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Ross (3284 KP) rated Perfect Crime in Books
Feb 19, 2019 (Updated Feb 19, 2019)
More tense, gripping crime set in Edinburgh
*** Disclosure - I received a free advance copy of this book from the publishers and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review ***
The 5th book in the increasingly badly titled "DI Luc Callanach" series (he is hardly in this one!) follows much the same template as the other 4 books. A body is found in mysterious circumstances, here it is the body of a young man who appears to have thrown himself from the top of a tower in East Lothian. Soon thereafter, other bodies start to turn up, all looking like suicides or are people who had previously tried to commit suicide. At the same time, another body turns up, this time with a personal connection to one DI Callanach. So again we have the two investigations running in parallel. Though because of the apparent connection, the eponymous DI Callanach is taken off active duty and is largely absent for the second half of the book.
The main investigation is interesting: someone taking against those who do not value their life and have tried to end it in the past, and he decides to end it for them. However, there is a twist along the way that just did not feel right. For this murderer to suddenly become a Red Dragon-style character was somewhat at odds with the story at that point.
The lesser investigation was more interesting as there was so much evidence suggesting Callanach committed the murder, though we believed he hadn't.
As with previous books, a story written in Edinburgh (or other cities with an identity) by someone who doesn't live there has a good chance of missing the mark with the dialogue. People we are led to believe are proper sumbags do not come across as that, their phrasing is just so wrong. I had found this in the previous books, where incidental characters had no discernible voice or characteristics and were just vanilla plot devices.
Similarly, the murderer at one point uses a phrase no Scotsman has ever uttered and that took me right out of the book.
The plot is more or less faultless, with all events and motives seeming plausible, except one issue right at the end where an item of evidence was so mis-handled as to be laughable, but served the plot perfectly.
On the whole, this was a good enjoyable read, but I had guessed the identities of the murderers quite early on. Far from original and moments that just felt like clangers.
I am guessing this is almost the last we'll see of Luc Callanach, who has (rightly) been relegated to support cast from book 2, in favour of the strong, better-defined, female character.
The 5th book in the increasingly badly titled "DI Luc Callanach" series (he is hardly in this one!) follows much the same template as the other 4 books. A body is found in mysterious circumstances, here it is the body of a young man who appears to have thrown himself from the top of a tower in East Lothian. Soon thereafter, other bodies start to turn up, all looking like suicides or are people who had previously tried to commit suicide. At the same time, another body turns up, this time with a personal connection to one DI Callanach. So again we have the two investigations running in parallel. Though because of the apparent connection, the eponymous DI Callanach is taken off active duty and is largely absent for the second half of the book.
The main investigation is interesting: someone taking against those who do not value their life and have tried to end it in the past, and he decides to end it for them. However, there is a twist along the way that just did not feel right. For this murderer to suddenly become a Red Dragon-style character was somewhat at odds with the story at that point.
The lesser investigation was more interesting as there was so much evidence suggesting Callanach committed the murder, though we believed he hadn't.
As with previous books, a story written in Edinburgh (or other cities with an identity) by someone who doesn't live there has a good chance of missing the mark with the dialogue. People we are led to believe are proper sumbags do not come across as that, their phrasing is just so wrong. I had found this in the previous books, where incidental characters had no discernible voice or characteristics and were just vanilla plot devices.
Similarly, the murderer at one point uses a phrase no Scotsman has ever uttered and that took me right out of the book.
The plot is more or less faultless, with all events and motives seeming plausible, except one issue right at the end where an item of evidence was so mis-handled as to be laughable, but served the plot perfectly.
On the whole, this was a good enjoyable read, but I had guessed the identities of the murderers quite early on. Far from original and moments that just felt like clangers.
I am guessing this is almost the last we'll see of Luc Callanach, who has (rightly) been relegated to support cast from book 2, in favour of the strong, better-defined, female character.
