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)

love the story

I saw an ad for the TV series and decided to check out the book. I wasn't disappointed, I loved it.

Slow at times

Overall I enjoyed this book. I feel the witches are a little overpowered and the ghosts under explained. I agree with other readers that the author reads too slow; however, this was an easy fix as I just increased the speed on the player to 1.25.

First Book

This was my first audible book and I am so great I started with this one. I enjoyed it so much. The story keeps you on the edge of your chair and it is so well put together.

ok, yeah maybe jus me....

I sure would have liked more sexiness, alittle more explicit maybe? Otherwise, most excellent. Narrator did a great job differentiating the characters.

Fabulous

The narrator did an amazing job, my children were even interested and would ask that I turn it up. Great story, I love how descriptive it is. It’s a wonderful escape from real life lol. I’ve already bought book two.

Witches, vampires & daemons

If you are into romance mixed in with mystery, international adventure & the supernatural, you’ve found the right books. (It’s the first of a trilogy & the author’s fourth book tells the tales of additional characters from these books.) The story may seem a little too detailed or rambling for some but, personally, I found these parts worked to pull me further into this world as the author is a history professor & has worked to weave the story with her knowledge of the past. And the narrator, Jennifer Ikeda, does a great job of giving each of what surely must be easily over 30 characters over the course of 3 books, distinctive voices that she manages to maintain so there’s no confusion. I still play it in the background now and then, to keep me company.

Historically fanciful

This was a great read not only for story but how you learn new things that you didn’t know and remember things you forgot about history around the world. It is a must read and can’t wait for the movie. You will not want to put it down!

Enthralled

This book and it’s narrator kept me so enthralled that I did little else, but listen to the story. My chores have suffered. Haha. I will be diving straight into the next installment of this story.

A Medieval Modern Witch+Vampire Star Crossed Lovers Tale

*** WARNING: THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS ***
This Review may (or may not), contain specific information about Characters, Scenes, the Story’s Plot, or even the Exact Ending. Therefore, if You have not yet READ or LISTENED to this story, it is NOT Recommended that You Read further, so that this Review does not spoil the magic and mystery of READING/LISTENING to the Story, Yourself. (END)


OVERALL =
Surprised that I liked it as much as I did, this book kind of draws you in slowly, and before you realize it, you’re all wrapped up and invested in the story. I was even more surprised where and when this story ended. I hadn’t been keeping track, so I expected the “NEXT..”, but unfortunately, I like you, now have to await the “Next” Book in the series.

Overall, I enjoyed the tale, however, at certain points the Listener must suspend his/her belief in reality in order to accept the unbelievable personal characteristics and actions of some of the main characters. The story being yet another cliche rendition of the Star Crossed Lover’s from opposing species, with the world out to persecute them for daring to Love someone whom they historically are supposed to only hate. The number of characters I liked, out weighed the two main characters who generally annoyed me. The sub-plot hunt for the complete, rare manuscript that holds the key to the origin of all species was both an interesting and enjoyable one. Although at the end of this edition, it felt as if the Author just started to completely make s**** up out of left field, in order to tie the story pieces together, and to move the story along...

THE CHARACTERS:
Female Lead/Witch = Orphaned at a young age, by parents who were murdered in Africa under mysterious circumstances. A young witch, born of two extremely powerful witch parents, was expected to be powerful herself, except, after her parent’s death, she foreswears the use of Magic, preferring the cold, logic, and rationale of Science. While Science serves as a great hole in which to bury her proverbial head, You can run, but you can never out run yourself. And with that being the case, the witch’s past catches up with her. The really annoying part, is that through out the story, this damsel in disteess continuously plays the “victim”, when she is likely the most powerful witch alive. Yet, consistently time and again, she relies on other to rush to her defense, and even worse is the fact that instead of taking out her anger on the ones who deserve it, she continously misdirects her anger towards those who are attempting to help and support her. Seriously, as a character, I just wanted to smack her, her insipid whinning, spinelessness, and I don’t even know the word for it, but, as a character, she utterly annoyed me. I wouldn’t have felt that way, had she in the least bit, shown any sign of having a spine.

Male Lead/Vampire = With questionable motives, questionable morals, and a very sketchy and questionable past, He would definitely fall under the consumate “Bad Boy”, yet he meets the female lead and suddenly he’s smitten and rolls over to show his tummy for a rub like a harmless kitten, then suddenly does a 180°, and starts Alpha Male-ing her and expecting her and all to fall in line and just do what he says without question or hesitation, even those characters whom he doesn’t even know, and has literally just met, which again, is just utterly unrealistic. I’ve never been in a group of 5 or more people who would simply tow the line of someone else without question or hesitation, it just does not happen in real life, and it certainly is not believable in a written story!

THE STORY =
The timeless and cliche of a Witch meets a Vampire, and boom, they fall in Love, and it is a star crossed lover’s tale of forbidden love by opposing Species of ‘Monsters’, which no one in power is willing to put up with happening, so they become rebel outlaws with targets on their backs, and the majority of the world coming after hunting them down, along with anyone around them who is offering them shelter.

I can’t say that I did not enjoy the tale, because I did at times, between my frustration with the spineless main female character, and rolling my eyes at the utter Aloha maleness of the main male character. The story is not a bad one, the underlying ‘hunt’ for a unique and rare tomb that may hold the key to the origin of all species, makes for an interesting story in and of itself. The variety and quantity of sub-characters is admirable, and interesting. And I can say that I would definitely listen to the next edition release to learn what happens “Next”..

THE NARRATION:
I was driving back from a doctor appt one day while playing this audio book in the car with my sister. I told her then, how amazing this Narrator was, that there are multiple characters within the story, and yet, the Narrator was so good at doing voices, etc., that I often forgot that they were all performed by One Single Person!! When that happens to a Reader listening to a story, then the Narrator certainly deserves as many accolades as possible, especially, because there are so many different characters within this story. Suspending belief, and being drawn into the story, picking up on the nuances of each character’s personality, and becoming invested in various character, or their evoking an emotional response, is not only a responsibility and a credit of the Writer/Author, but in an Audio Book, that is Critical and a Key responsibility of the Narrator, so “Thank You!”, for making it so easy for me to ‘Believe’l, and “Witness” (in my mind’s eye) the Story so clearly!

Loved this book!

The story line had me guessing. I turned this book on anytime I had a chance to listen. Great performance by the reader, great accents and playing into character.