Book 20: Shadow of Night

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*Spoiler Alert: This is book two in a series. To read my review of book one please go here.

Book Summary:
Diana Bishop, a witch, and Matthew Clairmont, a vampire, have timewalked back to the year 1590 not only in an attempt to get another look at the enchanted manuscript known as Ashmole 782 but also to find a witch that can train the spellbound Diana. Once there they are plunged into Elizabethan London, where mistrust lies around every corner. As Matthew's past comes back to haunt him, the two must draw closer together if they are to survive the vampire's shadowed history. And in the midst of turbulence among witches, Diana learns that she is not only a powerful witch but a unique one as well.

My Review:
I really wanted to love this book. If you read my review for the first in the series, you'll know that even though there was much I didn't like about A Discovery of Witches, overall I was swept up in the story. Shadow of Night, however, was completely different. After about ten pages in, I was terribly bored by the storyline. As far as characters go, I was really annoyed (even more so than I was in the first book) by how Matthew treats Diana. Harkness tries to explain it away numerous times by the fact that vampires are possessive, but her explanations fell on deaf ears with me. It just wasn't a good enough reason for him to be continually angry with her. The alchemical stuff was also just a little too much. I understand that Diana is a historian who studies alchemy, but there was just way too much of it written into this novel. If I wanted to read a book about alchemy, I would have picked up a book specifically on alchemy. On top of that, making Diana's and Matthew's blood do extraordinary things in alchemical experiments was too far fetched for me, even in a fantasy novel.

There really was very little that I enjoyed about this book. One of the things that I liked, though, was the introduction of more characters. I really liked the addition of Gallowglass (Matthew's nephew), Annie (a young witch who comes to live with them), and Jack (a homeless boy they take in). I felt that these characters added a lot to the story. I also liked when Matthew and Diana visited Sept-Tours to see his father. This, actually, was one of the only parts of the plot that I enjoyed.

Overall this book is not as good as A Discovery of Witches, and I can honestly say that I have absolutely no desire to read the final book of the trilogy.

As far a family friendliness goes, this is definitely an adult book. There are curse words thrown around a good bit (though I don't believe there are any f-bombs), and there are numerous sex scenes (some of which are a little more graphic than others).

My Rating: 3/10

Book 8: Tell the Wolves I'm Home

I recently joined some bookclubs on goodreads.com. I figured it would be a good way to read some books I wouldn't have otherwise picked up. Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt was one of the books for the month of February for one of said book clubs.

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Buy it Now: Amazon / Barnes and Noble








Book Summary:
In 1987 June Elbus is a fourteen-year-old girl who isn't understood by anyone. Anyone, that is, except her Uncle Finn Weiss, a renowned painter. Super shy around everyone at school and terrorized by her sister, she can only be herself around him. When he dies, far too young, from AIDS, she is lost. She has no one she can turn too except, perhaps, the one person she never suspected. Toby may be just the friend she needs to help her heal. Being the only person that loved her uncle as much as she did, he may be the person she needs the most to get her through.

My Review:
First off, let me say that this book is beautifully written, and based on the reviews on goodreads and amazon, obviously it has deeply touched a lot of people. I, however, am not one of them.

I really wanted to like this book, but I found the story to not only be quite dull but also really kind of creepy. The relationship between June and her uncle, and then Toby, came off very disturbing to me. June says numerous times that she loved her uncle, and she pretty much means she was in love with him. After he dies, she basically transfers those feelings to his boyfriend, Toby. It really bothered me that Toby, a thirty-something-year-old man, would spend so much of his time with a fourteen-year-old girl. I understand that many young girls develop crushes on men in their lives who they deem "safe" and this is what is happening from June's perspective, but that does not explain Toby.

On top of being slightly bothered by the entire book, there is basically no plot. There is no climax. There is nothing but the main character continually thinking and doing the same things over and over again. I kept putting the book down because I was bored, only to pick it back up again because I knew that if I didn't just barrel through it, I would never finish it. I found myself counting down the pages until the end of the book.

Finally, June's sister Greta is the worst portrayal of a sister ever! She is just plain mean and hurtful throughout the entire book, and then when the author explains the reasoning behind it, it is so stupid! I understand sisters being mean to each other; after all, I have a sister. But, I cannot imagine my sister, or any sister, ever acting the way Greta acts in this book. It made her entire character completely unbelievable for me.

All that being said, I would not recommend this book to anyone. I may be in the minority with this, but I just think you will waste your time reading it. I don't believe there is much swearing, but there are some sexual references, though nothing graphic.

My Rating: 3/10