Sassy Brit (97 KP) rated Stray Magic in Books
Jun 5, 2019
Stray Magic is a fun, spirited second chance story that comes with a supernatural twist – in the shape of a two-foot tall, wish-granting leprechaun called Vincent.
You’d think with a wish-granting leprechaun rooting for the man of your dreams to walk into your life, there’d be no hitches, right?
But when the and get all muddled up, poor Cara doesn’t know whether to believe this cheeky little imp, or send him packing. But when he keeps magically appearing in Cara’s bathroom and taking her dog for a ride, (as Leprecahaun’s do) she decides to believe in his power and wait for the magic to happen – just in case it works and her dream guy walks into her place of work and whisks her off her feet – as promised by the little green fella.
Behind this doggy story, which is suitable for listeners of all ages, is a really entertaining plot. We hear not only about Cara’s love-life woes, but we are also privy to her relationship with her grownup daughter, and how she gets on in her job working for a horrible boss of whom takes all the credit for her hard work without any thanks. Even Cara’s beloved Corgi has something to say, and in no way did I think I’d enjoy a talking dog story. If you’d asked me before, I’d have said that sounded silly. Talking animals never go as planned in books, but this was heaps of fun.
Alongside this, we discover even Vincent has a heartbreaking story to tell. I mean, how can he have the love of his life, if he keeps botching up his magic for others. By his own omission he turned up at Cara’s house twelve years late. Just think about that? If he’d turned up on time Cara’s true love would have been with her for twelve years already. ?
The narrator of this story, Aisling Gray, has a great voice, and could really do the different characters well. Originally from Texas (I think) she has a whole array of accents, and they all sounded spot on, making a great story even better to listen to. In addition, there were quite a few funny, laugh out loud moments, during which I literally laughed out loud unexpectedly. Wherever I was. Yep, embarrassing at times! But well worth it.
This easily listening, magical story was a lighthearted treat for me, and I thoroughly enjoyed all the hours I was plugged in listening to this.
Disclosure: I listened to this story via a free audible token, so thank you to the author, narrator and publisher for this opportunity. This is my own opinion and not biased in any way.
You’d think with a wish-granting leprechaun rooting for the man of your dreams to walk into your life, there’d be no hitches, right?
But when the and get all muddled up, poor Cara doesn’t know whether to believe this cheeky little imp, or send him packing. But when he keeps magically appearing in Cara’s bathroom and taking her dog for a ride, (as Leprecahaun’s do) she decides to believe in his power and wait for the magic to happen – just in case it works and her dream guy walks into her place of work and whisks her off her feet – as promised by the little green fella.
Behind this doggy story, which is suitable for listeners of all ages, is a really entertaining plot. We hear not only about Cara’s love-life woes, but we are also privy to her relationship with her grownup daughter, and how she gets on in her job working for a horrible boss of whom takes all the credit for her hard work without any thanks. Even Cara’s beloved Corgi has something to say, and in no way did I think I’d enjoy a talking dog story. If you’d asked me before, I’d have said that sounded silly. Talking animals never go as planned in books, but this was heaps of fun.
Alongside this, we discover even Vincent has a heartbreaking story to tell. I mean, how can he have the love of his life, if he keeps botching up his magic for others. By his own omission he turned up at Cara’s house twelve years late. Just think about that? If he’d turned up on time Cara’s true love would have been with her for twelve years already. ?
The narrator of this story, Aisling Gray, has a great voice, and could really do the different characters well. Originally from Texas (I think) she has a whole array of accents, and they all sounded spot on, making a great story even better to listen to. In addition, there were quite a few funny, laugh out loud moments, during which I literally laughed out loud unexpectedly. Wherever I was. Yep, embarrassing at times! But well worth it.
This easily listening, magical story was a lighthearted treat for me, and I thoroughly enjoyed all the hours I was plugged in listening to this.
Disclosure: I listened to this story via a free audible token, so thank you to the author, narrator and publisher for this opportunity. This is my own opinion and not biased in any way.
