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The Book of Life

(All Souls Trilogy #3)

Deborah Harkness (Goodreads Author)

4.19 · Rating details · 125,851 ratings · 10,605 reviews

The #1 New York Times bestselling series finale and sequel to A Discovery of Witches and Shadow of Night

Bringing the magic and suspense of the All Souls Trilogy to a deeply satisfying conclusion, this highly anticipated finale went straight to #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. In The Book of Life, Diana and Matthew time-travel back from Elizabethan London to make a ...more

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Hardcover, 561 pages

Published July 15th 2014 by Viking Adult (first published July 1st 2014)

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Dec 26, 2012 Ashley added it

This needs to come out NOW

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Oct 28, 2014 Obsidian rated it liked it

I initially rated this novel four stars after a marathon reading session. However, waiting until the next day to write a review I realized that there were some overall problems with this novel that resulted me in giving this just 3 stars.

First off, I loved the first novel in this series, "A Discovery of Witches." I still loved the second novel, "Shadow of Night' but thought that several hundred pages should have been cut from that novel. Deborah Harkness is a historian and at times you just got I initially rated this novel four stars after a marathon reading session. However, waiting until the next day to write a review I realized that there were some overall problems with this novel that resulted me in giving this just 3 stars.

First off, I loved the first novel in this series, "A Discovery of Witches." I still loved the second novel, "Shadow of Night' but thought that several hundred pages should have been cut from that novel. Deborah Harkness is a historian and at times you just got lost in all of the minutiae detail that she included. It is great for a thesis paper on Elizabethan times, not that great to read in a novel.

"Book of Life" takes places after all of the events in book two. We have Diana Bishop and her husband and mate Matthew Clairmont back in the present day after spending time in Elizabethan England for Diana to learn how to use her magic and grow stronger. Diana is pregnant with twins. Diana and Matthew fear for their friends and families safety and are doing whatever is needed in order to put Ashmole 782 back together.

Overall I liked this book and thought it was an above average read but not a great read for me. The reason why is that several things just did not work for me.

First, whenever Diana was speaking it was in the first person but then it would shift to third person for everyone else. That was maddening to me and I honestly don't get why Ms. Harkness chose to do that. It kept yanking me out of the story to go from being in Diana's head and then randomly it would shift to third person perspective. Frankly to make this a stronger novel it should have been told from first person from Diana and Matthew's point of views.

Second, Diana is still way too wishy-washy a character for me to deal with. There comes a point in the novel when Diana and Matthew have to be separate and she just sits around and practically wails about it. Also all readers know how strong Diana is but she is still reluctant to use her powers to kill someone who was quite ready to kill someone that she cares about. I feel like we had to deal with a similar situation in "A Discovery of Witches" and to have it re-played with different players did not make it any more palatable now. Also the character of Diana's voice has changed. If you read book one, two, and then this one she does not sound like quite the same character anymore. One could argue that due to the events in book one and two of course she would be altered, but I don't know how else to say it besides her voice was different to me. I re-read book one and two this past weekend to just refresh my memory and reading all of these books back to back like this I have to say that she feels like a totally different character.

Third, I can honestly say Deborah Harkness trying to explain through Diana how she uses her magic was just confusing. Mentioning threads, colors, etc. was just too much. I had a vague idea of what Diana's magic was supposed to look like but was still plenty baffled by it.

Fourth, once again the entire purpose of these three novels was to put Ashmole 782 back together to find out what is so important about that book. Don't expect to anyone even doing anything about that until the very end of this novel. Once again be prepared to be forced to read a lot about vampire politics and other issues related to them. Which brings back my point that having this told from Matthew's point of view would have made the novel stronger. Reading about vampire politics from Diana's not great understanding started to drive me batty (pun intended).

Fifth, the ending of the novel about what was in the Book of Life was pretty much a let down. I guessed this in book one and for Diana to act like this was a secret that would change the world I was a bit baffled by it. Readers will already be aware of the great big secret that changed the world if you just go back and read the first novel. I felt like I was reading Dan Brown's "Lost Symbol" again and ending up disappointed when I found out about the book that would change the world.

The way the ending of the novel is left I could definitely see some follow-up books set in this world with just different characters.

