Review: 63. A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness...

This is another book I've been meaning to pick up for quite a while, and now that I've read it, I wonder what was I waiting for??

Title: A Discovery of Witches
Author: Deborah Harkness
ISBN-13: 9780670022410
Hardcover: 579 pages
Publisher: Penguin Group, 2011
Purchase at IndieBound, Amazon, The Book Depository
Source: Penguin

drey's thoughts:
Witches, Vampires, and Daemons, oh my!! Diana Bishop has been fighting her family's lineage for her entire life. Who wants to be known as being related to that Bishop? So she turns her energies to science, and focuses on research instead of spells. When one of the manuscripts she pulls from the depth of Oxford's Bodleian Library sparks with magical energy she quickly takes her notes and sends it back, not knowing that she's been the only one who's been able to unlock its magical bonds.

Next thing you know, Diana is surrounded by the supernatural--including the irrepressibly charming Matthew Clairmont. All of them want her to recall the manuscript, all of them want to possess it. But Diana can't. And that inability puts her life in jeopardy, because nobody believes it. When Matthew offers his help, she refuses (of course!). But eventually she has to accept, even as she's questioning his motives--what does he want with Ashmole 782?

A Discovery of Witches has something for everybody... Do you like mysteries? Well, come along as Diana tries to unravel the mystery behind Ashmole 782--what secrets is it hiding, why the magical binding? If you like history then there's a lot of that covered here too. After all, Diana is a professor of history, and when another major character is a centuries-old vampire, you get quite a bit of history-telling... Of course, paranormal fans will enjoy the detail of magic and the backstory of why the vampires, witches, and daemons aren't allowed to interact. Romantics at heart will love watching Diana fall in love. Let's see, have I left anyone out?

I really enjoyed Diana and Matthew, and even Matthew's assistant Miriam, and his very-scary mother Ysabeau. Deborah's writing makes you care for her characters, and she surrounds them with lush landscapes and detailed histories. I loved this book, and cannot wait for more.

drey's rating: Outstanding! A Discovery of Witches is an engrossing story that will have you hooked 'till the very last word.