Kyera (8 KP) rated This Savage Song (Monsters of Verity, #1) in Books
Feb 1, 2018
The first few chapters can be a bit slow to get into, but the story does find its path fairly quickly and immediately became a favourite. I originally read the first five chapters via Epic Reads was intrigued by the premise although nothing much happened at the beginning. I finally got a chance to read the entire book and the idea of it is just fantastic. Our main characters live in a world in which sins and crimes beget monsters - creatures that terrorize the city and force the people to choose between two ways of life. In one half of the City, the leader lets the monsters roam freely but puts them under his control to a degree and sells his protection to the people for a high price. In the other half of the City, the leader has a militia-like group that keeps the City safe but not everyone wants to help out.
Our two main characters are Kate and August, although they are from opposite sides of Verity. Kate is the daughter of the leader of the north half of the City and wants to prove herself. She is strong and smart, but puts on a tougher front than she would have naturally because of who and where she is. August is different. August is a monster, a Sunai, a creature that can feed off you, your soul and your energy with just a few strains of music. But August is not all he appears and he is definitely my favourite character in the book.
There are three different types of monsters: Sunai, Malchai, and Corsai. Each is well developed and unique in the world that the author built. I think that the horror that she evokes in the reader makes the plight of the main characters that much more harrowing. You, of course, experience stress and fear as Kate and August fight for their lives. The world building continues as you experience life on each side of the city through the eyes of our main characters. I do hope to see further development in the second novel of the characters now that the foundation of the world and its players have been created.
The story was beautifully written and I was completely entranced. I was happily surprised by the lack of romance in this novel, as one could easily expect our two main characters to fall in love over the course of their harrowing journey (as happens in many YA novels.)
I would highly recommend it to young adult/teen readers who are fans of fantasy, dystopian, horror and any of V.E. Schwab's other work (despite them being in the adult age range and this being a young adult series.)
Our two main characters are Kate and August, although they are from opposite sides of Verity. Kate is the daughter of the leader of the north half of the City and wants to prove herself. She is strong and smart, but puts on a tougher front than she would have naturally because of who and where she is. August is different. August is a monster, a Sunai, a creature that can feed off you, your soul and your energy with just a few strains of music. But August is not all he appears and he is definitely my favourite character in the book.
There are three different types of monsters: Sunai, Malchai, and Corsai. Each is well developed and unique in the world that the author built. I think that the horror that she evokes in the reader makes the plight of the main characters that much more harrowing. You, of course, experience stress and fear as Kate and August fight for their lives. The world building continues as you experience life on each side of the city through the eyes of our main characters. I do hope to see further development in the second novel of the characters now that the foundation of the world and its players have been created.
The story was beautifully written and I was completely entranced. I was happily surprised by the lack of romance in this novel, as one could easily expect our two main characters to fall in love over the course of their harrowing journey (as happens in many YA novels.)
I would highly recommend it to young adult/teen readers who are fans of fantasy, dystopian, horror and any of V.E. Schwab's other work (despite them being in the adult age range and this being a young adult series.)
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BookInspector (124 KP) rated The Waking Land (The Waking Land, #1) in Books
Sep 24, 2020
The blurb of this novel tells pretty much all the necessary information. Elanna was kept away from her parents for fourteen years, in a different country, with a different culture and different way of living. She always wanted to be a botanist, because she loved plants. She was accused of King’s murder, so the only chance she had was to run. While on the run, she finds out, that she has a great gift and she supposed to be the one, who leads her country to independence.
This book has a great variety of characters to choose from. I loved their bravery and strong personalities. My favourite ones were El and Jahan. I loved their kindness and all the adventures which they had together in this novel. El is a very confused young woman, who is trying to make the right choice, even though it breaks her heart. She is emotionally torn between two countries who are at war because she has ties with both of them, it is hard for her to make the decisions, and this whole process was very interesting to watch for me.
