Shadow of Night
Dr. Diana Bishop, a Yale educated Historian, is at Oxford’s Bodleian Library when she accidentally sets off a flurry of other-worldly activity. Diana is a witch, orphaned at the age of seven when her two very powerful witch parents were murdered. She is much more interested in scholarly pursuits instead of her own witch power and while recalling a centuries old alchemical manuscript, Ashmole 782, she accidentally discovers it’s enchanted.
All of a sudden Diana has attracted all sorts of attention – from witches, daemons and vampires. In particular, the very handsome alpha vampire Matthew de Clairmont takes an interest in her. But Diana is nothing if not independent, and resists Matthew’s charms. But it turns out Matthew is pretty irresistible and before you know it they are interested in each other. But vampires and witches don’t usually mix romantically (to prevent the discovery of the species to unsuspecting humans) but their relationship, and the fact that Diana has unknowingly conjured the bewitched text, gets them in a whole lot of trouble. Before they know it they are in a wild goose chase that puts all of the Bishop and de Clairmont families at risk.
Book two titled Shadow of Night picks up where book one left off, with Diana and Matthew leaping through time and ending up in Elizabethan London. Their goal is to find a witch who will help Diana develop her witch powers and search for the lost Ashmole 782. Matthew is also reunited with old friends who encompass the mysterious group the School of Night, which includes Christopher Marlowe and Sir Walter Raleigh. But will their time travel bring them any closer to finding the magical manuscript or will living in the past change the future forever?
Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness is an excellent sequel to A Discovery of Witches. This fantasy series is definitely written for adults who enjoy more mature characters then the ones found in most YA fantasy novels. I’ll be the first to admit that I enjoyed reading Twilight for what it was – a cheesy teen romance with some action thrown in. Shadow of Night is a much more complex novel, with less of the cheesy factor and a much deeper storyline.
Harkness is a professor of history at a University and recently wrote the scholarly book The Jewel House: Elizabethan London and the Scientific Revolution, so you can easily tell that she knows her subject matter. I enjoyed reading about the characters in entire different setting (and time period) in the second book and appreciate the research the author must have had to do to make the story authentic.
In the end, I thought that Shadow of Night was a great read and now cannot wait until book three is released! Thanks Viking for sending this book my way!
Giveaway details!
Viking has sent me a hardcover copy of Shadow of Night (along with some Shadow of Night themed buttons and tattoos) to giveaway to one lucky winner (US or Canadian residents only – no P.O. Boxes please)! All you need to do is leave a comment on this post (with a valid e-mail address) by 12 noon on SUNDAY, July 22nd and I will randomly pick one winner and will e-mail them directly.
For an additional chance, tweet this giveaway: Stop by @SWrittenWord 4 a chance to win SHADOW OF NIGHT by @DebHarkness @VikingBooks http://tinyurl.com/7njhsu5 #giveaway
, which I promptly read and very much enjoyed.
is a psychological mystery thriller that is top notch! The author has created a wonderfully complex plot with incredibly flawed characters in Amy and Nick Dunne, so much so that when you are reading it’s hard to tell who is telling the truth. The book bounces between Nick’s point of view after Amy is missing and Amy’s side of the story in journal entries from early in their marriage. From the outside their relationship seems like a happy union, but as the clock ticks and Amy is still a missing person, the perfect marriage facade starts to fade. Flynn is a master at deconstructing the human psyche and tying all her plot points together to form a seamless storyline. Add to that an absolutely pitch perfect ending and you have one heck of a thrill ride.
by Keith Cronin wasn’t so much a story about a person who had a stroke, but of a reawakening of one man and his search for his true self. The author writes with wry humor and in doing so makes Jonathan’s character one in which you care about. The story of Jonathan’s struggle to find out who he used to be and who he wants to be is beautifully told. Having said that, the author uses plenty of humor to lighten what is obviously a heavy subject matter and does so successfully. I found myself many times laughing (as well as crying) along with the characters. Then, three-quarters of the way through Me Again the author hits you with an emotional whammy that I wasn’t at all expecting, but was just so perfect to the story.
, was on vacation when she found out she had been laid off from her job as an entertainment blogger. She had been working at such a frenetic pace that her social life had suffered, so she not only finds herself without a job, but without many close friends. When she realizes that she knows more about Tom and Katie Cruise than her own friends, she knows it’s time for a change. But what can she do to jump-start her life? While searching for a new job, she comes across a quote scribbled on a coffee shop chalkboard. It’s a quote from Eleanor Roosevelt, the first lady and wife of President Franklin Roosevelt, that said “do one thing every day that scares you.” Noelle decides to do just that, to get herself out of the funk she has found herself in. For an entire year, starting with her thirtieth birthday (and with the support of her boyfriend Matt and her very understanding therapist) Noelle faced a new fear each day. Sometimes they were small fears, like sending back food that she dislikes in a restaurant and bargaining with the merchant at the local market. Other times, she focuses on big fears and takes trapeze lessons to overcome her fear of heights, flies in a fighter jet to face her fear of flying and even works in a funeral home to face the ultimate fear of death. The author even lets us in on one of her biggest and most serious fears, trying to kick her sleeping pill addiction. Sometimes poignant and often laugh-out-loud funny, My Year with Eleanor was a delightful read.
by Kamala Nair is the story of Rakhee Singh, a young woman who just finished college in the US and is newly engaged. After receiving a letter from India in the mail, Rakhee sneaks out in the middle of the night, leaving her engagement ring alongside her fiancee. She also leaves him a lengthy note, explaining why she needs to leave for India. The note, and the novel, is the story of Rakhee and the pivitol summer she spent in India the year she turned eleven. She grew up with her parents in Minnesota, but as her mother began receiving mysterious letters from her homeland of India, she took Rakhee away from the only world she had ever known and headed to a small village in India for the summer.
is McMahon’s newest book which was just released last week. I’ve given two favorable reviews to her books 
. Then make sure to stop by next week when I review Don’t Breathe a Word and host a giveaway. Thank you TLC for sending these books to me for review. For more information about the author and her novels 
for awhile. I enjoy a good ghost story/murder mystery once in a while and thought that the book cover itself promised a creepy read (am I right? Isn’t that girl on the cover scaring you right now)?
and Jennifer’s newest book 
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