This was the perfect ending to a fantastic trilogy. If you haven't read this, please do yourself a favor and read it. In this finale, Matthew and Diana have returned with more than just magic under control. Unfortunately, the present does not contain the best of news, as they learn of the death of one of their own. With determination in their hearts, Diana and Matthew along with their family must find the missing pages of Ashmole 782, stop Peter Know and he Congregation, and prepare for the birth of their twins.
Again, Deborah Harkness gives such vivid descriptions of the places and the characters' emotions that the reader cannot help but be with them. Diana and Matthew's anguish at their loss. The guilt at not being there that then gave way to the determination to finish what they started. Diana's nervousness at walking into Vienna and the Congregation meeting area. I particularly enjoyed Diana's smugness against the witches (i.e Satu) and vampires (Domenico, Gerbert) when she was able to give proof to her claims. I laughed when the characters laughed, and I cried with them, too. I looked up Vienna to see the canals, and the Bodleian, Auvergne, etc.
There is also the social aspects that travel throughout the series. Harkness touches on homosexuality, interracial relationships, adoption, mental illnesses, and gender equalities. She weaves these issues into the plot so well that some are hard to notice, while others hit the reader like a freight train. While Matthew never loses his "old-fashioned" ideas of taking care of Diana, he does acknowledge that she is capable of taking care of herself.
The overall theme that I enjoyed was the full circle spectrum. Diana and Matthew returned to Sept-Tours to claim their family. They returned to the Bodleian to retrieve the manuscript. They meet Timothy Weston again and see why he was so interested in Diana in the first book. The final scenes bring back the love that Diana and Matthew feared they had lost.
Overall, this is one of my favorite series and I must rate it 5 out of 5 stars. I was super excited and nervous when I heard that a television series was being created. At the time of this blog, I have watched the first six episodes and I absolutely enjoy how well done it is. Yes, some things have changed but the overall dynamics have not. It is simply a beautiful interpretation thus far. There was also news of Harkness writing a companion handbook as well as another standalone, this time for Marcus. I am happy to say that I have bought both and hope to write my reviews of each before the end of the year. Stay tuned.
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