Waiting on Wednesday (26)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine and is where we can talk about books we are looking forward to being released!

Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness
Shadow of Night (All Souls Trilogy, Book 2)
Release date: 10 July 2012

The thrilling sequel to the New York Times bestseller A Discovery of Witches.

Deborah Harkness exploded onto the literary scene with her debut novel, A Discovery of Witches, Book One of the magical All Souls Trilogy and an international publishing phenomenon. The novel introduced Diana Bishop, Oxford scholar and reluctant witch, and the handsome geneticist and vampire Matthew Clairmont; together they found themselves at the center of a supernatural battle over an enchanted manuscript known as Ashmole 782.

Now, picking up from A Discovery of Witches’ cliffhanger ending, Shadow of Night plunges Diana and Matthew into Elizabethan London, a world of spies, subterfuge, and a coterie of Matthew’s old friends, the mysterious School of Night that includes Christopher Marlowe and Walter Raleigh. Here, Diana must locate a witch to tutor her in magic, Matthew is forced to confront a past he thought he had put to rest, and the mystery of Ashmole 782 deepens.

I read the first book A Discovery of Witches last year when it came out and I enjoyed it a lot. It was a well-written, well-paced read with a lot of interesting history and science mixed into the usual supernatural fare. It was unusual but delightful to read about ancient alchemical texts in the same book as DNA analysis. It almost jumped genres, one minute reading like a vampire romance, then a conspiracy thriller, then a non-fiction history text. I originally picked it up thinking it was a stand alone book, and so was a bit frustrated by the ending, but nevertheless, was enthralled by the cliffhanger it left on.

It’s nearly here! I am really looking forward to this second book. With all the genres the previous book covers, this one delves into historical fiction as well, in one of my favourite periods to boot: the Elizabethan era. Now that the relationships and backstories have been established, I can’t wait for them to find out more about Ashmole 782. Mysterious book, spies, Sir Walter Raleigh as a character? This book ticks so many of the right boxes. I really can’t wait!

Update: Since I wrote this post, I was approved for an advanced copy via NetGalley. Thank you so much to Viking (part of the Penguin Group)!