A wonderfully imaginative grown-up fantasy with all the magic of Harry Potter or Twilight... An irresistible tale of wizardry, science, and forbidden love, A Discovery of Witches will leave you longing for the sequel.
People
A thoroughly grown-up novel packed with gorgeous historical detail and a gutsy, brainy heroine to match: Diana Bishop, a renowned scholar of seventeenth-century chemistry and a descendant of accomplished witches.... Harkness writes with thrilling gusto about the magical world.
Karen Valby, Entertainment Weekly
Harkness conjures up a scintillating paranormal story.... Discover why everyones talking about this magical book.
USA Today
Delightfully well-crafted and enchantingly imaginative... An enthralling and deeply enjoyable read, A Discovery of Witches is to be the first in a trilogy and will likely draw considerable cross-genre interest. Its fantasy, historical, and romance genre appeal is clear, but it also has some of the same ineluctable atmosphere that made Anne Rices vampire books such a popular success.
The Miami Herald
A debut novel with a big supernatural canvas... Its ambitions are world-sized, ranging across history and zeroing in on DNA, human and otherworldly. Age-old tensions between science and magic and between evolution and alchemy erupt as Diana seeks to unlock the secrets of Ashmole 782.
Los Angeles Times
Harkness, an eloquent writer, conjures this world of witches with Ivy League degrees and supernatural creatures completelyand believablywhile maintaining a sense of wonder. Her large cast of characters is vivid and real.... A Discovery of Witches is that rare historical novel that manages to be as intelligent as it is romantic. And it is supernatural fiction that those of us who usually prefer to stay grounded in reality can get caught up in. Pardon the pun, but Witches is truly spellbinding.
San Antonio-Express News
A scintillating debut... Harkness imbues Bishop and Clairmonts romantic adventure with an odd charm, a sweet joy in the life of the mind.
The Seattle Times
Readers who thrilled to Elizabeth Kostovas 2005 blockbuster, The Historian, will note the parallels, but A Discovery of Witches is a modern Romeo and Juliet story, with older, wiser lovers. Blood will flow when a witch and a vampire fall for each other. Author Deborah Harkness, a UCLA history professor, brings vast knowledge and research to the page.
The Cleveland Plain Dealer
Enthralling... A rollicking mystery.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Fascinating and delightful... Harkness introduces elements of mystery, subtly builds up a romance, interjects some breathtaking action scenes, and brings it all to a cliff-hanger of an ending, all the while weaving strong threads of historical fact into the fabric of her fiction.
The Tulsa World
Harkness works her own form of literary alchemy by deftly blending fantasy, romance, history, and horror into one completely bewitching book.
Chicago Tribune
A shrewdly written romp and a satisfying snow-day read for those of us who heartily enjoyed the likes of Anne Rice and Marion Zimmer Bradley. By the books rousing end... I was impatient for the sequel.
NPR
Five hundred and eighty pages of sheer pleasure. Harknesss sure hand when it comes to star-crossed love and chilling action sequences in striking locales makes for an enchanting debut.
Parade
Fans of historical fiction will be mesmerized.... Harknesss attention to historical detail [and] the rich fantasy world she creates... hold us thoroughly.
Paste
A riveting tale full of romance and danger that will have you on the edge of your seat, yet its chief strength lies in the wonderfully rich and ingenious mythology underlying the story. A Discovery of Witches is a captivating tale that will ensnare the heart and imagination of even the most skeptical reader.... Literary magic at its most potent.
Stephanie Harrison, BookPage
Deborah Harkness is a creative genius. She has taken a genre that is saturated with vampires, witches, and daemons, and has created something unique, with its own rich history and mythology, that draws you into her world with captivating storytelling.... Hands down the best book I have read in a very long time.
Molly Seddon, Words and Pieces
Harkness creates a spectacular fusion of historical and scientific facts, fantastical elements and creatures, fantasy, romance, and highly intellectual characters and dialogue.
Among the Muses
Pure literary brain candy, but unlike many works of its type, its very well written and chock-full of fascinating bits from Harknesss research.... One of those books that I wanted to rip through quickly so I could find out what happens, but also wanted to read very slowly so that I didnt have to be done too fast. Ill be waitingimpatientlyto find out what comes next.
Jeremy Dibbell, PhiloBiblos
We cannot give Harknesss debut enough praise. It is quite simply stunning. Blending fact and fiction, history and present, delicate courtship and tempestuous tantrums, understanding your identity and losing yourself: it is a beautiful work of fiction that fastens onto your heart and feeds your mind. In other words: probably perfection.
The Truth About Books
A Discovery of Witches actually made me excited for vampires again. Deborah Harkness has written one of the most fantastic books Ive read in ages. A flawless mixture of well-researched history and magic.
Vampires.com
A masterpiece of literary fiction, filled with factional and fantastical beings brought to us by the lyrical narrative of a most talented storyteller... An epic tale that will alter your ideas of good versus evil, its a mystery of historic proportion and is filled with the fantasy that readers today cant seem to get enough of.
The Reading Frenzy
Set in our contemporary world with a magical twist, this sparkling debut by a history professor features a large cast of fascinating characters, and readers will find themselves invested in Dianas success at unlocking the secrets of the manuscript. Although not a nail-biting cliff-hanger, the finale skillfully provides a sense of completion while leaving doors open for the possibility of wonderful sequel adventures. This reviewer, for one, hopes they come soon! Destined to be popular... his enchanting novel is an essential purchase. Harkness is an author to watch.
Library Journal (starred review)
Harkness creates a compelling and sweeping tale that moves from Oxford to Paris to upstate New York and into both Dianas and Matthews complex families and histories. All her characters are fully fleshed and unique, which, when combined with the complex and engaging plot, results in... essential reading.
Booklist (starred review)
Harknesss lively debut... imagines a crowded universe where normal and paranormal creatures observe a tenuous peace.... She brings this world to vibrant life and makes the most of the growing popularity of gothic adventure with an ending that keeps the Old Lodge door wide open.
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