Release Day Giveaway! The Book of Life (All Souls Trilogy #3) – Save the Best for Last

Book of Life

Synopsis

After traveling through time in Shadow of Night, the 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.

Review

I will be honest and admit that I didn’t re-read the prequels prior to diving into this one. It’s been a couple of years since I read Shadow of Night so my memory was fuzzy on certain details and as a result, toward the beginning of this book I felt a little lost. It didn’t last for long though as Harkness weaves the story together very well incorporating important developments from the other novels into this one. It definitely feels like a third book so you don’t want to start here.

If you’ve been waiting patiently for this one then it was worth the wait. It’s a satisfying final act and at this point I’d say it’s my favorite of the series because I want to read it again. Harkness is prolific, but the pace felt just right this time around whereas in the earlier novels it occasionally felt slow. Either that or I finally adjusted to her writing style. I was hanging onto every word and the suspense created just the right tension, especially toward the end. I couldn’t put the book down. It struck an emotional chord with me which was a pleasant surprise. After about a third into the book I was completely invested in the outcome for Diana and Matthew as they had so much counting against them and their family. And it only compounds as the story goes on. Diana’s growing powers, Matthews secrets, the plot twists, the villains, they were all very entertaining.

Aside from feeling lost after having not re-read the other books, my only other criticism is that I thought it was a little crowded character-wise. I could keep up with core supporting characters, but often enough I found myself mixing up the rest.

These books offer a mix of everything which is what makes them so fun. I came for the paranormal but I appreciate the amount of research that went into the historical aspects of the book, the strong writing, the humor, the horror, the drama, and the romance. The chemistry between Diana and Matthew is the best part of the reading experience. By the end I felt like I went on a journey with the characters and that to me is a sign of a successful story. Though this is the end of the trilogy I think there is enough left to write another one and I wouldn’t be surprised to see it down the line.

*ARC provided by the publisher
*Review posted to Amazon and Goodreads.

Giveaway

This a one beautiful book! And with that, Penguin has been so kind to team up with me to bring you guys this wonderful giveaway!   One lucky winner of my blog will receive a copy of the novel! All you have to do is comment and tell me what you’re most looking forward to in this book.

How to Enter (PLEASE READ CAREFULLY): My giveaways are only open to followers of Your Urban Fantasy who are 18 years of age or older. In order to enter YOU MUST COMMENT ON THIS ANNOUNCEMENT POST AND INDICATE YOU HAVE DONE SO ON THE RAFFLECOPTER WIDGET! If you’re a new member, sign up on the right panel to follow my blog via email. (Make sure to check your email to confirm your subscription. You should receive a notification immediately, so check your spam folder if you don’t see it right away). Current followers can just say so in their post. The next four opportunities are for bonus entries. Overall, there are up to 5 chances to enter:

  1. Follow this blog via email and comment on your preference to win the ebook or hardcover (THIS IS REQUIRED)
  2. Like my review on Amazon (bonus entry)
  3. “Like” Your Urban Fantasy on Facebook (bonus entry)
  4. Follow me on Twitter (bonus entry)
  5. Tweet about the giveaway (bonus entry – you can do this daily for more entries)

The more entries the better your chance to win! Good luck! And don’t forget to tell me what you’re most looking forward to in this book! 

The giveaway will run from 7/15/14 – 7/27/14. Good luck!
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This article has 30 Comments

  1. I have read the first 2 books and would LOVE a copy of the 3rd book. Excellent trilogy – more please!

  2. Actually I haven’t read the other two books yet. I stumbled across these last year, bought them but decided to wait with reading for this one and read them all in one go, to get totally into the world. So I would love to get a copy of it to finalize the triology!

  3. I have not had the opportunity to read any of the books in this series. However, it has been on my list of books to be read & if I’m lucky enough to win this book. The series would be at the top of my list for the next series to read. Thanks for the giveaway!

  4. email subscriber, I would love the hardcover, and looking forward to finding out how they overcome the congregation and how Diana’s powers will manifest and more about the book

  5. I’m most looking forward to the conclusion of a great series. After each book I was more and more invested in Diana and Matthew and I can’t wait to see how their story ends.m

    1. Yes i’m sorry about that the widget was set to start on the 16th and I didn’t notice until a few hours in so the first viewers probably experienced the same thing. It’s definitely up and running now though and your entries are recorded. Thanks, Pam!

  6. I read the first book (ADOW). I got the second book (SON) but decided to wait to read it until The Book of Life was released so that I could read them all back-to-back. What am I most looking forward to? Matthew Clairmont, of course.

    I signed up to follow the blog by email.

  7. It’s been a while since I read the first 2 books, and will have to re-read them before I read the conclusion. From what I can remember, I ‘m looking forward to them finding out the meaning of Ashmole 782 and the lost pages.

  8. I haven’t read the series yet but it’s what I’ll be reading after I’m finished with the Indigo Court books. I can’t wait 🙂

    1. I forgot to mention that I follow via email
      Liked your amazon review
      Facebook and Twitter as well.
      Oh and I wouldn’t mind the hardcover version.

  9. This is my favorite series and author! I am looking forward to see how the mystery of Ashmole 782 in unlocked! Where is it and what is it?

  10. I can’t wait for the hardcover. will look so nice next to the rest of the trilogy on my bookshelves. I do follow your blog via email and I liked your review on Amazon

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