A really great adventure - so much detail that it times it can seem overwhelming - but keep going becasue its all worth it and adds so much to both the plot and the character development. Almost all of your questions from the first book are answered here - and we get a few new ones as well. LOVED IT.

Shadow of the Night (sequel to Discovery of Witches) by Deborah Harkness book. Book two of a Trilogy. This book did not work for me because of the following reasons.. 1) Endless dialogue of no value to the plot. 2) Boring useless characters with no dimension.  3) Christopher Marlowe the most annoying crharacter ever! I wanted to strangle him, from the first moment we hear him speak, not speak Whine!! 4) Matthew's Character was too wishy-washy! Not the intelligent, strong, determined character he was n the first book, 5) What happened to the well educated Historian Diana, who now seemed " dumbed down " for a lack of a better word. 6) Plot drags on and on, like the author is not sure of where to go.  Plot was meaningless most of the time.  Did not keep my attention as it should have. I found myself skipping over large sections of the book, because of the lack of substance. It seemed to be merely filler. 7). BIG, BIG disappointment when, I loved Discovery of Witches so much that I couldn't put it down.  Yet, I struggled ( and I do mean struggled!) to continue to read the Shadow of the Night.  In fact, I read three or four others books while I struggled to get this one finished. 8) I was really disappointed when the book Discovery of Witches ended as I was enjoying it so much, but I couldn't wait for Shadows of the Night to end!! 9) The book felt like Deborah Harkness, rushed through it with no goal in sight.  As if she too were disappointed with the characters personalities and tired of them. 10) I am no longer looking forward to finishing this Trilogy :-( Having said the above, I will possibly give the third book a chance, in hopes that it is as entertaining and enjoyable as the first book. Sorry to be negative, but I was really disappointed in the follow-up to a really great read Discovery of Witches!

I read DOW on a whim after reading a review of it a year ago and fell in love with the story. I eagerly anticipated the arrival of SON and was not disappointed. Deborah Harkness once again weaves a magical, and historical, tale of the love, happiness and some heartbreak that transpires between Diana and Matthew. The book also houses a few surprises that I did not see coming which added unexpected weight to the story. I now eagerly anticipate the third and final volume of this enchanting trilogy. SON is a must read if you read DOW and if you have not read DOW I urge you to pick it up and join the millions that have become enchanted by this series.

As a fan of the first book in this series, I looked forward to the release of Shadow of Night with anticipation, and it didn't disappoint. As a reader, I always find it interesting to watch how a new author develops their skill and becomes more accomplished as they gain more experience and confidence. One of the issues with the first novel in the trillogy, Discovery of Witches, was the rather slow pace at the beginning of the novel, as Ms. Harkness established the background and characters of her story. It was here that she most clearly demonstrated her lack of experience as a novelist. By contrast, there was none of that same awkwardness with the current work. Ms. Harkness jumps right in where she left off and the novel is able to flow easily, continuing the story of Matthew and Diana and further developing their characters without interrupting the flow of the plot. Diana and Matthew land in Elizabethan England, and this is where Ms. Harkness' skill in weaving together fact and fiction is best demonstrated. Like the best historical novelists, she manages to weave historical detail into her story without doing so in an obvious and obnoxious way. Like the best fantasy novelists, she skillfully weaves in unlikely creatures such as vampires, witches and daemons among the poor ordinary humans, cheekily suggesting historical persons like Kit Marlowe and Thomas Harriot may have been more than they appeared. The result is a rich reading experience, an intelligently entertaining love story and an exciting continuation of the trilogy.

Its a very emotional continuation to the series. We really go into depth of the emotions of the characters and the story line is filled and action and suspense. The story picks up right where u left off!. awsome awsome awsome!!!!!

I adored the first book in this trilogy, "A Discovery of Witches" and waited impatiently for this second part. It in no way let me down, as it was completely as intelligent, intriguing, expansive and wonderful as the first. After realizing that all the creatures want Diana, and that there is nowhere they can be safe in the present while Diana learns to use her magic, she and Matthew time-walk back to 1591, where Matthew is close with the erudite movers-and-shakers of the day: Sir Walter Raleigh and Kit Marlow, among others, and a courtier to Elizabeth I. They create a new life in London, while Diana searches for a teacher, and Matthew continues to try to come to terms with his own internal demons. They also continue to search for Ashmole 782, and try not to do anything that will materially change the future, which is a big challenge, given who they are. This book focuses more directly on Diana and Matthew's love story, as they both slowly and with many difficult missteps, become more capable of trusting one another and accepting that despite the fact that they *shouldn't* be together, they are together, and both of them want to be together. That doesn't, of course, change the fact that many, maybe even most of the rest of the world, present, past and future, would rather they weren't, and many of the characters from the first book as well as new ones here show up in the story making various attempts to rip them apart. But the story isn't just about Diana and Matthew in love, anymore than the first book was. Deborah Harkness is quite obviously a devoted lover of history, philosophy, art, science, politics and many other things, and all of these are woven skillfully into the larger story in such a natural way, you might almost forget that you are reading fiction. That makes this so much more than just a paranormal fiction or romance story. I consider this as much historical fiction as many other books I've read, even though, yes, it has witches, vampires and daemons in it. Both Diana and Matthew are able to come to terms with things in their lives that have created scars in their present, and the reader really feels a sense of vicarious closure for both of them as we watch them heal past wounds so they will be strong enough - both on their own and together - to face the battle they know lies ahead. I utterly loved this book! Many times, I went back and re-read passages because they were so wonderful. If you read "A Discovery of Witches" and liked it, you must go get book two immediately. The only down-side is that we now have to wait however many months it will take for Harkness to write and publish the final installment in Diana and Matthew's story. I can't wait!!