Shadow of Night

This was a reread. I read A Discovery of Witches for the first time in high school, and I’ve had Time’s Convert since it came out, so I wanted to reread the series. Shadow of Night is my favorite of the trilogy, and I’ve read the first book so many times, that I started with the second.

Diana, the witch, and Matthew, the vampire, time travelled into the past to look for Ashmole 782. In Elizabethan London, however, things are not exactly what they seem. Their adventures in the past have repercussions for the future.

I hate Matthew Clairmont. I don’t care that it’s the past, I don’t care that he’s a vampire, he’s also an asshole and a misogynist. And even though Harkness keeps saying that Diana is powerful and whatnot, she really just lets Matthew do whatever the fuck he wants. It’s so frustrating. I also hated that we’re just kinda told about what’s happening in the present. <spoiler> Miriam and Marcus are just together? And Emily dies? </spoiler> I just wish there was more about what was happening in the present while Diana and Matthew are traipsing in the past.

I do love time travel history stories, especially when magic is involved. It feels grounded, since a lot of it is research based (you probably need a lot of citations on Elizabethan times). I also love, love, love magic rules. Diana may be super powerful, but even she has rules that she has to follow, and they’re pretty fleshed out in this book.

2022 update: The show did a really good job adapting this book to the LED screen. I like Matthew a lot more on screen, considering they do a better job of showing how powerful Diana is, and how equal she in her relationship with Matthew. I do appreciate that they showed you what was going on in the present too. Marcus and Miriam make a great couple, and I wonder if AMC will do a short season extra that will adapt their story too.

Trigger warnings: sexual content, miscarriage, blood, pregnancy, violence, death, drug use, rape, toxic relationship

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