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)

Great book

I enjoyed the characters and the story very much! The narrator was amazing. Looking forward to the next book in the series!!

Pleasant surprise!

I enjoyed this book much more than I was expecting. I agree with other reviews that describe it as reminiscent of Twilight, but more mature & sophisticated. I enjoyed the interactions between Diana and Matthew and how their characters and relationships developed and grew throughout the book. The last nearly third of the book was basically a setup for the sequel - definitely not a standalone story. I plan to read the second book in the series.

Charming

I enjoyed this listen quite thoroughly. The narrator's voice is soothing and the story is delightful. I enjoy the relationship between the two protagonists most of all! ^_^

Detail

I love how the author did her research i like history and I like that I would find my self Googling periods in time.

Captivating

I was drawn through the story like an ox by its nose ring, yet willing and eager. The detail and artistic visualization kept me fascinated in each new setting and each new character and interaction.

Good Storyline

It was a pretty good storyline with some parts that were super engaging and interesting. But there were some parts that seemed to get bogged down with lots of detail that really was not germane to the storyline and slowed the progression down a bit. The actress did a fairly decent job with changing accents and voices but with so many characters, it was obviously a challenge. 

Slow burn

Overall a great beginning to a series, but slow to grow on you. This is typical of all 1st books in a series, and the only reason I docked a star overall. Great story, great performance, I hope the rest of the series is as good.

Great book

I did love the accents, but the reader seemed to have an odd pace. I had to speed up the pace in some places and slow in others.

Detailed

Very good world building! At times it got pretty scientific but you can’t say you didn’t have all the info!

love this series and the first one is the best.

Great story and solid writing. I read the series at least once a year.