A Discovery of Witches, Deborah Harkness
A Discovery of Witches, Deborah Harkness
581 Rating(s)
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A Discovery of Witches

Author: Deborah Harkness

Narrator: Jennifer Ikeda

Unabridged: 23 hr 56 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Penguin Audio

Published: 02/08/2011

Synopsis

Book one of the New York Times bestselling All Souls series, from the author of The Black Bird Oracle.

Look for the hit series “A Discovery of Witches,” now streaming on Netflix

“A wonderfully imaginative grown-up fantasy with all the magic of Harry Potter and Twilight” (People).

Deborah Harkness’s 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, book three, The Book of Life, and the fourth in the series, Time’s Convert.

About The Author

Deborah Harkness is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the All Souls series, which includes A Discovery of Witches, Shadow of Night, The Book of Life, Time's Convert, and The Black Bird Oracle. A history professor at the University of Southern California, Harkness has received Fulbright, Guggenheim, and National Humanities Center fellowships. She lives in Los Angeles.

Reviews

AudiobooksNow review by Leatrice on 2011-08-22 13:55:23

I enjoyed this book and the way it flowed. Deborah never left you hanging too long. I liked Diana and Matthew.

AudiobooksNow review by Bobbie on 2011-08-29 17:50:33

This was one of the most enjoyable books I have listened to in quite a while. It has a good plot and story line, the characters are well developed and enjoyable, and it flows very well. I am very much looking forward to the next book!

AudiobooksNow review by Naomi M on 2012-07-24 14:03:58

Despite a brief and interesting start, this book is very slow and very boring. There are endless chapters about the heroine drinking tea, eating toast, rowing, and going to yoga classall in very boring detail. This book only needed to be about 150 pages long, not 600! What was the editor thinking? In summary, dont waste your time because nothing ever happens. A rambling plot that goes nowhere.

Goodreads review by Anne on March 12, 2024

2.5 stars Hmmm. At first, I really thought this was going to be at least a 4 star book. It was interesting and full of detail! Then suddenly, it wasn't. Wasn't interesting, that is. Oh, it was still full of detail, don't worry. Details about how they appreciatively sniffed wine. Details about differen......more

Goodreads review by Sasha on February 11, 2017

Sorry Bronze Horseman, A Discovery of Witches has taken the #2 spot for my favorite book <3......more

Goodreads review by Regan on June 09, 2023

4.5 so fun!......more

Goodreads review by High Lady of The Night Court on February 02, 2019

"It begins with absence and desire. It begins with blood and fear. It begins with a discovery of witches." This trilogy is like no other paranormal book I’ve ever read. The world is huge and the author not only takes us around the world but also tells us about its history through the Book of Life.......more

Quotes

“A wonderfully imaginative grown-up fantasy with all the magic of Harry Potter or Twilight. . . . An irresistible tale of wizardry, science and forbidden love.”
—People
 
“Romantic, erudite, and suspenseful . . . Harkness attends to every scholarly and emotional detail with whimsy, sensuality, and humor.”
—O, The Oprah Magazine
 
“A thoroughly grown-up novel packed with gorgeous historical detail and a gutsy, brainy heroine to match. . . . Harkness writes with thrilling gusto about the magical world.”
—Entertainment Weekly
 
“Harkness conjures up a scintillating paranormal story. . . . Discover why everyone’s talking about this magical book.”
—USA Today
 
“Delightfully well-crafted and enchantingly imaginative . . . It has some of the same ineluctable atmosphere that made Anne Rice’s vampire books such a popular success.”
—Miami Herald
 
“A debut novel with a big supernatural canvas . . . Its ambitions are world-sized, ranging across history and zeroing in on DNA, human and otherwordly. Age-old tensions between science and magic and between evolution and alchemy erupt as Diana seeks to unlock the secrets of Ashmole 782.”
—Los Angeles Times
 
“Harkness, an eloquent writer, conjures this world of witches with Ivy League degrees and supernatural creatures completely—and believably—while maintaining a sense of wonder. . . . A Discovery of Witches is that rare historical novel that manages to be as intelligent as it is romantic. And it is supernatural fiction that those of us who usually prefer to stay grounded in reality can get caught up in. Pardon the pun, but Witches is truly spellbinding.”
—San Antonio News-Express
 
“Readers who thrilled to Elizabeth Kostova’s 2005 blockbuster, The Historian, will note the parallels, but A Discovery of Witches is a modern Romeo and Juliet story, with older, wiser lovers. Blood will flow when a witch and a vampire fall for each other. Author Deborah Harkness, a UCLA history professor, brings vast knowledge and research to the page.”
—Cleveland Plain Dealer
 
“Harkness works her own form of literary alchemy by deftly blending fantasy, romance, history, and horror into one completely bewitching book.”
—Chicago Tribune
 
“A Discovery of Witches becomes increasingly charming as it goes along. . . . A shrewdly written romp and a satisfying snow-day read for those of us who heartily enjoyed the likes of Anne Rice and Marion Zimmer Bradley. By the book’s rousing end . . . I was impatient for the sequel.”
—NPR

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