RATING: ✖✖
The initial promise of an academically fuelled supernatural suspense mystery kept me hooked, but it ultimately landed in a plot achingly similar to Twilight — despite the promises of witchcraft and magic, this book didn’t cast a spell over me.
SYNOPSIS: Deep in the stacks of Oxford’s Bodleian Library, young scholar Diana Bishop unwittingly calls up a bewitched alchemical manuscript in the course of her research. Descended from an old and distinguished line of witches, Diana wants nothing to do with sorcery; so after a furtive glance and a few notes, she banishes the book to the stacks. But her discovery sets a fantastical underworld stirring, and a horde of daemons, witches, and vampires soon descends upon the library. Diana has stumbled upon a coveted treasure lost for centuries-and she is the only creature who can break its spell.
I read this book a while ago, but I hadn’t the urge to properly review it until now. It’s been stewing in my mind for quite some time now, as I haven’t quite been able to let go
of it — I think that, ultimately, this book let me down. It was actually a real tragedy, as the premise was fantastic. I have no idea how I stumbled upon this book, but I think it was through some sort of ‘Halloween-and-witch-books-you-should-read’ article on Bustle. Initially, I really liked the book. Until the Edward Cullens came barging into the plot, disbanding my enjoyment. Womp womp.
So, why didn’t I fall for the magic of this book? I could essentially boil it down to two reasons, which I’ll make clear below.
Continue reading “A Discovery of Witches – Deborah Harkness”
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