By Deborah Harkness
Viking, 2012. 577 pgs. Fiction
In book two of the ‘All Souls Trilogy’, Dina, a witch with more power than she can control, and Matthew, her mysterious vampire husband, have been transported to Elizabethan England. Their mission is to find someone who can assist Dina in harnessing her powers and, if possible, to also locate an ancient book that may hold the answers to their question and the key to their future happiness. A quest that they hoped would only take a few weeks stretches to months as both a witch tutor and the mysterious text prove frustratingly illusive.
I think I liked this volume as much, if not more, than the first one. As with ‘Discovery of Witches’, I’m not sure the story warrants the length, but it was still enjoyable. I grew to like the characters more and became a bit more invested in their fight against the dark forces. Hopefully the third and final installment in the trilogy provides adequate adventure and closure.
CZ
1 comment:
Diana Bishop, reluctant witch and professor of the history of Alchemy and her husband Matthew Clairmont end up time walking to Woodstock, England. They are safe from the congregation and Diana hopes to find a teacher to help her control her magic, if she can dodge all the witch hunting going on. And Matthew has more secrets in this past life than he did in their present; secrets that could get them hanged for treason or worse.
Can their love remain strong even though they are hunted on every side?
Most of this book takes place in Elizabethan England, a time period that Harkness has written nonfiction text books about. So, the history behind the love story is solid. The book is steeped in historical details that are almost too dense for the story to stay afloat, but it does (so do Matthew and Diana, spoilers). There are light points where Matthew interacts with his family that make the book charming and heartwarming, even though it is about a family of vampires. The All Soul’s Trilogy has been hailed as Twilight for adults. The love story is breathless, the fighting is intense, and the stakes are very high. For people who love historical fiction and historical romance like Outlander, but with fantasy elements like Game of Thrones.
AGP
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