Deborah Harkness Series Review

I love book series. I especially love book series that keep me wanting more! In February I started the All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness and immediately fell in love. I have waited this long to review any of the books because I also read a stand alone by her, with a lot of the same characters in it. Reviewing these books all together felt like the right thing to do since the transition from book to book was so seamless.  I read somewhere that these books were like Twilight and Harry Potter mixed and that is exactly what I felt like they were! I loved them!

The first book in the series is called 'A Discovery of Witches'. It follows Diana Bishop, a historian and professor, in her quest to find a missing book that happens to be magical. She also discovers her powers as a witch and learns more about herself and her family history throughout the series. She meets Matthew Clairmont who happens to be a vampire. They set off together to find Ashmole 782, a historical text that all magical creatures are searching for, thinking that it holds the secret to life. Matthew and Diana race around the globe and encounter many creatures, both friends and enemies. By the end of the book they are inching closer to finding out the secrets of Ashmole 782 but there is a lot that stands in their way. Not surprising, they fall in love through the course of this book. I love a little romance mixed with historical aspects. Add a dash of magic and I'm happy! 

The second book in the series is 'Shadow of Night'. It starts out with Matthew and Diana time traveling back to Elizabethan London (my favorite!) in search of witches who can help her learn and harness her powers. They realize the success of finding Ashmole 782 lies in Diana's abilities. Her parents had spellbound her as a young child, before they were killed, so Diana never knew the extent of her powers. I loved all of the historical characters and places that were featured in this book. I have a deep love for historical fiction so this book really grabbed hold of me. I loved how Diana learned more about her powers and her family. I adored the love story between her and Matthew. Not only did they learn about each other's pasts and Diana's magical abilities, but they also learned how to create a life they love and can carry into present day. They have become two of my very favorite fictional characters. This book was so hard to put down- I spent an entire day reading it from cover to cover. (My family is super awesome for giving me a day to nerd out!)

In the third book, 'The Book of Life', Diana and Matthew are back in present day, armed with knowledge and power to find Ashmole 782. They go up against some of Matthew's family and Diana's past to forge through every kind of struggle you can imagine. Finding Ashmole 782 and learning its secrets are vitally important not only to Diana and Matthew, but to other creatures as well. Creatures with evil intentions. I won't spoil anything, of course, so I will stop there. Just know that the suspense is real in this book! I could hardly put it down at times as real life got in the way of reading. Deborah Harkness is a wonderful storyteller who knows how to create such an amazing magical connection to our own reality. 

Lastly, the stand alone book 'Time's Convert'. This book has a lot of the same characters that are in the trilogy but also introduces some new ones as well. This book focuses on Marcus MacNeil, one of Matthew's "sons" from the previous books. It is his story of his life before he met Matthew and how he became a vampire. Again, the story has a lot of historical fiction, as it takes place during both the American Revolution and present day, where Marcus and his love, Phoebe Taylor go through the process of making her a vampire as well. Phoebe chooses life as a vampire and goes through the process to become one. Meanwhile, Marcus must stay away for 90 days until Phoebe is no longer in her newborn phase. There are a lot of rules and traditions that take place and in the midst of them all, we learn all about Marcus and his personal history. I enjoyed this book, but not as much as the trilogy. I think it boils down to the American Revolution. It does not hold my interest as much as other time periods and historical events. I did love learning about Marcus and I loved reading more about the Clairmont family. 

I'm not even sure if this review does any of these books justice. If anything, I hope I have caught your attention to at least try it out. I hope that if you do,  you will tell me what you think. For me, this series will be one that I read again and again. I just love when you find books that become favorites!

Happy reading!

The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

Last week I read 'The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle' by Stuart Turton. It has taken me a few days to get around to reviewing it because life happens and also I'm not entirely sure how to put into words what I read. Ha! The book was really good and I gave it a 5 star review on Goodreads but it confused me so much at times!

So, let's see if I can do it any justice at all. The story is about a man, Aiden, who is caught in a time loop to try to figure out who killed Evelyn Hardcastle on the night of a party at Blackheath. The catch is that Aiden wakes up in the body of a different party guest each day. Then he has to figure out who he is that day and how they might be able to help figure out who the killer is. He is given eight days and eight hosts to try and solve the crime.

Not long after he wakes up on the first day, Aiden is met by a person dressed as an old plague doctor, mask and all. He gives him clues of what to do and how to navigate this task he has been given. If Aiden can tell the "plague doctor" who the killer is by the eighth day, he is free to go back to his life. The only problem is he doesn't remember his life or how he got to Blackheath. As he goes along, Aiden realizes this may not be possible but he doesn't give up. All of his hosts know something that the previous one didn't. Aiden figures out a way to start keep tabs on hosts that can help him later and also how to give himself clues on what is coming next or progress that he made. This was the most confusing part for me. I lost track of what was going on so many times, I often had to reread to know what was happening in the story. That's not a bad thing, it's just not what I am used to. I told my husband that I hated not knowing who the killer was and being able to figure it out early on, as I am able to do most of the time. That was a great challenge for me!

As always, I don't like spoilers or even clues that can help you figure out what happens in the end. I will say this- if you love books with suspense and mystery, this is definitely for you. It is also great if you enjoy a good murder mystery or anything that involves time travel. This book basically covers a ton of likes and genres. Ha! For a debut novel, that is pretty good!

Look this book up if you are in the mood for something just a little bit different. If you do read it, let me know what you thought!

Happy reading!