I would recommend to all fans of Deborah Harkness who want to find out what happens to Diana and Matthew. ...more

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Oct 08, 2012 Georgia ♥ rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2014, adventure, fantasy, sobbing-mess, suspense-mystery, vampires-blood-drinking-bunch, witches-spells-and-magic, favourite-cause-it-is-unique, paranormal-romance, tattoos-and-piercing

4 Please Don't Let it Be the End Stars

It began with a Discovery of Witches or a witch in particular...
Then a Shadow passed and it forever changed the Night...
Now the Book of Life opens and nothing will be the same.

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"If you truly love someone, you will cherish what they despise most about themselves."

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I am borrowing the words of Fernando to start putting into words my feelings as I turned the last page of The Book of Life and realised that my journey in this series that spanned eons and times, ...more

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Jun 17, 2014 Stephanie Swint rated it it was amazing

(Release Date July 15, 2014)

Where to start, where to start, where to start....well, let's start at the beginning. This is the third and final installment of the 'All Souls Trilogy' by Deborah Harkness. If you have not read 'Discovery of Witches' that is where this beautiful group of books begins. If you have read it, you may have loved it, or possibly came away a little lukewarm due to the hype surrounding it. I enjoyed 's Discovery of Witches' and badgered quite a few like-minded people until t (Release Date July 15, 2014)

Where to start, where to start, where to start....well, let's start at the beginning. This is the third and final installment of the 'All Souls Trilogy' by Deborah Harkness. If you have not read 'Discovery of Witches' that is where this beautiful group of books begins. If you have read it, you may have loved it, or possibly came away a little lukewarm due to the hype surrounding it. I enjoyed 's Discovery of Witches' and badgered quite a few like-minded people until they read it. I was impatient for the second book and picked it up the minute I could. I felt a bit let down, I blame my expectations partially , then waited a couple of months and read it again. I figured out what bothered me. You can read my review here, (Shadow of Night) if you are curious, and I think it has more to do with it being a second book in a trilogy than being a lesser book. The first book sets up the story, the second takes you to the depths of the problem/conflict, and the third is resolution. Harkness delivers with 'The Book of Life. I am content. When I reached the end I wanted go back to the beginning and read it again.

Diana and Matthew return to the present day after their sojourn to 15th century Europe in search of 'The Book of Life.' Their return , while desired, is bittersweet. The present day did not stop and they are greeted with news of death, and challenges the 'Knights of Lazarus' faced from The Congregation in their absence. Harkness ties in the genetic studies of Matthew, Miriam, and Marcus with Diana's study of alchemy and 'The Book of Life.' The why of the witches power lessening, vampire's lessening ability to make children, and daemon increased descent into madness is all answered. Harkness ties up the loose ends into a well thought out pay off.

The trilogy has received criticism of gender roles and dynamics of gender in relationships. It has been stated that Diana defers and accepts the aggressive protective tendencies of a traditional male all to quickly. This dynamic does exist in the books, and is an issue dealt with by not only Diana and Matthew, but also other creatures in the book. Vampires exhibit a strong protective instinct that is animalistic. They have lived for centuries and bring with them the traditional values of when they were made. Daemons and witches have a human life span and embrace modern notions. The three books challenge sexism, segregation and the basis of a traditional belief structure. A nice aspect of the books is it deals not only with the romance of happily ever after, but complexity of marriage. Day to day issues, compromise and growth in a relationship all exist in the book. It makes it clear that relationships romantic and otherwise are not static and involve compromise and challenge. I believe people who were irritated or aggravated by Diana's perceived lack of power and willingness to acquiesce will enjoy this book. They will see her and others come into their own. It delves into balance and costs of power.

If you enjoyed 'Discovery of Witches' I do not hesitate to guarantee you that you will adore this book. To those on the fence or those that questioned 'A Discovery of Witches,' if you are willing read the second and get the third book I think you will find was worth your time.

I received 'The Book of Life' by Deborah Harkness from Penguin Group - Viking in return for an honest review. ...more

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Jan 05, 2018 Veronique rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: r2018, scifi, romance, favourites

4.5*

“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change.”

And so we have the finale! History and Science are still very much part of the narrative, albeit in a more subdue fashion. We’re not in the 16th century any longer but back in the ‘present’, Diana and Matthew catching up with what happened while they time walked, and dealing with deaths, pregnancies, and the long shadow of the Congregation.

