A Discovery of Witches, by Deborah Harkness

http://www.whsmith.co.uk/CatalogAndSearch/ProductDetails.aspx?productID=9780755374038

http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/products/deborah+e-+harkness/a+discovery+of+witches/7797927/ (customer reviews)

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8890729-a-discovery-of-witches

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Discovery-Witches-Deborah-Harkness/dp/0755374029/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1297186168&sr=8-1 (should be there within the next 48 hours)

http://shazjera.blogspot.com/ (my blog)

http://sharon-goodwin.tripod.com/book-product-reviews.html (my website)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/review/R2UWPQEX56WBYD/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm

4 stars

"I have just finished reading this book and found it far more enjoyable than I expected to from reading the synopsis. A Discovery of Witches is by a first-time fiction author and is set in modern times, the fantasy element comes in when we discover that the makeup of the world's intelligent creatures is only around 90% human with the other 10% comprising witches, vampires and daemons. It is the story of Diana, the last witch in a long line of Butler witches who can trace their history back to the Salem Witch Trials. Diana has spent most of her life denying her magical abilities, her parents were killed when she was very young and fear plays a large part in her reluctance to use magic. When she discovers a mysterious lost (and magical) file in a library whilst researching the history of alchemy her life changes in a major way. She meets a gorgeous male vampire, Matthew, a distinguished scientist, who is a lot older than he looks, and he appoints himself as her protector against the horde of witches, vampires and daemons who want to know the secret of the missing manuscript, they all have their own theories about what this work contains and will stop at nothing to get it.

This is obviously the first book in a series and has both romantic and thriller elements in addition to its modern fantasy theme, it started a little too slowly for my liking but it is well worth persevering as once the pace picks up it is very hard to put down. In this society, vampires and witches hate each other as a general rule and the relationship that develops between Diana and Matthew has serious repercussions for the whole of non-human society. The dynamic between the two of them is fascinating, and more than a little erotic, this book is likely to appeal to women far more than men. Diana is feisty, Matthew is controlling, the clashes between the two of them, particularly as Diana learns just how much power she has, are sometimes emotional, sometimes humorous and always entertaining. I particularly loved the Bishop family house where Diana's aunt and her female partner (both witches themselves) live, I won't spoil the surprise but its certainly no ordinary home and the events that take place there provide some of the most humorous moments in the story as well as one of the most dramatic. This novel will definitely appeal to fans of Anne Rice's Mayfair Witches and Vampire Chronicles novels and I am looking forward to the next instalment. Be warned, it has a cliffhanger ending!"

http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/146715093

5 stars

"A fantastic debut novel. When you think of Vampires, Witches and Daemons your mind would more than likely create a stereotypical image of either of them, but this book is different this novel is written in a way that creates a new image for them and everything that is surrounding them. This is no Twilight or Buffy this novel is something new altogether!

To me when reading it was like a film playing though my mind it had the ups and downs of every good film. The plot itself is complex, yet it all fits together perfectly like a jigsaw, so you are always on the edge of your seat not wanting to close the book until you find out what happens next and who is is going to appear.

The characters within the book each have their own personality which comes across very well. As the novel progresses you can see how the main character Diana changes from being this strong stubborn independant woman to an almost helpless fragile character once Matthew arrives. Only to start to regaining her composure and strength as you get to the last few chapters.

Overall this was one the of the best if not the best novels I have read for sometime, even though I was initially dissapointed when I got to the end of the book as it seemed to end so abruptly but since I finished reading I have discovered that this is the first installment of a trilogy which doesn't make it all that bad!

So if you like your Vampires, Wiches and Daemons this is the book for you."

http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/145194626

4 stars

"I have just finished reading this book and found it far more enjoyable than I expected to from reading the synopsis. A Discovery of Witches is by a first-time fiction author and is set in modern times, the fantasy element comes in when we discover that the makeup of the world's intelligent creatures is only around 90% human with the other 10% comprising witches, vampires and daemons. It is the story of Diana, the last witch in a long line of Butler witches who can trace their history back to the Salem Witch Trials. Diana has spent most of her life denying her magical abilities, her parents were killed when she was very young and fear plays a large part in her reluctance to use magic. When she discovers a mysterious lost (and magical) file in a library whilst researching the history of alchemy her life changes in a major way. She meets a gorgeous male vampire, Matthew, a distinguished scientist, who is a lot older than he looks, and he appoints himself as her protector against the horde of witches, vampires and daemons who want to know the secret of the missing manuscript, they all have their own theories about what this work contains and will stop at nothing to get it.

