A Discovery of Witches (Movie Tie-In): A Novel (All Souls Series)

A Discovery of the Witches

"It begins with absence and desire. It begins with blood and fear. It begins with a discovery of witches..."

The Discovery of the Witches is the most fascinating book I have ever read. My God, the amount of knowledge one must possess to be able to write a such complex story.

It's not an easy read and don't go in hoping that it is. I think, that in order to completely enjoy and appreciate the story for what it is, and it is a piece of art, in my opinion, you have to have at least some basic knowledge about some of the significant historical events, old books or manuscripts, a little about biology or/and science. You don't have to know the exact details of the events or context of the manuscripts, but you need to at least have heard about dem. The rest is explained. If you think that the chromosome might be some kind of rare plant, that grows in the Amazons, and the DNA is a new boy band, fighting for the spotlight with One Direction, this book is not for you!

The story starts with a witch, Diana Bishop, going out and about with her day, doing her research in Oxford's Bodleian Library, going through her everyday routine, but this time, she discovers a very rare manuscript (which actually exists in real life, or existed, to be precise), by accident (?).

She is a historian and young scholar at the university, and the descendent of witches. She knows she is a witch, she have known that her whole life, but she refuses to use her magic, because of what happened to her and her family in the past. She wants to be normal. She is aware that the vampires and daemons exists. She can feel them, but refuses to acknowledge dem. The moment she touches the manuscript weird things start happening.

Suddenly, she can feel every eye of every witch, vampire and daemon on her. And here is when we meet the vampire and the professor, Matthew de Clairmont. There is a lot of mystery surrounding de Clermont. Even though he is an employ of the university, he doesn't lecture or take on the apprentices. He is known for his studies of neutral mechanisms and prefrontal cortex (whatever the hell that means :-D), and his studies and publications on wolves. Which explains nothing about why he decides to approach Diana Bishop. And that's why Diana decides to dig around for information about him. Why the sudden interest?

The more she discovers about him, the more suspicious he looks. But the thing is, Diana have enough secrets of her own.

The most amazing thing about this story is the way author describes witches, vampires and daemons. She describes them based on her research, as a historian, and the tales that we (humans) have been passing on to the others, from generation to generation. There are a lot of actual facts. Regardless, if you believe that such creatures exists or not, there were times when people did believe that they did exist.

Another thing that amazed me was the way author used historical events, the breakthrough scientific publications and well know classic literature, to twist/super-naturalize it, for it to suit the story, and make me believe that all I knew about it was not as important as I thought it was. It made me believe, that all that, was only a small pieces of the puzzle, of the bigger picture, in the Diana Bishop's and Matthew de Clairmont's story. It was mind blowing. It reminded me a lot of the move The da Vinci Code. That is the only thing that I can compare this book to. In the movie, at the end, outside the church, Tom Hanks says to what's-her-name "You know, we never actually found any evidence that Jesus was a "he" and not a "she."". Movie ends and you left thinking "WTF?!". That is pretty much how this book made me feel. It made me doubt everything that I know :). Usually, when I read a book in this genre, I adjust my expectations to sustain degree. I know that there will be either vampires, witches or daemons, that the story is fictional and that anything is possible. But with this story, it was hard to tell where the actual truth ended and the fiction began...

This book can be analyzed from many different angles. One might think that it's about forbidden love and overcoming the obstacles. Others might think that it's about more important things like finding the answers to the questions like "Who are we? Why are we here? What's our purpose?". For me, it's about all of the above. The thing that makes this story so realistic is that witches, daemons and vampires are asking the same questions as we, humans, have been asking for centuries :-D.

I don't blame those who gave up on this book halfway through. The first half of the book is slow-paced. Not as in it's boring, but there is not a lot of action going on (fighting, killing, sex and so on). The author goes into a great details explaining things that Diana Bishop comes across or remembers. This book focuses on the fact that knowledge can be just as powerful as the physical strength (Learning, planing, strategizing, then striking). But it suits the story. You can't rush when you are asking such an important questions, right? :-). It have to be properly explained. There are a lot of secrets surrounding two main characters, the mysterious manuscript and supporting characters as well. That is why the story can't be rushed.

Even though the book was a 600 page brick and it took me a while to finish, I enjoyed it quiet a bit and can't wait to start the Shadow of Night.

" Comperi, Comperi' she said. 'Merces amb tot meu cor' he said quietly. Al rebeire. Mefi. T'afortissi."