No, what t 4.5*

“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change.”

And so we have the finale! History and Science are still very much part of the narrative, albeit in a more subdue fashion. We’re not in the 16th century any longer but back in the ‘present’, Diana and Matthew catching up with what happened while they time walked, and dealing with deaths, pregnancies, and the long shadow of the Congregation.

No, what takes precedence to everything are the characters and their interactions. For a book, or indeed trilogy, dealing with fantastic creatures, it feels so ‘human’ and I don’t mean species. Harkness focuses on Love in all its iterations, and lack thereof too. I know it might sound corny but understand this notion in its wider implication - families, couples, friends - all interconnect. The book is all about people, how they can do amazing things and indeed horrible ones too.

Benjamin, Matthew’s lost son (in more ways than one), takes on the mantle of the evil-doer that must be stopped at all cost, but behind this, the crucial fight is about the forbidden interbreeding of supposedly different races as well as racial purity. Deeply ingrained prejudices abound and our protagonists have to break each one by one, and not just with their enemies. In this endeavour, I was really happy that Harkness added more humans to the cast, especially Chris and Phoebe. Others were old favourite (Gallowglass and Ysabeau!).

Structurally speaking, I was intrigued by Harkness’s choice to divide the story in 12 parts reflecting the astrology signs with quotations from a commonplace book Diana kept while living in Elizabethan time. This reminded me of The Luminaries. Was this an attempt to keep the alchemical aspect with its symbolic language? Maybe. Or maybe a way to include everyone? Who knows.

And what about the witchy moments? Fear not. Those were brilliant - Diana’s spell making is always a treat and seeing her deal Justice was all you could want :O) ...more

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Jun 20, 2014 Britany rated it liked it

Shelves: audiobook, 500, people-mag-rec

The third and final installment in the All Souls Trilogy was my favorite (and that's stretching it!). I lost major interest in this series after trekking SLOWLY through the second book- too mired with extra characters, places, and themes to even make this series feel like it connected.

This book tied everything back together. I enjoyed finding out what happens to all of the characters, and how their lives have changed. The Book of Life itself had a neat ending, and while I found a few sections f ...more

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Oct 23, 2017 Donna Backshall rated it liked it

Shelves: on-audible, hist-fic, reviewed-goodreads, fiction, reviewed-audible, reviewed-bookbub, 101-in-2017, supernatural, series, genetics

This was my least favorite of the All Souls Trilogy, as it was terribly long and doled out revelations too dramatically. Or maybe I was spoiled by the historical time weaving of the previous book, and having everything take place in the present wasn't adventurous enough for my tastes. The scifi lover in me wanted them to mix it up more!

That said, I was glad to see everything happening with Matthew and Diana, and their family, wrapped up into a semi-peaceful and hopeful package.

Now bring on the ...more

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Jul 29, 2014 Ann L rated it it was amazing

I need a Gallowglass spinoff please. Thank you. :)

Edited after second read: I'm thrilled that a fourth book is coming out and I love me some Marcus, but I still need a Gallowglass spinoff.

Third read: Still love it. Still live Gallowglass. Matthew is currently my favorite vampire; partly due to Deb's amazing writing, partly Matthew Goode's onscreen portrayal.

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Sep 22, 2019 Dani rated it it was ok

Shelves: female-author, lgbtqia, north-america, series-completed, fantasy, published-2014, witches-wizards, demons-devils, vampires, urban-fantasy

A significant improvement from the second one! My attention did dwindle in the middle, but the beginning and end were much more interesting than I was expecting based on Shadow of Night. A good end to the trilogy.

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Oct 26, 2018 Andrea rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle-books

Read the first two books a while ago then waited for the third book go on offer,and forgot about it till the series came out.love watching the series.wanted to know what happened and it's a great conclusion.enjoyed this series recommend to adult fantasy lovers.

