A Discovery of Witches

A Discovery or Witches (All Souls Trilogy, #1)
by Deborah Harkness

579 pages
Published February 8, 2011

A richly inventive novel about a centuries-old vampire, a spellbound witch, and the mysterious manuscript that draws them together.

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. Descended from an old and distinguished line of witches, Diana wants nothing to do with sorcery; so after a furtive glance and a few notes, she banishes the book to the stacks. But her discovery sets a fantastical underworld stirring, and a horde of daemons, witches, and vampires soon descends upon the library. Diana has stumbled upon a coveted treasure lost for centuries-and she is the only creature who can break its spell.

Debut novelist Deborah Harkness has crafted a mesmerizing and addictive read, equal parts history and magic, romance and suspense. Diana is a bold heroine who meets her equal in vampire geneticist Matthew Clairmont, and gradually warms up to him as their alliance deepens into an intimacy that violates age-old taboos. This smart, sophisticated story harks back to the novels of Anne Rice, but it is as contemporary and sensual as the Twilight series-with an extra serving of historical realism.

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This is one of those books I wanted to read even before it came out. Because of that, it had been almost a year since I'd read the blurb, and I'd pretty much forgotten what it said. Did that make me read the blurb again before I started the book? Of course not. I knew I wanted to read it.

Then, lo and behold, there appeared vampires. Now, if you know me, you'll know that I think the vamp thing is a bit overdone. I've been known to only buy a book once I know there aren't vampires in it. Honestly, I was a little disappointed--what I wanted to read about was witches. But I held off judgement. Yep, I really did. And I'm glad.

Matthew Clairmont is the quintessential vampire. If you read this book, keep one hand ready to keep your jaw from smacking into your chest. (Can you tell I loved this character?)

I also loved the fact that the story is set against an academia backdrop, which was extremely well done. I loved pretty much every character, and every twist and turn of the plot.

I can't decide if I'm super excited for the next book to come out, or if I want to run and hide from it. There are subtle hints in this that say the next book just might not go where, and do what, I want it to. I'm a little scared of that.

Superb writing, flawless story, and--despite what you may have heard--not to be compared to Twilight. (If it was, Twilight could very easily lose.)

5/5 stars