What do readers think of A Discovery of Witches by Deborah E. Harkness? Write your own review.

I have to admit I didn't expect to enjoy this book as much as I did. When I first learnt of it, I thought it would be an interesting read but "OMG!" what a wonderful surprise. It contains soooo much incredibly interesting stuff--research at the Bodlian Library (or is it Bodley?), castles in France, sculling on the river in Cambridge, witchcraft and magic (but not in a way that would offend ME (a longtime BAC). There's love and romance and sex between the protagonists and relationships with their family members.

I've only recently (since early summer of 2010) become interested in paranormal romance (such as the Twilight Saga, which I LOVE!!!). But this book was such a delightful read and surprise--best of all it's the first of a TRILOGY!!!! Hurrah!!!! Can't wait for the others to come out. Exceptional writing, too!

The book meets us with the witch Diana (the name of the Greek goddess of hunting) and the vampire Matthew in the Oxford Library.

She refuses to use her magical powers. Therefore, Ashmal's manuscript remains unsolved, when it falls in her hands. Matthew is in the library to find the secret written in Ashmol, but the book is bewitched.

At the beginning of the book, Diana and Matthew fall in love. In the next half of the book, it turns out that the love between witch and vampire is against the the law of the Congregation. Witch and vampire cannot marry each other.

The location changes to a castle in France and finally Diana’s house in the United States.

The style of writing is saturated with Diana's thoughts. Love and witty dialogues are everywhere in the book. Mysteries and secrets too. The unknown scares. Diana is dedicated to her love and Matthew is there to protect her.

The forbidden love is again on the front row. The law, the society, and the prejudice make it almost impossible. The beauty of defending your love, with your own life stands out.

The book ends with the beginning of “Shadow of Night”.

If you are looking for a great witch read this might be a pass, but as a vampire story laced with historical accuracy and futuristic DNA research, it is very well done. I say four stars overall (or maybe four moons to honor fellow witches), deducting just one for the misleading title. Have a dictionary handy; some of the terms are not self described.

I waffled back and forth between 3 stars and 4 stars and settled ultimately on 3 stars. I prefer the Anne Rice world of witches and vampires to the Stephenie Meyer or Charlaine Harris worlds. I like my paranormal universes to be dark and I don't mind a story steeped in history - even history of science. With that said, I found the Deborah Harkness world of witches and vampires to be closer to Anne Rice albeit much lighter but pleasantly heavy on the history. I suspect I may enjoy All Souls Trilogy #2, Shadow of Night, even better as it looks like it will be even heavier on the history. After having become convinced that all contemporary paranormal fiction was a lost cause, I'm happy to have discovered Matthew, Diana and the work of Deborah Harkness.