A Discover of Witches book review

I was looking for a book to read and I wanted one that I wouldn't finish in a day. I have been doing that lately; finishing a book almost too quickly for my own good. I get so involved and then realize it's over. Sad. My criteria for this next book was that it required more time.

I looked all over and just wasn't sure what exactly I wanted to read. I am becoming a fan of sci fi. I love Biographies. I am a huge fan of fiction and I do love an occasional romance. I recently got into Nature with a focus on agriculture. I am a fan of real life stories. Mostly I love it when someone writes a book that allows me to live their life for a short time. One of my favorite aspects of a book is when the author is struggling with something, takes a huge risk and survives to tell the story. It is inspiring and usually a real good in-depth look at someone's life. And I am nosy.

After much struggle, I picked up the book A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness. I hesitated to read this because I was struggling with sleeping after reading all the science fiction books that were making my imagination just fly. I have so much negativity already in my head, I don't need to add anymore, so I was taking a break from the abnormal and psychological.

I have to say, I was so pleasantly surprised at how wonderfully positive and almost childlike this story felt. It had all the surprise and wonder of a children's story, but was thick with structure. It was such a brilliantly different look on the vampire/witches aspect that is all over. It was a bit of a paranormal romance mixed with scifi and fantasy adventure. It was so great how it was all wrapped together. Harkness did a fantastic job developing the characters and intertwining them together. I usually love the main character the best, but in fact, she did such a great job allowing these characters to develop that I loved the not so lovable characters too.

I won't spoil the ending, but I do hope this is a first of many to come. I would love to know what happens next.

Synopsis of the book -

When historian Diana Bishop opens a bewitched alchemical manuscript in Oxford’s Bodleian Library it represents an unwelcome intrusion of magic into her carefully ordinary life. Though descended from a long line of witches, she is determined to remain untouched by her family’s legacy. She banishes the manuscript to the stacks, but Diana finds it impossible to hold the world of magic at bay any longer.

For witches are not the only otherworldly creatures living alongside humans. There are also creative, destructive daemons and long-lived vampires who become interested in the witch’s discovery. They believe that the manuscript contains important clues about the past and the future, and want to know how Diana Bishop has been able to get her hands on the elusive volume.

Chief among the creatures who gather around Diana is vampire Matthew Clairmont, a geneticist with a passion for Darwin. Together, Diana and Matthew embark on a journey to understand the manuscript’s secrets. But the relationship that develops between the ages-old vampire and the spellbound witch threatens to unravel the fragile peace that has long existed between creatures and humans—and will certainly transform Diana’s world as well.

Link to the author's website