Time’s Convert – Deborah Harkness

This is part of the All Souls Trilogy.

Title: Time’s Convert

Author: Deborah Harkness

Genre: Fantasy, Historical Fiction

Plot: Marcus’ mate Phoebe has just been turned into a vampire. They’ve decided to go the traditional route for vampires and stay away from each other so that Phoebe has a good amount of time to adjust to becoming a vampire. It’s torture for both of them, but with all of the recent controversy surrounding Marcus’ family, the De Clarmonts, it’s better that they do it this way. Phoebe is struggling with hunting. Light continues to bother her as well. While Phoebe adjusts to being a vampire, Marcus waits at his father’s and his mate’s house, Matthew and Diana. In between taking care of the twins, Marcus tells Diana of this past and his life as a vampire. Marcus was born in Massachusetts not long before the Revolutionary War to a kind mother and controlling father. Marcus and his father fought constantly until Marcus ran away. He started as a soldier for the colonies, then became a physician. That’s when he met Matthew who was working for the Marques de Lafayette. Matthew took Marcus under his wing and eventually turned Marcus into a vampire when he was sick. Marcus is a rebellious vampire. He fights the De Clarmont’s traditions. Marcus wants to do things his own way. He fights with the people during the French Revolution. Matthew and Phillipe, Matthew’s father, find him and talk some sense into him. Marcus grumbles about this but accepts his fate for a while. Marcus strikes out again and escapes and heads to New Orleans. But with sickness raging around the city, Marcus and his new vampire family are drawing attention as they can’t get sick. Will Marcus’ actions tell the world that vampires are real? Or will the secret of vampires stay safe? Will Phoebe ever adjust to being a vampire?

Rating: 3.8 – a good blend of fantasy and historical fiction

Opinion: I was excited to read this book. It did not disappoint. The changing viewpoints threw me for a moment because I thought it was going to focus solely on Marcus and his past. Instead it switches between Marcus, Phoebe, and Diana. Everyone else I loved. I enjoyed learning about history through Marcus’ eyes and learning more about magic through Diana’s eyes. I had a hard time putting the book down because it was such a good book. The history was great and the fantasy was amazing. Though the two things that did annoy me was Phoebe. Phoebe kind of annoyed me because she seemed whiny and snobby. I had a hard time relating to her, too, because she seemed so aloof. Thankfully her chapters weren’t very long. Also, the big ending in New Orleans was kind of anti-climactic for me. I thought there would be a bigger fight instead of what actually happened. While I was reading the All Souls Trilogy, I was curious about Marcus. He was a side character in the trilogy but he was always around. His past fascinated me. I’m so glad I got to read more about him. It made me connect so much more to him. This is a great addition to the All Souls Trilogy. And a great read for those who love fantasy and historical fiction.