The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness

The highly anticipated finale to the #1 New York Times bestselling trilogy that began with A Discovery of Witches

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.

With more than one million copies sold in the United States and appearing in thirty-eight foreign editions, A Discovery of Witches and Shadow of Night have landed on all of the major bestseller lists and garnered rave reviews from countless publications. Eagerly awaited by Harkness’s legion of fans, The Book of Life brings this superbly written series to a deeply satisfying close. 

Hardcover, 561 pages

Published July 15th 2014 by Viking Adult

 (ebook provided via netgalley for honest review

audiobook via audible from personal collection -
23 hrs and 52 mins)

****

As much as I was anticipating the release of this book, I was nervous.  One of the reason is because it has been a number of years since book 2, Shadow of Night, was released.  Could I remember all the details, who was who and were they good, bad or undecided? Well I am happy to report that my worrying was in vain.  Deborah Harkness has a way of writing that once I began everything was clear, there were little reminders of past events, all the fine little details just started coming back to me.  Even though there is a wide cast of characters here it wasn't confusing, it just enhanced the story further.  Along with various POV's throughout this book I had no problem whatsoever following right along.

Without giving away any spoilers I have to say that this book is a very fitting conclusion to one of my favorite series.  There is action (of course there is, come on witches, vampires and daemons now), mystery, suspense, romance, drama with a touch of humor mixed in.  I found the storyline to be original and the author really created a wonderful series.  There was depth to the storyline that made the characters real.  

Definitely a series that I am glad to have read and can see myself rereading at some point.