echoechokilo reviewed Time's Convert by Deborah E. Harkness
None
3 stars
Well I’m not sure what I expected from this book, but it wasn’t that.
480 pages
English language
Published Dec. 8, 2019 by Headline Publishing Group.
Time's Convert
Deborah E. Harkness: Time's Convert (2019, Headline Publishing Group)
- ISBN:
- 978-1-4722-3735-4
Copied ISBN!
"From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Discovery of Witches, a novel about what it takes to become a vampire. Set in contemporary Paris and London, and the American colonies during the upheaval and unrest that exploded into the Revolutionary War, a sweeping story that braids together the past and present. On the battlefields of the American Revolution, Matthew de Clermont meets Marcus MacNeil, a young surgeon from Massachusetts, during a moment of political awakening when it seems that the world is on the brink of a brighter future. When Matthew offers him a chance at immortality and a new life, free from the restraints of his puritanical upbringing, Marcus seizes the opportunity to become a vampire. But his transformation is not an easy one and the ancient traditions and responsibilities of the de Clermont family clash with Marcus's deeply-held beliefs in liberty, equality, and brotherhood. Fast …
"From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Discovery of Witches, a novel about what it takes to become a vampire. Set in contemporary Paris and London, and the American colonies during the upheaval and unrest that exploded into the Revolutionary War, a sweeping story that braids together the past and present. On the battlefields of the American Revolution, Matthew de Clermont meets Marcus MacNeil, a young surgeon from Massachusetts, during a moment of political awakening when it seems that the world is on the brink of a brighter future. When Matthew offers him a chance at immortality and a new life, free from the restraints of his puritanical upbringing, Marcus seizes the opportunity to become a vampire. But his transformation is not an easy one and the ancient traditions and responsibilities of the de Clermont family clash with Marcus's deeply-held beliefs in liberty, equality, and brotherhood. Fast forward to contemporary London, where Marcus has fallen for Phoebe Taylor, a young employee at Sotheby's. She decides to become a vampire, too, and though the process at first seems uncomplicated, the couple discovers that the challenges facing a human who wishes to be a vampire are no less formidable in the modern world than they were in the 18th century. The shadows that Marcus believed he'd escaped centuries ago may return to haunt them both--forever. A passionate love story and a fascinating exploration of the power of tradition and the possibilities for change, Time's Convert will delight fans of the All Souls trilogy and all readers of magic, the supernatural, and romance"--
amyiw reviewed Time's Convert by Deborah E. Harkness
None
4 stars
3 1/2
This is an interesting addition to the All Souls series as it isn't really a book 4. We get a type of epilogue, looking into Matthew and Diana, life with the twin and some sticky situations, at the same time Marcus is going through separation anxiety while his fiancee, Phoebe goes through the change and is forced to be away for 3 months. This 3 month separation is to guide her through the change and the beginning issues, while person in the change also truly changes on an emotional level because of these new desires and abilities. Both act pretty much like teenagers that have been grounded, rather than adults that choose this, agree to it, and understand the reasons. It is probably the worse part of the book but it is only part of the book.
So while we get the contemporary stories of the twins and …
3 1/2
This is an interesting addition to the All Souls series as it isn't really a book 4. We get a type of epilogue, looking into Matthew and Diana, life with the twin and some sticky situations, at the same time Marcus is going through separation anxiety while his fiancee, Phoebe goes through the change and is forced to be away for 3 months. This 3 month separation is to guide her through the change and the beginning issues, while person in the change also truly changes on an emotional level because of these new desires and abilities. Both act pretty much like teenagers that have been grounded, rather than adults that choose this, agree to it, and understand the reasons. It is probably the worse part of the book but it is only part of the book.
So while we get the contemporary stories of the twins and them developing some of their parent's characteristic and the emotional and physical needs that this creates along with the family dynamic, and then the Marcus Phoebe separation and change, we also get Marcus' past, his human past, and his change into vampire. This happened during the revolutionary war. In some ways I think this book might have been inspired by Outlander 4th season that came out the two years before it came out. We are in the revolutionary war, Marcus has doctoring skills so is taken to help the wounded. Still it is an interesting storyline in the background of the other two that I was glad to come back to every time the storyline switched.
I'm not a great fan of switching timelines but this went pretty smoothly. Still I enjoyed the past better than the present, until the end. Pretty much that is true of my genres in general as I like the escapism quality of a different reality. I pick historical romance over contemporary every time. I also liked the 2nd book in this series the best which the majority did not, which was set in the past. Seems I like this one better than those people too. Still the writing is too drawn out for me as it was in all the books and is probably why I took my time to get to this book.
So overall it was a nice look into Marcus' past and who he is along with what problems occur making a vampire. I didn't like the ending of the history period and New Orleans, as it is never made clear the evils of Marcus' children though there are many too many. It just skips that and most of them are killed. I really liked how Dianna dealt with the head of the family when he ordered her to bind the twins' power, she ends up binding him to make him see how it feels. I feel like the rules are all wobbly throughout the book in how much you can push you maker as Phoebe does and Miriam really is weak with response but mean in orders. I kind of disliked her at the end there. I rated the first 3 books, 2 stars, 4 stars, and 3 stars, so not a favorite series. I enjoyed this one, and over all it is between a 3 and 4 but I think 3 be my choice just because for me, over all, the series is a 3. Good but not great and starts really slowly.
Subjects
- Vampires, fiction
- Fiction, fantasy, paranormal
- Fiction, romance, paranormal