The Book of Life

by Deborah Harkness
July-October 2014

Now that's the way to end a delicious trilogy! I literally savored every moment of this third and final installment of the All Souls Trilogy because I simply didn't want it to end. My friend tore through this eagerly-awaited book in less than a week, but I couldn't. I rationed myself. I wasn't ready to say goodbye to Matthew and Diana.

It's surprising to me how many negative reviews I'm reading about The Book of Life. Highly-critical readers upset by the outcome of Ashmole 782, the Covenant and the never-ending cast of characters. I couldn't disagree more. Once again with the silky smooth narration of Jennifer Ikeda, I was left {ahem} enchanted. There were times when I listened and gasped, cried or laughed out loud. Harkness knew exactly how to write a book just for me. I'm also hearing buzz from other fans of this trilogy requesting more from Harkness; perhaps a book about the life of Gallowglass?? How about a new book dedicated to the lives of the twins? Either way, I'm in!

The "magic" was definitely back after getting a bit lost in Shadow of Night. Diana and Matthew's relationship strengthened, they had twins, the family bond grew even stronger, and we were introduced to a few new characters. Oh, and Diana's powers kick ass. I can't praise the story, the writing, the characters enough. Just so, so great. And speaking of great, quite possibly the BEST lines I've read in a book in a long time.

“No, I’m a vampire.” Matthew stepped forward, joining Chris under the projector’s light. “And before you ask, I can go outside during the day and my hair won’t catch fire in the sunlight. I’m Catholic and have a crucifix. When I sleep, which is not often, I prefer a bed to a coffin. If you try to stake me, the wood will likely splinter before it enters my skin.” He bared his teeth. “No fangs either. And one last thing: I do not, nor have I ever, sparkled.” Matthew’s face darkened to emphasize the point.

Take that, Stephenie Meyer. As for my rating, a VERY rare, but more than worthy, five stars. I will eventually read all three again.

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Witches of East End

by Melissa de la Cruz December 10, 2012-January 6, 2013 "... I began to think that perhaps the toxin of Ragnarok had been found in our world, which could only mean one thing. Loki had escaped from his chains and had come to unleash his vengeance upon us." In other words, too cheesy for me. This one's going to be short and sweet. This book really had potential. Witches? Love 'em. Vampires? Ditto. Zombies? Not so much. The premise was right up my alley: three centuries-old witches forbidden to practice magic. When their sleepy town of North Hampton becomes the home of several unexplained mysteries, it's time to dust off those wands and get back to it. But for me, Witches bordered a little too much on the sci-fi. And let me tell you, the Beauchamp family doesn't hold a candle to Matthew & Diana. The romance was there, but not in the brilliant way it was penned by Deborah Harkness. The magic was there, but it became tainted with demons and zombies. The first in a trilogy, Witches of East End finishes with a decent cliffhanger. But, although it was a quick read, I don't care enough to pick up the remaining two. And the book slump continues... * * * * *

Shadow of Night

by Deborah Harkness
July 7-October 21, 2012


Diana and Matthew are back! Back in time that is; 1591 to be exact. The second book in the All Souls Trilogy, I was eagerly awaiting its release. I was also excited to hear Jennifer Ikeda reading the audiobook version again. She has such a knack for creating authentic-sounding men and women of any age as well as voicing a myriad of accents.

At the end of Discovery of Witches (Which, by the way, I loved. So romantic, so intriguing, and so descriptive that it actually had me craving wine.), Matthew and Diana were stepping back into Elizabethan London with the help of Diana's limited time-traveling capabilities. Shadow opens at that exact moment with a slew of characters, some historically accurate, and from there the complexity of the plot never ends. In truth, I had quite a hard time following it, and even started over after five completely confusing chapters. I'm glad I did because it made more sense the second time. But, between the highly detailed historical information and the character development, I missed the "magic" from the first book. This second installment seemed to be more about the experience of living in 1591; Matthew being a devout Catholic in Protestant England, witches being burnt in Scotland, the founding fathers of the School of Night; than the charm of a love story between a witch and a vampire. The most interesting part for me was when Diana met her tutor/witch, found out she's a Weaver, and really began learning how to perform and understand her magic. Meeting Matthew's father Phillipe, who we heard so much about in the first book, was equally enjoyable. Matthew and Diana's love deepens while they are in the past and future occurrences are forever changed. But the copious details and shift from what we had in Discovery was what had me lost most of the time. When Matthew and Diana finally came "home" to the present, I found myself reinvesting in the story and eager to see where the reader will be led in the last book. Shadow, too, ends with a cliffhanger, much like Discovery.

I found a great interview with Harkness where she claims that, "These are not your children’s vampires and witches." So true! Reading the first book, all I wanted was for our couple to consummate their relationship. Well I got my wish in Shadow of Night! But I wonder if actually reading this book as opposed to listening to it would have enhanced my experience? I heard that there is actually a glossary of characters in the printed version! I could have used that. I think I will reread both books before the third and final book is released.

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The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane

by Katherine Howe

Book number two purchased on my Kindle. Yay! I read this one on my vacation to Palm Desert, which seems to be becoming a yearly occurrence. Fine by me. Palm trees you can touch and snowy mountains you can see in the distance is a lovely setting when it's cold and nasty in Cleveland in March. If only the desert had water...

I had first heard of this one on, of all places, Good Morning America. How I miss Chris Cuomo and Diane Sawyer, but that's another story altogether. I've always thought witches and witchcraft were kind of cool. By no means do I want to join Wicca, but I like the fantasy of being able to cast spells. Bewitched was such a fun show! So that's what immediately allured me to this book. A grad student moves into her long-dead grandmother's house in order to prepare it for sale. In the house she finds a book that contains a small key and a rolled-up piece of paper that has only two words on it: Deliverance Dane. This leads Connie to do extensive research to find out what DD is, only to discover that DD is a who. She was accused of witchcraft and hung during the Salem witch trials. The story weaves flawlessly between current day (1991) and 1692.  The only thing I had a bit of trouble with was the Old English vocabulary that Howe used when taking the reader back to Salem. I'm not completely sure that it was necessary to such an extent because it really felt like an obstacle at times. But that is honestly the only bad thing I can say about this book. It was so unique, so different and interesting, and I could barely put it down. I think I was actually sorry to finish so quickly.

The other really cool thing is that Deliverance Dane actually existed. I'm not sure that you would call this book historical fiction or not, but Howe was able to weave in quite a few characters that existed in the times of the witch trials. She is even a descendant of a few accused witches herself, and has links on her website as proof. Even when I finished the book I found myself reading more into the lives of these 17th-century women. For me, that's a sign of a book that genuinely interested me. I say that if you're in the mood for something a little out of the ordinary, The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane is the perfect solution.

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