I was originally led to A Discovery of Witches by a review that called it "Twilight for adults." That was enough to get me to buy it but once I started reading, I could quickly see that there is so much more to this novel than another simple girl-meets-vampire story. Author Deborah Harkness has created a brand new world that incorporates vampires, witches and daemons and it never fails to entice and engage. A history professor, Harkness incorporates her intense knowledge of and love for history into her debut novel (and what better way to do this than with a vampire who happens to be 1500 years old!). So, along with a thrilling plot involving a love affair between two species who, heretofore have been forbidden to intermingle, she introduces us to historical events which enrich the plot and characterization significantly. In addition, the locations she utilizes -- Oxford, England; Sept-Tours, France; upstate New York -- add colorful and interesting backdrops to the proceedings.

Diana Bishop is a witch who has denounced her bewitching abilities so she can focus on keeping her scholarly research as pure as possible. But, when she calls up a book from the stacks of Oxford's Bodleian Library -- Ashmole 782 -- she is suddenly surrounded by witches and daemons and one very handsome and intelligent vampire (Matthew Clairmont). It seems everyone is intrigued by Diana's interest in this book, which has been hidden for many years, and they want to see how the magic in it affects Diana or how Diana's magic will affect the book. But, their interest in Diana and her magic puts her in grave danger so Matthew steps in to protect the young scholar. He flies her to France to keep her safe in his family's castle. There, the two can no longer deny their love for each other, which introduces an even more dangerous situation -- the threat of The Congregation (made up of witches, daemons and vampires), whose mission is to keep the three species from intermingling. But, most threatening of all is a witch named Satu who is ordered to learn just how much magic Diana has in her soul. Diana and Matthew must use their wits and considerable abilities to stay one step ahead of the dangers that threaten to end their lives...and their enduring love.

I was completely swallowed up in the world created by Harkness. (And, this from a reader who has never fully embraced the fantasy or science-fiction genres!) The book includes a compelling plot that incorporates interesting moments in history but it succeeds because of the two main characters. Diana is a feisty, strong and intelligent scholar who does not shirk from danger. Meanwhile, Matthew is a powerful, smart and protective vampire whose history (and passions) run deep. Together, they are a complex pair who work through their difficulties in an intelligent, mature way. But, complicating matters are the mysteries each keep secret from the other and by the emotions that develop from keeping these secrets; this is where the soul of the book is found.

This is the first of a planned trilogy of books and the conclusion of this volume has apparently disappointed some readers because of its lack of a typical conclusion. But, the ending excites me and makes me hope the second volume will be published sooner rather than later (it is planned for 2012). Harkness has introduced us to a plethora of intriguing, complicated and engaging characters who truly get under your skin! Imagining their adventures in Volume 2 promises even more fun for the reader.

If you are looking for a simple love story, this book is not for you. But, if you are ready for a mature story that incorporates mature characters, deep emotions, moments in history and a wild-and-woolly plot, you should go straight to to the 1-Click button and buy it! I loved A Discovery of Witches and look forward to reading it several more times before Volume 2 is released!

It's rare to find a book that you think about even when you're not reading it and whose world you're more involved in than your own. But that's how it was for me with Deborah Harkness' A Discovery of Witches - a book that's pure magic to me (no pun intended). It's now in a three-way tie for my all time favorite book (with Jennifer Lee Carrell's Interred with Their Bones and Anne Fortier's Juliet, in case you were wondering). The very fact that I wanted to read it again right away and was actually sad to have to return it to the library says a lot. (I've since purchased a copy from Amazon of both the hard back and audio book.)

The story centers on Diana Bishop, a 30-something historian who specializes in Medieval alchemy. When researching at Oxford, she accidentally calls up a long-lost, spellbound manuscript, Ashmole 782. She senses something strange about it and opens it, but doesn't read it. Although she's descendant from a long line of witches, she wasn't trained to use magic and so doesn't realize the impact of her ability to break the spell. She returns the manuscript just like any other book. That's when a host of vampires, demons and other witches start following her every move, all desperate to unlock the mystery of Ashmole 782, even if it costs Diana her life. Along the way she discovers she does indeed have magical powers (something else those otherworldly creatures are interested in) and forges an unlikely bond with vampire Matthew Claremont, an alliance that will both threaten and change her life in ways she could never imagine.

I've seen this book described as "Twilight for the academic set." That's like comparing foie gras with a hot dog. Yes, they both have controlling vampires. That's where the similarities begin and end, in my opinion. Twilight was a teenage love story with nothing more at stake (seriously, no pun intended) than Bella's life and heartbreak. This book is about the interaction of witches, humans, vampires and demons (which could be seen as an analogy for racial tolerance), evolution and the future of all of their kinds. It's about magic and mystery and their place in a scientifically dominated world. I'd say the stakes are a little higher here.

