A Discovery of Witches: A Novel
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.
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.
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Readers say *A Discovery of Witches* masterfully blends history, magic, and romance within a richly detailed, immersive world rooted in academia and s...
Tried to read. Tried to like. But nope-it’s literally a story about nothing. The two stars are because they drank good wine.
Deborah Harkness swung big with A Discovery of Witches, blending academia, magic, history, science, and romance into a world that feels rich enough to step into. Diana Bishop, a scholar who wants nothing to do with her witch heritage, accidentally calls up a long-lost manuscript in Oxford’s Bodleian Library and sets off interest from every supernatural creature nearby. Enter Matthew Clairmont, a brilliant vampire with secrets, charm, and enough aura to fill the room.
My biggest takeaway is how deeply researched and thoughtfully built this world feels. Harkness clearly loves history, scholarship, and detail. It shows on every page. This could be your dream read if you adore immersive settings, layered lore, and books that let you live inside the world for a while. I could feel the intelligence behind every scene.
My struggle was pacing. This is a slow and meticulous setup novel where atmosphere often takes center stage over momentum. Entire scenes linger on routines, travel, and conversations that some readers will savor. While others may wonder when the action plans to arrive. It gave me classic literature energy. I needed to have a lot of patience to finish this.
The romance between Diana and Matthew builds at first as a slow burn, and then all of a sudden they are deeply committed and in love. Matthew is tall, dark, handsome, and supernatural. Fans of protective and brooding heroes will likely eat him up. Their connection is central to the plot. Though their relationship develops inside all that world-building rather than racing ahead as the plot's engine.
As an audiobook, Jennifer Ikeda did a solid job handling a large cast. Some accents were thick enough that I had to focus harder. The male voices were not always my favorite. I would have loved dual narrators or a full cast for a book this expansive.
I can admire what this book accomplishes more than I personally loved reading it. It is smart, ambitious, and carefully crafted. I prefer a little more urgency in my fantasy. A Discovery of Witches is worth your time if you want a slow-burn supernatural saga with brains, romance, and endless detail.
I just finished rewatching A Discovery of Witches on Discovery Plus, and it reminded me why I fell in love with this series all over again. While the magic on screen is fantastic, my own experience with the streaming service wasn't without its frustrating hiccups. I actually found it helpful to read through other viewers' experiences on a discovery plus reviews page when I was troubleshooting. Despite those small technical glitches, the show itself is so beautifully done that it was easy to get completely swept away by Matthew and Diana's world.
While this book started off with what seemed like a cliche spicy novel storyline, the story arch is much more than that! I finished this book and immediately purchased the next one (and the rest of the series) because I was so invested. This is a great series to read if you want a little romance/spice and are interested in creature lore! Definitely recommend.
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