This book has been widely billed as `Twilight for grown-ups' - but it's so much more than that! The few striking similarities are superficial and - much as I love Twilight - Deborah Harkness has created a much richer and more complex world. Despite that complexity, and its daunting length, A Discovery of Witches is compelling and very readable - so much so that I've just read it for the second time in a year.
I'll get the Twilight parallels out of the way first. Matthew Clairmont is (like Edward Cullen) a centuries-old vampire who belongs to an influential vampire clan. Diana Bishop (like Bella Swann) finds herself first curious about and then enthralled by the vampire. They defy convention and indeed common sense by falling in love. That's pretty much where the similarities end; the differences are far more numerous and significant.
Unfortunately, this 700-page doorstop of a novel can't be easily described in a paragraph or two. I'm really struggling to find a way to describe it that does it justice without spoiling it or anticipating any of the strands of the story that you'll uncover and weave together as you read it. But I'll try to give you the sense of it without any spoilers...
As well as being a witch, Diana Bishop is an American academic researching alchemical texts at Oxford University, having largely ignored her magic since the death of her parents when she was a child. When she calls up a particular manuscript and immediately finds herself attracting the attention of every witch, vampire and daemon in Oxford, she turns to her new acquaintance, Matthew Clairmont, for explanations. Together they start to piece together the mystery surrounding the manuscript, Diana's role in things and the nature of the magic she's brushed aside for so long. Inevitably, they quickly move from being strangers to becoming lovers; this complicates things further as it draws the attention of the Congregation (a council of representatives from each species of creature). In a whirlwind few weeks that takes them between Oxford, France and the US, Diana and Matthew begin to realise that everything is interlinked: Diana's relationship to her magic, the alchemical manuscript, the long-ago death of her parents, and her relationship with Matthew.
Deborah Harkness is an academic herself, a fact which comes through in the rich depiction of the world she creates. Careful attention is paid to how three different types of creature can live alongside and largely undetected by humans, and the frequent references to real historical figures revealed to be witches, vampires or daemons are a nice touch. And - although my understanding of alchemy remains as weak as it was before reading the novel - I found the scholarly aspects of the story interesting. Likewise, Matthew's research into non-human DNA and genetics adds an interesting twist that isn't found in the other vampire, supernatural or fantasy literature I've read.
This academic background perhaps also explains the sheer level of detail throughout A Discovery of Witches. Quite aside from the intricacies of the plot, everything is described in extreme detail - from the stretch of the leggings and turtleneck that Diana pulls on each morning, to the warmth and smell of the tea she constantly drinks. Some people might find this style irritating, and certainly the novel would be considerably shorter without it, but it didn't bother me. Instead, it really helped me conjure up vivid pictures of Diana's college rooms or Sept Tours (Matthew's family home in France). So while some of the descriptions might be a little unnecessary, they didn't feel overly frequent or repetitive and they helped to carry me along and immerse me in this version of the world.
As I heroine, I found Diana fairly easy to like. She's a tad annoying early on, constantly claiming not to want to use her magic but calling on it whenever her washing machine leaks or she needs to reach something on a high shelf. She's also infuriatingly selfish at times: I really felt sorry for her aunts back in the US as she deliberately ignored persistent phone calls and frantic answerphone messages. But she's an interesting character shaped by a fascinating history: it's obvious that her parents' death in Africa a couple of decades earlier will become significant and that her relationship with her slightly eccentric (and very witchy) aunt has an ongoing impact on her behaviour.
I've read some reviews complaining that Diana transforms from strong, independent woman into defenceless, swooning maiden as soon as Matthew comes onto the scene, but (although the sheer speed with which fictional relationships often develop doesn't sit well with me) I didn't read it this way. Diana becomes more vulnerable because she realises that she's inadvertently put herself at the centre of something big and daunting, and because she suddenly understands how weak she is against such adversaries having sidelined her magic and witchcraft for so long. That her confidence and self-sufficiency waver is understandable. She turns not just to Matthew but also to her aunts and to Matthew's family for guidance. Even as she falls for Matthew, she fights to retain her independence and individuality.
I suspect the style and story of A Discovery of Witches is not for everyone, but I loved it. This is the first of the All Souls Trilogy and the complicated story unfolds across all three books, rather than each one being a self-contained episode. So, despite the length, little is resolved by the end of the novel, and the cliffhanger at the end makes it almost impossible not to continue straight on to the sequel, Shadow of Night.
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Somewhere in the center of my soul, a rusty chain began to unwind. It freed itself, link by link, from where it had rested unobserved, waiting for him.Highlighted by 324 Kindle readers- ‘I’ve seen courage like yours before – from women, mostly.’ Matthew continued as if I hadn’t spoken. ‘Men don’t have it. Our resolve is born out of fear. It’s merely bravado.’Highlighted by 217 Kindle readers
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Reviews with images
Captivated from beginning to end! … Buy, Buy, Buy!
I was enthralled from the start. It’s similar to Twilight but for adults. Anyone who says it’s a copy hasn’t read it properly. The Author is a historian and scientist and it show 1,000,000%. I am now 3/4 of the way through the third and have bought a box set that comes in a beautiful box and an encyclopaedic book that accompanies the series. I never reread books but this series I definitely will. It’s so complex that I’m sure on rereading I’m sure I will learn more.. The books that just keep on giving. Read, Read, Read! You won’t be disappointed. I’m also when I’ve finished doing the tetras going to watch the series. Twilight was awesome but this is on another level. I’ve added a photo of The World of All Souls because it’s beautiful inside and out! If you do buy I hope you enjoy the series and Guide as much as me.
Top reviews from other countries
Yuki
different from TV but enjoyable nonetheless
Reviewed in Japan on 10 January 2022
Nichole B.
One of the best books out there
Reviewed in the United States on 20 September 2012
