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)

the best listen ever!

What made the experience of listening to A Discovery of Witches the most enjoyable?

She makes you feel like you are there with just the right amount of descriptive writing amazingly talented captivating I hated to pull my head phones off, an was left wanting and excited to get back to my story.

What did you like best about this story?

It keeps you wanting to listen.

Which scene was your favorite?

all of them shes an amazingly gifted writer.

A nice story, would be all 5s if..

while i enjoyed the story fully, there were times the author made some characters so pathetically weak, with stereotypical live story twists that it became a pathetic distraction, but then the narrator made it worse, actually making me cringe as she amplified the weakness of the main characters. the characters and story is bold, a few insecurities and misunderstandings is fine but why sink to gravelly voices, it took away from the series, from the first listen years ago to listening again now,
the story is good enough to make up for that, I recommend this series overall.

Bewitching

I enjoyed this audiobook, it was easy to follow, interesting, and intriguing. Looking forward to listening to Book 2!

Great Listen & Narrator!

Any additional comments?

I'm so happy I bought this one. It was a great listen and an excellent narrator. Can't wait for the next one in the series.

Waiting for her next book

I so enjoyed this book. I listened to it quite some time ago and it continues to "haunt" me. Great characters, good narration and an intriguing story-line. Looking forward to Shadow of Night in July 2012.

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!