A Discovery of Witches (All Souls #1)
Deborah Harkness
3.76 · 52 ratings · Published: 25 Feb 2011
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.
- fantasy 4
- romance 4
- paranormal 3
- vampires 3
- witches & sorcerers 3
- magic 3
- urban fantasy 3
- supernatural 3
- historical fiction 2
- time travel 2
- mystery 2
- contemporary 2
- demons 2
- dark academia 2
- action / adventure 2
- magical realism 2
- ghosts 1
- horror 1
- alchemy 1
- folktales & legends 1
- drama 1
- Add topics
- format - reader age
- audiobook 3
- young adult 2
- book 1
romance tags
crime tags
literary-fiction tags
historical-fiction tags
fantasy tags
sci-fi tags
action-adventure tags
thriller tags
horror tags
The 'All Souls' series
192 ratings 3.99 ·
vampires · paranormal · book · fiction · supernatural · romance · witches-wizards · fantasy · magic · historical-fiction · action-adventure · urban-fantasy · time-travel · demons · historical · audiobook · young-adult · mystery · magical-realism · ghosts
All Souls reading order and complete book list ❯