I had no idea there were vampires in this book when I picked it up. It contains three of my very favorite things: ornate libraries, an old, mysterious book, and magic (the Wiccan kind, not the Harry Potter kind), so I was hooked immediately. Even if that doesn't do it for you, the mystery surrounding the manuscript of Ashmole 782 will.

I'm a huge fan of character-driven fiction and a Discovery of Witches excels in character development. You learn so much about them from their day-to-day lives and interactions with each other. Some are likeable, others are not, and there are a few you don't know if you can trust. Diana is by far my favorite, but then again, I relate to her on a number of levels, including her love of history, old books and unfortunate propensity toward panic attacks. For some odd reason, I was captivated by Diana's hobby of rowing (sculling to be precise) and plan to take that up myself as a result of having read this book. Matthew, despite being the main love interest, doesn't make me fall in love with him. I like him as a character, but I think it's my inability to trust him that keeps me at a distance. My favorite character is Marthe. Somehow, her mix of humor and down-to-earth wisdom is the perfect foil to Diana, Matthew and Ysabeau, all of whom can be too serious.

The world, writing and plot of this book are also handled with expertise. I've never been to any of the locations, nor had I ever seen sculling before, but thanks to Harkness' evocative descriptions, I could see and hear it all. And all of the meals and wine that were described kept me hungry and in need of a drink (in a good way)! I especially love the Bishop House, which really is a character unto itself. It gave the book some much-needed levity.

A Discovery of Witches seems to be a love it or hate it book, judging from the number of one- and five-star reviews on Goodreads. It's a very layered story, and if you only take the time to focus on one point, you're going to miss a lot. This is a book that should be savored. But that doesn't mean it's not without its flaws. There were some plot points I didn't believe and others that I felt deserved more explanation, but I'm trusting Harkness has her reasons for handling things the way she did. That's one of the problems with not being able to read a series all the way through. A lot of times the author does things a certain way that will make perfect sense once you can see the story as a whole as she does. But as readers, we don't have that option along the way (at least not until all the books come out).

(This is the short version of my review. If you want to read my long, spoilery, very passionate review, you can find it on Goodreads under Nicole Evelina - but I would suggest reading the book first because I touch on almost all the major plot points.)

PS - If you get the chance to listen to the audio book, Jennifer Ikeda does an incredible job as the narrator.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I started A Discovery of Witches. I thought the pacing was a little slow and it took me a couple of days to really get into it, but once I did, I was hooked.

Diana, our main character, is a witch who doesn't use her magic. Her parents died in a tragic car accident when she was young and, since then, she's turned her back on magic (that and she wasn't ever very good at it). Instead she's focused her life on education, alchemy to be exact, and studiously tries to avoid magic.

Throughout the novel I fell in love with Diana as a character. She's a respectable woman who has accomplished much in her 30-some years, but it's evident she's been missing something without the author having to point it out. There are no friends to speak of and the only ones she stays in contact with are her aunts, Emily and Sarah, who raised her after her parents died and one friend, Chris, who's barely mentioned. She's extremely active to release pent-up energy but all of her activities are solo.

In comes Matthew. A vampire. At first, I thought I had another Twilight on my hands. Boy meets girl, girl seems "clumsy" and boy is always there to "catch her" and help out when she requires assistance. Not ragging on Twilight (I loved the books when I first read them in 2007, before the movies and hype came along) but in retrospect, Bella was not an admirable main character because of her damsel-in-distress act and heavy need of a man. Not so with Diana.

Though Matthew is there to help her, she rarely actually needs the help. She's a strong character with a stubborn attitude I loved as it highlighted her independence. She's fully capable of taking care of herself in the real world, but in the world of magic she falls short and isn't afraid to ask for help (though really, Matthew doesn't need to be asked).

Matthew is 1500 years old and has lived through almost every major historic event imaginable which, to someone who studied history as Diana does, is fascinating. It also leaves him with hundreds of secrets that come out unexpectedly and he's a tough nut to crack, though Diana does her best. As the relationship between Diana and Matthew evolves they become two of the most memorial characters you'll ever read.

A few notes about the novel:

1. The basic myths of vampires are similar to most books (with a few notable differences): they can go out in sunlight, they drink blood from both humans and animals and are impressively strong, amazingly beautiful and incredibly charismatic.
2. The take on witches is different (at least for me, someone who doesn't read this genre as much) as each witch possesses different abilities (some control fire, others water, some are better with spells, etc.).
3. Though the book is longer than most mainstream novels now, it's a positive, not a negative. You'll be glad to spend the extra time with the characters!
4. If you don't have any knowledge of alchemy, no worries. I don't either and, I'll admit, some things I had to read through a few times (and some of those I still didn't fully understand) but it never took away from the book and I was able to grasp at least the general idea.
5. There are daemons in this novel, which is a different take (again, coming from someone who doesn't always read this genre). However, they aren't as developed in the book as witches and vampires. From what I understand, daemons are slightly bi-polar and insanely intelligent.

