Book Review: A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

THE DETAILS:
Pages: 690
Genre: Adult Fiction, Fantasy
Released in: 2011
Publisher: Headline
I purchased this book with my own money.
This book is #1 of the 'All Souls' Trilogy

THE SYNOPSIS:

IT BEGINS WITH ABSENCE AND DESIRE.
IT BEGINS WITH BLOOD AND FEAR.
IT BEGINS WITH A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES.
When historian Diana Bishop finds an alchemical manuscript in the Bodleian Library, it's an unwelcome intrusion of magic into her carefully ordered life. Though Diana is a witch of impeccable lineage, the violent death of her parents while she was still a child convinced her that human fear is more potent than any witchcraft.

Now Diana has unwittingly exposed herself to a world she's kept at bay for years; one of powerful witches, creative, destructive daemons and long-lived vampires. Sensing the significance of Diana's discovery, the creatures gather in Oxford, among them the enigmatic Matthew Clairmont, a vampire geneticist.

Diana is inexplicably drawn to Mathew and, in a shadowy world of half-truths and old enmities, ties herself to him without fully understanding the ancient line they are crossing. As they begin to unlock the secrets of the manuscript and their feelings for each other deepen, so the fragile balance of peace unravels.

MY THOUGHTS:

'A Discovery of Witches' is one of those books that really intrigues you. It had pretty good reviews/ratings, It's got an interesting title, And the story is very different from what I have read before. I really wanted to buy it, so I bought it. However, I have been putting off reading it for a couple of years because I was intimidated by it (mostly because it was over 600 pages). I finally decided to give it a shot. Was it worth the hype? Yes. and No.

When I started this book I thought I was reading at quite a rapid pace. This story and characters fascinated me and I wanted to soak up all of the interesting details like a sponge. The main character Diana is a witch living among humans. She doesn't want to be a witch and tries to avoid using magic at all costs. She accidentally stumbles across an important piece of literature that has been charmed by a very powerful witch and now all of the daemons, witches and vampires in the city are after it. As the novel progresses characters learn more about the book and each other which only makes it more interesting.

I always think it's really cool to learn the rules of a new fantasy "world". In 'A Discovery of Witches' there are vampires, witches and daemons living alongside humans. They have to follow rules to ensure they don't expose themselves to humans. There is also a bit of vampire romance, which had me comparing this to vampire romances I have read. Does he sparkle in the sunlight? Does he eat or sleep? How old is he? How old fashioned is he? I kind of liked that it was a vampire romance because I think comparing books is kind of fun. This novel takes the common witch and vampire stereotypes and messes with them a little bit.

While I did like the main character Diana, I didn't think she was very real or easy to understand. She was the kind of strong martyr type, but for a good part of the book she is perceived as weak because she does get injured badly a few times. Matthew (the vampire) is quite broad and tall, intelligent, old-fashioned, And, has a few secrets. The relationship between them, might seem a little instant to some and because he is a vampire he acts as the authority in the relationship. This is slightly annoying, but tolerable, because it seems like they belong together.

This book definitely has a few cliches such as the dysfunctional supernatural family (and friends), the love at first site cliche and the forbidden love cliche. These are all made bearable because of the truly interesting story line. The plot develops early on, but more details and obstacles continue to appear as the story goes on. This was a really well thought out story and ended up going a lot of places I did not expect it to go.

My main dislike for this book was that it didn't end where I think it should have ended. This big thing happens and I honestly thought shortly after, this would be the end of the story. The story continued (and got less interesting) and another big thing happens, the book continues... The actual ending was pretty anti-climatic. In my opinion, they could have split this book in two, and just had more books in the series.

Overall, I think this one deserves 4.5/5 stars. It was a really interesting story and if you are a sucker for a vampire romance, then you will have a lot of fun reading this. The story is a bit long so keep that in mind if you aren't used to reading such large novels. I will definitely pick up the sequel at some point, because I want to know what happens next. Also keep in mind that 'A Discovery of Witches' is an adult book. It was a smart story, but it wasn't too difficult for me to follow it. It did have intimate scenes, but it wasn't littered with them.

Your Favourite Blogger,
Natalie

Introducing: Gilmore Girls Seasons 1-7

Image Source

After I finished watching all seven seasons of the 'Gilmore Girls' television show I wanted to "introduce" the show to a few like-minded people out there that didn't watch it when it was on TV, but have thought the show was something that might be of interest to them. I guess this post will be a bit like a review, but I won't be rating it and I definitely won't be including spoilers. I bought all of the DVDs online in Australia and had them shipped to me, so I am guessing that they should still be easy to find in most countries. The Merch store is still selling T-shirts and mugs too...

The 'Gilmore Girls' written by Amy Sherman-Palladino is a series that consists of seven seasons and the first episode was aired in 2000. The series is about a single mother named Lorelai Gilmore who has a great relationship with her teenage daughter Rory. The bond between Lorelai and Rory is tested as Rory gets older, develops new relationships and goes away to college. Lorelai is also struggling to make her dream of owning her own Inn come true and she is dealing with her own relationships. 

