Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness

I finished Shadow of Night last night on a train ride from visiting a friend. I was very excited when it was first released. I really liked the first book, although it is about witches, vampires and daemons it is meant for adults and does not read at all like a cheesy teen novel. Although I like those as well sometimes.

For a long book, I believe I finished it in good time. It was easy to read and it didn't drag on, yet I was still disappointed in it. There were very few twists and turns in the plot line. It followed exactly what was laid out at the end of the last book. Diana and Mathew went to Elizabethan Europe so Diana could learn magic and they could try to find Ashmole 782. Not much else happened, the two spent the majority of the book travelling to different parts in Europe, talking to historical figures, and trying not to affected the future too much. Their new marrige was tested and grew as they learned more about each other. 

Harkness clearly did a lot of historical research into this book. Perhaps one of the reasons I did not find the book as great as the first one, is that I don't know a lot about European history. Mathew turns out to have been friends with several important historical figures, including Walter Raleigh and playwright Christopher Marlowe, both who I know nothing about. So I am sure I  missed out on several inside jokes. Whenever a new character was introduced I always wondered if they were in fact a real person, and if Diana and Mathew involvement was a role reserved for an unknown person in today's history books.

Despite my disappointment I will still read the last instalment. The third book will be back in present day, with the fight with the congregation continuing. I expect the ending of this series to be as exciting as the beginning. With everything that has happened and everything we have learned about Mathews history and family, I think this slower second novel is is leading up to a big finale.

Coming Soon: August 28

Sorry I haven't written in a while. The book I'm reading at the moment is pretty thick, but I am slowly getting through it and will have a review soon.

I'm glad there are finally some new books I can tell you about. I couldn't find any last week that I wanted to share. This week we have a new book by Ian McEwan. He is the author of Atonement, which was made into a movie with Keira Knightley.

The year is 1972, Britain is facing hard times with industrial unrest, and Irish terrorism. Serena Forme is a mathematician and the daughter of a Anglican bishop. She has a brief affair with an older man during her last year at Cambridge, then being a smart and beautiful women she soon finds herself being groomed for the role of a spy for MI5, the British intelligence agency.

Serena is a compulsive reader of novels and for her first mission is sent undercover into the world of writer Tom Haley. First she falls for his stories then finds herself starting to fall in love with Tom himself. The first rule of espionage of course to trust no one, and Serena has to remember to keep her identity a secret and beware of those who may be trying to deceive her.

The next book in the Temperance Brennan series is being released tomorrow.

A women who introduces herself as Amy Roberts, checks into a Montreal Hospital with uncontrolled bleeding. The doctors soon discover that she has recently given birth, but before then can act the woman disappears. Police are sent to her address but all they can find are some bloody towels. Fearing the worst Temperance Brennan is called to investigate.

In the apartment of Alma Rogers, Tempe finds the bodies of three children. Soon after a man comes looking for Alva Rodriguez. Could these all be the same women? If it is the Amy Roberts from the hospital, has she been killing her children?

A team is establish to investigate. On the team of three is Tempe, along with an old flame Andrew Ryan and another mans he has history with, Ollie Hasty. Together they travel from Edmonton to the diamond mining city of Yellowknife on Amy Roberts trail. What they find there is sinister beyond what they imagined.

Coming Soon: Aug 13

A mother daughter story about Bee, a 15 year old girl, and her mother Bernadette. Bee mother is well known for many things. To her husband she is a fearless, opinionated wife, to the mothers at the private school she is a disgrace, and to design mavens she is a revolutionary architect.

But Bernadette has disappeared. After leaving Los Angles she has been showing an increasing "allergy" to the Seattle environment, and its people. So much so, that she has a virtual assistant in India  handling all her errands. Elgie her husband starts to notice the behaviour and is worried about his wife. He was planning an intervention, then Bee came home with a perfect report card, and reminded her mom that she promised her a family trip to Antarctica. Soon after Bernadette was gone.

To find her mom Bee writes emails, documents and secret correspondents. This is a touching and witty novel about a mother and daughters role in an absurd world.

Odd Interlude 1 2 and 3

I was so excited that the new Odd Thomas book was coming out, that when I saw Dean Koontz had also written a novella to take place between the last book and Odd Apocalypse I quickly purchased it. I was a little disappointed by the price. At two dollars plus tax each by the time you have read all three installments you have almost paid the same price you would for a full sized paperback novel. Despite this is was a good length and did not feel too short.

The story was great, it felt like a full sized novel and not at all like a rushed novella to gain interest before the real story came out.

Odd and Annamarie arrive at a truck stop that features small cottages behind to rent in order to take a rest while you travel. Feeling that they were drawn there for a reason Odd decides to look around and discovers a great evil lurking unseen. The unknown creature wants to enter Odds mind and control him, and has been terrorizing the residence of Harmony Corner for years. With the help of a young girl and an unexpected ally Odd tries to free the family from the grasps of a creature that none of them have ever seen.

This short story had action and humour, my two favourite things about the Odd Thomas novels, as well as two new characters that I really liked and hope I will see again sometime. I finished the books quickly because I was intrigued to see what exactly was living in the top cottage, and how Odd was going to kill it. I have to say that the guy has some good luck, but at least he recognizes it himself.

If you love Odd, but aren't quite ready to spend twenty dollars on the hardcover, you should get this novella for a quick Odd fix. I should point out that this is an e-book only, sorry.