Shadow of Night Giveaway

On July 10th SHADOW OF NIGHT by Deborah Harkness, the sequel to the bestselling A Discovery of Witches,  is being released. To celebrate today I have a giveaway.


But first let me tell you about the books.


I am so excited about Shadow of Night. After reading the first book I didn't want it to end and I have been waiting for this one for months.


The first, A Discovery of Witches, was an engrossing blend of magic, history, and science with a dash of mystery and a lot of romance. Wow, what a combo- and it works. I have Shadow of Night on the top of my review stack, it's the next book on my list and I'm trying so hard to get done with the book I'm on so I can get to it :-)

Synopsis:

SHADOW OF NIGHT picks up right where A Discovery of Witches left off. Diana Bishop and Matthew Clairmont, a witch historian and vampire geneticist respectively, have timewalked to Elizabethan England on their hunt for a magical alchemical manuscript, Ashmole 782—its sudden appearance and sudden disappearance have upended the delicately ordered world of magical creatures (witches, vampires, and daemons), threatening to unleash unprecedented metaphysical chaos.

Though Diana and Matthew have escaped the threats of the present, they soon find the past holds its own challenges—Diana must find a witch to continue her magical education, a task made difficult by a rash of witch hunts across the British Isles. And Matthew finds himself back in a life he thought he left behind, reuniting with friends and family that had long been reduced to memory, opening wounds he thought had healed. Some of those friends comprise the infamous School of Night, a coterie of visionaries that includes Christopher Marlowe and Sir Walter Raleigh. Together, Matthew and Diana must navigate the new dangers of an old century—bringing them closer and closer to solving the mystery of Ashmole 782.

About the Author:

Deborah Harkness is a professor of history at the University of Southern California. Her publications include works on the history of science, magic, and alchemy. Her most recent scholarly book is The Jewel House: Elizabethan London and the Scientific Revolution. She has received fellowships from the Fulbright Association, the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Humanities Center, and the American Council of Learned Societies, among others. She is also a noted wine critic and blogger. A Discovery of Witches was her fiction debut. Learn more at Deborah's author website.

For chances to win goodies be sure to check out Deborah’s Facebook page, Viking is hosting a contest open through July 6th, four winners will be selected to receive an advance copy of SHADOW OF NIGHT signed by Deborah and sample bottles of two perfumes specially selected to represent the scents of Matthew and Diana. To enter, click on this link to the contest page! 

Here at Fang-tastic Books we're giving away a copy of Shadow of Night along with an "Ashmole 782" temporary tattoo and a set of buttons, to enter fill out the form below:

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

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Complex and captivating this book sucked me in from the first page.


I don't think I've ever read a book that so deeply blended magic, science and history into such an amazing read.

It took me longer to read this book than any other novel I've ever read- and not because it was bad but because I wanted to absorb every detail and make sure I understood what was going on.

This book isn't for the average paranormal reader who wants a quick read- no this one is a book you;ll want to take your time with, dive in and absorb all the details. Let it sink into your mind and you'll find yourself a little smarter by the end of the book :-)

It's quite obvious the author is an academic. I love the fact that she's taken "genre fiction", turned it on it's ear and created something that can be tossed as those stuffy academics that don't believe "genre fiction" is worth their time. Fluffy, meaningless words some call popular novels.

Well A Discovery of Witches may be fictional but the history and detail, the science, the possibilities...it definitely asks questions and makes you wonder.

I can't wait to see where this series goes and what we'll discover along the way.

Harkness has proven to have her own kind of magic and I am surely caught in her spell.





View all my reviews

A Discovery of Witches Giveaway

Today A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES by Deborah Harkness in paperback for the first time.

"This mesmerizing novel debuted at # 2 on the New York Times bestseller list and became an international phenomenon with major publications following in 34 countries. This summer, Warner Brothers acquired screen rights to A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES and its sequels. With over 300,000 copies sold, this was truly the “it” book of early 2011, and fans are now eagerly awaiting the second installment in the All Souls Trilogy, Shadow of Night, due out in summer 2012."

When historian Diana Bishop opens a bewitched alchemical manuscript in Oxford’s Bodleian Library it represents an unwelcome intrusion of magic into her carefully ordinary life. Though descended from a long line of witches, she is determined to remain untouched by her family’s legacy. She banishes the manuscript to the stacks, but Diana finds it impossible to hold the world of magic at bay any longer.

For witches are not the only otherworldly creatures living alongside humans. There are also creative, destructive daemons and long-lived vampires who become interested in the witch’s discovery. They believe that the manuscript contains important clues about the past and the future, and want to know how Diana Bishop has been able to get her hands on the elusive volume.

Chief among the creatures who gather around Diana is vampire Matthew Clairmont, a geneticist with a passion for Darwin. Together, Diana and Matthew embark on a journey to understand the manuscript’s secrets. But the relationship that develops between the ages-old vampire and the spellbound witch threatens to unravel the fragile peace that has long existed between creatures and humans—and will certainly transform Diana’s world as well.

Penguin is offering a copy of the new paperback edition to one lucky reader?

Would you like to win it?

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