A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
It’s
a good story in general, and there were times when I couldn’t put the book
down!
*This
review contains no spoilers.
Diana
Bishop is a witch.
However,
she’s not just your everyday, run-of-the-mill, all-gothed-up and brewing
potions type of witch.
If
you were traipsing through the corridors of Oxford College in England, Diana
Bishop wouldn’t look any different from the faculty, staff, and students going
about their day.
And
whether Diana likes it or not – and she really does not like i, at first –
she is a very different type of witch, indeed.
It
isn’t long until Diana finds herself digging into her past, a past that was
supposedly buried along with her parents after they were killed in a car crash.
This chapter in Diana’s life begins when Ashmole 872 – an ancient text
on alchemy, which is said to hold the key to the creation of witches, vampires,
and other such creatures – goes missing from Oxford’s Bodleian Library.
In
a desperate attempt to find the book (which is a Pandora’s Box for others like
Diana if it falls into the wrong hands), Diana struggles to keep her prying
(but loving) aunts at bay…
…all
while also trying to not fall in love with a handsome, scholarly vampire
named Matthew Clairmont.
Matthew
wants – and tries so hard – to bring Diana out of her comfort zone.
Eventually he insists she travels with him to his chateau in France, as a means
to keep her safe from the many enemies that exist between the pair. It is here
that Diana learns to let go of routine and enjoy the finer things in life;
however, her escape from the norm doesn’t come without its dangers.
Will
Matthew be able to protect the first woman he’s fallen in love with since his
wife died? Will Diana learn to embrace her past – AND her love - all while
attempting to find and return Ashmole 872 to the Bodliean?
AND!
Will
Diana and Matthew be able to come together to prevent a war from breaking out
among the other creatures while keeping humans from learning their truth?
Overall,
I did really enjoy the first book in the All Souls Trilogy, written by
Deborah Harkness. She manages to blend magic and science together seamlessly,
and presents it in a way that science is magic and without magic, there
wouldn’t be science.
As
one friend of mine has said about the book, it’s “a dense read”. I myself
consider it a slow burn; not as much as A Game of Thrones by George R.R.
Martin, but the academic aspect can be a lot to take in if one isn’t
scientifically inclined. With that being said, this isn’t the type of book to
be read in one sitting. If you’re a fast reader, maybe…but it’s certainly more
enjoyable if you take your time with it, imo.
I
chose this book to review for the month of February because of Valentine’s Day,
and with the complications of Diana and Matthew’s relationship, I feel the two
are very relatable as far as how they handle the struggles of protecting one
another while putting their own lives on the line…while trying to protect the
lives of those closest to them, all in the name of love.
Personally
my favorite moments throughout the novel were the interactions between Diana
and Ysbeau, Matthew’s mother. She is a force to be reckoned with, and when the
ancient female vampire shares the same room with a modern witch, who has a hefty
ancestry of her own (the Bishops can be traced back to the Salem Witch Trials –
true story!), shenanigans ensue.
Have
you read the All Souls Trilogy? Did you read past the first title, A
Discovery of Witches? What are your overall thoughts? Let’s chat about it
in the comments!
Until
next time, my friend…
Happy
Reading!
~Melanie
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