'A Discovery of Witches' by Deborah Harkness - Book Review

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness is a debut novel and the first in the All Souls Trilogy. Harkness certainly isn't the first to write about vampires, witches and other supernatural creatures in recent years, but she does so with her own twists, adding depth to the usual suspense and romance plotlines. Harkness is a historian, and one of the most enjoyable parts of A Discovery of Witches is how history, science and literature inform the mystery. Although the ending left something to be desired, A Discovery of Witches is definitely worth picking up.

Diana Bishop is a direct descendant of Bridget Bishop, the first woman killed in the Salem Witch Trials. Diana blames magic for the loss of her parents at a young age, and is determined not to acknowledge that she is a witch or use magic (much to her aunts' dismay). When A Discovery of Witches opens, Diana is doing research at the Bodleian library at Oxford. She is a history professor at Yale, and is working on old alchemical manuscripts. When she calls up a certain manuscript for her research, she realizes the book is bewitched. Though she returns the book and tries to ignore the discovery, other supernatural creatures become aware that she's seen the manuscript and soon she is being trailed by Matthew, a vampire, and handfuls of other witches, vampires and daemons.

At this point in the story, I wasn't convinced I was going to like the book. Fortunately, I was wrong about how the book would proceed and how much I would enjoy it. Although the manuscript triggers the story, there are many, many different threads in the book. The plot and characters are complicated, and there are still many unanswered questions at the end of 592 pages. That isn't to say the book is unsatisfying. On the contrary, it was very pleasant to read a book with slow character development and continuing revelations. In some ways A Discovery of Witches reminds me of watching a whole season of a favorite television show -- there are many different episodes each with their own suspense and storylines, but even though some stories wrap up at the end of each episode, the major threads build upon each other throughout the season. Ultimately, though, the season ends with a cliffhanger, making you eager for the next season to begin.

There were some points in A Discovery of Witches when I thought it might be a five out of five star book. Unfortunately, the last 100 or so pages are not the strongest, and by the time it ended I did not feel like it deserved more than four stars. Still, four stars is not bad for a debut novel, and those five star moments made me hopeful that the next two books in this trilogy will be even better.

A Discovery of Witches fits more in the romantic mystery vampire genre than in horror. It is a smarter Twilight, and a fun read.

In a book club? Check out these Discovery of Witches Book Club Discussion Questions.

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