In Shadow of Night, Diana Bishop and Matthew Clairmont go back to the 16th century in an attempt to find the complete Ashmole 782 manuscript, which is missing three pages in the present time. The trip puts their relationship to the test, as Matthew slips back into old habits (read: becomes even bossier) and Diana finds herself, well, a woman back in the days when the fairer sex had no properties, prospects, etc. without a man. Historical figures abound, and Diana fangirls a bit before, obviously, winning over (almost) everyone and learning her true power.
First: this book is solid in dealing with time travel. Harkness introduces readers to new characters who explain Matthew's past and help him grow as a vampire person. The author also shows Diana and Matthew's actions in the past creating anomalies, and how the de Clairmont clan anticipates and resolves those in the present. In my previous review I wondered if Harkness can pull off past shenanigans, and the answer is yes. She did it!
[SPOILERS AHEAD]
And now, a nitpick: the main meat of the novel is Diana's discovery of who and what she truly is, so initially I wasn't sure why the novel is called Shadow of Night. A lot happens here: Diana meets Matthew's friends, dad, employer, etc.; rulers vie for the philosopher's stone; Diana builds a proper household and gets witch tutoring lessons; and so on. The line is explicitly in the novel from a literary work, but it was unclear to me how it applies to the heroine's journey from darkness and into illumination and understanding. But upon further reading, *pushes glasses up nose* it appears to allude to George Chapman's poem, dedicated to Matthew, about knowledge, learning, and virtue. Here is the page where I found that tidbit.
Next: what's most unusual about this book is the lack of a main villain. In A Discovery of Witches, the nastiest members of the Congregation--Peter Knox, Gerbert, and Satu--were Diana's formidable adversaries. By contrast, Shadow of Night has unsavory characters who at best annoy our heroine, or at worst inconvenience her plans. The one exception is the batshit crazy Louisa de Clairmont, who puts Diana in actual physical danger at the end of the second act, much like Satu did in the first book. Louisa's condition underlines the danger of blood rage, which Matthew is also afflicted with, and which he might pass on to his offspring.
Speaking of hot, rich vampires who reproduce, Matthew is at his most Edward Cullen here, darkly handsome and brooding and cloyingly overprotective. The twist with good ol' Matt is that he's genetically predisposed to being completely unhinged when it comes to his mate.
AND SPEAKING OF MATE! THEY FINALLY DID IT! WOO HOO SEXY TIME! Here is where Matt deviates from his Twilight inspiration, in that it took him two books instead of three to, ahem, have relations with his wife. True progress in vampire literature.
Overall, Shadow of Night is a history of Europe nerd's dream come true, and it's an engaging yarn despite how unbelievable it is that Diana and Matthew had such a vast stretch of time to complete their mission. I guess things just take longer in the Elizabethan era? Anyway, come for the descriptions of old-timey clothing, stay for the transformation of Diana into a full-fledged weaver, complete with firedrake (wyvern)!
TL;DR: A strong middle chapter in a highly entertaining trilogy.
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This post brought to you by Trader Joe's Elote chips! So flavor, much pepper!
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