One of the tips I wrote about in my New Year’s post was to not be afraid to put a bad book down. Reading should never be a chore.

I started to read the second novel in the All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness, and I went into it ready for a fun adventure. A lot of people hated A Discovery of Witches, the first novel in the series, but I thought it was actually OK. Not exactly the most thrilling piece of literature I’ve ever read, but it was fun.

So hopping into Shadow of Night seemed like it should have been a breeze. It seemed like it would be a fascinating, exiting adventure of historical fantasy. Man, I was wrong.

The protagonists in the book traveled back in time to 16th century London during the Elizabethan era. I imagined a rich story full of character development, quirky details and alluring plot development. I was left with a drab story and even more drab characters, with each detail serving to tangle a web of boredom rather than further a compelling narrative.

My golden rule? Give yourself to about page 100 to really figure out if you like a book or not. Most good books will have you hooked right away, but I’ve had some that just took a while to get into. If you’re not enjoying it, don’t force yourself to finish it. Reading is a time to unwind in another world for a while, not a time to suffer through something.

I’ll be bringing my stack of the All Souls Trilogy to the bookshop soon to trade them in, and that means I’ll get some credit toward finding another story.

Plus, that means someone else might have a chance to pick these up that might think it’s their cup of tea.

Read on, friends ❤