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Oct 09, 2019 Amanda rated it liked it

Shelves: 2019-reads

I have finally completed the All Souls Trilogy! The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness is the final book in this epic series. Again, this installment picks up right where book 2 left off. Matthew and Diana missed quite a bit while they were in Elizabethan London. Diana’s world is about to collapse, but she must stay strong. The Congregation is causing problems, making it more difficult to complete Ashmole 782. Everyone seems to be after the pages. In order to survive, Matthew and Diana must find t I have finally completed the All Souls Trilogy! The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness is the final book in this epic series. Again, this installment picks up right where book 2 left off. Matthew and Diana missed quite a bit while they were in Elizabethan London. Diana’s world is about to collapse, but she must stay strong. The Congregation is causing problems, making it more difficult to complete Ashmole 782. Everyone seems to be after the pages. In order to survive, Matthew and Diana must find the pages and discover what secrets Ashmole 782 holds. However, people from Matthew’s past will set out to destroy them forever.

I am still trying to gather my feelings about this book. There are so many questions that I feel, didn’t feel fully answered. I loved A Discovery of Witches. I did enjoy Shadow of Night, apart from some unnecessary details and Matthew. Matthew is back to his old self, thank god…he was insufferable in SON. Diana shows equal parts strength and doubt. One thing she is always certain of is Matthew, which can be frustrating at times. I feel that they only think about themselves and each other, rather than everyone else. I don’t want to bring up spoilers, but the questions brought up in ADOW never get answered. Well…one could argue that it gets answered but definitely not in a satisfying way.

The cast of characters are more intriguing than Matthew and Diana. Jeez, my favorite character is actually the house! It is sad when a house is more entertaining than the main characters. I wish there were more scenes with the house in this installment. As always, I love Gallowglass and Ysabeau. In fact, I would read a book about those two in a heartbeat.

One of my biggest issues is the dynamics in this world. They are separated into humans, witches, daemons, and vampires. Now, whenever Diana or Matthew tell a human what creature they are, the human does not seem to be shocked by it. Everyone just accepts it in a heartbeat, even though, the creatures have been hiding themselves from the humans since the beginning of time. It just didn’t seem realistic. Even though, I did enjoy Matthew’s humor about not sparkling as a vampire. It made me chuckle.

“No, I’m a vampire.” Matthew stepped forward, joining Chris under the projector’s light. “And before you ask, I can go outside during the day and my hair won’t catch fire in the sunlight. I’m Catholic and have a crucifix. When I sleep, which is not often, I prefer a bed to a coffin. If you try to stake me, the wood will likely splinter before it enters my skin.” He bared his teeth. “No fangs either. And one last thing: I do not, nor have I ever, sparkled.” Matthew’s face darkened to emphasize the point.”
THE BOOK OF LIFE

One of my favorite parts of this series is the detail. Yes, there is some detail that is totally unnecessary. But it is specifically the historical detail that makes this series so enchanting. I love the blend of science, history, and reality. Yes, I was overall unsatisfied with this book. But overall, I did enjoy the whole series. I rate this book 3 out of 5 stars. ...more

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Nov 07, 2017 Ira rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy, historical, may-dec-romance, kids-in-the-story, paranormal, pnr-uf, strong-heroine, suspense, favorites, time-travel

Totally love ❤️❤️❤️ this book and series.

I will review it later, perhaps 😬 I have to get back to my work.
I had been neglected those works for the last five days, can’t delay it anymore!
Bummer!!! 😬😂😜

I need to share this, Matthew Goode and Teresa Palmer will play as Matthew Clairmont and Diana Bishop, everyone who lives in the UK can see this series in 2018! Lucky things!!! *very jealous*

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I need to add this info little bit, this is an ADULT Fantasy series not YA, you’ve got a proper love story and ...more

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Jul 22, 2015 Gamze rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

http://gamzeninkitapdunyasi.blogspot....

"But you have become as vital to me as breath and blood. My heart no longer knows where I end and you begin. I knew that you were a powerful witch from the moment I saw you, but how could I have imagined that you would have so much power over me?"

Yoruma başlamadan önce kısa bir hatırlatma. Serinin önceki kitaplarına ait spoiler içerebilir yazı..

Tüm de Clermonts ve Bishops'lar günümüze geri dönerler. Gelirken beraberinde getirdikleri birçok sır ve bilg ...more

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Jul 16, 2014 Laura rated it liked it

Long wait for a disappointing #3. Perhaps it was just too long between books, It seemed to take an age to get back up to speed on the convoluted story lines and relationships.

