Book Review: A Discovery Of Witches

My original plan was do a "Traversing Canada Tuesday" today and post this on Thursday. However my Canada post is only half done and this one is finished so I'm going to switch the two around.

 

image from here

I first read A Discovery Of Witches by Deborah Harkness a few years ago, and truthfully, I didn't really enjoy it. Then through some random circumstances, I received the second book in this series as an unexpected gift. I read it and really enjoyed it. So I decided to give this first book another try, especially since the third book in the series was released last summer.

The premise is that Diana, a scholar, is a witch who has been refusing to use her powers. However, when she accidentally breaks a powerful spell, suddenly all the creatures -- the vampires, daemons, and witches -- want her to use her powers to benefit them.

Then she meets, Matthew, a vampire, and things get a lot more complicated.

I think the first time I read it, I was a little tired of vampire stories (Twilight, anyone?!), and it just didn't grab me. Of course, Rachel was barely one, and not really sleeping through the night, so I might have just been too tired to enjoy it :) This time I read it in Mexico, and it really drew me in. I loved the history and Harkness' writing just really captivated me, as did the story. I also just loved the historical and literary background.

I still take a bit of issue with Matthew's... maleness... for lack of a better word. He is too controlling for my liking, but I know that I did appreciate their relationship more in book two, Shadow Of Night.

I am excited to re-read Shadow Of Night, which I am planning on doing on our road trip. Then I'll be ready to dive into book three of this fun and interesting trilogy, The Book Of Life. So if you're looking for a good read, with a bit of a twist, definitely check this book out.