October 3, 2018October 1, 2018Juliet21 Comments

A Discovery Of Witches by Deborah Harkness

Paperback: 704 pages
Publisher: Headline Publishing Group (29 Sept. 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0755374045
ISBN-13: 978-0755374045

Synopsis

It begins with absence and desire. It begins with blood and fear. It begins with a discovery of witches.

Fall under the spell of Diana and Matthew in the stunning first volume of the No.1 internationally bestselling ALL SOULS trilogy.

A world of witches, daemons and vampires.

A manuscript which holds the secrets of their past and the key to their future.

Diana and Matthew – the forbidden love at the heart of it.

When historian Diana Bishop opens an alchemical manuscript in the Bodleian Library, it’s an unwelcome intrusion of magic into her carefully ordered life. Though Diana is a witch of impeccable lineage, the violent death of her parents while she was still a child convinced her that human fear is more potent than any witchcraft. Now Diana has unwittingly exposed herself to a world she’s kept at bay for years; one of powerful witches, creative, destructive daemons and long-lived vampires.

Sensing the significance of Diana’s discovery, the creatures gather in Oxford, among them the enigmatic Matthew Clairmont, a vampire genticist.

Diana is inexplicably drawn to Matthew and, in a shadowy world of half-truths and old enmities, ties herself to him without fully understanding the ancient line they are crossing. As they begin to unlock the secrets of the manuscript and their feelings for each other deepen, so the fragile balance of peace unravels…

Review

A Discovery of Witches is another book I chose after seeing the trailer for a new television series; I do like Matthew Goode, and he is very appealing as a vampire. This was a strange choice for me as I don’t read fantasy or supernatural fiction, but I have to say I absolutely loved this book. The story centres around Diana Bishop, an academic, also a witch but one who doesn’t like to use her powers. Whilst researching alchemy for a paper she is writing she comes across a manuscript Ashmole 782, that has been missing for centuries, about the creation of witches, deamons and vampires. Finding this manuscript puts her in danger, and her only ally is Mathew Clairmont, a vampire. As their relationship flourishes and others want the manuscript, Diana and Mathew find themselves in danger.

I was surprised how much I enjoyed A Discovery of Witches, it was like this book bewitched me with it’s wonderful characters and dark plot. Deborah Harkness is a master of characterisation and attention to detail, all of the characters have a back story and a detailed description that bring them to life and makes them more personable. The relationship between Diana and Mathew reminded me of Romeo and Juliet; creatures are forbidden from entering relationships with other creatures, and they have to face the wrath of not only family but also their own kind. Diana and Mathew are certainly a case of opposites attracting, but both seem to compliment each other and make a formidable team as they are pitted against the evil of the Congregation who rule the supernatural world.

Deborah Harkness takes us from the classical buildings of Oxford, the Bodleian Library, and historical university to a chateau in the Auvergen region in France and to America and the home of the Bishop witches, that is able to add rooms and take them away. All are beautifully described, like a detailed painting that I could see in my mind.

I am really glad that I read A Discovery of Witches, I fell in love with the characters and the story and it has me think about reading more supernatural fiction. I found it a very addictive read that had me mesmerised by Diana and Mathew and their story, with the sexual tension boiling over like an over filled cauldron . It’s skilfully written and ends at the perfect moment to take you into the next book All Souls which I can’t wait to read. A Discovery of Witches is spellbindingly superb, a perfect blend of romance, suspense and the occult.

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