"A Discovery of Witches"-Deborah Harkness

Book Title: A Discovery of Witches
Author: Deborah Harkness
Version: ebook
Pubished: February 8th, 2011
Publisher: Viking Books
ISBN: 9781101475690
Genre: Adult Fantasy
Voice: First Person Majority

SYNOPSIS: Diana Bishop is your average tenured history professor and witch. She has taken some time off to further her research on alchemy at Oxford. While in the Bodelian library she requests a book called Ashmole 782 thought to be the definitive book on alchemy. When she gets it her arm begins to tingle and the words race back and forth across the page. After years of denying the magic inside her, Diana quickly slams the book closed and decides to pack it in for the day. She sends the book back in to the depths of the library and decides to forget the whole thing ever happened. If only things were that simple. 

Her next night in the library Diana finds that she is in need of a book that is just out of her reach. Kind of willing the book into her hand Diana heads back towards her reading nook and promptly runs into a vampire. Introducing himself as Matthew Clairmont this alluring and slightly dangerous strange vampire asks Diana to dinner. Fearing that she will be on the menu and having no desire to know any supernatural creaures Diana says 'thanks but no thanks.' After this first meeting Diana finds that Matthew Clairmont is a persistent vampire when he begins showing up daily in the library. It turns out though that he is not the only supernatural creature that has taken up a sudden desire in research. In short order witches and daemons begin showing up at the library with a special interest in all things Diana Bishop.

When Diana discovers that all this sudden attention from other creatures has something to do with the strange book Diana looked at, Ashmole 782, Diana decides to form an unusual and highly unorthodox alliance with the vampire Matthew. Together they head out on an adventure to figure out exactly what is in Ashmole 782 and exactly why the whole creature realm is after Diana and the book. Along the way Diana finds that the necessary alliance with Matthew becomes so much more when she begins falling in love with him. Endangering them even more the two form a bond that not even the ancient rules of their world can break.

Delving further into this mysterious new world Diana begins to learn more about her past, who her parents were, and exactly just how powerful a witch she is. Through ups and downs, danger, mystery, and discovery Diana and Matthew have each other and a very specific goal in mind, discover what Ashmole 782 has to hide and exactly what it has to do with the creature world.

REVIEW: I love books about books and so I was on goodreads.com looking through a list of books about books. "A Discovery of Witches" came up on the list but as I read the description I was totally turned off. I kind of forgot about it for awhile until a really good friend told me that she read it and that it was really good. She told me that Deborah Harkness was a historian so it wasn't only well written but very well researched. Since I highly respect my friend's opinion I decided I would give it a try. Boy am I glad that I did because it is now on my list of favorites.

The story is a surprising one, one that is more complicated than I thought it was going to be. I enjoy paranormal and supernatural stories so the fact that there was that element in it was a really wonderful surprise, I mean I knew that it was going to be about a witch hence the title, but adding in the other creatures was the pleasant surprise part. But there was a twist to it, it was academic and grown up in nature which was a refreshing turn seeing as most of the vampire tales these days are trying to jump on the 'Twilight' bandwagon. Anyway the point is that this was a grown up book about the paranormal and I loved, loved, loved that.

Deborah Harkness' writing was superb and really that's all there is to it. She has such a beautiful way with words it's almost hard to describe. Her writing is not only well thought out but it's well put together. Every word is put deliberately together to form the perfect sentence that goes on to form the perfect paragraph. I don't know what it is about the writing but I lapped it up and I didn't want to put the book down. The great story, coupled with amazing writing, and add in the fantastic research it all makes for a really, really great book.

I highly, highly recommend this book to everyone because it has everything in it. I know that most people steer far away from all things vampires, which is a shame because there are some good paranormal stories out there, but this is so much more than just another vampire story. And I say this again that this is a very grown up story, by that I don't mean there is a lot of sex or violence or swearing in it, I mean that it is a supernatural tale told through the eyes of adults. I don't think that covers it but it will have to do for now. Go out and read it, it is one of those books that I deem a must read. It is full of mystery and magic, history and love and it is all mixed together in such a wonderful and beautiful way.


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The Raven Boys             Once Bitten, Twice Shy