I liked the plot of this book, but I found some of the parts quite repetitive. There is quite a bit of action going on in this novel, so that was what kept me going. I liked the adventure parts of it, filled with some really lovely and subtle romance. I think that author used her love for music and nature really well in this novel, I loved the overall setting of this book. It has some sex and violence in this novel, but it is not overwhelming, and I am really great full to the author, for keeping this novel quite elegant, when it used to come to violence.
The writing style is pleasant to read, but I don’t understand, why fantasy books have such complicated names in them. For me, it makes these books more difficult to read and it doesn’t add any charm at all. The chapters were quite long, but they were divided into smaller chunks, so it was quite easy to read it. I really liked the ending of this book, I think it rounded up the story really nicely, and there will be a second part published this year, so I am quite curious to see what it has to offer. So, to conclude, I think this book has all the right attributes necessary for this type of novel, it has magic, brave heroine who is kind and sweet, political disputes and the right amount of romance. Please do give this book a try and I hope you will enjoy it 🙂
This book has a great variety of characters to choose from. I loved their bravery and strong personalities. My favourite ones were El and Jahan. I loved their kindness and all the adventures which they had together in this novel. El is a very confused young woman, who is trying to make the right choice, even though it breaks her heart. She is emotionally torn between two countries who are at war because she has ties with both of them, it is hard for her to make the decisions, and this whole process was very interesting to watch for me.
I liked the plot of this book, but I found some of the parts quite repetitive. There is quite a bit of action going on in this novel, so that was what kept me going. I liked the adventure parts of it, filled with some really lovely and subtle romance. I think that author used her love for music and nature really well in this novel, I loved the overall setting of this book. It has some sex and violence in this novel, but it is not overwhelming, and I am really great full to the author, for keeping this novel quite elegant, when it used to come to violence.
The writing style is pleasant to read, but I don’t understand, why fantasy books have such complicated names in them. For me, it makes these books more difficult to read and it doesn’t add any charm at all. The chapters were quite long, but they were divided into smaller chunks, so it was quite easy to read it. I really liked the ending of this book, I think it rounded up the story really nicely, and there will be a second part published this year, so I am quite curious to see what it has to offer. So, to conclude, I think this book has all the right attributes necessary for this type of novel, it has magic, brave heroine who is kind and sweet, political disputes and the right amount of romance. Please do give this book a try and I hope you will enjoy it 🙂
ClareR (5911 KP) rated The Turn of The Key in Books
Aug 18, 2019
I’ve read some pretty spooky books in my time, but none have had me on the edge of my seat in quite the same way as Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware did! There’s an underlying menace in this book - nothing explicit - and I think that makes it all the more frightening. I can’t even tell you the amount of times I told the lead character, a Nanny from London, to just pack up, leave the children with the housekeeper, and go home!
So, as I’ve already begun to say, Rowan is a Nanny who has been employed to look after the children of a wealthy husband and wife architecture team. They work away from home, and need someone to take care of their young children (plus a 14 year old who comes home from boarding school at the weekend). It all seems very rushed, and when Rowan turns up to take her post, Sandra (the mum) drops the bombshell that they will both be leaving for a week the next day. The children haven’t even had a chance to get to know Rowan with their mum there! Sandra leaves a huge folder with instructions for EVERYTHING regarding the children, and a very quick lesson on ‘Happy’, the house computer system (kind of like Alexa, but less chatty and far less easy to use!). I would’ve said something here, but Rowan seems to be desperate for the job. She seems to be a nice enough person, but she does make allusions to her temper, and does seem to lose it with the children quite a bit. But I’m not surprised - she is woken up every night, either by bumps and pacing sounds, or Happy seemingly having a huge glitch and playing loud music whilst turning on lights throughout the house in the early hours. Well, Maddie, the 8 year old, did warn her about the displeasure of the ghosts at her interview.....