WELCOME TO STARS HOLLOW:

Stars Hollow is a small fictional town where the two Gilmore Girls live. A large part of the story is played out in the small town, even when Rory goes off to college. The town has a lot of weird and wonderful traditions including a 24 hour dance marathon, a yearly war reenactment, a winter carnival and much more. The town has a very small population and most of the people there know the two Gilmore Girls and are like a family to them. 

The businesses that make the most screen time include 'Luke's Diner', the bookshop, 'Patti's' (a dancing, singing and acting school which doubles as a place to hold town meetings), 'Dosie's' (a supermarket) and the movie theatre. The Gilmore Girls also spend a bit of time hanging out in the Gazebo which is in the park across from Luke's. These businesses are all on Facebook and merchandise can be purchased for some of them online.  

Image Source

THE GILMORES:

Lorelai Gilmore: Played by Lauren Graham. Is a single mother who was pregnant at a young age. She is very witty and hasn't got a very good relationship with her parents. She has a quirky sense of style and she knows how to use a sewing machine. She is the manager at the Independence Inn and dreams of owning her own Inn. She has a serious caffeine addiction and she eats a lot of junk food.

Rory Gilmore: Played by Alexis Bledel. Is Lorelai's daughter. She shares Lorelai's love of caffeine and sugar. Rory is a straight A student and she dreams of going to an Ivy League College and getting a job as a foreign correspondent at a good newspaper. Her name is actually Lorelai too, but she gets called Rory. Rory doesn't seem to care that much about fashion early on in the show, but as the show progresses she shows more interest in fashion. 

Emily Gilmore: Emily is Lorelai's mother and Rory's Grandmother. She is a very stubborn woman and has a lot of high society friends. She is involved in the DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution) and she does a lot dances and dinners for charity events. She is very opinionated and has trouble keeping maids (she fires them or they quit).

Richard Gilmore: Richard is the father of Lorelai and the Grandfather of Rory. He is a business man and he likes spending time down at the club playing golf. 

Christopher Hayden: Is not a Gilmore, but he doesn't live in Stars Hollow so I put him in this list. Christopher is Lorelai's Ex and Rory's dad. He has a motorcycle and never hangs around too long.

THE TOWNS PEOPLE:

Kirk: Kirk is the town dork. He is a bit odd and he works at just about every business in Stars Hollow including the beauty place. 

Lane: Lane is Rory's best friend. Lane has a strict mum who is very religious. Lane has a secret love of rock music which she keeps hidden in the floor boards of her room. Lane is only supposed to date Korean boys.

Luke: Owns a Diner called 'Luke's'. He has a few anger management issues and is always arguing with town selectman Taylor Dosie.

Taylor Dosie: Is town selectman, owner of Dosie's market and a royal pain in the bum. He is a bit of a control freak and he causes problems for a lot of people in Stars Hollow.

Suki: Suki is Lorelai's closest friend. She loves to cook and she shares Lorelai's dream of owning an Inn. 

Michel: Is an angry french guy that works with Lorelai at the Independence Inn

CHILTON:

Paris:  Paris is an academic student who shares Rory's dream of going to Harvard and despises her for it. She tries to make Rory's life difficult at school.

There are more characters, but I thought I would include the ones that got the most screen time.

Image Source

LIFE IS SHORT TALK FAST:

This show is popular among critics for it's upbeat talking pace and witty dialogue. Lorelai is the most renowned for this. It definitely does ad to the humor of the show. 

WHAT I LIKED:

-I really liked Lorelai's personality and the witty remarks she says.

-I liked that a bookworm was a main character.

-I liked the small town charm and all of the kooky events that took place there.

-I liked that both characters had goals to strive for.

-I liked the different messages and themes to do with love and family 

-I liked the clothes that Rory wore (especially in the last three seasons)

-I liked watching Luke get mad (hilarious)

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:

-Rory was a bit down on one of the characters for choosing not to go to college and I didn't agree with her. 

-Both girls had very strong political opinions. I don't know American politics, but it's something that I don't appreciate in movies/shows.

-Lorelai was always donating to environmental activist groups. I know I'm not alone when I say that these groups aren't exactly saints and that they have affected a lot of people in a bad way.

-Lorelai was bad with money. I get that she wasn't exactly rich and didn't earn heaps of it, but she was always subscribing to things, donating to Greenpeace, spending money on take-out etc.

Image Source

Overall, I really liked the show. It was a nice show with characters you can relate to, an interesting story-line and a few funny remarks here and there. There were definitely a few negatives, however they were pretty small in the scale of things and easily ignored. If you like small towns, books, quirky characters and caffeine then 'Gilmore Girls' could be the show for you. 

Your Favourite Blogger,

Natalie