Shadow of Night

A Novel

By: Deborah Harkness

Narrated by: Jennifer Ikeda

Length: 24 hrs and 25 mins

Publisher's summary

The number one New York Times best-selling sequel to A Discovery of Witches, book two of the All Souls Series. Look for the hit TV series A Discovery of Witches, streaming on AMC Plus, Sundance Now, and Shudder. Season Two premieres January 9, 2021!

Picking up from A Discovery of Witches' cliff-hanger ending, Shadow of Night takes reluctant witch Diana Bishop and vampire geneticist Matthew Clairmont on a trip through time to Elizabethan London, where they are plunged into a world of spies, magic, and a coterie of Matthew's old friends, the School of Night. As the search for Ashmole 782—the lost and enchanted manuscript whose mystery first pulled Diana and Matthew into one another's orbit—deepens and Diana seeks out a witch to tutor her in magic, the net of Matthew's past tightens around them. Together they find they must embark on a very different—and vastly more dangerous—journey.

©2012 Deborah Harkness (P)2012 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"A captivating and romantic ripping yarn, Shadow of Night confirms Deborah Harkness as a master storyteller, able to cast an addictive tale of magic, mayhem and two lovers." (E.L. James Chicago Tribune)

"The joy that Harkness, herself a historian, takes in visiting the past is evident on every page.... A great spell, the one that can enchant a reader and make a 600-page book fly through her fingertips, is cast.... Its enduring rewards are plenty." (Entertainment Weekly)

"Fans of Harkness’s 2011 debut A Discovery of Witches will be delighted.... Harkness delivers enough romance and excitement to keep the pages turning. Readers will devour it." (People)

OMG!! Me Thinks This Doth Be Her Best Work Yet!!!

If you could sum up Shadow of Night in three words, what would they be?

Spectacular Story Telling!!!

What other book might you compare Shadow of Night to and why?

I would say its Lauren Willig's "Pink Carnation" meets "Shakespeare in Love"

Which scene was your favorite?

That is so hard to say! Like her last book every group of scenes are memorable. I would have to say there are three scenes in particular that are my favorites. The scene with the vampires father where our heroine kill another witch, in Father Hubert's court and the when they were in the court of Queen Elizabeth. This book is a page turner!

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

There were a couple places that teared up. I've listened to the book three times now I don't recall laughing but I was on the edge of my seat even the second and third time through.

Any additional comments?

I can't wait for book three. Ms. Harkness's knowledge of history and putting actual obscure events into play and giving them meaning with her tale puts her leaps and bound above so many of todays authors. Her knowledge as a historian appear vast as it pertains to her story telling. Again, I can't wait for the next book! I hope its out quicker than two years.

ho hum

I didn't hate this book, but I liked Discovery of Witches much more. There was a little too much bouncing back and forth in time; some really predictable situations. On the other hand, the incorporation of history into the tale is very well done. It just seemed to go on forever.

Draggs a bit but looking forward to the next book

The book drags at the beginning but picks up. Hours of listening to wine reviews..

this sequel is a pleasant surprise

“Shadow of Night” was a thoroughly enjoyable sequel to “Discovery of Witches”. While “Discovery” had a certain charm, my overall impression of it was not positive. There was little action, the main characters were irritating, neurotic and there was little development of either the characters or the story. The concept was interesting though and there were flashes of brilliance that caught my attention. So, I decided to give the sequel a chance. I’m glad I did.

The second book of the trilogy is well paced, there is plenty of action and the characters show real development. The reasons for the neurosis are revealed and they are worked through to the point where you actually care for the characters. Several new characters are introduced and nicely developed. The book is set primarily in Elizabethan England and an engaging sense of the period emerges by the end. There is humor, drama, pathos and a much deeper immersion in the magical world that the author is weaving. I was sorry to see the book come to an end but am looking forward to the final installment of the trilogy.

The narrator is excellent with a wide range of distinct and believable voices that fit the characters and bring them to life.

Entering read

My wife picked out this series. It is an entertaining read on long drives. There are some parts as a man that I felt droned on about emotions between two characters. But it is written by a woman and women are better and more in tune with emotion. As a man I feel like I can better understand why women like romance or in this case a book about witches and vampires which is the kind of book my wife prefers. There are some saucy steamy parts that are hard not to get turned on by.

great!

lived it! I devoured it in less than 2 weeks! couldnt put it down! 10/10

A captivating read

The orator this book only enhances it. I was sad when I finished it. Only to look forward to the next one.
Forward to discovery of witches being produced on AMC prime. And was so disappointed that it didn’t seem like the people that made the production read the book at all. So reading the books and listening to it or just absolutely wonderful. I highly recommend the books not the series on the television.

Loooong

I really enjoyed the first book in the series. However, this book was very long and had many parts that I felt could have been left out of the overall story line. It’s completely different from the first book and hardly goes over any of the same problems and story lines, which I was excited for in the sequel. However, how it is set up, the third book should be very good at tying everything together!

Exceeded expectations

Often the second book in a trilogy lags or drags. Not this one. Don't miss "Shadows of Night" if you enjoyed the first in the series.

loved it from from to back. great book!

I like how the narrator gave each character their own voice it was much easier to follow with so many characters. The storyline was very detailed and stayed true to the times.