A Discovery of Witches: A Novel

Deborah Harkness

Feb 2011 · All Souls Series Book 1 · Penguin Random House Audio · Narrated by Jennifer Ikeda

About this audiobook

Book one of the New York Times bestselling All Souls series, from the author of The Black Bird Oracle.

“A wonderfully imaginative grown-up fantasy with all the magic of Harry Potter and Twilight” (People).

Look for the hit series “A Discovery of Witches,” now streaming on AMC+, Sundance Now, and Shudder!

Deborah Harkness’s sparkling debut, A Discovery of Witches, has brought her into the spotlight and galvanized fans around the world. In this tale of passion and obsession, Diana Bishop, a young scholar and a descendant of witches, discovers a long-lost and enchanted alchemical manuscript, Ashmole 782, deep in Oxford's Bodleian Library. Its reappearance summons a fantastical underworld, which she navigates with her leading man, vampire geneticist Matthew Clairmont.

Harkness has created a universe to rival those of Anne Rice, Diana Gabaldon, and Elizabeth Kostova, and she adds a scholar's depth to this riveting tale of magic and suspense. The story continues in book two, Shadow of Night, book three, The Book of Life, and the fourth in the series, Time’s Convert.

Ratings and reviews

I'm on book 3...really trying to love this series because there are areas that I'd give 5 stars! but as a whole i can't...the characters are unrealized and unlikable. i do not have any interest in matthew and don't like him at all. it's difficult to root for the heroine and hero when you don't care for them. otherwise there are some decent aspects that keep me interested enough to finish. it might be your cup of tea though! i will say...book 3 is better than one and two. not sure i want to continue but it keeps seeming like it will be amazing...and not quite getting there.

Definitely one of the worst book series I have ever read. The author does not do a great job in driving the plot forward. Most of the book is a vampire/mythical perspective on historical and modern science text... which sounds awesome but that is all there is to it. Each chapter was plot hole after plot hole. Every plot driver that is built up, does not deliver satisfying results. Key moments are overly repeated which made the read feel drawn out. Not to mention the character development which was such a killjoy. Between books there are personality changes for key characters. Overall, this book reads as if it is written to empower women who have up their careers for a man. I do not recommend this book at all.

This book is cringey, Diana‘s character especially. I was so excited for this and at about 50% in I kept almost losing my lunch. This is the first book I wish I could return. I would give it zero stars if I could.

About the author

Deborah Harkness is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the All Souls series, which includes A Discovery of Witches, Shadow of Night, The Book of Life, Time's Convert, and The Black Bird Oracle. A history professor at the University of Southern California, Harkness has received Fulbright, Guggenheim, and National Humanities Center fellowships. She lives in Los Angeles.