I loved how creepy this was - I didn’t know what was real and what Rowan was imagining because of sleep deprivation, but it made all of the days seem to merge together. You could feel how tired and scared she must have been.
The last fifth of the book was something else though. I can’t think of many books where I’ve actually told a character out loud “No!” (It made my dogs stop and look!). The last few (yes, FEW!) revelations and twists kept the tension running right up to the end.
Have I said that I loved this book? This is my second Ruth Ware book, and it certainly won’t be my last - this is even better than The Death of Mrs Westaway (if that’s possible!).
Many thanks to The Pigeonhole for serialising this book - you did it again! Another absolutely cracking choice!
So, as I’ve already begun to say, Rowan is a Nanny who has been employed to look after the children of a wealthy husband and wife architecture team. They work away from home, and need someone to take care of their young children (plus a 14 year old who comes home from boarding school at the weekend). It all seems very rushed, and when Rowan turns up to take her post, Sandra (the mum) drops the bombshell that they will both be leaving for a week the next day. The children haven’t even had a chance to get to know Rowan with their mum there! Sandra leaves a huge folder with instructions for EVERYTHING regarding the children, and a very quick lesson on ‘Happy’, the house computer system (kind of like Alexa, but less chatty and far less easy to use!). I would’ve said something here, but Rowan seems to be desperate for the job. She seems to be a nice enough person, but she does make allusions to her temper, and does seem to lose it with the children quite a bit. But I’m not surprised - she is woken up every night, either by bumps and pacing sounds, or Happy seemingly having a huge glitch and playing loud music whilst turning on lights throughout the house in the early hours. Well, Maddie, the 8 year old, did warn her about the displeasure of the ghosts at her interview.....
I loved how creepy this was - I didn’t know what was real and what Rowan was imagining because of sleep deprivation, but it made all of the days seem to merge together. You could feel how tired and scared she must have been.
The last fifth of the book was something else though. I can’t think of many books where I’ve actually told a character out loud “No!” (It made my dogs stop and look!). The last few (yes, FEW!) revelations and twists kept the tension running right up to the end.
Have I said that I loved this book? This is my second Ruth Ware book, and it certainly won’t be my last - this is even better than The Death of Mrs Westaway (if that’s possible!).
Many thanks to The Pigeonhole for serialising this book - you did it again! Another absolutely cracking choice!
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Debbiereadsbook (1475 KP) rated Silas's Sweetheart (Divergent Omegaverse #4) in Books
Aug 2, 2025
I liked that Ziggy was a perfect match for Silas' desires.
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
This is book 4 in the Divergent Omegaverse series, and I recommend that you read books 1-3 first. Not strictly necessary, but you will get more of this group of men and the world they live in.
Silas didn't want to return home, but his parents called 8 Starling brothers to them and dropped a bombshell: They were retiring and the company was to be run by the brothers. So, he goes to his happy place to forget for a while. Meeting the snake shifter rocked his world, but finding the same shifter in his office as his new PA? Silas isn't sure he can manage to keep his hands to himself. Ziggy offers an alternative, since he is equally smitten with Silas. Then the emotional past comes back to Silas and he hurts Ziggy, badly. Can he get Ziggy to give him a second chance?
I loved Silas and Ziggy, I really did but not so much their story and *insert wailing* I don't know why!
So, here's what I did like.
I liked that both Silas and Ziggy found themselves rocked by the encounter at Hidden Desires. I liked that they both found themselves wanting to repeat that. I liked that Ziggy was a perfect match for Silas' desires.
I did not like what happened to Sials when he was a child. I liked that it bought Booker into the family though. But Silas is still suffering the effects of that attack and it's this that makes him mess up, big time, with Ziggy.
I liked that Ziggy, while hurt and trying to move on, really cannot. I do love that Ziggy was able to let Silas explain his actions and the reasons why he acted the way he did. Once Ziggy gets the full picture, he is willing to let Silas back in, IF he remembers to use his words next time!
