456. The Book of Life
Rating: ☆☆☆☆
Recommended by: Joni Renee Zalk
Author: Deborah Harkness
Genre: Fiction, Fantasy, Romance
561 pages, published July 15, 2014
Reading Format: Audio Book on Overdrive
Summary
The Book of Life is the third book in Deborah Harkness’ All Souls Trilogy. We follow star crossed lovers witch Diana, who is pregnant with twins, and vampire Matthew as they return from their time-travelling escapade in Elizabethan London to the present day. They reconvene with family and friends at Matthew’s ancestral home, Sept-Tours, where they plan a defense against Benjamin, Matthew’s vampire son who is out to create a vampire witch child and is leaving a path of destruction in his wake.
Quotes
“I see you, even when you hide from the rest of the world. I hear you, even when you’re silent.”
“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.
“the wolf who wins is the wolf you feed. The evil wolf feeds on anger, guilt, sorrow, lies, and regret. The good wolf needs a diet of love and honesty, spiced up with big spoonfuls of compassion and faith. So if you want the good wolf to win, you’re going to have to starve the other one.”
“I watched in silence as the parts of Matthew I knew and loved—the poet and the scientist, the warrior and the spy, the Renaissance prince and the father—fell away until only the darkest, most forbidding part of him remained. He was only the assassin now. But he was still the man I loved.”
“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.”
My Take
While I enjoyed book one A Discovery of Witches and book two Shadow of Night in the All Souls Trilogy, The Book of Life (book three) was my favorite. It moves along at a faster clip than the first two and it doesn’t hurt that the author has upped the stakes. I was satisfied with the resolution of the triology (although I hear there is another book in the series) and enjoyed the time I spent in the fantasy world created by historian and writer Harkness.
