A Discovery Of Witches
Book one of the All Souls Trilogy
By Deborah Harkness
Published in 2011
Genre: Fantasy, Historical Fiction
I finished this book over the weekend, it has taken me ages to get through it as you can probably tell by how battered my copy is in the photo. I started it probably about 3/4 months ago but then I got stuck away from home for almost two months because of the lockdown so now I have quite a few books on the go which is unlike me and I’m pushing my way through them before starting Book 2 of this trilogy. I’ve heard that this book has been turned into a TV series from Sky that I refuse to even consider watching until I’ve read all the books but apparently, it’s very good.
It was also a bit of a slow start with this book as the author is an American scholar and historian, this really shows through her writing. The historic parts of the story or where books are mentioned can be quite detailed and to be honest, I’m not so educated in the history department so at times I found it hard to fully understand what the author was trying to put across.
You cannot fault the detail in the story though, with there being no holes or stones left unturned while still creating mysteries. Towards the second half of the book, especially in the last couple hundred pages, it is clear that Harkness really gets excited and into the story. I imagine that I’ll be flying through the next two books and will of course let you know how I get on.
So back to the book, what is it about? A world of witches, daemons and vampires. Probably one of my favourite set ups. There’s a forbidden love and secrets to be uncovered. The main character is Diana, a witch that tried her best not to be anything of the sort. One day, upon studying in the library she comes across an enchanted book and from there her life drastically changes.
You’ll find yourself learning a lot in the way of history and wine as they are both big themes throughout. I should probably also mention that at times the book can get a bit heated although there are no actual sex scenes per se. I would say this book’s aim is to bring a fantasy world to life for adults rather than younger teens.
I can’t say that I have a favourite character just yet but I am impressed equally with all of them. Each character is completely unique through their stories, sense of being and the way they speak. Harkness has her characters back stories down to a T for sure.
At this stage I don’t want to give away too much of what happens as this first book is, as per the title, all about discovery. Something I will tell you though is that the fairy tale Diana’s mother told her as a child all starts to make sense in a way that she predicted the future from way back in the past or sometime else.
I'm so excited to continue with this trilogy. If you've read it drop me a line and let me know what you think.
コメント