drey's library

Shadow of Night starts up from where A Discovery of Witches ends – with Diana and Matthew time-walking. They’re now in Oxford, during the reign of Elizabeth I, and have two things to accomplish: find Diana a witch to learn from, and retrieve Ashmole 782.Actually, make that 3 things: Don’t mess up history! Easier said than done, of course – or we wouldn’t have this 577-page tome filled with historical figures and events. I loved “watching” as Diana tries to adjust to Elizabethan England, and enjoyed when her wit comes tumbling out when she can’t help herself. It’s a good thing she doesn’t do it too many times though – it would’ve royally sucked if Diana didn’t make it out of time alive!The romantic in you will love watching Matthew and Diana fall even deeper in love – and go through more hurdles to get there. As if being vampire and witch weren’t enough trouble, huh? You’ll want to shake him a bit though, for being just a mite too over-protective. When your wife insists that she can take care of herself, don’t tick her off by protesting otherwise. Even if it happens to be true. Just sayin’…I loved Goody Alsop – the witch who tells Diana what she is, and organizes the teachers that Diana needs. I loved that there’s so much history included. I loved the back-and-forth between Diana and Matthew’s friends, especially when they first meet her and are trying to figure her out. I didn’t love Kit Marlowe, who couldn’t see the end of his nose for his jealousy. Didn’t love Rudolph, either, though he wasn’t as creepy as Hubbard.As with A Discovery of Witches, Shadow of Night has something for everyone. Romance? Check. Mystery? Well, they are trying to locate Ashmole 782, and Matthew’s side job as a spy provide plenty of cloak-and-dagger action… Historical fiction? Two words – Elizabeth. I. Paranormal? Witches, vampires, and daemons, oh my! So go forth and pick this up, and make sure you set aside plenty of time to read it.drey’s rating: Excellent!