Deborah Harkness published three books about witches and vampires which are now known as the All Souls Trilogy and of which the first is A Discovery of Witches – I write about these books here. Time’s Covert is set in the same world and features many of the same characters but it concentrates on Marcus, who has been a vampire for centuries, and Phoebe, who wants to be turned into a vampire to be with Marcus forever – their story began in the main trilogy and this book can only be understood fully, I think, if you have read those three books first.
The book starts as Phoebe is about to be turned into a vampire and then follows her story and what it means physically and mentally to make this choice as well as the risks she takes. The story then features Marcus and flashes back to main events in his life since he was turned into a vampire during the American Revolutionary War as well as what he is doing in the present. The book alternates between the two viewpoints but also includes scenes featuring the characters from the previous books and we can catch up with the changes in their lives as well. The book mainly deals with vampires and their histories with the other supernatural races having a lower profile.
This book is definitely lighter in tone than the main trilogy because the future of the different races is not dependent on what the characters do in this story as it was in the main trilogy. I, therefore, found the book less intense and maybe a more satisfying read. The author concludes the book well but still leaves some things hanging so there can be more books in the series (I understand that a fifth story is to be published soon).
Anne Is Reading 