Review: A Discovery of Witches (All Souls #1)

A Discovery of Witches (All Souls #1)
By Deborah Harkness

Published By: Headline
Publication Date: September 29, 2011
Date Read: January 11, 2022
Genre: Adult – Paranormal Romance
Source: Bought
Format: Audiobook
Pages: 688

From Goodreads:
A world of witches, daemons and vampires. A manuscript which holds the secrets of their past and the key to their future. Diana and Matthew – the forbidden love at the heart of it.

When historian Diana Bishop opens an alchemical manuscript in the Bodleian Library, it’s an unwelcome intrusion of magic into her carefully ordered life. Though Diana is a witch of impeccable lineage, the violent death of her parents while she was still a child convinced her that human fear is more potent than any witchcraft. Now Diana has unwittingly exposed herself to a world she’s kept at bay for years; one of powerful witches, creative, destructive daemons and long-lived vampires. Sensing the significance of Diana’s discovery, the creatures gather in Oxford, among them the enigmatic Matthew Clairmont, a vampire genticist. Diana is inexplicably drawn to Matthew and, in a shadowy world of half-truths and old enmities, ties herself to him without fully understanding the ancient line they are crossing. As they begin to unlock the secrets of the manuscript and their feelings for each other deepen, so the fragile balance of peace unravels…

“Just because something seems impossible doesn’t make it untrue.”

A Discovery of Witches is a book that has been on my radar for a long time. I’ve seen it about the book community for years. I never really looked into it all that much until I watched the first season of the TV show adaptation a couple of years ago. I really enjoyed the TV show so thought it was time for me to add it to my TBR. Fast forward a few more years and I have finally picked it up.

I listened to the Audio edition of A Discovery of Witches and I am really glad that I did. This book is kind of slow going to start, and I often struggle with slow going books. I DNF books way too quickly… but I tend to be able to cope with the slowness a lot more when I am listening to the audio editions. The narrator did a fantastic job of bringing Diana and Matthew to life. I really enjoyed listening to this one, so I am super glad that I went for the audiobook of A Discovery of Witches rather than reading it.

A Discovery of Witches is a fantastic start to a great paranormal romance series. It has vampires, witches, demons and more. If you enjoy books with paranormal creatures in, this this one has something for everyone. I really liked the forbidden romance element of this story and it definitely kept you entertained, dying to see whether they would actually manage to be together. Add that will-they/won’t-they to the mystery of magical manuscripts, this book was so intriguing and I really enjoyed it.

I can’t wait to dive into book 2 of this series and see what happens next. I haven’t watched any of the TV show that is based on book 2 and 3 of the All Souls trilogy, so I’m quite excited that I am going into the next books completely blind. If you’re looking for an old-school romantic magical series to sink your teeth into this one is definitely one for you. I highly recommend you give it a go.

“Magic is desire made real.”

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