I loved that we visited the Darling Ranch and met Cass (Unbar The Barred) for the first time, along with a few other characters who piqued my interest. So much so, I saw pairings that were not there and I'm not sure if I'm disappointed with myself, or excited about those correct pairings!
There is some overlap with books 2 and 3, and some fall out from that visit to the factory. I hope those omegas get their HEA, cos they really need it!
Can't quite figure out what's different to the other books, but that;s Ms Sayle for you! She properly messes with my book brain!
4 very good stars (sorry!)
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
This is book 4 in the Divergent Omegaverse series, and I recommend that you read books 1-3 first. Not strictly necessary, but you will get more of this group of men and the world they live in.
Silas didn't want to return home, but his parents called 8 Starling brothers to them and dropped a bombshell: They were retiring and the company was to be run by the brothers. So, he goes to his happy place to forget for a while. Meeting the snake shifter rocked his world, but finding the same shifter in his office as his new PA? Silas isn't sure he can manage to keep his hands to himself. Ziggy offers an alternative, since he is equally smitten with Silas. Then the emotional past comes back to Silas and he hurts Ziggy, badly. Can he get Ziggy to give him a second chance?
I loved Silas and Ziggy, I really did but not so much their story and *insert wailing* I don't know why!
So, here's what I did like.
I liked that both Silas and Ziggy found themselves rocked by the encounter at Hidden Desires. I liked that they both found themselves wanting to repeat that. I liked that Ziggy was a perfect match for Silas' desires.
I did not like what happened to Sials when he was a child. I liked that it bought Booker into the family though. But Silas is still suffering the effects of that attack and it's this that makes him mess up, big time, with Ziggy.
I liked that Ziggy, while hurt and trying to move on, really cannot. I do love that Ziggy was able to let Silas explain his actions and the reasons why he acted the way he did. Once Ziggy gets the full picture, he is willing to let Silas back in, IF he remembers to use his words next time!
I loved that we visited the Darling Ranch and met Cass (Unbar The Barred) for the first time, along with a few other characters who piqued my interest. So much so, I saw pairings that were not there and I'm not sure if I'm disappointed with myself, or excited about those correct pairings!
There is some overlap with books 2 and 3, and some fall out from that visit to the factory. I hope those omegas get their HEA, cos they really need it!
Can't quite figure out what's different to the other books, but that;s Ms Sayle for you! She properly messes with my book brain!
4 very good stars (sorry!)
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
KittyMiku (138 KP) rated Shadow of Night in Books
May 23, 2019
Shadow of Night is the second book of Deborah Harkness’ All Souls Trilogy. As with the first one, Harkness takes you on adventure with her two protagonists, a witch named Diana and a vampire named Mathew. However, unlike the first one, this book is placed in Elizabethan England. Though the characters remain the same at heart, they change to better suit each other and the time period, as it is needed. With the imminent danger around every corner, the two are still not able to find piece, but Diana is able to learn more about her powers while she learns about her vampire lover in the process.
The details in the book are beautifully done and give a great visual to how it must have looked in 1590, where the main storyline is. The clothing style was accurate and there were a great many nods to our history. However, even though some of it remained factual, or close to, there was no denying that there was whole lot of fiction intertwined to help create the illusion that witches, vampires, and daemons exist. Harkness has a way with her facts and her words to create such a wonderful woven story to have the facts and the fictions mix that you could practically believe that it could all be true and we just would never know about it. I am again truly amazed by the story and how it seems to flow from the first book to the second book so flawlessly. I am hardly able to express such enthusiasm I have for Harkness and her wonderful tale. Once again, she was able to submerge me into a tale that caused emotions to wax and wane in my soul.
With all the tears, joys, and laughs this book was able to get out of me, I thought the ending felt a tad bit rushed, and though I am grateful for the speed of the final chapters and how it sort of answered more questions while leaving the conclusions of the trilogy still to come, I feel I would have liked a bit more out of the characters in their reunions. With new characters being introduces slightly at the end, it left a lot of questions on what was going on. I understand that the last book in this trilogy would be what wrapped everything up, but I can’t help but feeling a little more should have been included about some of the characters that had been introduced. I will hold my breath on this matter though and wait to see how the trilogy ends.
