ARC Review: Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness

Shadow of Night
Author: Deborah Harkness
Publication: Viking Adult (July 10, 2012)

Description: 

"Together we lifted our feet and stepped into the unknown"—the thrilling sequel to the New York Times bestseller A Discovery of Witches

Deborah Harkness exploded onto the literary scene with her debut novel, A Discovery of Witches, Book One of the magical All Souls Trilogy and an international publishing phenomenon. The novel introduced Diana Bishop, Oxford scholar and reluctant witch, and the handsome geneticist and vampire Matthew Clairmont; together they found themselves at the center of a supernatural battle over an enchanted manuscript known as Ashmole 782.

Now, picking up from A Discovery of Witches’ cliffhanger ending, Shadow of Night plunges Diana and Matthew into Elizabethan London, a world of spies, subterfuge, and a coterie of Matthew’s old friends, the mysterious School of Night that includes Christopher Marlowe and Walter Raleigh. Here, Diana must locate a witch to tutor her in magic, Matthew is forced to confront a past he thought he had put to rest, and the mystery of Ashmole 782 deepens.

Deborah Harkness has crafted a gripping journey through a world of alchemy, time travel, and magical discoveries, delivering one of the most hotly anticipated novels of the season.

My Thoughts: This book felt very much like the second book in a trilogy. It begins immediately after the cliffhanger ending of A Discovery of Witches. Matthew and Diana are traveling back in time to try to locate Ashmole 782, a rare book that could answer some questions about the origins of daemons, vampires and witches. Diana also needs to find a teacher so that she can learn more about her powers as a witch.

This one is a honeymoon story but with lots more magic and political intrigue. I found the first section which takes place at Woodstock, The Old Lodge in 1591 England to be a little confusing and slow going. The combination of Elizabethan intrigues, alliances, and plots combined with the tensions between witches and vampires made me wish for a scorecard so that I could keep track of who knew what and which side everyone was on. It didn't help that Matthew seemed to have a foot in all camps and was a spy. Diana quickly learned that the scope and number of secrets Matthew was keeping from her was daunting.

Diana, as a scholar and historian, was also stressed as she tried to learn to fit in during a time period she had studied. It didn't help that there were a growing number of plans to get rid of all the witches at the same time she needed to find a teacher. Diana makes intriguing discoveries about her own powers.

When the story moved to Sept-Tours and became more of a romance, I found it easier to feel engaged in the story. I liked watching Diana and Matthew forge a marriage of equals. They are both strong-minded, intelligent people who are very different. In fact, part of the conflict in this book is that vampires and witches don't have anything to do with each other. Yet here are Diana, a witch, and Matthew, a vampire, falling in love and fighting through massive opposition from just about everyone to be together. It was also hard seeing Matthew interact with his father who was no longer living in the present time. Matthew had a chance to go back for a history redo. He was also helped by Diana and his father to get over the grief and guilt he was suffering. 

This was a massive story filled with historical figures and plots and counter plots happening both in 1591 and in the present. The prose was engaging. The descriptions made me feel that I was there with the characters. And there was a massive cast of characters to keep track of. Fans of historical fiction as well as fans of paranormal fiction will find a lot to enjoy in this rich, complex story. But it doesn't stand alone, read A Discovery of Witches first.

Favorite Quote:

I was perched on an uncomfortable wooden chair in a confining array of smocks, petticoats, sleeves, skirts, and a tightly laced bodice. My career-oriented, twenty-first-century life faded further with each restricted breath.

I received this eARC from Viking via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. You can buy a copy here.

Friday Memes: Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness

Happy Friday everybody!

Book Beginnings on Friday is now hosted by Rose City Reader. The Friday 56 is hosted at Freda's Voice. Check out the links above for the rules and for the posts of the participants each week.

Don’t dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST

Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness has reached the top of my review stack this week. This is the sequel to A Discovery of Witches. I got my copy from Viking via NetGalley. It will be published on July 10.
Here is the description:

"Together we lifted our feet and stepped into the unknown"—the thrilling sequel to the New York Times bestseller A Discovery of Witches

Deborah Harkness exploded onto the literary scene with her debut novel, A Discovery of Witches, Book One of the magical All Souls Trilogy and an international publishing phenomenon. The novel introduced Diana Bishop, Oxford scholar and reluctant witch, and the handsome geneticist and vampire Matthew Clairmont; together they found themselves at the center of a supernatural battle over an enchanted manuscript known as Ashmole 782.

