“It begins with absence and desire.
It begins with blood and fear.
It begins with a discovery of witches.”
I've been of the radar for a little while, well by my standards at least. I've been busy rereading my favorite book/ soon trilogy. Once the third book is released hopefully in 2013 *fingers crossed*.
If there is one read I would be stuck on a deserted island with it's the All Souls trilogy by Deborah Harkness.
Book 1
These books have EVERYTHING!!!! From witches, vampires, wolves, magic, actual history, alchemy, death, blood, birth, fear, desire, soul-mates, true love, god's & goddesses, humor, correct spelling & grammar. I could go on.
The love story that builds between the two main characters feels more real and alive compared to contemporary romance/ novels and movies. This book is about to be made into a movie by the way, read the book first, I already know there's not a way all that happens in the book will make it to the big screen, shame the book is that action packed. I'm sure the movie will still be highly entertaining.
At first I wasn't sure if i was going to make it through the book, it was a bit of a tough read in the beginning due to the intricacies that get broken down on alchemy. I now have a healthy appetite for wanting to know more on the many subjects that Harkness boasts in both books.
The relationships and interactions between all the characters is very human and not always pretty or black and white. The flow of this story is rich and kept me guessing (at the first read, obviously). I could not for see where any of them were going to go and what they were thinking. The love throughout this book filled my heart with hope for a real love such as theirs.
I learn something new and valuable every time I read this book.
A richly inventive novel about a centuries-old vampire, a spellbound witch, and the mysterious manuscript that draws them together.
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.
Debut novelist Deborah Harkness has crafted a mesmerizing and addictive read, equal parts history and magic, romance and suspense. Diana is a bold heroine who meets her equal in vampire geneticist Matthew Clairmont, and gradually warms up to him as their alliance deepens into an intimacy that violates age-old taboos. This smart, sophisticated story harks back to the novels of Anne Rice, but it is as contemporary and sensual as the Twilight series-with an extra serving of historical realism.
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.
Debut novelist Deborah Harkness has crafted a mesmerizing and addictive read, equal parts history and magic, romance and suspense. Diana is a bold heroine who meets her equal in vampire geneticist Matthew Clairmont, and gradually warms up to him as their alliance deepens into an intimacy that violates age-old taboos. This smart, sophisticated story harks back to the novels of Anne Rice, but it is as contemporary and sensual as the Twilight series-with an extra serving of historical realism.
Notes before quotes: There is so much beautiful dialog and inter monolog I didn't want to spoil any of it for you, the joy is truly in the discovery in A Discovery of Witches. Alas, I have many favorites between them, that I've left out my top and kept them for myself. I did appreciate the doubling meaning to this one, it's said during a game of chess. "'Don't try. Do it.' Hamish said gruffly. 'You're about to lose your bishop, by the way.'"
Quotes:
“Yes, I see that you are behaving like a prince but that doesn't mean you won't behave like a devil at the first opportunity.”
"I was planning on starting a new file on my computer with the tittle 'Phrases That Sound One Way to Witches but Mean Something Else to Vampires'."
"Clairmont continued smoothly, as if he were used to being the only active participant in a conversation."
"'I've see courage like yours before-from women, mostly.' Matthew continued as if I hadn't spoken. 'Men don't have it. Our resolve is born out of fear. It's merely bravado.'"
"The past weeks have been almost biblical in their tests. I think the only thing we've escaped is a plague of locusts."
"In a few weeks, you will cheerfully commit murder for a shower."
"If I still had my phone, I would take a picture of you in these hideous things and blackmail you for eternity."
"He'd slipped into unexplored, empty places when I wasn't looking. Now that he'd left, I was terribly aware of his absence."
Deborah Harkness (born 1965) is an American scholar, novelist and wine enthusiast. She is a well-regarded historian of science and medicine, specializing in the fifteenth through seventeenth centuries. Harkness has published two works of history, John Dee's Conversations with Angels: Cabala, Alchemy and the End of Nature (1999) and The Jewel House: Elizabethan London and the Scientific Revolution (2007). Her recent novel A Discovery of Witches, a tale of magic, science and history, has become a bestseller and was named to Amazon.com's Best Books of February, 2011 List.
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