A Discovery Of Witches, by Deborah Harkness
Headline Publishing Group
Review By Gemma E McLaughlin
This week I have chosen an older book to review and it is one that a lot of younger people haven’t read and I think that now is the perfect time to pick up the very first book in The All Souls Trilogy just in time for the new TV show on its way. Prior to picking up A Discovery Of Witches I hadn’t actually heard of it but after such fabulous recommendations from various family members I decided to finally read it and share my thoughts.
The book itself is one of the larger that I’ve read, which is something that always excites me when reading a new book due to the prospect of many exciting things to come. With such a long book there is often the fear of getting bored but luckily this is not the case, every moment is gripping and beautifully written, allowing you to enjoy the book to the full extent of its magical and twisty plot.
For those that enjoy a fantasy romance and have been as saddened as I by the lack of the truly amazing quality in this genre that we have been experiencing I believe that the romantic aspect of this story is exactly what you’ve been looking for. Our main character Diana is a relatable and fascinating scholar and witch who has been suppressing her powers for a long time. Although Diana tries to escape to university libraries filled with novel after novel on how witchcraft can’t be real it finds her.
The world and history Diana runs from comes back to her in the form of Ashmole 782 and a mysterious vampire named William. We instantly fall in love with Diana and William’s story and the ways in which they affect each other. I have always adored the concept which this book explores to its full and feel like I have been looking for so long to find something like A Discovery Of Witches and it has been here, waiting for us the whole time. I am glad to finally be able to share my own Discovery.
To those that are still unconvinced; I am absolutely delighted to share with you that the writing style is absolutely divine. Every moment is wrapped in a sort of smoky, divine elegance. The book is written with a feeling that I thought could only be found from sitting in an old book shop covered in dust and the faint smell of coffee. I enjoy this so much as we cannot all always be in that situation and I find the freedom and simplicity of simply having to pick up a book is a wonderful and much more convenient pleasure.
I urge you all to start reading as soon as possible and to enjoy the All Souls Trilogy before the new television series comes out. I will be reading the other two books as soon as I can get my hands on them and think that many others should too.
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