Shadow of Night (#2 All Souls Trilogy)
By: Deborah Harkness
Published by: Viking Adult
Published on: July 10, 2012
Review by: Maria G.

Publisher’s blurb: Picking up from A Discovery of Witches’ cliffhanger ending, Shadow of Night plunges Diana and Matthew into Elizabethan London, a world of spies, subterfuge, and a coterie of Matthew’s old friends, the mysterious School of Night that includes Christopher Marlowe and Walter Raleigh. Here, Diana must locate a witch to tutor her in magic, Matthew is forced to confront a past he thought he had put to rest, and the mystery of Ashmole 782 deepens.

My Review: There’s a reason why this book took me so long to complete and that does not mean it was a horrible book. I mean, it was on everyone’s top 12 of 2012 lists for a reason. Let me back track a bit…

When we turn to page 1, we see that Diana and Matthew have been hurled into Elizabethan England. This is an era where the likes of Christopher Marlowe and Shakespeare exist and it is a world filled with darkness and political/religious intrigue. Basically forget Shakespeare in Love and think more Elizabeth…

We see that in this age, Matthew was a bit darker. However, due to the fact that the Matthew we know is now in the past, his confidants are thrown for a loop because this is not the Matthew they knew and loved and this Matthew has brought a wife with him and that is our Diana. Diana is frowned upon from the get-go. She makes an enemy out of Marlowe, just because she exists. She also does not speak in the language that everyone is accustomed to, nor does she look like the average Elizabethan woman. Then there is the fact that she is a witch with very specific talents that have to be harnessed. These two just hit wall after wall as they attempt to assimilate, work on Diana’s powers and hunt for Ashmole 782.

The bad: I felt like I was taking a history course on Elizabethan Culture and Politics. Now, there was a book that I read ages ago, Possession by A.S. Byatt, which was centered on the relationship between two fictional Victorian poets, and via two academics and a trail of clues from various letters and journals, we along with the two protagonists attempt to uncover the truth about Ash and LaMotte’s past before it is discovered by rival colleagues. So, when I initially read Discovery of Witches, I felt that it was attempting to take a page from Possession and I thought it would be this great adventurous tale with a supernatural tilt. With Shadows, there was none of that adventurous spirit. With that said, I understand that you want to give us a foundation in this current world, but I would have preferred that not being an ongoing crutch.

What I did love about Shadows of Night was seeing how everything that was happening in the past was affecting the present. I also loved seeing the trials and tribulations of Diana and Matthew’s relationship and watching Diana evolve as a witch; there is no doubt that there is much more of an emotional core to this book versus Discovery.
Do I suggest you pick this book up? Only if you have the time and patience to devote to this book.

Will I read the 3rd book in this series? Yes.

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.

The Vampire Diaries EP Julie Plec recently chatted with TV Line about what we should expect when the show  returns.  Here’s what she told them:

TVLINE | Damon did break the sire bond, sort of, but it was a little too late where Stefan’s concerned. What does that mean for their relationship?
That’s unfortunate. Damon was a little bit late in his realization that he was being selfish and needed to do the right thing by Stefan. The jig is up as far as Stefan’s awareness of what Elena and Damon have been up to. It’s not going to be pretty. Stefan is heartbroken. He feels incredibly betrayed and angry. We’re going to see a lot of his point of view as we move forward.

TVLINE | From the promos, it looks like Stefan also lashes out at Elena.
Yeah. He’s pissed. [Laughs] When the break-up is civil, it’s usually the beginning of some pretty dark stuff still to come. The calmer the break-up, the worse the fallout.

TVLINE | Tyler’s grown a lot this season. Will recent events help him mature further or set him back?
It’s a setback in that his confidence came from this feeling that he had a place and he had people that were looking to him. As his mom said, “You’re a leader of people like your father was.” He was really growing into that, and to feel like they all paid the price for that confidence will definitely set him back a bit. The question is, how will he rebound from that?

TVLINE | Are Caroline and Tyler OK?
Tyler’s going to struggle, and Caroline’s going to struggle in trying to help him. But if there’s one thing those two have proven again and again, it’s that when situations are at their most dire and their most extreme, they find a way to be there for each other. I think we can rest easy that that won’t have changed yet.

TVLINE | Klaus is a great bad guy, and Joseph [Morgan] has said in the past that he doesn’t want to soften him up too much. But at some point, for the longevity of the character, does he have to soften up?
The beauty of Klaus, much like Damon, is that his horrible misdeeds are all born out of a place of a complete lack of  trust and faith as a result of being repeatedly betrayed and rejected in his life. I’m not saying I excuse his horrific behavior, but it’s born from a very human place. Once someone’s got a strong core of humanity, there’s hope for them – [they may] just not necessarily wake up tomorrow as Man of the Year. Klaus will continue to be a very complicated character. Much like Damon in the first couple seasons, when he feels backed up against the wall, he lashes out in very, very destructive ways. It makes it impossible to forgive. And yet, the redemption of Klaus as a character-long arc is something we always talk about.

TVLINE | What is Shane’s journey in the next chapter?
Shane is the captain of the crazy train in the next chapter, which is really all about revealing more about his agenda, learning more about this mythical character of Silas that he keeps mentioning, getting closer and closer to the location and the means to dig up both the cure and Silas — and then the fallout of that choice and what that all means.