A Discovery of Witches is pretty fast-paced and there are a lot of scenarios going on. It's a lot to take in, but Harkness was able to stretch it out enough that it made sense and wasn't difficult to follow. By the end of the novel, I was interested in what would happen next, wanted to know how Diana's magic would change and where the story would lead since there were still so many enormous questions left unanswered! I was thankful I'd purchased all three and didn't have to leave any time between one book and the next.

I’ve watched A Discovery of Witches the series a few times and love it and finally decided to read the books and I’m so happy I did. The story is so much fuller and poignant than I expected. An incredible beginning to Matthew and Diana’s story. The only qualm I have is the amount of toast Diana eats haha. Nine pieces of toast in one sitting is very questionable, but I digress. I can’t wait to read the next books and learn more about the characters. Miriam and Marcus are so much more fleshed out in this and it was nice to get some insight into them. Highly recommend reading this!

As a lover of all things witchy, I was very excited to dive into this series. I loved the story and how it incorporates modern-day science with so much history. DH made so many references to past figures, and I found myself doing an outside search to get even more information, which was so fun. For this reason, I wouldn't call it a quick beach read, and don't be surprised if you need to read a few passages twice, but it's worth it. I love all the dynamic characters, and I will be waiting 0 minutes to second book!

Introduction Review of A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness A Discovery of Witches is a witchy coming-of-age story about an American historian by the name of Diana Bishop. The story opens with Diana conducting research into the history of alchemy at the Oxford Library. She requests several manuscripts one of which is Ashmole 782. She quickly determines that this book is locked by a spell which she breaks without understanding how. It has several pages missing, and she is surprised when the “words shimmered and moved across its surface—hundreds of words—invisible unless the angle of light and the viewer’s perspective were just right”. She realizes that the book is a palimpsest and contains secret messages protected by magic spells. Even though she is a descendent of witches, she strays from using or understanding magic and decides to return the book rather than investigate it further. “Here, with my hard-earned doctorate, tenure, and promotions in hand and my career beginning to blossom, I’d renounced my family’s heritage and created a life that depended on reason and scholarly abilities, not inexplicable hunches and spells”. Matthew Clairmont is a vampire who oversees a DNA research program and has discovered potential problems with the DNA of future generations of creatures. He has discovered that creature powers in the 21st century have becoming weaker than that of their descendants. He is sure that the answer to this problem is hidden within Ashmole 782. Diana does not realize that other creatures (vampires and daemons, as well as other witches) have been searching for this manuscript for centuries. Matthew Clairmont is able to recognize Diana’s magical power and knows that she has accessed the book. Eventually he becomes her protector and they fall in love. Relationships between creatures have been forbidden for centuries. It does not take Diana and Matthew long to realize that they are in danger. Other witches are after Diana due to her magical abilities and her power to access the book. All creatures are after them due to prejudice towards their illicit love affair. Review Diana Bishop is portrayed as a competent scholar who chooses to abandon magic and live as a human. There is enough character development to provide a likeable protagonist. This is done with a first person POV portraying Diana’s limited perspective. I didn’t feel that Matthew’s character was as well-developed a Diana’s. There were glimpses into his character from Matthew’s perspective by a change of POV to third-person in a few chapters. However, I am left feeling somewhat detached towards Matthew. I would have loved to have seen the POV shift between Matthew and Diana told from each character’s first-person perspective. I felt that there were too many characters needlessly introduced that added little to the story. As the story progressed, it was sometimes difficult to remember who all of the characters were. My biggest complaint is the nonstop descriptions used within the book. I love a descriptive book that makes me able to visualize the surroundings. Here there is too much here, and I frequently found myself skipping ahead and then having to go back because I had missed something of importance. In other words, I think this book could be about three-fourths of its current size and I would not miss anything of importance. I have heard other readers describe this book as just another “Twilight”. I disagree with this. If you are not a fan of this genre then you should not write reviews. The only similarities I see between this book and “Twilight” is that both novels contain a main character who is a vampire and there is a romance between the two protagonists in both novels. Bella Swan is not a witch, and Diana Bishop is not a high school student. The plots, twists, characterizations, and settings are in no way similar between these two novels. The main similarity would be that Twilight was made into five movies and The Discovery of Witches was made into a series consisting of three seasons. The mystery that surrounds Ashmole 782 is compelling and plays a significant part in the plot of this book. Conclusion. If you like fiction that revolves around witches, magic, and vampires, you will most likely enjoy this book. If you do not like this genre, then skip it as you won’t like it. There is a lot of fun here and it is an enjoyable read. Deborah Harkness is able to use her education and produces a fun book that strips away the common themes associated with vampires. I enjoyed it immensely and will read the next book in the series.

