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nitroglycerin's Reviews (952)
So I don't think I can review each book individually.
As a series, there are many positives and negatives.
The underlying storyline is brilliant. The idea of a book detailing the origins of what was believed to be four distinct species, lost in time and holding the secrets to the future of the same species was intriguing. The politics and power play between the families, congregation and species was intriguing. I even enjoyed the history lesson that was Shadow of Night, on some level anyway.
What I found less enjoyable was the million different descriptions of wine, tea and sex. Each book could have been about 100-200 pages shorter with some careful trimming, and a dozen less minor characters without losing the magic and the plot. As much as I love the history in book two I felt it was dragged out. A lot. Deborah Harkness even says in the very back of The Book of Life that she found Shadow of Night a game to see how much social and cultural history she could slip into the book while keeping readers entertained, yet I think she went too far. All of her passions run through these books to the point of annoyance, almost ruining a wonderful series. Almost.
I'd give the series as a whole a solid 3 stars although I enjoyed each separately for different merits. Coulda been a 4 stars if I hadn't been bored by wine and sex. Who gets bored by wine and sex???
As a series, there are many positives and negatives.
The underlying storyline is brilliant. The idea of a book detailing the origins of what was believed to be four distinct species, lost in time and holding the secrets to the future of the same species was intriguing. The politics and power play between the families, congregation and species was intriguing. I even enjoyed the history lesson that was Shadow of Night, on some level anyway.
What I found less enjoyable was the million different descriptions of wine, tea and sex. Each book could have been about 100-200 pages shorter with some careful trimming, and a dozen less minor characters without losing the magic and the plot. As much as I love the history in book two I felt it was dragged out. A lot. Deborah Harkness even says in the very back of The Book of Life that she found Shadow of Night a game to see how much social and cultural history she could slip into the book while keeping readers entertained, yet I think she went too far. All of her passions run through these books to the point of annoyance, almost ruining a wonderful series. Almost.
I'd give the series as a whole a solid 3 stars although I enjoyed each separately for different merits. Coulda been a 4 stars if I hadn't been bored by wine and sex. Who gets bored by wine and sex???
I loved this. Fast paced and engaging. A female MC who isn't all... girly and obsessed with boys. Even if she can appreciate a hot one when he stands half naked in front of her. That with government conspiracies and supernatural creatures causing chaos. What's not to love.
