Thursday, August 22, 2019

2 Bloggers 1 Series - The Book of Life


So we did it!  Stormi and I finally finished the All Soul's Trilogy.  I really own Stormi a huge thanks for motivating me to pick these up.  I can't tell you how happy I am to have finally read them.  So read on for my final thoughts and then hop over to Stormi's at  Books, Movies, Reviews! Oh My! and read her opinion.

Since this is the third in the series, some spoilers may exist.

TITLE: The Book of Life (All Soul's Trilogy #3)
AUTHOR: Deborah Harkness
PUBLISHER: Viking Adult
PUBLISHING DATE: July 1, 2014


FROM GOODREADS: 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 dramatic return to the present—facing new crises and old enemies. At Matthew’s ancestral home, Sept-Tours, they reunite with the beloved 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. 


MY THOUGHTS: Well it's been quite a ride getting to this point.  Basically some 1500 pages later I can say I'm finally finished.  And I have to admit, this series was well worth the time I invested in reading it.

Matthew and Diana have returned back to the future.  They know what they need to put the Book of Life back together but there are still tons of other people who want to read it first.  We still get to meet a few new characters in this book and one in particular I love, Chris, but most of the old gang is still present.  Matthew and Diana are having some difficulties adjusting to all the time hopping, but finally they are able to settle down.  They are still battling the Congregation, who basically doesn't believe in interspecies relationships, and some characters we met before are nastier and more disgusting then ever.  However, the relationship between Diana and Matthew remains at the forefront and as each page turned, I was both excited and scared for what might happen next.

I am happy with how this series concluded.  The ending was both suspenseful and satisfying.  In fact, I can say I will honestly miss reading this series and it kind of created a book hangover which I had to force myself to trudge through. However, I have some consolation in the fact that Stormi and I are reading the first book in the companion series, Time's Convert, in September.  There are plans for Harkness to continue on with these characters and I hope she has several in the works because I need a book with Miriam's story, Jack's story, Ysabeau's story and DEFINITELY Gallowglass' story.  In addition, Season 2 of the series needs to start pronto because I'm already going through withdrawal. 

If you've ever considered picking this series up, and it seems even remotely like something you'd want to read, then do it! 

RATING: 5 PAWS



COYER CHALLENGE UPDATE:  Read a whole trilogy in 3 months (3/3).

20 comments:

  1. That's another really interesting cover design. The whole trilogy looked really pretty. I'm glad you enjoyed the whole trilogy!

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    1. I sort of think this cover is my favorite of the three. I'm surprised how much I liked them. I thought the romance would throw me off but it really seemed to enhance the book, not monopolize it.

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  2. Sounds like you and Stormi both loved the way the series ended! I love the satisfaction of finishing a series like this, and this is one I'd love to finish myself one of these days😊

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    1. I hope you do. I'd be interested to hear your thoughts.

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  3. Excellent job in reading these, they are long books. So I have read the first two and need to read this last one. But I now intend to start at the beginning and do all 3 on audio. Someday.

    Thanks for the wonderful review!

    Anne - Books of My Heart

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    1. It was quite a task but one I'm glad I did!

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  4. whoa...five stars huh? and this is the last book. that speaks volumes. i'll be checking out stormi's
    sherry @ fundinmental

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    1. I know. I felt it deserved 5/5, but really I was kind of looking at the series as a whole. Let's hope the companion series works out well!

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  5. Wow this sounds fun. Time travel too! And I'm definitely going to watch the series to get a feel for this.

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    1. The series is fun and I think it worked for me because I read book #1 first.

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  6. I am glad I suggested this trilogy and I could have gushed about this book and all of them for a long time...lol. I had to cut my review off or I would have wrote a book...hehe. :)

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    1. I know how much you love this and yes, I can totally see you rereading it. You may just end up getting my set of floppy trade paperbacks eventually because as much as I love them, I rarely reread.

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  7. Oh wow! This is a series that I have thought about reading but haven't actually dived in yet. It sounds like I really do need to make time for it.

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  8. This one fell off my radar - I did read the first two so perhaps I should just go back and complete it. I kind of went off it a little but returning after some time might change that.
    Lynn :D

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    1. See, it would drive me crazy to read the first two and leave the third. They are such undertakings. Now let's hope I can finish The Passage series next year.

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  9. I should check out this series. You and Stormi both sure enjoyed them!

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    1. Yes you should. If I can take the plunge, so can you :)

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  10. It gives me hope for when I start the series in October. Thanks for sharing all of your reviews. 👍✨

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