After finally reading the first book in this trilogy, A Discovery of Witches, last year, I picked up the sequel. Shadow of Night starts right when the first book left off, and I have to admit it took me a little while to get back into the world since I read the other book months ago. However, once the story gets going, it really drew me in. I loved seeing Elizabethan England through Diana's eyes and, as a fellow history major, I could definitely relate to how she interacted with the world. The cast of characters definitely expands in this book, and I agree that sometimes the scenes with Matthew's friends felt like a bit much, and I had some trouble keeping track of who everyone was, but overall it didn't take away too much from the story. Plus, we are introduced to characters we had only heard about in the first book and it turns out that meeting them in this story is well worth it. I know some readers say these books could be edited down but I kind of like how detailed and sprawling Deborah Harkness' storytelling style is; I really feel immersed in the world when I'm reading her work, and the lives of the characters feel very real. Overall, a satisfying second act in the lives of Diana, Matthew, and the world of creatures, and I'll definitely be reading on to find out how their story ends.