Book one of the New York Times-bestselling All Souls trilogy—“a wonderfully imaginative grown-up fantasy with all the magic of Harry Potter and Twilight” (People). Look for the hit TV series “A Discovery of Witches,” streaming on AMC Plus, Sundance Now and Shudder. Season 2 premieres January 9, 2021! Deborah Harkness’s sparkling debut, A Discovery of Witches, has brought her into the spotlight … 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, and concludes with The Book of Life.
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The research of genetic testing, history and witchcraft is phenomenal! Draws you in to believe it could all be real. I am in the middle of the third book of the trilogy and can’t put it down. Love this author. I discovered her on Bookbub!
This is a part of thre stories. It is a well told and interesting story. Good writer, lots of imagination. A more involved read.
Read the entire series. Book I can stand alone, but the characters continue and become more intertwined. Adult Twilight.
Really happy to finally get to read A Discovery of Witches! Excellent, can’t wait to read the next.
Love this book and the whole series. I absolutely love history, especially English and European history, and am working on my Masters degree in archival studies, so this book caught my attention from the very beginning.
A little snippet about the book: Diana Bishop is a historian and is doing research in London at Oxford’s Bodleian Library where she discovers a magical alchemical manuscript. Her finding this manuscript somehow sends out a sort of psychic beacon to the surrounding supernatural beings; vampires, witches, daemons, etc. She meets Matthew, romance and shenanigans ensue.
I didn’t want to write too much in the way of a synopsis because I’m afraid I will give too much away! This book is beautifully written, though I do feel that sometimes Harkness can be too wordy, i.e. taking a full page or two to describe something. I appreciate that the history is accurate, the author is a historian herself, and the finding of the manuscript is based on her real life. While studying in the Bodleian library, Harness actually found a book of spells. Many reviews equate this book to ‘The Historian.’ I have not read that book, but if you did and you enjoyed it, I would definitely give ‘A Discovery of Witches’ a try.
I loved this entire series. It was whimsical and magical without being cheesy. I’ve recommended it to friends who also loved it.