A Discovery of Witches...I am Hooked.

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Disclaimer:  I love me a good tale involving the supernatural.  Keyword here is good.  Yes, there are many novels out there with witches, vampires, ghosts, and the like, but finding one that has a solid plot? Not so common. And one that makes you able to believe that these non-human entities could feasibly be walking amongst us?  Even harder to find.  Enter the first novel by Deborah Harkness: A Discovery of Witches.  AND, it's the first in a trilogy!  I am anticipating the second instalment (due out this summer) with bated breath.

So what's this book about?  

"When historian Diana Bishop opens a bewitched alchemical manuscript in Oxford’s Bodleian Library it represents an unwelcome intrusion of magic into her carefully ordinary life. Though descended from a long line of witches, she is determined to remain untouched by her family’s legacy. She banishes the manuscript to the stacks, but Diana finds it impossible to hold the world of magic at bay any longer.

"For witches are not the only otherworldly creatures living alongside humans. There are also creative, destructive daemons and long-lived vampires who become interested in the witch’s discovery. They believe that the manuscript contains important clues about the past and the future, and want to know how Diana Bishop has been able to get her hands on the elusive volume.

"Chief among the creatures who gather around Diana is vampire Matthew Clairmont, a geneticist with a passion for Darwin. Together, Diana and Matthew embark on a journey to understand the manuscript’s secrets. But the relationship that develops between the ages-old vampire and the spellbound witch threatens to unravel the fragile peace that has long existed between creatures and humans—and will certainly transform Diana’s world as well."

-Taken from Ms. Harkness's website.

Okay, write-ups like that are supposed to make a book seem appealing, but sometimes the actual story and writing leaves much to be desired.  This is not the case.  Harkness's style is enjoyable and the text is laden with historical and scientific factors (Harkness is a professor of history herself), which serve to root this tale in reality (as well as appealing to the history-geek portion of myself).  Yes, this story makes the existence of witches, daemons, and vampires plausible.  You may find yourself wondering what if?

I could not put this book down and even dreamt about the characters while reading it (you KNOW a story is a good one when).  Harkness is very good at dishing out just enough details (especially about characters' pasts)...you're hooked and want to devour the book like it's a coconut-sugar sweetened chocolate cake.  Or, at least I did.