However, let's be honest, the real attraction all along has been Matthew and Diana's sexy, simmering connection - yet now they're married and very pregnant = their relationship is now reduced to parental roles and responsibilities. Blech,

It could be argued that some women find overprotective husbands sexy. I'm not one of ...more

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Jan 23, 2014 Sally906 rated it really liked it

Shelves: paranormal, fantasy, romance

Whew!!! Coming in at 560 pages I did a workout every time I picked it up! A mostly satisfactory end to the trilogy. There were one or two threads that weren't quite clear to me, and I felt there was no closure. None of us can know the future, but I sensed that maybe Deborah Harkness may not have totally finished, and left herself room to manoeuvre if she wishes to return - but all in all it was a darn good read

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Apr 23, 2015 Sara rated it really liked it

Shelves: in-a-series, magic

Overall I enjoyed the trilogy. However, the first book was the best.
The Book of Life was a lot darker than the previous ones, and again I felt it could have been 100 or so pages lighter (too many descriptions, dissertations, etc.)
It was a very good book, it just didn’t make me jump.
WHAT HAPPENED TO GALLOWGLASS? IS HE COMING BACK? IS SHE WRITING A BOOK ABOUT HIM? I HOPE SO…

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Jul 01, 2014 Lori rated it it was amazing

This entire series was fantastic... and this novel wrapped everything up perfectly!!! I have my fingers crossed that a movie may follow... I'd be one of the first in line!!! If you are a Twilight fan, please, read this series... I promise that you won't be disappointed!!!

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Nov 09, 2017 Ronak Gajjar rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-before-and-in-2017, series, 2017

The end of series – A tale interlacing tales of truths, lies, bravery, shallowness, burdens of past, hopes of future, honesty, loyalty, over seeking happiness & sadness.
“I see you, even when you hide from the rest of the world. I hear you, even when you’re silent.” It was a pure definition of love.”
Love – How easily a tale could be built upon just a word. Diana’s & Matthew’s happily ever after makes one believe in that word.
But there are even more questioning ever afters in this one – Philippe ...more

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Aug 29, 2015 Rebecca Carter rated it liked it

Shelves: fiction, romance, fantasy, mystery, writing-books-about-books, urban-fantasy, 2015-reads

Was the final book in the trilogy completely written by Deborah Harkness? It seems to have lost the plot. The first book was different; magical, full of details about her life as a scholar, her past, evoked feelings based on her descriptions and had the makings of leading up to an awesome conclusion.

The second book fell into the historical fiction genre and I loved it. Because the setting was so different to the first book it didn't feel like I was reading more of the same stuff and it kept the Was the final book in the trilogy completely written by Deborah Harkness? It seems to have lost the plot. The first book was different; magical, full of details about her life as a scholar, her past, evoked feelings based on her descriptions and had the makings of leading up to an awesome conclusion.

The second book fell into the historical fiction genre and I loved it. Because the setting was so different to the first book it didn't feel like I was reading more of the same stuff and it kept the trilogy fresh. It was interesting reading about Victorian London and imagining how life may have been then and we got another perspective on how creatures were different/similar back then.

But the third book........Wth happened?! Yeah, it wasn't terrible. I think I was just expecting more based on the first two books and ended up slightly (very?) disappointed.
By the end it had morphed into a sickly romance book with the perfect wife and perfect husband with two perfect children. Diana could simply do no wrong as the perfect wife and mother, the best witch and most brilliant and clever scholar ever. Eurghhhhhh! This really started doing my head in. It was just tooooooo much. We got how great she was and didn't need to be reminded of this every chapter. Then Matthew kind of lost his vampireness and became this big snugglebum, who now and then we were reminded of his blood rage and "terrible temper" because his eyes turned black.

Then the writing.....It kept changing madly on the pov. One minute it was written in the first person, then bam, into the third person. There were sooooo many characters and every single last one of them was reintroduced into the final book. Why? Some of them being brought back was totally pointless. I think it must have been confusing tying up all the story threads throughout the books into a logical conclusion, but there were so many unfinished other storylines - I just wanted to scream. I mean what about Gallowglass? One of the major characters who had meant to be watching over Diana her entire life, and then nothing. I'm starting to think there may be a fourth book in the waiting. There were just too many loose ends and questions left unanswered. Due to the lengths of the books this surely could have been achievable, instead we got indepth descriptions of how every single character smelt and other lame irrelevant things, that could have been edited out to make space for proper conclusions.

