A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness Review

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.

Debut novelist Deborah Harkness has crafted a mesmerizing and addictive read, equal parts history and magic, romance and suspense. Diana is a bold heroine who meets her equal in vampire geneticist Matthew Clairmont, and gradually warms up to him as their alliance deepens into an intimacy that violates age-old taboos. This smart, sophisticated story harks back to the novels of Anne Rice, but it is as contemporary and sensual as the Twilight series-with an extra serving of historical realism.

It begins with absence and desire. It begins with blood and fear. It begins with a discovery of witches.

When historian Diana Bishop opens an alchemical manuscript in the Bodleian Library, it's an unwelcome intrusion of magic into her carefully ordered life. Though Diana is a witch of impeccable lineage, the violent death of her parents while she was still a child convinced her that human fear is more potent than any witchcraft. Now Diana has unwittingly exposed herself to a world she's kept at bay for years; one of powerful witches, creative, destructive daemons and long-lived vampires. Sensing the significance of Diana's discovery, the creatures gather in Oxford, among them the enigmatic Matthew de Clermont, a vampire geneticist. Diana is inexplicably drawn to Matthew and, in a shadowy world of half-truths and old enmities, ties herself to him without fully understanding the ancient line they are crossing. As they begin to unlock the secrets of the manuscript and their feelings for each other deepen, so the fragile balance of peace unravels...

Any budding authors would have heard this golden nugget of advice a thousand times over. Write what you know, and in A Discovery of Witches Harkness has done just that. Diana Bishop, a historian staying in Oxford, and witch, discovers Ashmole 782, a missing alchemical manuscript surrounded by magic.

Diana’s discovery of this book brings vampires, witches and demons flocking to Oxford, and among them the mysterious Matthew de Clermont, vampire scientist, who specializes in genealogy and believes the manuscript holds the secret to the origins of the supernatural species and aid their survival. However, while Matthew and Diana search for the book once more, with other creatures lying in wait, the chemistry flares causing the couple more trouble.

A Discovery of witches is by no means a quick and easy read. Firstly it’s long very long, and if you love non-stop action, this probably won’t be the book for you. Likewise, I don’t think this will be the book for you, if you know nothing and are not interested in University life. But please don’t get me wrong; A Discovery of Witches is anything but boring.

The complexity of the characters, they mystery that surrounds Ashmole 782 (there is a lot of questions this book will raise, and you’ll have to carry on reading till you know, because Harkness offers no hints, just drops beautifully written bombshells,) and other mysteries that if I mention will just spoil the whole plot will keep you coming back for more and more.

The Twilight comparisons are there, mainly brooding over protective vampire, but Harkness’ sophistication, the deeply and accurately embedded Science, just makes the book fresh and exciting. However the overbearing protective vampire is just as appealing too.

4 and ½ stars out of 5… 

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The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater Review

“There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark’s Eve,” Neeve said. “Either you’re his true love . . . or you killed him.”

It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive.

Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them—not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her.

His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.

But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little.

For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore.

From Maggie Stiefvater, the bestselling and acclaimed author of theShiver trilogy and The Scorpio Races, comes a spellbinding new series where the inevitability of death and the nature of love lead us to a place we’ve never been before.

“If you ever kiss your true love, he will die.”

Blue Sargent has been told repeatedly that she will the death of her true love, and being the daughter of a psychic, this she doesn’t doubt.

Gansey a rich private school student is on a quest to find a long lost welsh king, and with the help of his friends Ronan, Adam and Noah, he is closer than ever.

But the path ahead is dangerous, Blue has seen Gansey’s spirit on St Mark’s day, which means within a year he will be dead, and Blue will have a part to play in his demise.

With Maggie’s distinct style, The Raven Boys is not only typically Stiefvater, but Stiefvater at her best. It’s a love story, without being a love story, as the journey of the characters take predominance over any romantic endeavours. And yet love hangs in every scene, niggling in the readers’ mind, while at the same time, the threat of death and mystery has you so transfixed that you can’t put the book down.

The varied vantage point focus on the characters means that when reading, you feel one step ahead of the characters, and yet you’re not. Maggie is still able to include many twists and turns that will leave your head in a spin, as you’re not quite ahead as you may have thought. Which means absolutely anything can happen, and that is one thrilling possibility.

With another two books on the way, there’s plenty more for Blue and The Raven Boys, and I for one am already on the edge of my seat, waiting to find out what will happen next.

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