Now, picking up from A Discovery of Witches’ cliffhanger ending, Shadow of Night plunges Diana and Matthew into Elizabethan London, a world of spies, subterfuge, and a coterie of Matthew’s old friends, the mysterious School of Night that includes Christopher Marlowe and Walter Raleigh. Here, Diana must locate a witch to tutor her in magic, Matthew is forced to confront a past he thought he had put to rest, and the mystery of Ashmole 782 deepens.

Deborah Harkness has crafted a gripping journey through a world of alchemy, time travel, and magical discoveries, delivering one of the most hotly anticipated novels of the season.

That cliffhanger ending had me waiting impatiently for this book!

Beginning:

We arrived in an undignified heap of witch and vampire.

Friday 56:

"But mark my words, Matthew Roydon. Every creature within a day's journey suspects that you are a foul beast who feeds on blood. When they discover you are harboring a witch with these dark powers, God will be merciless on those who have turned against Him."

Book Review: Ransom River by Meg Gardiner

Ransom River
Author: Meg Gardiner
Publication: Dutton Adult (July 5, 2012)


Description: A stunningly complex and atmospheric novel from Edgar Award–winning author Meg Gardiner, featuring a deeply flawed, compelling heroine, a murder trial, and the long-unsolved mystery it exposes.

Rory Mackenzie is juror number seven on a high-profile murder case in her hometown of Ransom River, California. It’s a place she vowed never to visit again, after leaving behind its surfeit of regret and misfortune and the specter of a troubled past that threatened to disturb the town’s peaceful façade.
Brilliant yet guarded, Rory has always felt like an outsider. She retreated into herself when both her career aspirations and her love affair with a childhood friend, undercover cop Seth Colder, were destroyed in a tragic accident.

While most of the town is focused on the tense and shocking circumstances of the trial, Rory’s return to Ransom River dredges up troubling memories from her childhood that she can no longer ignore. But in the wake of a desperate attack on the courthouse, Rory realizes that exposing these dark skeletons has connected her to an old case that was never solved, and bringing the truth to light just might destroy her.

Departing from her popular series novels, Meg Gardiner has gone deeper than ever into the utterly convincing lives and compelling pasts of her characters. Ransom River is an intimate crime thriller with a dark mystery at its heart—one that will keep readers breathless until the very last page.

My Thoughts: Talk about a book that is hard to put down! This one was impossible to put down. Rory comes back to Ransom River after losing her job because the non-profit Asylum Action she was working for in Europe lost its funding. She get home just in time to be called for jury duty in a case where two cops are charged with killing an unarmed intruder. That would be sticky enough but the intruder is the son of a gangster. One day the courtroom is attacked by armed gunmen and Rory is chosen as one of four hostages. The crime goes terribly wrong and the intruders are killed but the cops think Rory had something to do with the crime and are on her case.

And old flame of Rory's Seth Colder comes back into the picture. They parted before Rory went off to Europe because Seth was an undercover cop and Rory thought he was too far into the undercover life and becoming someone she didn't know. She broke up with him but before they could part company Seth was called to a crime scene. On the way their truck was t-boned by another vehicle breaking Rory's leg and causing internal injuries. When Seth didn't come to see her in the hospital she knew it was over and so she left the country as soon as she could.

Besides Rory and Seth's broken relationship, this story is also about twisted family dynamics and an armored truck robbery that occurred when Rory and Seth were nine. Rory has two cousins - the children of her beloved Uncle Lee - who are just this side of crazy and who have been resentful of what they saw as Rory's perfect life. Her cousin Riss constantly harassed her in school by spreading rumors about her. Her cousin Boone tried sexual harassment when she was only twelve. Rory has kept all of this from her parents because they are her father's brother's kids but her parents are keeping secrets from her too.

Seth's family isn't much better. He is the son of a retired, decorated police officer but he quit the force two years ago convinced that something was rotten in the Ransom River Police Department. When an undercover operation he was part of was blown, he knew the information to wreck it had to come from someone inside the police department.

This a a tense thriller where new and troubling information is constantly coming to the surface. Through it all Rory is determined to "get up one more time than she falls down" but the odds are incredibly against her when she doesn't know who she can trust. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough with this one. I recommend it highly to lovers of thrillers and even to lovers of romances because the relationship between Rory and Seth is compelling too.


