Time's Convert: A Novel

The first 3 of the trilogy are more cohesive and organized. Times Convert spends far too much on Marcus’s history then his life with Phoebe, and the challenges that represents. Deborah obviously is a history major, with the details she weaves around the French Revolution and it’s setting.

The discovery of witches trilogy was great all on its own. Time's Covert was a wonderful continuation - not a spin-off. This is book 4 with most of the characters appearing again from the first 3 books. Time's Covert dives deep into the mysterious world of vampires giving answers to questions we'd never think to ask. It details how vampires are created and is somewhat amusing when describing newly sired vampires as infants going through the terrible twos! I'm ready for book 5. We need to discover more about the untold world of daemons.

I loved the slow story of Marcus and Phoebe here. I hope the author does a 5th of Miriam and perhaps a 6th of Ysabeau

I’ve read all of the books in the All Souls Trilogy. It’s a wonderful series, and before diving into this new book, I’m glad that I’d read them.In my opinion, Time’s Convert is not a standalone. It had been a while since I’d read the other enjoyable books in the series. During those journeys, I recall feeling almost overwhelmed with the details. . . sometimes in a good way, sometimes not. Entire paragraphs deserved their own place on the history shelves, the prose was wonderful, the characters well-drawn, the plots tight. Sometimes I felt the books extremely intellectual, but I had bravely plowed forward reading hoping that some of the knowledge might stick in my wee brain.My highly anticipated journey with Time’s Convert ended with mixed feelings. The good news first. This book earns five stars for its intense research. I’m positive Ms. Harkness did her homework and worked her ass off getting the details of the timing, settings, events, and real-life historical characters correct. I felt in safe hands and not misguided into a complete fantasy world. Vampire, witches, and daemons aside, of course. Characters like Thomas Paine, Ben Franklin, and Lafayette, for example, all have dialogue, but fictitious though that may be, I felt good that the author wasn’t leading me too far astray and plucking stuff out of the air solely for entertainment. (Unlike The Crown on Netflix which I really truly thought was not wholly fiction. Is it? Angry here and digressing).To the tougher part of my review, even though I’m American, the sections on the Revolutionary War did not interest me. During these scenes, primarily the middle section of the book, the plot felt tossed aside and the read lagged. There were so many characters, names, towns, homes, events dropped, I needed a chart. Some of those characters had their own arcs and I found I just did not care.It was during this middle section where I found myself wondering what the book was even about. Where was Ms. Harkness going? It felt like a bunch of separate stories that bumped into one another for no purpose. Eventually I realized that the book was about the tale of Phoebe and Marcus and their vampire becomings. Phoebe’s transition was in real time, and Marcus, because he is an old vampire, is told in flashback. Interspersed between Phoebe’s grand awakening and difficulties, and Marcus’s really long backstory (how many towns did we follow him through during this book? How many years? Too many to count), there were the De Clermonts – the main family of vampires as well as the main witch character – Diana. But those wonderful characters were way secondary. They had plots and problems too, but they were side stories and led nowhere. And the thing was, I love those characters. Every single time Ysabeau enters a room I get excited. Diana’s magic is beyond cool. Baldwin is way interesting. I want to sail with Gallowglass, or at least drink with him. Had I not read the other books, I would have been totally lost on who all these people were and their relevance. I imagine Ms. Harkness had to decide about whom to write for, and she chose.I have tremendous respect for this author and what she’s accomplished and will most likely read the next installment. Or anything else she writes, for that matter.

I loved it!! Recommend!!

Still enchanted by the story. It is good as ever. I forget how much I miss this series until the next book appears! Love it

The "discovery of Witches" marches on. Not a true continuation of the series but you won't get lost if you' re a first time reader. The book can stand alone on its own merits, but it's a nice treat for "A discovery of witches" readers.

Plot Summary:Becoming a vampire takes thoughtful consideration. Marcus MacNeil was sired on the battlefields during the American Revolution. Feverish and confused, he may not have understood the power Matthew de Clermont was offering before he accepted. In modern day, he met his mate in the warmblood, Phoebe Taylor. Together, the two decide she will begin her journey of immortality so that they may live out their immortal lives together.Becoming a vampire takes more than just a decision, however. The path to immortality is steeped in tradition and education. New vampires are sheltered from friends and family as they are taken through their youth again, learning how to adapt to the power in their bodies. Learning to move, control their strength and hunt takes strong guidance. Unfortunately, Marcus cannot be a part of Phoebe’s transformation. He and Phoebe must separate for 90 days while she grows under the tutelage of her sire, Miriam, great Aunt, Freya, and loyal de Clermont family servant, Francoise.Phoebe’s separation from Marcus causes Marcus to reflect on his own transition in the 18th century. As he grew into his new life as a vampire, he had to learn how to handle his new family and the demands of the powerful de Clermont family. Often at odds with the liberty and equality views of his heroes, the head of his clan, Phillippe de Clermont demanded loyalty of Marcus. Marcus’ journey to acceptance in the de Clermont family was not as smooth as it would seem, judging from his role for the family in today’s Knights of Lazarus. As Marcus reflects on his past, it might impact what he wants from his future.At the end of 90 days, when they reunite, will Marcus and Phoebe find themselves changed by their respective transitions? Or will they continue their plan to live their immortal lives as mates?My Thoughts:Though this book is a stand-alone novel from the All Souls Trilogy, I would not recommend this book to readers who are unfamiliar with All Souls. The recurring characters are difficult to understand without context as to their backstory. Even understanding why Diana and Matthew would be cautious that their children are Weavers may catch readers confused without an All Souls frame-of-reference.To readers familiar with All Souls, this is a nice re-connection with favorite characters. Again, Harkness creates her world with vivid imagery, including American Revolutionary life and Parisian life in the buildup to the French Revolution. Her incorporation of historical figures like the Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Paine, as always, add more robust grounding to her fictional tales.The story is told in modern perspectives from Phoebe, intertwining a flash back story to the 18th and 19th century from the perspective of Marcus, and also in modern perspective with Diana. I must confess, adding Diana’s point of view made the story feel more weighted down than I would have liked. I did enjoy the continuation of Diana and Matthew’s story, and I enjoyed catching up with Jack and the twins. But, that particular story felt weaved into the plot to revisit All Souls for the fans, not necessarily for the plot and pacing of the story itself.That said, overall I enjoyed the book and would recommend it to someone looking to revisit some more of Deborah Harkness’ universe.