This is the first book in the All Souls trilogy and has both romantic and thriller elements in addition to its modern fantasy theme, it started a little too slowly for my liking but it is well worth persevering as once the pace picks up it is very hard to put down. In this society, vampires and witches hate each other as a general rule and the relationship that develops between Diana and Matthew has serious repercussions for the whole of non-human society. The dynamic between the two of them is fascinating, and more than a little erotic, this book is likely to appeal to women far more than men. Diana is feisty, Matthew is controlling, the clashes between the two of them, particularly as Diana learns just how much power she has, are sometimes emotional, sometimes humorous and always entertaining. I particularly loved the Bishop family house where Diana's aunt and her female partner (both witches themselves) live, I won't spoil the surprise but its certainly no ordinary home and the events that take place there provide some of the most humorous moments in the story as well as one of the most dramatic. This novel will definitely appeal to fans of Anne Rice's Mayfair Witches and Vampire Chronicles novels and I am looking forward to the next instalment. Be warned, it has a cliffhanger ending! "

http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/144935524

5 stars

"I loved this book!! The story and characters really suck you in, I didn't want to put it down. Exciting, romantic, mysterious. The characters are so believable. I would highly recommend reading this book to anyone with the slightest interest in occult fiction. Diana is so easy to like, to identify with. Brilliant book! Go, read it now!!"

http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/products/deborah+e-+harkness/a+discovery+of+witches/7797927/

"As a big fan of the twilight saga I was a little sceptical with other reviews calling it the ‘adult twilight’ but I must say I was pleasantly surprised.
The plot develops really well and I loved how the author touched on real historical and scientific references.
The mix of humans, witches, vampires and daemons all combine to make this an enjoyable read and I really liked how the author built the main character Diana so that at the end of the book I felt as if I knew her.
The relationship between Diana and Matthew was really nice and held strong throughout the book.
All in all a really good read and recommended for anyone who enjoys a bit of paranormal romance with history thrown in."

http://reviews.waterstones.com/4921-en_gb/45416517/profile.htm ****

An American historian who also happens to be a reluctant witch finds a lost alchemical manuscript while doing research in Oxford’s Bodleian Library and finds that it changes her life forever. Her adventures among witches, vampires and daemons lead her to a greater understanding of the world of creatures, her family and herself.

Apart from Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” and the very first Harry Potter, I’d never read any supernatural fiction before starting this book so wasn’t sure what to expect. The current TV and film fad for vampires has also largely passed me by, but I was wary of this novel as the trailers I’d seen and the seemingly never-ending vampire sagas in the shops didn’t give much hope of a quality product. Perhaps this was just another passenger on the bandwagon.

However, I was pleased to be proved wrong and was very pleasantly surprised to enjoy the book a great deal. And even though it comes in at around 600 pages I didn’t feel it dragging or consider it a slow read. I was involved in it throughout and was torn between wanting to rip through it quickly and pacing myself so that it lasted longer.

I found the female protagonist Diana likeable and very down to earth, despite the subject matter, so she was easy to sympathise with. I also felt that Matthew, the male lead, despite my expectations wasn’t as brooding and remote as you’d expect of a vampire, which helped the plot along and made him easier to like. I also really enjoyed the historical aspects of the novel and thought the scientific thread running through it a great addition.

And although the novel deals with supernatural concepts and actions, it feels very real and is very engaging. Obviously the reader has to suspend his or her disbelief and go with it, but I found this easy to do, with nothing jarring me out of the world of the book.

There are elements of a lot of other books in here, for example echoes of some aspects of Harry Potter, Stephen King, chick lit and even Shakespeare to name only a few, but they seem to sit naturally within the pages and don’t look like they’ve been forced in like the proverbial square peg.

The book also has a sense of humour and doesn’t take itself too seriously – it doesn’t pretend that its characters don’t live in a world of vampire TV series, novels and films and at one stage comments that “real creatures” aren’t like the ones in books and on screen.

I’m sure no-one would argue that it’s great literature, but the book romps along at a fast clip and takes the reader along for the ride. A perfect piece of escapism – and sometimes that’s exactly what you want.