A Discovery of Witches

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

Synopsis (from Goodreads)
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.

Review
First of all, this book would have benefited from being AT LEAST 200 pages shorter. There was just so much... stuff in the middle that really didn't contribute to anything. I felt like I was constantly waiting for something to happen... And then it would! ...And be over in 50 pages and we're back to Diana taking a bath again. I feel like the main focus should have been on Diana's powers and the manuscript, with the romance blooming later in the trilogy. It felt out of place in this first book. I haven't read the rest of the trilogy, so maybe I'm off, but there's just too much, too fast.

Second, this is basically Twilight for adults. Brooding ancient vampire who bosses the woman around and tells her what she can and can't do and instant love connection that makes no sense and apparently they can't have any sexy times (even after they get "married" in a surprise move that Diana DOESN'T EVEN REALIZE IS MARRIAGE!) I hate the controlling male predator character archetype. I will say I liked the supporting characters more than the main ones.

I DID like the idea about the manuscript and the relationships between the different Creatures and how Diana's magic is suppressed and she's still coping with horrible loss and all the alchemy stuff and symbolism etc. More that, less weird romance.

I'm not sure if I'll read the second or third one... I felt like this took me forever to get through and I just wasn't that interested.

Rating
I give this book 2.5 stars.

Details

Genre: Fantasy.

Language: Some heavy language.

Sex: ...Yes??? Kind of? Nothing graphic.

Violence: Some brief violence, but a bit graphic.

Comments

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