A Discovery of Witches - Deborah Harkness

Title: A Discovery of Witches (All Souls #1)
Author: Deborah Harkness
Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal
Rating: 4/5
# pages: 688, Audiobook ~23hrs
Date read: July 2013, November 2018

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.


Slow to start, but suddenly it grabbed me by the throat and absolutely wouldn't let go again. It's been a couple of days since I finished it, and I still find myself thinking of it, and remembering the atmosphere of the book. I may have to prioritize reading the sequel higher than I had originally planned-

It's very definitely Twilight for adults. There are SO many similarities between the two books - or rather between Edward and Matthew, and between the relationships described. That's not a bad thing though - I really liked Twilight, and while I noticed the similarities, they didn't bug me.

4 stars rather than 5 simply because it did take rather a long time for it to start properly, and because it ended on a fierce cliffhanger with absolutely nothing resolved, but as a whole, I'd say I enjoyed it a lot more than I had expected to.

Reread in 2018: I didn't feel it slow to start at all this time around! I really enjoyed it, with a few exceptions:
- Matthew. He infuriated me at times. I don't get why he isn't vilified every bit as much as Edward Cullen, because he's certainly just as bad (sometimes worse) with his attempts to control Diana for the purpose of protecting her.
- Knox, Gillian and all the witches in the beginning of the book. Their arrogance and presumption towards Diana was - again - infuriating.

I loved Marthe and Ysabeau :-) Didn't remember that from my first read-through. The house and its ghosts were delightful as well :)

Skammerens datter - Lene Kaaberbøl

Title: Skammerens datter (The Shamer's Daughter) (Skammerens børn #1)
Author: Lene Kaaberbøl
Genre: Fantasy, Childrens
Rating: 3.5/5
# pages: 220
Date read: July, 2013

Three people have been murdered, and Dina's mother has been summoned to confirm the guilt of young Nico, who was found standing over the bodies with bloody hands. She is a Shamer, and to meet her gaze means confronting all the shameful acts one has ever committed. Yet she finds no guilt in Nico, and will not accuse him, although Drakan is strangely, and menacingly, insistent that she do so.

Dina has inherited her ability, but finds it alienates her from everyone in the village. She longs for just one friend who will look her in the eyes. But now Drakan has threatened to use his dragons to execute her mother publicly on the morrow, and Dina must find allies to save her.

I first read this series several years ago, but have been wanting to reread it ever since seeing the musical based upon it last year. The funny thing is the musical was excellent, but the book only so-so... probably because I'm way outside the target age group for it. While well written, it's obviously a childrens' book, and aimed directly at them. It was still reasonably entertaining though, and the sequels are being adapted for stage this autumn, so I think I might as well go ahead with the rest of the series :)