Okay, so I've been writing this blog for about 10 months now, and I've been mostly pretty highbrow about it. I absolutely love to read, and while quality literature is something I enjoy a great deal, I love (ahem) other types of books as well. My current favorite genre is supernatural romance-type novels. Yes, vampires, witches, werewolves, faeries, and the like are what makes my heart go pitter-patter. Especially if it's a series. These types of books run the gamut, from truly trashy and smutty (love it!) to the more quality-type literature. I don't truly love the types that are all about love and romance, per se. I do love the ones with action, violence, sex and complicated plots.
With all of that being said, I absolutely loved A Discovery of Witches. The story is about Diana Bishop, an extremely powerful witch who has eschewed her considerable power for all of her life, since her also-extremely powerful witch parents were murdered in Africa when she was 7. Diana has spent her life becoming a book historian (which is the true occupation of author Deborah Harkness) and works at Oxford as a professor and author.
Unfortunately for Diana, she is destined to become everything she has shunned. She discovers a book called Ashmole 782, which is a palimpsest. This is a manuscript that has another written over it, one that needs a certain type of light or power to be able to read. The book is one that has been sought after by witches, daemons and vampires for hundreds of years, as it is rumored to be a detailed description of how each type of "creature" was formed, or how they evolved. These three types of creatures do not like each other and do not intermix. Ever.
Diana is somehow able to get Ashmole 782 out of the library wholly by accident, or because her power is so great. Many creatures become aware of this, and subsequently aware of her power, whether she uses it or not. Diana becomes an instant target.
Fortunately, while working in the library one day, she surreptitiously uses magic to get a book down from a shelf and is spotted by Matthew Clairmont, who also happens to be a 1,500 year old vampire, as well as an extremely-well respected scientist. Despite all of the odds against it, they fall in love and travel on an adventure that does not come to a close at the end of the story. I am eagerly awaiting the sequel!
I enjoyed this book for many reasons, not the least of which is it's "highbrow" pedigree. It is full of accurate science and history, which I find fascinating. The author uses her considerable knowledge to highlight everything from history to biology and DNA, bringing a fascinating glimpse of how science has changed over centuries.
I have always found basic romance novels to be dull and uninteresting. I truly enjoy a bit of romance in a book full of history. This book reminds me of several past favorites, not the least of which is Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series.
In all, I found this story to be very engaging, the characters to be well-drawn and complicated and the history and science to be fascinating. I would recommend this book very highly.
