The #1 New York Times bestselling series finale–sequel to A Discovery of Witches and Shadow of Night, that sets up Time’s Convert. Look for the hit TV series “A Discovery of Witches” airing Sundays on AMC and BBC America, and streaming on Sundance Now and Shudder. After traveling through time in Shadow of Night, the second book in Deborah Harkness’s enchanting series, historian and witch … second book in Deborah Harkness’s enchanting series, historian and witch Diana Bishop and vampire scientist Matthew Clairmont return to the present to face new crises and old enemies. At Matthew’s ancestral home at Sept-Tours, they reunite with the cast of characters from A Discovery of Witches—with one significant exception. But the real threat to their future has yet to be revealed, and when it is, the search for Ashmole 782 and its missing pages takes on even more urgency. In the trilogy’s final volume, Harkness deepens her themes of power and passion, family and caring, past deeds and their present consequences. In ancestral homes and university laboratories, using ancient knowledge and modern science, from the hills of the Auvergne to the palaces of Venice and beyond, the couple at last learn what the witches discovered so many centuries ago.
With more than one million copies sold in the United States and appearing in thirty-eight foreign editions, A Discovery of Witches and Shadow of Night have landed on all of the major bestseller lists and garnered rave reviews from countless publications. Eagerly awaited by Harkness’s legion of fans, The Book of Life brings this superbly written series to a deeply satisfying close.
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An engaging world. Very romantic.
A wonderful close to an amazingly enchanted story. There was no way to see the ending coming in exactly the way it came, which made this finale an edge of your seat read.
Good wrap up.
It’s always sad to finish a good trilogy, but this was nicely done. I’m satisfied, but could easily read more!
Despite the over the top romance adult Twilight vibe of the All Souls trilogy, I LOVED IT. Yes, me the science fiction/horror weirdo who would rather scrub a toilet than watch/read/listen to anything romantic absolutely loved this series.
One thing I appreciated the most about the story was the details of it. Harkness added just the right amount of spices to the dish regarding the creatures, libraries, soft science, and so forth.
Also, damn it, who can resist castles, vampires, witches, tea, wine drinking, and world travel? I can’t.
The narrator Jennifer Ikeda is outstanding. I couldn’t tell that there is only one person reading. It seems like an entire cast of characters. Well Done!
Read the All Souls trilogy if you love witchy and anything vampire.
Book of Life was a good ending to this trilogy. I enjoyed The Book of Life, but not as much as the previous 2 book of the trilogy. This book also took longer to read than the previous 2 books. I loved the new characters and getting to know other characters better, such as Baldwin. I wish we got to know Gallowglass better. I also wish we found out who was reporting to Benjamin in the De Claremont house. i am curious to find out more about Diana and Matthew’s children and see how they grow up. That would definitely be a fun read. I am sure they will get into a lot of mischief.
Absolutely love Deborah Harkness’ entire series. This is the 3rd in the series. Make sure you start with the 1st book-The Book of Witches. She is only of only a few writers whose books I’ve actually re-read.
Great series. Good characters well set with the historical sequences, everything knitted well together with a believable feeling. Good love story too.
An amazing series.
I enjoy Harkness’s writing style and her characters who fly off the page. There were small elements that briefly took me out of the story, but the majority of it, I loved every bit of the story. I want to know more about the children that were born and see what they become as they grow up. I can’t think of the specific details right now.
Throughout the trilogy, she spoke of Matthew taking Diana by the elbow and that bothered me because I could feel someone grasping my elbow point and pulling me or leading me around. I hate it when someone tries that with me. In this book, though, I realized maybe Matthew or another character was inserting their arm or hand in the nook (linking elbows/arms) and leading that way.
Anyhow, I do highly recommend this book and series.
Love every word of this series. My go to comfort read – I could read them 100 times and still revel in new details. Beautifully written
I had to see the ending for A Discovery of Witches. Good book and I love the series on TV which is what made me pick up the third book. Great series. I love the different world building.
This entire series is wonderful
I loved reading the whole series! So original and so many twists and turns! I highly recommend reading the series before watching the tv series.
This book started off a bit slow but it was interesting, and it progressed to an excellent ending.
The final book of The Discovery of Witches added insight to the history behind the relationships between witches, vampires, and daemons. This is a great series with wonderful characters who convincingly tell their tale.
Matthew and Diana, vampire and witch, married despite all conventions against marriage between two different types of nonhumans. Plagued by attacks from other nonhumans, the two struggle to keep their marriage and families safe. This third book in a trilogy blends history, science and prejudice to make an interesting, suspenseful story. Makes me wish I’d read books one and two. Totally absorbing.
Probably my favorite series! Picked up A Discovery Witches at the library of a Halloween display and I loved it!
The third book in the All Souls Trilogy is by far the most entertaining—full of humor and intrigue. Matthew and Diana, who is now pregnant with twins, time-walk back to present-day Step-Tours where tragedy awaits. But that’s just the beginning. As the search for the Book of Life and a cure of the vampire’s blood rage ramps up, a brilliant scientist named Chris Roberts, an old friend and colleague of Diana’s, turns up and offers his help. Chris’s lab is full of scientific advancements. I almost felt like I needed to take a molecular biology class to keep up. Then, when Matthew leaves on a quest to form a new scion, the loyal Gallowglass is left to protect Diana. I love Gallowglass. He’s such a hunk—he can carry my books anytime. And it’s so cute how he calls Diana Auntie, even though he’s hopelessly in love with her. The action is non-stop as the babies are born, the Congregation is dealt with, and the monster, Benjamin Fox, if finally subdued. In the end, the discovery that all creatures are a mix—some even part human—is something that relates to modern times where, even now, tensions over racial inequality runs high.
I was sorry to read the last page but will take away many things from the All Souls Trilogy. Amount them, a higher respect for ancient history, old books and manuscripts, and the study of science. But since the books are primarily an epic love story between the vampire, Matthew de Clermont, and the witch, Diana Bishop, I will also consider the notion that love—no matter how dangerous and difficult to obtain—is always worth the struggle.
Disappointed to say this one left me a little cold but maybe that’s because it’s been such a long time since I read A Discovery of Witches and Shadow of Night. It just felt like between the whole weaver plot line, the magic hybrid twins, actually bloody finding Ashmole 782 (FINALLY) and the psycho rapist vampire nazi (who kinda came out of nowhere to be honest???) there was almost too much going on for there to actually be a coherent plot to follow. And that’s before you even get into the whole Gallowglass plot line (which just felt like shameless spin off fodder tbh), Jack coming back as a vampire, the blood rage/genetic research interlude and the whole scion thing…just too much. I need something a bit more grounded in reality to read next!
One of my all time favorite series.