than the previous installment.
TL;DR: I enjoyed the novel, but pacing and constantly repeating plot points prevented me from diving in and liking it as much as I did the first novel.
After I read "A Discovery of Witches," I was beyond excited to read this next part of the trilogy. I was especially excited knowing that this book would take place primarily in the past, which would undoubtedly be an experience given the author's credentials.
Sadly, that is what kept the book from getting a full five stars from me. Yes, they travelled to the past, and yes, there were plenty of name drops I recognized and some I didn't, and it was great to see Diana's historian mind go crazy realizing that knowing something is very different from experiencing it. However, a good chunk of that travel to the past is spent in both Diana and Matthew arguing, yet again, about different aspects of their relationship. On the one hand, it makes complete sense given that they haven't known each other that long. On the other hand, it gets very frustrating to see a couple having the same argument over and over again for at least 300 pages of a 700 page book. Any time that could have been spent on really fleshing out the past they travelled to was spent on those arguments, which means at times it feels like nothing of substance really happens.
That being said, the writing itself is just as good as the first book, and it was easy to see the author's passion for history through not only Diana's own excitement, but also the settings and details added in. We do, FINALLY, get to see Matthew and Diana become closer and accept each other for who and what they are. There were some plot points I didn't even consider, and it was nice to see them coming in.
All told, I do recommend this book for anyone who enjoyed the first novel and wants to see where it goes next. I just wouldn't expect huge steps in terms of the plot, and instead expect a slightly slower pacing than the previous installment.
TL;DR: I enjoyed the novel, but pacing and constantly repeating plot points prevented me from diving in and liking it as much as I did the first novel.