Book Review - A Discovery of Witches

All Soul's Trilogy, by Deborah Harkness
1. A Discovery of Witches, 12/01/2011 * * * * *

From Goodreads:

"A richly inventive novel about a centuries-old vampire, a spellbound witch, and the mysterious manuscript that draws them together.

Deep in the stacks of Oxford's Bodleian Library, young scholar Diana Bishop unwittingly calls up a bewitched alchemical manuscript in the course of her research. Descended from an old and distinguished line of witches, Diana wants nothing to do with sorcery; so after a furtive glance and a few notes, she banishes the book to the stacks. But her discovery sets a fantastical underworld stirring, and a horde of daemons, witches, and vampires soon descends upon the library. Diana has stumbled upon a coveted treasure lost for centuries-and she is the only creature who can break its spell.

Debut novelist Deborah Harkness has crafted a mesmerizing and addictive read, equal parts history and magic, romance and suspense. Diana is a bold heroine who meets her equal in vampire geneticist Matthew Clairmont, and gradually warms up to him as their alliance deepens into an intimacy that violates age-old taboos. This smart, sophisticated story harks back to the novels of Anne Rice, but it is as contemporary and sensual as the Twilight series-with an extra serving of historical realism."

My Thoughts:
A very good friend of mine had been telling me that I should read this book for months before I finally gave in and downloaded it to my NookColor.  I didn't want to read A Discovery of Witches, not because of all the wonderful things my friend had to say about it, but because after she recommended it to me the first time I went to Goodreads and read their description of the novel, and that last little line that compares it to the Twilight series completely and totally turned me off.

I realize that it is entirely possible that I am the only person in the world who doesn't care for the Twilight series, and that for MOST people that comparison would be a rousing endorsement.  What it did for me was to cause me to determine to stay as far away from the novel as I possibly could.

Of course, my friend continued to tell me how good the book was and that I would like it, yada yada, and I finally surrendered.  And I am SO GLAD that I did, and so glad that she kept bringing it up, because in truth, A Discovery of Witches is an amazing novel that is incredibly well written, deeply involving, very well researched, and on top of all that, it was impossible to put down.  I loved it!

Diana Bishop is a descendant of very powerful witches, and has purposely ignored her magic nearly all her life.  She has dedicated her life to history, research, and science, and does her very best to avoid the supernatural whenever possible.  But her request of a strange obscure manuscript at the university library initiates a chain of events that force her to deal with her heritage, as members of the three branches of supernatural creatures (witches, vampires, and demons) begin stalking her, waiting for her to break an ancient spell.  Matthew Clairmont, a very old vampire doing genetic research at the same university becomes her protector and of course falls in love with her.  The story moves quickly as the unlikely pair try to escape and evade the many threats against Diana, as Matthew takes her to his home in France and eventually to Diana's old home in upper New York State to try to keep her safe. With the help of Diana's aunts, and several unexpected visitors, Matthew and Diana try to learn more about the mysterious manuscript everyone wants to get their hands on, why the three races are dead set against their relationship, and the mystery of Diana's extremely powerful but nearly uncontrollable magic.

Blending science and the supernatural, A Discovery of Witches is a mesmerizing story with many twists and turns, unexpected plot points, excellent pacing, wonderful characters that come alive in your mind, a tiny dash of romance, and multiple intriguing mysteries.  While I originally did not expect to enjoy the story nearly as much as I did, it now gets 5 stars, and I'm very excited to read book 2, Shadow of Night, which is expected to be released in mid-July, 2012.  I strongly recommend this book to anyone who likes mysteries, vampires, or Anne Rice - just don't let the comparison to Twilight throw you off!

As always, please feel free to leave a comment below  - I'd love to hear your thoughts, whether you've read A Discovery of Witches or not.  But if you haven't read it, you totally should, you know.  I'll keep bugging you until you do.