Book Review: A Discovery of Witches

A Discovery of Witches (All Souls Trilogy #1)
Deborah Harkness

Release Date: February 8, 2011

Book Description:
A richly inventive novel about a centuries-old vampire, a spellbound witch, and the mysterious manuscript that draws them together.

Deep in the stacks of Oxford's Bodleian Library, young scholar Diana Bishop unwittingly calls up a bewitched alchemical manuscript in the course of her research. Descended from an old and distinguished line of witches, Diana wants nothing to do with sorcery; so after a furtive glance and a few notes, she banishes the book to the stacks. But her discovery sets a fantastical underworld stirring, and a horde of daemons, witches, and vampires soon descends upon the library. Diana has stumbled upon a coveted treasure lost for centuries-and she is the only creature who can break its spell.

Debut novelist Deborah Harkness has crafted a mesmerizing and addictive read, equal parts history and magic, romance and suspense. Diana is a bold heroine who meets her equal in vampire geneticist Matthew Clairmont, and gradually warms up to him as their alliance deepens into an intimacy that violates age-old taboos. This smart, sophisticated story harks back to the novels of Anne Rice, but it is as contemporary and sensual as the Twilight series-with an extra serving of historical realism.

Amazon US | Goodreads

Review:
Absolutely spellbinding! Deborah Harkness crafts a magical tale about a reluctant witch, a fifteen hundred year old vampire with a taste for wine, and a long lost alchemical manuscript that is about to turn their world upside down. Alchemy, history, and magic collide in this complex and beautifully executed paranormal romance. And oh the romance! A whirlwind courtship, a forbidden alliance, and Matthew Clairmont – you’ll want to discover it all for yourself. A Discovery of Witches is a true delight.

Title Reveal: The Book of Life

The Book of Life (All Souls Trilogy #3)
Deborah Harkness

Exciting news! Deb Harkness just revealed the title of the final book in the All Souls Trilogy. The highly anticipated manuscript shall be called The Book of Life! So, there you have it. I simply can’t wait to read this one. I absolutely fell in love with both A Discovery of Witches and Shadow of Night and have been a huge fan ever since. I might even say that Deb’s books invigorated my passion for reading and eventually led to creation of this very blog, as well as helped create many wonderful new friendships within the All Souls Trilogy fan community along the way. Big things all around!

"The Book of Life" title of @DebHarkness  book#3 - breaking news here at #bmarks13 published in 2014!!!!
— BOOKMARKS (@BookMarksNC) September 7, 2013

Please follow via Bloglovin (& other thoughts)

The ultimate demise of Google Reader…

As many of you know, Google Reader will be retired on July 1, 2013. And, to those of you who have kindly followed (or will follow) the blog, I ask that you consider doing so either via Bloglovin, FeedBurner, or other service of your choice other than Google Friend Connect (“GFC”) that I hear might be going away in the near future as well. I myself have found Bloglovin quite an agreeable service. It offers the ease of transition with an option to import your Google Reader content once you sign up with them. Of course, there are plenty of other platforms to choose from, so the choice is all yours!