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Review: "A Discovery of Witches" by Deborah Harkness

From Goodreads:   Sometimes scholars should be more careful: Youthful researcher Diana Bishop briefly consults an medieval alchemical manuscript; then, after jotting down a few notes, sends it back to its prison in the stacks. Unfortunately for Diana, her quick dabbling has unleashed a long suppressed curse—and now only she can break the spell. Carefully researched, this debut novel will appeal to fans of historical novel infused with strong paranormal elements.

My Thoughts:  This was a LONG book but it was so good.  I feel like I haven’t read a really good book in a while and this one definitely broke my not so good book streak.  I loved the mix of paranormal with history.  It makes me wish I knew someone, like Matthew, who had lived through so many historical events and personally knew a bunch of famous historical figures.  I am also glad the author made sure that the paranormal aspects didn’t get ridiculous.  The characters were believable and relatable even if they weren’t human.  I also really liked the descriptions of wine; I don't even like wine but the descriptions made me want to start drinking it.  There were some similarities with Twilight but they were subtle enough that it didn’t feel like I was reading an adult version of Twilight.  Despite the fact that the book was pretty lengthy, the story, while not super fast paced, kept my interest to the very end.  I will definitely be picking up the next book in the trilogy.  4 stars.

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  1. AnneAugust 29, 2011 at 8:14 AM

    I liked this one too- I agree about the similarities with Twilight.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Beth D.August 29, 2011 at 8:41 AM

    I have been hesitant because of the length.

    Beth ^_^
    http://sweetbooksnstuff.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete

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