This book also took me ages to read which was a sign I wasn't anywhere near as into it as the previous two. Sure I've been mad busy with work and going home for 6 weeks, but it still took me a looong time. I was too easily distracted and when I'm really lost in a book, it would near enough take a meteor crashing through my roof for get me out of my book trance. Would I read a fourth book or a spin off? Yeah, probably. But my expectations won't be so high this time. ...more

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Nov 27, 2012 Bonnie rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, pn-demons, pn-witches-wizards, pn-vampires, arcs-netgalley

Spoilers from the first two installments!

Since the beginning, we’ve followed in the steps of Diana Bishop and Matthew Clairmont as they seek out a lost manuscript called Ashmole 782, otherwise known as The Book of Life. In A Discovery of Witches, we watch the duo fall in love and setting aside Matthew’s exceedingly over-protectiveness we’re introduced to a most interesting world where vampires, witches, and daemons manage to exist in our modern world. In Shadow of Night, we’re taken back through Spoilers from the first two installments!

Since the beginning, we’ve followed in the steps of Diana Bishop and Matthew Clairmont as they seek out a lost manuscript called Ashmole 782, otherwise known as The Book of Life. In A Discovery of Witches, we watch the duo fall in love and setting aside Matthew’s exceedingly over-protectiveness we’re introduced to a most interesting world where vampires, witches, and daemons manage to exist in our modern world. In Shadow of Night, we’re taken back through time to 1590 Elizabethan London to continue the search for Ashmole 782 and for an individual to help Diana control the plethora of power she now possesses. And with this installment, the All Souls Trilogy finally comes to a close. Diana and Matthew are back in the present day, continuing the seemingly endless search for the book that has become key to unlocking the mystery of the supernatural races and also ensuring the futures of Diana and Matthews unborn children.

While the plot was far easier to follow than Shadow of Night, where there were so many characters (and many historically accurate figures) that it required a glossary for them alone, The Book of Life was still convoluted and overly verbose. We have the continued search for Ashmole 782, much scientific research occurs in hopes of finding a cure for Matthew’s blood rage which he hopes was not passed down to the twins, an incredible amount of supernatural politics headed by the group known as the Congregation, and to make it even more labyrinthine we have a rogue vampire on the lose who is raping witches in the hopes of impregnating them. Oh, he’s also Matthew’s son. I honestly felt as if that whole “bad seed” storyline could have been dropped completely. I didn’t feel the addition of some supremely evil character had to be included to up the ante; it would have been just fine without.

What I did enjoy though is that this isn’t your typical fantasy taking place on some made up world. This is right here on Earth and the way in which it’s written makes the possibility of magic and supernatural beings all the more plausible, mlike how Harry Potter made me want to believe in magic. I’ve always appreciated how Harkness was able to incorporate so many supernatural creatures without it sliding into cheesy territory; the historically accurate detailing always made these stories feel of the highest quality. Watching Diana grow into her magic was wonderfully done as well and I loved the detail given to her spellcasting. While I felt the Life was unreasonably elaborate and the ending left little in the way of surprises, it was still satisfying to see Diana and Matthews story come to an end.

I received this book free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. ...more

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Jun 04, 2014 Jaime Arkin rated it really liked it

Shelves: series, paranormal, read-in-2014, on-my-real-shelves, historical, vampires, witches, 2014, 2014-real-book-challenge

I’ve been waiting patiently for this book for what seems like forever. When I saw it at BEA I flailed and then found myself waiting in a line I wasn’t expecting to be in just so I could get it into my greedy hands.

This is the final book in the All Souls Trilogy and ultimately when I turned the last page I was happy with the story Deb Harkness gave us readers and fans.

There is very little I can tell you about this installment without spoiling this for you, so I’m going to keep this short and sw I’ve been waiting patiently for this book for what seems like forever. When I saw it at BEA I flailed and then found myself waiting in a line I wasn’t expecting to be in just so I could get it into my greedy hands.

