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A Discovery of Witches

By: Deborah Harkness
Narrated by: Jennifer Ikeda
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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)

Featured Article: The 25 Best Vampire Audiobooks to Suck You In


Vampire stories have fascinated people across cultures for generations. From gothic Transylvania to early-aughts Washington, it seems like vampires have taken every form in every culture and every country around the world. From all of these options, we’ve selected 25 of the best audiobooks from the pack—those with the most captivating characters, creepiest settings, and, perhaps most importantly, the best vocal performances available.

What listeners say about A Discovery of Witches

Average customer ratings
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spellbinding

loved it, loved the characters. I like the story lines involved with all the different creatures and ghosts. Bringing past, present and future together.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

A great read!

I cannot rave enough about this book! This is such a nice respite from all of the YA fantasy! Jennifer Ikeda is fantastic! She can switch between several different accents flawlessly - you know exactly which character is talking before she gets two words out! My only problem is I don't know how I'm going to be able to survive until the next book comes out :) Definitely pick this book up, guys - you won't regret it!!

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Love this book!

This book series is one of my all time favorites. It's intelligent, thrilling and very well written. Weaving science and historical facts into fiction is magical to me. This story pulls you in and takes you on a real journey with new and exciting characters. Every time I listen is as exciting as the first. I would love to see this on film!

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Not to be passed up

This is the best witchy story I have heard/read in years!!! Do not pass this one up!! It will leave you breathless and wanting more.

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Absolutely gorgeous story and narration!

The narrator's voice fit this lush story, full of mystery and romance, perfectly. I was swept away by the words, by her cadence, and by the depth of research that went into this work. I'm starting to listen to the next book as soon as I finish this review.

While I love Fantasy as a genre, I'm not normally into modern settings or vampire stories. Don't let the characters deceive you. This is a great story, written beautifully, and very well set.

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Witches, Vampires & Daemons-Oh my!

The narrator's voices really captured the essence of the characters. The story hooked me quickly, which is very unusual as it often takes me 100+ pages to get into even a good book. I would recommend this book to anyone who like fantasy & sci-fi. I have already downloaded the next 2 books and am recruiting all my friends to read the trilogy too.

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mythical, creature, mystery, love, & character

I loved it.Great read. Excited to move onto the next book and continue the story.

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    5 out of 5 stars

An engaging atory!

Wonderful story! i was swept away and can't wait to read/hear the 2nd and 3rd books.

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Couldn't stop listening!

Sexy, fascinating, and fabulously written! Love how scientifically the author approaches the paranormal. Splendid

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wonderful

beautiful I couldn't stop once I started then watched the movies book was better. will be listening to all by this writer

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