Shadow of Night

A dynamic journey full of history, secrets, magic, and fate that spans centuries.

At it's core, this is a book about tough love and character development. Diana has a lot to understand with her unpredictable magic as well as her deepening relationship with Matthew (and his lifetimes of secrets). Matthew has to come to terms with the actions of his past in light of his newly shifted priorities. Despite getting a break from the pursuit of the Congregation, danger still surrounds them. It's only by trusting each other that they can survive.

There's a lot to like about this one. It's full of historical easter eggs, found family, suspense, and mystery, but where it really shines for me is the gift of having more time. More time for Diana to master her magic. More time for them to understand their relationship. More time with old friends and loved ones.

Without going into detail, there are strong themes of forgiveness, bittersweet happiness, and closure that bring me to tears every time.

Often book two in a series can feel a little slow, especially if it's essentially one big training montage, but I think this book avoids that. It overcomes some of the more obvious obstacles in progressing the plot in a way that doesn't feel tedious or like time wasted.