Deep in the stacks of Oxford's Bodleian Library, young scholar Diana Bishop unwittingly calls up a bewitched alchemical manuscript in the course of her research. Descended from an old and distinguished line of witches, Diana wants nothing to do with sorcery; so after a furtive glance and a few notes, she banishes the book to the stacks. But her discovery sets a fantastical underworld stirring, and a horde of daemons, witches, and vampires soon descends upon the library. Diana has stumbled upon a coveted treasure lost for centuries-and she is the only creature who can break its spell.
There are few books that I take slowly. I hate reading each line and repeating it in my head until I understand every word and can recite it back. I am a skimmer when I read sadly, picking up on dialogue only and dismissing most of the rest. However, when it came to A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness I could not get enough. This book is one I will be recommending until the day I die. Not only is the world Harkness creates one so magical and wonderful, it’s also so contemporary and real. I felt as though this truly could be happening in Oxford as I was reading it! I know look over my shoulder when I’m grocery shopping, looking for vampires, daemons, and witches.
The main character, Diana, is an extremely accomplished woman as well as kind, funny, well rounded and a great example of a strong female in literature. I couldn’t help the girl crush developing! She is well educated, she cares very much about her work, and she does NOT need a man to define her. Matthew, her eventual partner through all the adventures in the novel, is a magnificent male character who we discover right away is in fact a vampire. He proves to me that through time (regardless of just how much time for vampires) people do have the ability to change and adapt to any surroundings they’re in. He can be a bit grumpy and overprotective but I found it part of his charm because not once did he believe Diana to be incapable of protecting herself. Their love story isn’t one that makes you sick from how sweet it is; it’s actually very realistic minus the timeline and the fact that they’re creatures. There’s even a slight Romeo and Juliet feel from it which if you read this series you will pick up on. Even the supporting characters had their own unique voice that stood out whenever they were brought up. I loved each of them and can honestly say there is not one character that I didn’t find interesting.
I am fully investing in finishing this trilogy and although they take me a bit longer to read, I am excited to see what’s to come for these characters I now love.
Rating: 4.5/5
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