The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness

The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness, 561 pages

From the MARC: "Historian and witch Diana Bishop and vampire scientist Matthew Clairmont return to the present to face new crises and old enemies."

Originally this series was a trilogy and thus ended with The Book of Life. If this were to be the end of the Bishop-Clairmont tale, it would have been a satisfying ending. I really enjoyed the way Harkness blended magic and science. The characters were written richly, weaving together in a tapestry worthy of Diana's own cords. Given the state of the world, it was also illuminating that the end of the major conflict of the book resulted in inclusion and togetherness.  Not the author's intention from 2014, but it struck me as an interesting parallel.  

 

Shadow of Night by Deborah Harknes

Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness, 583 pages

The second book of the All Souls series covers Diana and Matthew's adventures timewalking in Elizabethan London searching for a witch to properly train Diana, and to find an intact Ashmole 782 manuscript. But soon it becomes evident that the longer they stay in the past, the more they risk the future and must fight to find a way back. 

 

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness, 579 pages

Diana Bishop is the last in a long line of powerful witches. Immersing herself in alchemical academia, Diana refuses to acknowledge her magic until one day she inadvertently accesses a magical text that had been lost for hundreds of years.  Before she knows it, Diana is plunged into the world of creatures--witches, vampires, and daemons--where she is pursued by all three. When Diana teams up with a dark and mysterious vampire named Matthew de Clairmont, she realizes too late her life is changed forever and she will have to not only accept her power but also how to wield her growing list of magic to defend those she loves. 

I read this book because a patron recommended it to me, and I'm so very glad that he did. Harkness' world feels magnificently authentic and her attention to all the little details gives an electric charge to not just her characters, but the world itself. Everything unfolded with a chaotic sort of purpose but in a way that rang true. 

 

The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness

 The Book of Life (The All Souls Trilogy #3) by Deborah Harkness - 561 pages, Audiobook - 24 hours

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Diana and Matthew time-travel back from Elizabethan London. They left loved ones behind but have reunited with (most of) those in the present at Matthew's ancestral home. With Diana pregnant with twins and their enemies closing in, they must deal with secrets from Matthew's past being revealed while still searching for Ashmole 782 and its missing pages.

I like that she brought some characters we met in the past back into the story in the present. There were interesting and unexpected twists, and I thought she wrapped the story up well. The entire trilogy was extremely well written, and I loved all three books.

Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness

 Shadow of Night (The All Souls Trilogy #2) by Deborah Harkness - 584 pages, Audiobook - 24 hours, 30 minutes

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Picking up from A Discovery of Witches’ cliffhanger ending, Shadow of Night takes Diana and Matthew on a trip through time to Elizabethan London, where they are plunged into a world of spies, magic, and Matthew’s old friends, the School of Night. Their adventure is not restricted to London as they also travel to other countries, and Diana discovers more than she ever imagined about cultures and daily life in 1590.

Their search for Ashmole 782 takes interesting turns while Diana uncovers more of Matthew's secrets while the search for a witch to tutor her in magic turns out to be much more difficult than Matthew thought it would be.

I LOVE this series. I struggled a little with the reaction one of the characters had to Diana, but once I got a little way into this 2nd book, I just wanted to keep listening to see what happened next.

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

A Discovery of Witches (The All Souls Trilogy #1) by Deborah Harkness - 579 pages, Audiobook - 24 hours

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Deep in the stacks of Oxford's Bodleian Library, young scholar Diana Bishop unwittingly calls up a bewitched alchemical manuscript in the course of her research. Descended from an old and distinguished line of witches, Diana wants nothing to do with sorcery; so after a furtive glance and a few notes, she banishes the book to the stacks. But her discovery sets a fantastical underworld stirring, and a horde of daemons, witches, and vampires soon descends upon the library. Diana has stumbled upon a coveted treasure lost for centuries-and she is the only creature who can break its spell.

Diana is a bold heroine who meets her equal in vampire geneticist, Matthew Clairmont, and gradually warms up to him as their alliance deepens into an intimacy that violates age-old taboos.

I loved this book, and I really enjoyed listening to the audiobook and the different accents she used for the various characters. There are a lot of different characters and relationships between them, but she does a good job of making sure you know exactly what is going on with the various characters and groups. The ending definitely makes you want to start reading the next book in the series.

Shadow of Night by Deborah E. Harkness

Shadows of Night
Deborah E. Harkness
All Souls Trilogy
Book 2
584 Pages

The second book in the All Souls Trilogy finds Diana and Matthew traveling back in time to London, 1590. But they soon realise that the past may not provide a haven. Reclaiming his former identity as poet and spy for Queen Elizabeth, the vampire falls back in with a group of radicals known as the School of Night.
Together Matthew and Diana scour Tudor London for the elusive manuscript Ashmole 782, and search for the witch who will teach Diana how to control her remarkable powers.
I listened to this book on audio and really enjoyed it. Jennifer Ideda is a great narrator and made the story come alive for me. Giving each character a unique and memorable voice. 

Discovery of Witches by Deborah E. Harkness

Discovery of Witches
Deborah E. Harkness
All Souls Trilogy
Book 1
579 pages

Debut novelist Deborah Harkness has crafted a mesmerizing and addictive read, equal parts history and magic, romance and suspense. Diana is a bold heroine who meets her equal in vampire geneticist Matthew Clairmont, and gradually warms up to him as their alliance deepens into an intimacy that violates age-old taboos. This smart, sophisticated story harks back to the novels of Anne Rice, but it is as contemporary and sensual as the Twilight series-with an extra serving of historical realism.
I listened to this book on audio and enjoyed it immensly.

Book of Life by Deborah E. Harkness

Book of Life
By Deborah E. Harkness
All Souls Trilogy Book 3
561 pages

The final book in the All Souls Trilogy was just as good as the first "A Discovery of Witches" and the second "Shadow of Night". Book three follows historian and witch Diana Bishop and vampire scientist Matthew Clairmont's return to the future to face new crises and old enemies.
I listened to the audio version of each of these books and really enjoyed listening to Jennifer Ideda's performance. A great narrator can make or break a story for me and Jennifer does a fantastic job!

The Book of Life (All Souls Trilogy #3) by Deborah Harkness, 576 p.

This much-anticipated last book in the All Souls trilogy did not disappoint. In the last book, we left Diana and Matthew back in modern times after they had time-traveled back to the present from the 1600's. Finding Ashmole 782 is now more important than ever. They face many enemies, both old and new. Diana is learning more and more about her powers, both of the witchcraft kind and the power of family. This book takes us from the de Clairmont ancestral home of Sept-Tours to the laboratories of London. The family needs to be expanded, yet at the same time, crucial family members need to be demolished. This book is not to be missed, and if you haven't yet delved into this trilogy, it it well worth the time.