This is the final book in the All Souls Trilogy and ultimately when I turned the last page I was happy with the story Deb Harkness gave us readers and fans.

There is very little I can tell you about this installment without spoiling this for you, so I’m going to keep this short and sweet and slightly vague – no details – sorry!

Let me just tell you up front what I took a star away for… I felt like there was a lot in this book that could have been omitted. I’m not going to get into specifics, and I guess the more I think about it, the previous books were probably similar so It’s not a horrible surprise that it was here as well, but I felt that there were just some things that really slowed the pace of the story for me.

Aside from that, one of my other major complaints over the entire series has been the vast number of characters in this story and I find it hard to keep straight who is who, especially if they are peripheral characters. While for the most part this book didn’t introduce us to anyone new, I still struggled a bit in remembering who was who.

Since there was such a big break between the release of book 2 and book 3 I struggled a bit to remember where I we had been left, so my biggest recommendation would be to go back and read the last few chapters of Shadow of Night before starting this one... Then dive in!!

Let me just tell you though, once I did get sucked back into Matthew and Diana’s lives I was completely entranced with the story again. Harkness weaves an amazing and captivating story filled with action and adventure, love and romance and memorable characters that will have you wishing this wasn’t really the end.

If you’re looking for something that will have you turning pages as fast as you can, wondering if these amazing characters will get their HEA and yet swooning at the love story being shared, this series is for you. *flail for every single time Matthew calls Diana ‘Mon Coeur’*

Thank you so much to Penguin for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.
...more

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Jul 20, 2014 Branwen Sedai *of the Brown Ajah* rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy-science-fiction, romance, vampires

"Do not refuse me because I am dark and shadowed. As I am the end, so my lover is the beginning. I encompass the whole work of creation, and all knowledge is hidden in me..."

In this third and final book in the All Souls trilogy, witch Diana and vampire Matthew return to their present day lives to finish solving the mystery of the book called Ashmole 782, otherwise known as the book of life. Families are strengthened, love is tested and deepened, and past deeds and their consequences are brought ...more

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Aug 19, 2014 Margaret rated it it was ok

Shelves: waste-of-time

Holy snapdoodle, this book is BAD! The first book was passable, though not excellent. The second one was marginally worse, but this one is just terrible.

I had a hard time following the narrative because it simply didn't make sense. The characterisation was on par with a middle school girl's fantasy of the perfect man who for some magical reason cannot be apart from her for a minute without losing his mind.

And don't get me started on Jack.... Yes, back in elizabethan times he was kinda sorta th ...more

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Apr 12, 2016 Yiota Misiou rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy, history

" Hearts cannot be broken. Diana. And only love makes us truly immortal.
Don't forget, ma lionne." - Matthew

" Our family had begun with the surprising love that developed detween Matthew and me. It grew decause our bond was strong enough to withstand the harted and fear of others. And it would endure because we had discover, like the witches so many centuries ago, that a willingness to change was the secret of survival."- Diana

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Dec 29, 2012 Carys Davies marked it as to-read

Shelves: need-to-read

I loved the first 2 books. Don't know how much longer I can't wait for book 3!!!!

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Aug 10, 2014 Becca Herman rated it it was ok

Shelves: paranormal, magic

I am so very disappointed. So very.

I reread the first two books before beginning this one and loved them as much the second time through as I did the first. With great anticipation I began reading The Book of Life. What a let down.

Gone are the rich descriptions and the feeling that you are there in the room. I can no longer taste or smell anything in the world. I could have lived with that, maybe, if I weren't overwhelmed by the ever expanding cast of characters and shifting point of view. Fir I am so very disappointed. So very.

I reread the first two books before beginning this one and loved them as much the second time through as I did the first. With great anticipation I began reading The Book of Life. What a let down.

Gone are the rich descriptions and the feeling that you are there in the room. I can no longer taste or smell anything in the world. I could have lived with that, maybe, if I weren't overwhelmed by the ever expanding cast of characters and shifting point of view. First and third person view from the same character really confused me as did jumps from place to place and scenes that were abruptly ended to focus on something unrelated. Dizzying.

I can't decide which upset me more.... That the characters became creatures I no longer recognized or cared about or that the important plots of the first two books became subplots in this volume if they were present at all or the way the book was so inconsistent within itself.