TVLINE | When you introduced April, my first thought was, “Love interest for Jeremy.” Is that safely out of the question now that we see that she’s got a lot more to do with the mythology and Rebekah’s storyline?
Yeah, in April’s current situation, romance and roses are not necessarily instantly on her horizon.

TVLINE | There was a Jeremy/Bonnie moment in the winter finale. Is that a romance that picks back up?
It’s in there to remind us that they had a history together that was really deep and important. For Bonnie to be Jeremy’s emotional touchstone and to find a closeness with each other that was abruptly shattered back in Season 3 definitely brings up memories of that relationship and makes us wonder if there’s any road for them to travel together.

TVLINE | How is Jeremy going to be dealing with controlling his hunter urges?
He’s going to be a hardcore, lean and mean vampire-fighting machine over the next couple episodes – but with an unlikely coach in the form of Damon Salvatore. So there’s some fun to be had there and a lot of danger for both of them. … They’re definitely going to have to figure out how to get that mark to grow. Damon’s not going to just unleash Jeremy into the vampire den until he feels like he’s properly trained and ready.

TVLINE | The next episode is kind of Breakfast Club-y. Who’s trapped together, and what emotions does it bring out?
It has a lot to do with what Rebekah’s up to. She’s been gone for quite some time. She’s missed a lot. So [in] her efforts to try to get information out of everybody…she gets caught up on the goings-on in Mystic Falls in her absence, including that Stefan and Elena are broken up, that Elena slept with Damon, that there’s a sire bond at play, that the cure hasn’t been found yet – all kinds of great things which she gets out of them in the form of a pretty malicious detention at school.

Prodigy (#2 Legend Series)
By: Marie Lu
Published by: Putnam Juvenile
Published on: January 29, 2013
Reviewed by: Maria G.

Publisher’s Blurb: “Prodigy” by Marie Lu is the long-awaited sequel to Legend, the must-read dystopian thriller novel. Injured and on the run, it has been seven days since June and Day barely escaped Los Angeles and the Republic with their lives. Day is believed dead having lost his own brother to an execution squad who thought they were assassinating him. June is now the Republic’s most wanted traitor. Desperate for help, they turn to the Patriots – a vigilante rebel group sworn to bring down the Republic. But can they trust them or have they unwittingly become pawns in the most terrifying of political games?

My Review: As I’ve stated in the past, after the Hunger Games trilogy came to an end we were prepared for the onslaught of YA dystopian tales bombarding us. We have read quite a few of the YA dystopian tales that have come out and I can honestly say that out of all of them the Legend Series by Marie Lu trumps them all.

In this second book, we continue to follow June Iparis and Day on their journey to rescue Day’s younger brother and to get themselves, Eden and Tess to the Colonies. When the patriots get a hold of June and Day, these star-crossed lovers get swept up in political intrigue that makes them question their relationship, their loyalties and who the enemy of the state is.

As the story unfolds, you learn more about these two characters via their insightful thought processes as they toe the line of what is requested of them and all the obstacles that they come up against. If you are wondering about the other characters in the story, there are some old faces that you will be happy to see, i.e. Tess and some new faces that spin this story to a new level.

That’s as much of the plot I can tell you without giving away the story that had me enthralled, heartbroken, in tears and made me throw my book across the room in frustration that the book ended the way it did.

Should you pick this book on the 29th of January? If you like intrigue, romance, betrayal, tragic death, and action sequences that put the latest Bourne movie to shame… than of course you should get this book. Believe me; you will place this series right next to the Hunger Games series on your shelf.

I give Prodigy 5 out of 5 stars.

p.s. –The series is set to be a global film sensation as CBS films have acquired rights to the trilogy. The “Twilight Saga” producers, Marty Bowen and Wyck Godfrey, will produce.

This galley was given to me by the publisher.

“The Cricket Game” – Regina is accused of murdering one of the town’s most beloved fairytale characters — but only Emma senses that she may be innocent. Meanwhile, back in the fairytale land that was, after capturing the Evil Queen, Snow White and Prince Charming set about planning her public execution in order to rid the land of her murderous tyranny.

The CW has released the synopsis for the next new episode of Supernatural — which airs on January 16th.

Here it is:

CASTIEL MUST SAVE A FELLOW ANGEL — Naomi (guest star Amanda Tapping) tells Castiel that Crowley (guest star Mark Sheppard) is holding an angel captive and Castiel must rescue him before Crowley finds out their secrets. Castiel turns to Dean for help.

Meanwhile Sam meets with Amelia (guest star Liane Balaban), who asks him to make a choice: stay with her or leave and never contact her again.

The BBC has released the synopsis for Being Human‘s fifth series. It is as follows:

Hal, Tom, and Alex are three housemates with some serious issues on their hands. Hal (Damien Molony) is a 500-year-old vampire, Tom is a hardened werewolf (Michael Socha), and Alex (Kate Bracken) has recently had the misfortune of becoming a ghost. Strapped to a chair in the living room, Hal is finding it tough going cold-turkey – mostly because the mess Tom has made is really bothering him. But when Tom and Alex release Hal, they’re not to know it’s far too soon to be letting a bloodthirsty vampire onto the streets… When Hal recruits Crumb as a vampire and welcomes him to the supernatural world, the meek becomes mighty and we see what happens when a bullied man finds his bite. Meanwhile, Rook – head of a shady government department in charge of keeping the supernatural world secret – is given some devastating news.

(Source)

Thanks to Emily for sending the link to this video… very interesting.

~M.