From the Bookshelf of 2025 & 2026 Reading Challenge…

A Discovery of Witches (All Souls, #1)

Deborah Harkness

Start date: July 1, 2012

Finish date: July 31, 2012

Discussion leader: Ashley

Why we're reading this: July Group Read
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What Members Thought

Oct 26, 2012 Jennifer rated it it was amazing

Undeniably enjoyable combination of history, magic and fairy tale. Loved it!

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Oct 14, 2012 Ami rated it liked it

Shelves: mystery, book-club-reads, paranormal-supernatural, romance, films-and-tv, series, time-travel, 21st-century, metamorphe, 2012

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I enjoyed this read, and I especially liked the way all of the history and science were woven together. I liked the main premise and it did keep me interested enough to finish it in two days and I've just picked up the second one from on hold at my library.

I loved the idea of alchemy and the Bodleian and a "witches house" and the ghosts. I thought it was great that they were doing "normal" things such as eating and drinking wine and doing yoga. I especially enjoyed the bits of quoted text and p I enjoyed this read, and I especially liked the way all of the history and science were woven together. I liked the main premise and it did keep me interested enough to finish it in two days and I've just picked up the second one from on hold at my library.

I loved the idea of alchemy and the Bodleian and a "witches house" and the ghosts. I thought it was great that they were doing "normal" things such as eating and drinking wine and doing yoga. I especially enjoyed the bits of quoted text and poetry. The only things that really irked me about this book is that one, it was too EASY. These three groups have a very deep hatred & fear of each other. However, Ysabeau barely put up a fuss over Diana before accepting her (althought part of that may have stemmed more from her anger at her boundaries being invaded more than anything else as in the enemy of my enemy is friend) and Diana's aunt was acting as if they were old friend before they all split up. And all of this in only 40 days!? It was just too much, like I said.

Also, I just can't fathom why the Congregation would be after Diana in the capacity that they were. At first, I thought she'd upset the other witches because she was kind of snooty and holier-than-though in her rejection of who she was. (She just didn't have much common sense. I got the impression she never really grew up even if she did have all of those degrees.) And of course I could understand why they would be so upset about the possibility of the manuscript falling into the wrong hands. But that was just the tip of the iceberg and as it came out that it was related to her parent's (especially her father's) deaths, and then the way Diana was harmed, it was just, Why? She was certainly very powerful, more powerful than had been seen in recent times so the only thing I could get out of that from the Congregation's behavior is fear. But fear of what exactly? And how do the missing pages from the manuscript tie in?

This got 3 stars from me. Part of me did want to give it more, but the story line just wasn't tight enough and there were things that could have been explained better. Like I said I'm interested in seeing where this goes so I'll be starting Shadow of Night this evening. ...more

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