Favorite Quote:

What had Sam thought? That Rory had torn down the postcards herself? They never mentioned it aloud. It was one of those things that just floated past, a piece of emotional junk that the family presumed would degrade and sink to the bottom.

I received this book from Dutton in exchange for an honest review. You can buy a copy here. You can also check out the complete list of Meg Gardiner's books here.

June Reading Report

Ahh...summer vacation and time to dive into all those books I've been piling up.

I read a book a day this month. Actually, I finished 31 books this month for a total of 10,428 pages. Here is my 2012 reading log. Sixteen of the books I read were young adult books. Nineteen were books I had for review. I read 8 ebooks this month. My preferred genre this month was Urban Fantasy/Paranormal. Thirteen of my books fit into that category. But mysteries and romances were also read.

Lots of the books I read this month were really good. My two favorite Young Adult books were Seraphina by Rachel Hartman and The Golden Lily by Richelle Mead.

My two favorite adult books were Captain Vorpatril's Alliance by Lois McMaster Bujold and Once Burned by Jeaniene Frost. 

According to LibraryThing, I added 62 books to my collection in June. 37 were review books, 6 were audiobooks, and 8 were free. 49 of them are still marked "to be read" which isn't surprising since some of the review books won't be published until September or October.

I also started taking part in a Twitter reading challenge called the #summerthrowdown which pits teacher and librarians in a friendly contest to see who can read more. This one began on June 18 and will end on July 17.  Currently librarians have a slight lead. I know I am trying to do my part!

How was your June?

Teaser Tuesday: Ransom River by Meg Gardiner

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

I recently received Ransom River by Meg Gardiner for review from Dutton. Meg is an Edgar Award winning author who is most famous for her Jo Beckett and Evan Delaney series. This is a standalone novel. Here is the description:

A stunningly complex and atmospheric novel from Edgar Award–winning author Meg Gardiner, featuring a deeply flawed, compelling heroine, a murder trial, and the long-unsolved mystery it exposes

Rory Mackenzie is juror number seven on a high-profile murder case in her hometown of Ransom River, California. It’s a place she vowed never to visit again, after leaving behind its surfeit of regret and misfortune and the specter of a troubled past that threatened to disturb the town’s peaceful façade.

Brilliant yet guarded, Rory has always felt like an outsider. She retreated into herself when both her career aspirations and her love affair with a childhood friend, undercover cop Seth Colder, were destroyed in a tragic accident.

While most of the town is focused on the tense and shocking circumstances of the trial, Rory’s return to Ransom River dredges up troubling memories from her childhood that she can no longer ignore. But in the wake of a desperate attack on the courthouse, Rory realizes that exposing these dark skeletons has connected her to an old case that was never solved, and bringing the truth to light just might destroy her.

Departing from her popular series novels, Meg Gardiner has gone deeper than ever into the utterly convincing lives and compelling pasts of her characters. Ransom River is an intimate crime thriller with a dark mystery at its heart—one that will keep readers breathless until the very last page.

Teaser:

Rory press the heels of her hands against her eyes. "How many calls?"

"Fifteen on the machine. Mostly people who saw you on TV. I left a vodka bottle on the kitchen counter. Feel free to add it to your coffee."

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? (July 2, 2012)

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? is a meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.

It’s Monday!  What Are You Reading, is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week.  It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.


I had a great week this past week. I attended the Scholastic Reading Summit with my friend Bev and enjoyed the sessions and the keynote speakers. Gordon Korman talked a lot about his various books. I hadn't remembered that he wrote his first book as an assignment in seventh grade. It was published when he was a ninth grader. Pam Allyn also gave a moving talk about encouraging reading.


I managed to do some reading of my own last week too. As usual, I alternated between adult books and young adult books. Here are the adult books I read last week.

Captain Vorpatril's Alliance by Lois McMaster Bujold is an eARC that I got from Baen Books. I love this series and this author. There was no way I could wait for November to read the finished book - which I have already pre-ordered. I will be writing a review (or more likely a love story) when the book is nearer its publication date.

The Last Policeman by Ben H. Winters was in my mailbox at school when I happened to stop in last week. This is an unusual mystery because it is pre-Apocalyptic. Who will still be solving crimes when suicides are common and a huge asteroid is slated to hit the Earth in a matter of months? Besides being an entertaining mystery, the speculation about what would happen to society is also fascinating. This book will be released on July 10 and my review is scheduled for July 11.