For example, in one chapter we were told a particular character had to stay in a particular location in order to protect the other characters in that location and only his presence would provide that protection and a few chapters later he left for no discernible purpose and with no resulting disaster due to his departure. Huh? The whole was like that. A sense of dread, and tingling feeling of something bad to come, then shift scenes and never return to whatever that tingle was about.

There was a giant cast of characters, some of them new, but characters who were prominent in previous books were completely absent and questions that we were led to believe would be answered, answers we have been building up to over several volumes, were not. I don't want to include spoilers, but the list is questions still hanging is long indeed and plot points that were introduced as critical earlier in the series are complete glossed over in this book.

What a disappointment. Where were the editors who should have helped avoid these difficulties? I can only conclude that the focus here was to release a book sooner rather than later instead of remaining true to the characters and their story. I would much prefer to have continued waiting for a book worthy of the others in the series than to have this be the conclusion of the trilogy. I can no longer recommend this trilogy as one of my favorites and that makes me sad! ...more

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Nov 24, 2019 Alaina rated it liked it

Shelves: 2019-ng-group-challenge, books-i-own, november-2019, fantasy, audiobook, paranormal, fiction, romance

Okay the ending was amazing.. but the book took forever to make me happy. FOREVER.

The Book of Life made me happy. Not necessarily the entire book.. but I definitely did a happy dance because I finished a series! No idea how many I finished this year, or ever, but it was definitely a memorable moment guys! Now back to book, it was good but so long and slow. At one point, I thought I was going to be completely disappointed in everything because I didn't feel like much was happening.

People kept a ...more

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Dec 04, 2012 Olga rated it it was ok

It took me forever to finish this book but I did it in the end. I guess it wasn't what I had in mind. That being said, it was predictable and if not for what happened to Matthew, there was no suspense either.

The pace of the book was impossible once again and I found the first 30% of the book utterly irrelevant and redundant.

The many POV. Good God did the switching between 1st-to-3rd person narration mess with my head!

I would've liked to know for how long was Diana supposed to live and what woul ...more

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Dec 15, 2018 Jeannette Nikolova rated it really liked it

Also available on the WondrousBooks blog.

Ahh, this was fun, and I'm definitely going to miss this series.

I quite enjoyed the final novel of the All Souls trilogy. It brought the series to a nice conclusion and wrapped things up rather well. Very often, when I'm expecting to find out the "spectacular" ending of a story, I am disappointed by the convenient, and often kind of dumb, way the authors tie their loose ends. In The Book of Life, I felt it was quite the contrary. Whatever I had expect ...more

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Oct 16, 2016 Erin rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: library-borrowed, series

Sometimes we really shouldn't allow our TBR pile to grow to the extent that we forget there are worthwhile books at the bottom of the pile. I'm saddened to say that I might have left the fate of Diana and Matthew for too long. I read books 1 and 2 in 2013 before the publication of the anticipated finale . Book 2 left me on such a high and I couldn't wait to see what would happen next. As Iwas reading The Book of Life, I couldn't help but wonder-- have I passed the whole vampire/witch phase of my ...more

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topics	posts	views	last activity
Vampires, Weres a...: Buddy Read: The Book of Life	39	27	Jun 21, 2019 08:01PM
2020 Reading Chal...: The Book of Life (All Souls #3)	3	22	Apr 01, 2019 01:08PM
Play Book Tag: The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness, *****	6	25	Nov 21, 2018 03:32PM
Goodreads Librari...: Incomplete ISBN13 and other details	2	16	Aug 18, 2018 08:57AM
All Souls/Outlander: Gallowglass meets Jamie in a tavern. Go	1	29	Jul 11, 2018 03:11AM

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About Deborah Harkness

Deborah Harkness

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Deborah Harkness is a #1 New York Times bestselling author who draws on her expertise as an historian of science, medicine, and the history of the book to create rich narratives steeped in magical realism, historical curiosity, and deeply human questions about what it is that makes us who we are.

The first book in Harkness’s beloved All Souls series, A Discovery of Witches, was an instant New York ...more

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All Souls Trilogy (4 books)

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A Discovery of Witches (All Souls Trilogy, #1)

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