A Discovery of Witches

A Novel

By: Deborah Harkness

Narrated by: Jennifer Ikeda

Length: 23 hrs and 59 mins

Publisher's summary

Book one of the New York Times best-selling All Souls Series—"a wonderfully imaginative grown-up fantasy with all the magic of Harry Potter and Twilight” (People).

Now “[a] hot show that’s like Twilight meets Outlander” (Thrillist) airing on AMC and BBC America, as well as streaming on Sundance Now and Shudder.

Deborah Harkness’s sparkling debut, A Discovery of Witches, has brought her into the spotlight and galvanized fans around the world. In this tale of passion and obsession, Diana Bishop, a young scholar and a descendant of witches, discovers a long-lost and enchanted alchemical manuscript, Ashmole 782, deep in Oxford's Bodleian Library. Its reappearance summons a fantastical underworld, which she navigates with her leading man, vampire geneticist Matthew Clairmont.

Harkness has created a universe to rival those of Anne Rice, Diana Gabaldon, and Elizabeth Kostova, and she adds a scholar's depth to this riveting tale of magic and suspense. The story continues in book two, Shadow of Night, book three, The Book of Life, and the fourth in the series, Time’s Convert.

©2011 Deborah Harkness (P)2011 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“A wonderfully imaginative grown-up fantasy with all the magic of Harry Potter or Twilight.... An irresistible tale of wizardry, science and forbidden love.” (People)

“Romantic, erudite, and suspenseful.... Harkness attends to every scholarly and emotional detail with whimsy, sensuality, and humor.” (O, The Oprah Magazine)

“A thoroughly grown-up novel packed with gorgeous historical detail and a gutsy, brainy heroine to match.... Harkness writes with thrilling gusto about the magical world.” (Entertainment Weekly)

Excellent

The reading was wonderful and expressive.
The story was engaging. Tasteful and straightforward in its telling.

Great :) can't wait to hear the next one.

Great, enjoyed it and I can't wait to hear the rest of the books. Well worth the cost!

I just love this book, really enjoyed the retelling and the quality. Well done. :)

Be-Witched

Very good writing. D. Harkness can write. The characters were well developed. The settings we well set. My beefs with this book were that it strayed way too close to the romance genre. It took half the book for anything to happen. I found myself torn between boredom of the story and enthrallment with the characters

No blood, no guts, yet, all the glory

Yes, I recommend this book to everyone looking for an interesting read, who is sick of all of the graphic violence and shock value by which so much of this genre is characterized. You can wrap up in a warm blanket with some tea and biscuits and become instantly engrossed without worrying about losing your appetite (or will to live). I loved it and can't wait for the next to come out!

I love this book it's a GEM

This is my second time diving into A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES. This love story is electrifying and juicy. On to the next book.

good story

a few errors in writing, but overall an enjoyable read to disappear into. It kept me company through a week-long battle with the flu.

One of the Best Books Ever

Would you listen to A Discovery of Witches again? Why?

I've listen to this book or part of this book at least once a week since I bought it. I love it on long drives are those nights that I just can't get to sleep. Lovely story. I am waiting for the series to continue.

What was one of the most memorable moments of A Discovery of Witches?

Diana's reunion with her parents

What about Jennifer Ikeda’s performance did you like?

The best fit for this work. I have not purchase so audio books that I liked because I did not like the narrators voice. I love Jennifer style and will buy more books that she is narrating just because he voice makes them interesting

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I read this book before I bought the audio so it did not come in to play. I play 7 hours of different sections most night as I lay in bed.

Any additional comments?

Let Jennifer really needs to narrate the coming editions. Waiting for the coming sequels is one of the reasons that I still have an audible account. I have credits that roll over from month to month because I do most of my reading using books or the ereader. Once I read a book I love I buy it in audio.

slow start but worth it

If you could sum up A Discovery of Witches in three words, what would they be?

Outstanding narrator

What other book might you compare A Discovery of Witches to and why?

probably twilight although I didn't' read that

Have you listened to any of Jennifer Ikeda’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

She made the book. Her ability was exceptional. I stayed with it because of her ability.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No. Very long and until chapter 20 or so I almost stopped.

Four Horsemen

These four horsemen aren’t what you imagined - they’re the good guys. They are also young and hot. When Verity joins them things get complicated. The characters and storyline are interesting and enough questions introduced to make me quite eager for the next book.