No one has the right to tell two creatures that they cannot love each other–no matter what their species.

It all begins with a lost manuscript, a reluctant witch, and 1,500-year-old vampire. Dr. Diana Bishop has a really good reason for refusing to do magic: she is a direct descendant of the first woman executed in the Salem Witch Trials, and her parents cautioned her be discreet about her talents before they were murdered, presumably for having “too much power.” So it is purely by accident that Diana unlocks an enchanted long-lost manuscript (a book that all manner of supernatural creatures believe to hold the story of all origins and the secret of immortality) at the Bodleian Library at Oxford, and finds herself in a race to prevent an interspecies war. A sparkling debut written by a historian and self-proclaimed oenophile, A Discovery of Witches is heady mix of history and magic, mythology and love (cue the aforementioned vampire!), making for a luxurious, intoxicating, one-sitting read.

This one’s a bit of a tough review for me. This book is such a dichotomy, it feels as if I should really write two separate posts – one for the first half of the book and one for the last half. Unfortunately I can’t do that, so you get one review which ranges from strong dislike to absolute love.

Forgive me my mood swings.

Matthew kept hinting that his desire – for blood, chiefly- was so strong that it put everything else at risk. But vampires weren’t the only creatures who had to manage such strong impulses. Much of what qualified as magic was simply desire in action. Witchcraft was different- that took spells and rituals. But magic? A wish, a need, a hunger too strong to be denied- these could turn into deeds when they cross a witch’s mind.”
— Deborah Harkness, A Discovery of Witches

For once, I’m starting with the bad, which is really the first half of this book. The word ‘bad’ is the wrong descriptor for this section – slow or heavy would work better. The first half of this book is filled with information regarding alchemy and the manuscripts the main character is working with. There are historical facts, scientific nomenclature and a flood of information the author throws at her readers for over three hundred pages. I was almost at the point of flouncing the book altogether when a few friends promised me I would love the last half, intrigued me with innuendo regarding the term ‘bundling’ and practically threatened to fill my twitter feed with Justin Bieber lyrics if I didn’t finish. So I sighed, made another cup of tea, and planted myself on my couch until I broke through the halfway point… and thank goodness I did.

Yes, I see that you are behaving like a prince but that doesn’t mean you won’t behave like a devil at the first opportunity.”
— Deborah Harkness, A Discovery of Witches

The second half of this book focuses more on Diana and Matthew, the witch and the vampire, as they learn about each other and begin a wonderfully well-written romance. There’s no hot and heavy here, everything is subtle and quiet, two people learning and loving and slowly falling more in love than in lust. There’s also the drama of the alchemy text Diana (and almost every other supernatural being in the Oxford area) is looking for, the problems caused by two different species of beings coming together, and a haunted house that likes to keep the people in it on their toes.

Honestly, the Bishop house could be its own character – I loved it!

Somewhere in the center of my soul, a rusty chain began to unwind. It freed itself, link by link, from where it had rested, unobserved, waiting for him. My hands, which had been balled up and pressed against his chest, unfurled with it. The chain continued to drop, to an unfathomable depth where there was nothing but darkness and Matthew. At last it snapped to its full length, anchoring me to a vampire. Despite the manuscript, despite the fact that my hands contained enough voltage to run a microwave, and despite the photograph, as long as I was connected to him, I was safe.”
— Deborah Harkness, A Discovery of Witches

If my review seems all over the place it’s because this book spun me through a ringer of emotions. I literally rolled my eyes, laughed, cried, sighed, and bit my lips in anticipation as I followed Diana and Matthew through their first meeting to their adventures as the world of supernatural beings tries to tear them apart. The story of them as a couple is beautiful, a true love story with a nice, slow burn that makes you want to skim your fingers along the pages over such pretty words.

In this room we understand why this war might be fought…it’s about our common belief that no one has the right to tell two creatures that they cannot love each other–no matter what their species.”
— Deborah Harkness, A Discovery of Witches

As I said in my Goodreads review, “The last half? With the feelings and the planning and the house (OMG THE HOUSE) and the stuff? Yeah, that’s how to grab a reader and make her sneaky read while sitting at her desk just to see what happens next. Matthew, Marcus, Hamish, Sarah, Em, Diana…I love them all. I hate that I have to wait another year for the next book but this one left off in the perfect place. Excellent read!”

Overall I would totally tell anyone to read this book. Buy it, read it, pet it, love it, then read it again and again and again. Just stick with it through the exceptionally long set-up period at the start and you’ll fall in love with Diana and Matthew just as I did. I will definitely pre-order second book in the series as soon as it becomes available.

About the Author (from Goodreads):
My life has been a series of left turns that nevertheless took me in the right direction (though it didn’t always seem so at the time). I went to college to be a theater major and ended up studying the Renaissance. I went to grad school to become a college administrator and loved to teach so much I became a college professor instead. I thought I wanted to be a Tudor-Stuart historian, and found myself a historian of science. I started blogging because a friend needed help on a project in 2006 and am still blogging about wine today.

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