Once Burned by Jeaniene Frost was released this week and jumped to the head of my reading line. I love this author's urban fantasies. She has heroes to die for and heroines who are easily their match. This new series will feature one of the side characters from her Cat and Bones series. My review will be posted on July 19.

Hidden (A Bone Secrets Novel) by Kendra Elliot was an Amazon Vine pick that arrived last week and jumped to the top of the review stack because it will be published on July 17. It was a well-done thriller with just enough romance. My review will be posted on July 14.

Here are the four young adult novels I finished this past week.

Before You Go by James Preller was a contemporary novel that I got from Macmillan Children's Publishing Group. I found it well-written but hard to read because I felt so sorry for the main character who is going through some very hard times. This one is so much about grief and loss and is a heart-breaking story. My review will be posted on July 12 for this July 17 release.

I needed something lighter after the last book and chose Renegade Magic by Stephanie Burgis which is a middle grade historical fantasy with a wonderful main character. I loved the first book in the series and loved this one just as much. My review will be posted on July 14.

Team Human by Justine Larbalestier and Sarah Rees Brennan almost fell through the cracks at my house. I got it from Amazon Vine and forgot to add it to my review spreadsheet. Luckily, I started seeing reviews for it and remembered that I had it too. This was an extremely entertaining vampire story with a marvelously quirky main character. My review will be posted on July 4 for this July 3 release.

The Lost Code by Kevin Emerson was another Amazon Vine pick. This one was less successful for me because of the slow start with large info-dumps that slowed down the pace of the story. It did pick up speed later in the book but I don't think I found it engaging enough to look for the next book in the series. This one was released on May 22. My review will be posted on July 9.

I am currently reading a book that has been sitting on my TBR mountain for way too long. I am finally getting to The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater. I have heard so many good things about this one and I love Maggie Stiefvater but somehow couldn't find the time to read it until now.

Next week I plan to read two adult books and two young adult books all from my review stack. The adult books I plan to read are:

Dragon Justice by Laura Anne Gilman which is the latest in her PUPI urban fantasy series. I got this one from NetGalley and need to post my review before the book is released on July 24.

I am scheduled for a blog tour post on July 24 for The Line Between Here and Gone by Andrea Kane. This is a thriller which is in her Forensid Instincts series and sounds amazing. I haven't read anything else in the series though which might be a little strange. This one was released on June 26. I hope it stands alone well.

I'm not sure what I will be reading after those four. I'm not expecting any new books to arrive. Maybe I'll get a chance to dig into the baskets of books I brought home for the summer. My adult books one is heaping over. 

What are your plans for the week?

Stacking the Shelves (July 1, 2012)

Tynga of Tynga's Reviews is starting a new meme to spotlight the books we receive each week. She explains at her site. She also does a very nice vlog each week showing her books.


I guarantee that your TBR pile will grow when you see all the wonderful books everyone gets. You will also discover lots of great blogs and lots of books that you won't be able to live without.

I have heard so much about Alpha Instinct by Katie Reus that I had to buy a copy for myself this week. I found one in the Amazon Marketplace. I am a big fan of "shifter" books and this one sounded so good.

I also had to buy Once Burned by Jeaniene Frost as soon as it was published. I am such a fan of her paranormal romances. I can't wait to read Vlad's story.

I have also been debating about buying On the Prowl by Christine Warren as I have some of this series but not all of it and I haven't read what I do have yet. But another good review this week convinced me to add it to my stack too. 

My Amazon Vine Newsletter came last week and I decided to add Hidden by Kendra Elliot (July 17 release) and Garment of Shadows by Laurie R. King (Sept. 4 release) to my pile. Hidden was an excellent romantic suspense story. I also like the Holmes-Russell series of historical mysteries by King and can't wait to read that one too.

I happened to stop at school when I was back home one day last week and found The Last Policeman by Ben H. Winters waiting in my school mailbox. This July 10 release is a mystery with an interesting premise.  The Earth is facing an impending catastrophe - a huge asteroid will impact on Oct. 3. What would you do if you knew your world was ending? The detective here still feels the need to solve crimes even though society is falling apart around him.

Last this week, a publicist from Media Muscle contacted me and asked if I would like to be a part of the blog tour for The Line Between Here and Gone by Andrea Kane. It sounded like a wonderful suspense novel. My tour stop will be on July 26 but the book releases on July 1. This book is the latest in her Forensic Instincts series which I have not read. 

Those were the additions to my TBR Mountain this week. What did you add to yours?