A Discovery of Witches

Title: A Discovery of Witches

Author: Deborah Harkness

Publisher: Penguin Books, 2011

Pages: 579

Genre: Fantasy

A richly inventive novel about a centuries-old vampire, a spellbound witch, and the mysterious manuscript that draws them together.

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.

I was thrilled a few weeks ago when I saw the particular targeted ad telling me that A Discovery of Witches was being made into a television series. I read the trilogy for the first time a few years ago, and I was completely enthralled by the stunning mix of history and fantasy that Harkness lays out over the course of her story. It is nice to know that this time, my opinions were shared with enough other people to warrant the creation of a television show with a rather well-known cast. When I read the news that the books had been made into a series, I decided to re-read the trilogy before the show was released.

These are long books. I enjoyed them in audiobook format, and they are each around 24 hours long. However, they are compelling enough that even through a second listen I was finished with A Discovery of Witches in 5 days. Considering I usually only listen to books during my 45-minute commute to work, you can see how much I could not stop listening to this book. I know that I tend to be easily entertained, and I consume art through rose-tinted lenses a majority of the time. I would say the fact that this book was just as compelling the second time around is a testament to the captivating story that Harkness has weaved together. I knew what was going to happen, and I still could not stop listening!

That doesn’t mean that this book doesn’t fall into certain tropes that are old as time. That’s an exaggeration, but these vampires are old as time. And Matthew Clairmont fits exactly into the controlling stalker box that is quite popular. He is older and wiser and going to tell Diana what to do and when to do it. He is also stronger and faster and more capable of protecting her than anyone else, am I right? Wrong. Excusing his controlling, almost gaslighting, behavior as vampire instinct is a way to gloss over a real problem facing a lot of people today.

And even in the face of all of that, I love this book. But I always have been much more invested in supporting characters and this book is no exception. Sarah Bishop and Emily Mather are the absolute best! I could read a series about their life with great enthusiasm. In saying that, I do really like Diana as a protagonist. She isn’t perfect, which I like. She is driven, strong, and willing to fight for what she thinks is right. And I can’t wait to see how all of this translates to the screen!

Rating: 5/5