I'm a fan of the series so was eagerly looking forward to this. I admit to feeling a bit flat. The book focusses on Marcus' back story primarily, with sub-stories (I don't think we can call them plots) about Phoebe, Diana, Matthew and the children.Reading about Marcus' growing up and becoming involved in the Revolutions in America and France was interesting enough. I loved reading about Diana and Matthew and their children. The transition of Phoebe - a minor character introduced in the later part of the Trilogy - was interesting too. But the whole thing felt a bit like it could have been a novella to support the main stories. It was almost like reading a biography of one of the secondary characters and while I love Marcus, I'm not sure he really merited such a weighty tome as his story doesn't provide any revelations that will be taken forward to the next books. Nothing really happened in this book generally to drive the story forward. Characters from previous books wandered in, presumably to be name-checked for fans to recognise - and then did nothing very much at all. A sudden memory of Diana's about her past flared up, hinting at her developing deepening understandings of herself and her power - and then quietly evaporated. Ongoing troubles between vampire clans needing input from the Congregation were mentioned early on - and went nowhere. The only real sense of drama came from the children of Diana and Matthew.In terms of a history lesson it was thorough, plenty of mention of known historical characters given flesh by placing them as part of the story, and plenty information about early modern medicine. I adored Apollo and Uncle Baldwin, and can't wait to find out more about the childrens' powers. I enjoyed finding out more about the birth and baby-steps of a new vampire. I'll definitely read again and I think that knowing what to expect (and what not to expect) will probably increase my enjoyment. It's an enjoyable, easy read, but nothing to get the heart pumping.

This book was always going to focus on Marcus and Phoebe with a hint of Diana and Matthew. Loads of people are saying it lacked a story but the story arc's and character development are there. I loved finding out about Marcus' history, and I liked reading that modern ramifications had a positive effect on Phoebe's story. And it was actually nice to see M+D chilled out for once they had a terrible time in the first 3 books 😂. The story was perfect for me, plenty of back ground story, massive arc's for the characters and a perfect STANDALONE book. Its not part of the trilogy it is its own thing. And I loved it!

This story is the first book in an off-shoot of the All Souls Trilogy. I loved it!I downloaded this book in both the Kindle and audiobook formats, as this gave me the option to either read or listen to it. Saskia Maarlveld narrates the audiobook. Her voice and pacing are excellent, and I enjoyed listening to her bring the characters to life. I would consider listening to other books read by her in the future.This story is an addition to the All Souls world created by Deborah Harkness and follows the life, death, and rebirth of Marcus Whitmore on the eve of Phoebe's transformation into a vampire. The book, told through several points of view, mostly Marcus's, Diana's and Phoebe's, takes the reader on a journey of endings and new beginnings.Several characters from the All Souls world make an appearance; Matthew, Diana, their twins, Phillipe and Rebecca, Isabeau, Marthe, Miriam, Phoebe, and Marcus (to name a few). I also enjoyed meeting Freya, one of Phillipe's daughters. She plays a crucial role in the tale as Phoebe's guide through her transformation from human to vampire.While Phoebe adjusts to her new life as a vampire in today's world, Marcus takes us back in time to his life during the American Revolution and his transformation at the hands of Matthew into the vampire he is today. I became so absorbed in the tale that it felt like I walked alongside the characters, watching events unfold. Not being an American, I am fascinated by the history of that country and the people in it, as well as the country it is today. The author, being a historian, has brought the past to life for me and I am grateful to her for the peek into a bygone era. Marcus's life is not an easy one and contrasts with Phoebe's upbringing. However, these two characters have love on their side, and I enjoyed watching their relationship develop and deepen as the story unfolded.I reached the end of the book with mixed emotions; sad that the book ended, but glad at how it ended. I am now looking forward to reading more books from the All Souls universe, as there are more than a few characters I would like to know more about next.Deborah Harkness has written a fantastic tale in the All Souls universe. She has created a world where humans, witches, daemons and vampires all live in an uneasy alliance. I love her writing style, which is fast-paced and exciting, and the story flowed beautifully!I am looking forward to reading more of her books in the future.I highly recommend this book if you love your stories to be full of witches, daemons and vampires, or if you love paranormal romance or urban fantasy genres. - Lynn Worton

I was so looking forward to this book - finding out more about my favourite characters, (will Gallowglass ever find a worthy mate?) and discovering how their rich family life develops. But there was little in the way of a plot at all. Gone was the tension, replaced by a slow-moving history saga. Edgy and exciting Matthew is played down, almost to the point of invisibility.I understand it must be hard to keep up the standard of her excellent trilogy but I'm hoping this is just a blip, and that another real page-turner is underway.

I have read and re read the trilogy so many times I've lost count! I was really excited to read this book and unsure where the story was going to take me. I really enjoyed the book, it was great learning more about Marcus's past, Phoebe's transition and great to see Mathew and Diane just relaxing for a change! It did not have the sweeping drama of the other books which always felt seamless when you read them, this felt more disjointed. As a stand alone book for fans I loved it, although I wonder what someone new to the series will make of it. I hope that this is just an appetiser for what is to come next !