I did find that Harkness was able to pin point things normal couples seem to be troubled with, such as jealousy and secrets, never mind should that couple have secret abilities or be of another entire species. I was overjoyed to see that even fictional characters could do something I see normal people due in reality without all the melodramatics that most romance novels and romantic comedies would have us believe. To watch the main characters have the differences, stand their ground, and even argue about things like secrets, other people, and insecurities makes it feel more at home. Not every romance should be almost perfect with a few flaws; Couples fight and through the power of love, the stay together. Even though they have chance to fall apart, it never ceases to amaze how simple communication, even between a d vampire and a witch, can make troubles and misunderstandings cease to exist. Even with the couple at ends at times, and the world seemingly against them, it was fun to watch them explore the world and themselves, if not to just become themselves more and learn how powerful love and trust could be.
I believe this book is 3 stars out of 4 stars for it rating. It is truly an amazing book and has the potential to stand alone, it is clear that without certain prior knowledges, a reader could get lost at the end of what is happening. Shadow of Night is as beautifully written as was A Discovery of Witches and I definitely would recommend it, if the person was will to start at the beginning with A Discovery of Witches. Luckily both can be bought on Amazon and in other places that sell books.
The details in the book are beautifully done and give a great visual to how it must have looked in 1590, where the main storyline is. The clothing style was accurate and there were a great many nods to our history. However, even though some of it remained factual, or close to, there was no denying that there was whole lot of fiction intertwined to help create the illusion that witches, vampires, and daemons exist. Harkness has a way with her facts and her words to create such a wonderful woven story to have the facts and the fictions mix that you could practically believe that it could all be true and we just would never know about it. I am again truly amazed by the story and how it seems to flow from the first book to the second book so flawlessly. I am hardly able to express such enthusiasm I have for Harkness and her wonderful tale. Once again, she was able to submerge me into a tale that caused emotions to wax and wane in my soul.
With all the tears, joys, and laughs this book was able to get out of me, I thought the ending felt a tad bit rushed, and though I am grateful for the speed of the final chapters and how it sort of answered more questions while leaving the conclusions of the trilogy still to come, I feel I would have liked a bit more out of the characters in their reunions. With new characters being introduces slightly at the end, it left a lot of questions on what was going on. I understand that the last book in this trilogy would be what wrapped everything up, but I can’t help but feeling a little more should have been included about some of the characters that had been introduced. I will hold my breath on this matter though and wait to see how the trilogy ends.
I did find that Harkness was able to pin point things normal couples seem to be troubled with, such as jealousy and secrets, never mind should that couple have secret abilities or be of another entire species. I was overjoyed to see that even fictional characters could do something I see normal people due in reality without all the melodramatics that most romance novels and romantic comedies would have us believe. To watch the main characters have the differences, stand their ground, and even argue about things like secrets, other people, and insecurities makes it feel more at home. Not every romance should be almost perfect with a few flaws; Couples fight and through the power of love, the stay together. Even though they have chance to fall apart, it never ceases to amaze how simple communication, even between a d vampire and a witch, can make troubles and misunderstandings cease to exist. Even with the couple at ends at times, and the world seemingly against them, it was fun to watch them explore the world and themselves, if not to just become themselves more and learn how powerful love and trust could be.
I believe this book is 3 stars out of 4 stars for it rating. It is truly an amazing book and has the potential to stand alone, it is clear that without certain prior knowledges, a reader could get lost at the end of what is happening. Shadow of Night is as beautifully written as was A Discovery of Witches and I definitely would recommend it, if the person was will to start at the beginning with A Discovery of Witches. Luckily both can be bought on Amazon and in other places that sell books.