Welcome to Shelf Control — an original feature created and hosted by Bookshelf Fantasies.

Shelf Control is a weekly celebration of the unread books on our shelves. Pick a book you own but haven’t read, write a post about it (suggestions: include what it’s about, why you want to read it, and when you got it), and link up! For more info on what Shelf Control is all about, check out my introductory post, here.

Want to join in? Shelf Control posts go up every Wednesday. See the guidelines at the bottom of the post, and jump on board!

Title: Time’s Convert (All Souls, #4)
Author: Deborah Harkness
Published: 2018
Length: 448 pages

What it’s about (synopsis via Goodreads):

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Discovery of Witches comes a novel about what it takes to become a vampire.

On the battlefields of the American Revolution, Matthew de Clermont meets Marcus MacNeil, a young surgeon from Massachusetts, during a moment of political awakening when it seems that the world is on the brink of a brighter future. When Matthew offers him a chance at immortality and a new life free from the restraints of his puritanical upbringing, Marcus seizes the opportunity to become a vampire. But his transformation is not an easy one and the ancient traditions and responsibilities of the de Clermont family clash with Marcus’s deeply held beliefs in liberty, equality, and brotherhood.

Fast-forward to contemporary Paris, where Phoebe Taylor–the young employee at Sotheby’s whom Marcus has fallen for–is about to embark on her own journey to immortality. Though the modernized version of the process at first seems uncomplicated, the couple discovers that the challenges facing a human who wishes to be a vampire are no less formidable than they were in the eighteenth century. The shadows that Marcus believed he’d escaped centuries ago may return to haunt them both–forever.

A passionate love story and a fascinating exploration of the power of tradition and the possibilities not just for change but for revolution, Time’s Convert channels the supernatural world-building and slow-burning romance that made the All Souls Trilogy instant bestsellers to illuminate a new and vital moment in history, and a love affair that will bridge centuries. 

How and when I got it:

I bought the hardcover in 2018, as soon as it was published.

Why I want to read it:

I absolutely loved the All Souls trilogy, so I was thrilled to learn that there would be a new book set in this world. Time’s Convert, as I understand it, is more of a companion piece than a continuation. The All Souls books focused on Matthew and Diana, and their story wraps up nicely in book #3, The Book of Life.

This book focuses on the backstory of a fan-favorite character, and then continues his story into the future beyond The Book of Life. I’m very eager to learn what happens next for Marcus.

So why haven’t I read Time’s Convert yet? No good reason, really, except that as of when it was released, a few years had gone by since I was in the world of All Souls, and I felt like I needed a refresher before diving back in. I thought about re-reading the trilogy… but that just never happened, and now even more years have passed!

I’ve been loving the TV version of A Discovery of Witches, and with just one season remaining before the show catches up with the end of the trilogy, I’m thinking that I’ll watch season 3 before starting Time’s Convert. But — every time I see it sitting on my shelf, I’m reminded that I really do want to read it!

What do you think? Would you read this book?

Please share your thoughts!

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