A Discovery of Witches
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Deep in the stacks of Oxford's Bodleian Library, young scholar Diana Bishop unwittingly calls up a bewitched alchemical manuscript in the course of her research. But her discovery sets a fantastical underworld stirring, and a horde of daemons, witches, and vampires soon descends upon the library, and
… More »Deep in the stacks of Oxford's Bodleian Library, young scholar Diana Bishop unwittingly calls up a bewitched alchemical manuscript in the course of her research. But her discovery sets a fantastical underworld stirring, and a horde of daemons, witches, and vampires soon descends upon the library, and she is the only creature who can break the spell. Debut novelist Deborah Harkness has crafted a mesmerizing and addictive read, as contemporary and sensual as the Twilight series, with an extra serving of historical realism.
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Diana Bishop is a witch in denial. An orphan born to a prominent witch family, she's ignoring her magical heritage to pour her energy into academia. She's travelled to Oxford's Bodleian Library to research a lecture she's giving on alchemy - but when she orders up one ancient manuscript, she unwittingly unleashes a maelstrom of supernatural power. Soon, she can't walk to her study carrel without tripping over some witch, vampire or demon brimming with curiosity or malicious intent. One such creature is Matthew Clairmont, a handsome fellow academic with a sanguine disposition. As other supernatural creatures become more threatening, Diana finds herself warily grateful for the help he offers. Can she survive the powers she's unleashed to become the witch she's meant to be? Is the real Matthew the kind, chivalrous man she's come to know, or the bloodthirsty hunter of whom she finds hints? The answers to these questions will determine the fate of the uneasy worldwide peace between witches, demons, vampires and humans.<br /> Like *Harry Potter*, *A Discovery of Witches* features an orphaned witch with latent legendary powers who encounters a great evil. It shares a great sense of mythology and place, too – you can practically smell the Bodleian when you're reading, and Oxford almost becomes extra character in the book. Diana's aunts' bewitched home in Wisconsin shares the same haunted architectural quirks readers loved in Hogwarts. And, like *Twilight*, an apparently-doomed romance with plenty of sexual tension and a sense of destiny takes centre stage in the action (but be forewarned: readers frustrated by the unresolved tension or the gender politics in *Twilight* will find themselves pretty annoyed with this book, too). This first book in the *All Souls* trilogy will also appeal to readers who enjoy the time travel elements and exhaustive research of authors like Diana Gabaldon (*Outlander* series) and Susanna Kearsley (*The Winter Sea*, *Marianna*). Other potential appeal factors include emphases on yoga, literature, and serious wine and book collecting. A great story to pick up for Hallowe'en, you'd best read the book now while the hold list is short, because the movie rights have already been purchased by Warner Bros. Oh, and good news for your future addiction issues: The second book, *Shadow of Night*, is anticipated for a summer 2012 release.
frist in Trilogy--All Souls Trilogy next novel 2012
Slow at the beginning but reached a point where I didn't want to put it down. Can't wait for next book in series!
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Add a CommentGreat read for those lovers of the dark arts. More involved, better writing than typical books of this genre.
Deborah Harkness’s near-600 page book follows a modern-day romance between a centuries-old vampire and geneticist Matthew and a modern witch and history scholar Diana. When Diana calls up a bewitched manuscript during the course of her research at the Bodleian library, she stirs up an entire underworld - witches, vampires (including Matthew) and daemons flood the library at Oxford to get hold of the powerful manuscript with its untold secrets. Diana and Matthew pursue a forbidden romance, (as a union between witches and vampires is taboo in their world), and find their dangerous “ever-after” which the author will further explore in the sequel Shadow of Night. This book has magic, suspense, an urban setting, adventure, fantasy, time-travel, paranormal romance, and a lot of history. Wine, yoga, tea, history, architecture, food, genetics and research are some of the interests of these paranormal lovers. Warner Brothers has recently acquired the movie rights for Harkeness’s three-book series.Reviewed by KB
The horror genre has exploded in the last 5 years. There are more books than could be counted about vampires, werewolves and witches. No one really believes in the existence of such creatures. Yet why are novels which feature them always out when I want to borrow them from the library? Why do stories about such 'people' fascinate us so?
The advertising said it was like harry potter or twilight for adults, which is a slur on this book. It was fun, interesting and different.
So I am going to go against the grain of comments here and announce that I really enjoyed this book! Does it have depth? No. Is the main character the most independent woman alive? No. But it is fiction and it is just for fun! Romance, adventure, lost manuscripts, magic... really what more could a girl ask for? It was a great read, start to finish, and I cannot wait for the sequel!
It's rare that I do not finish a book, but even though I was over halfway through I could not justify wasting any more time on this story. I agree with everything reviewers jstan18 and sexygecko said. The characters were unengaging and terribly cliche, the tone was pretentious, and there was no drive to the story. Ugh.
NYT bestseller Trade Fiction list. Maybe it'll be on audiobook one day soon. Really mixed reviews here! I like otherworldly/ paranormal.
I could barely make it through this book and think it belongs in the Finer Things Club of stuffy drivel. I wanted to throttle the main character at every turn and couldn't understand the witch/vampire romance. What exactly did he see in her?! These are adults and there needs to be more logic behind their decisions. This book was unoriginal but made to seem original by layering in superfluous information about pretentious topics like wine, rowing, art, and yoga. I think this book is a reflection of its author - an arrogant intellectual who thinks she's smart enough to jump on the supernatural themes bandwagon and trick some unassuming adult Twi-hards into buying her book(s). She's laughing all the way to the bank while I'm renewing this book 3 times at the library so I can try to get through it in under 3 months.
This book really ticked me off by the end of it. I was SO disappointed, as it started with so much potential. It turned into another typical stupid damsel in distress book. The protagonist literally does NOTHING except snivel about being in love with this vampire whom she cannot live without. Geez, that's original, a woman who can't function unless there's a big strapping man to sweep her off her feet and away from danger. This sweeping off the feet literally happens - numerous times. And at one point, when said vampire takes off for a day or two, she mopes and swoons...oh dearie me, however shall i live without you, I am but a caricature of a well developed independent female character who needs the crutch of your masculinity in order to be fulfilled. GAG. Seriously, a female witch with a PhD has so much potential to be a truly deep, strong, well developed character whose relationship with a male vampire can be explored through the richness of her character - but no. Despite the lip service given to this witch who says constantly "I can take care of myself!" she's just another flimsy trope of femininity that falls flat. Bleh. I hate when idiotic stereotypes are perpetuated by pseudo feminist stories.
Amazing book the best I have read in a long time. I could not put it down, though now I am faced with having to wait untill the summer for the next installment, can't wait.