Literary Musings & Legal Adventures

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness — Book #1 in the All Souls trilogy

I totally enjoyed A Discovery of Witches. My inner history geek was loving all of the rich historical detail woven into Diana & Matthew’s story, and my inner girly-girl was swooning over the romance! Yes, it’s about vampires and witches and all that — but done well. Diana Bishop is a scholar of history, focusing her studies on the history of alchemy; it may also help that she’s a witch. No matter how hard Diana tries to get away from her ties to the supernatural world, she can’t outrun them — and certainly not after Matthew Clairmont, a geneticist who just so happens to also be a vampire, enters her life. And then there’s a magical book that might also be stirring up trouble for dear Diana… A Discovery of Witches was a really fun read, and I’ve already purchased the second book in the (planned) trilogy because I just can’t wait to see what happens next. The book is hefty and filled with a lot of historical detail, so it did tend to get a little bit bogged down at times, but for somebody who loves history (like me), the fascinating historical details were actually really interesting and only added to the depth of the story.

We’re not talking fancy award-winning literature here, but we are definitely talking a fun dose of romance and adventure and a good time overall.