I downloaded this book on my kindle months ago in the hopes that I would read it while traveling in Europe this summer, but needless to say, that is no longer happening (thanks, covid-19)! So, while looking for some more reading material, I found this deep in my library and decided to read it anyway. At the first mention of a vampire, I had to stop and look at the book description - wasn't this a book about witches? Yes, but it's also a vampire romance. Sigh. My high school Twilight days are long behind me, but I carried on anyway.

Minor spoilers

First, I actually quite enjoyed Diana's character. She's independent, has a prestigious job, cool hobbies (rowing AND riding, also my hobbies!), and is a witch! The quality of writing really shone in the character details and descriptive settings. Harkness writes either from experience or extensive research, and it creates an immersive reading experience. I could see the walls of Oxford and feel the sway of the sculling shell. It may have started out a bit slow with a lot of this exposition-y stuff, but I actually enjoyed the early scenes of the book.

Matthew's character is a bit more complicated. On the one hand, Diana is drawn to him because he's the only one who treats her with any respect regarding her summoning of the mysterious manuscript. He has surprising moments of humor, charm, and humility when they're first getting to know each other. On the other hand, he's also the stereotypical overprotective, ancient, rich, macho man who orders his minions to follow Diana around and breaks into her apartment like an actual stalker.

And don't get me wrong, I do enjoy a large dose of romance within fantasy novels, but LORD this went from zero to sixty real fast. The romance started out exciting: drinking wine, riding horses. Yes, please. Two weeks later and they're professing love? I've mulled over buying a pair of shoes for longer than that! The pacing really derailed toward the middle/end of the book.

Despite these critiques, I overall enjoyed the book and then went on to watch the TV series. I think the casting was very good, especially for Matthew. His masculine crazy is toned down a LOT, instead focusing on his considerable charm and thoughtfulness. The show also added quite a bit of overlapping backstory for the Congregation, which was a good move. The action sequences at the end make a lot more sense when you spend a little time each episode building up individual character motivations (i.e. Satu and Juliette). Beautifully shot in various locations, too. The show bungled some of the displays of magic and breezed over the ENTIRE "A Discovery of Witches" context despite the whole quote being displayed at the beginning of each episode. WHAT? Otherwise, enjoyable.

Currently looking forward to finishing the second book. I'm still waiting for Diana to grow a pair and speak up for herself more (again, done better in the show for some reason). And really hoping this series doesn't devolve into another Twilight vampire baby scenario - no thank you!

Worth reading if you enjoy lush, descriptive writing and modern fantasy romance.

I'm a sucker for books about lost manuscripts. I'm obviously also a sucker for books about doomed relationships involving magical creatures that somehow have happy ever afters, so it kinda a given that one day I'd break down and spend the big bucks to buy the book everyone has been talking about for the last six months.

Real life historian with a focus on Alchemists through history, Deborah Harkness obviously is writing about what she knows, when she is weaving history, alchemy, and famous English libraries into her book. Where the novel falls short is its familiar treatment of familiar settings and couplings of other famous Paranormal Romance and Y/A books that have gone before it. A Discovery of Witches is being hailed as Twilight for adults. I'd like to throw Harry Potter in the mix as well. The upside is the literate aspects of the book, (here-in called ADOW for ease of typing's sake) which discusses Evolution, famous historical characters, and surprisingly pits Alchemy against Darwinism rather than the usual religion vs. evolution war, and for that I thought it was very unique. The downside is, she didn't stretch her creative wings enough but instead chose to ride on those, others had flown with before.

This author is a real, honest to god historian. She has so much to play with, I don't know why she had to create a world so familiar, but clearly it is just what the market wanted. In the past she had two books published (probably through her college) that received a total of 5 book reviews. The books were well received critically, by her fellow historians but nobody else bought them. And then she wrote ADOW, a long winded Paranormal Romance and became famous.

ADOW has about 1100 book reviews on Amazon. It has been written about in everything from People Magazine to the New York Times, and is going to become a movie. The reviews seem to fall into two camps; those who are madly in love with it, and those who absolutely hate it. I disagree with both. I thought it was at times brilliant and at times a massive disappointment. The disappointment is not for what it is so much as what it could be, and isn't. She is an excellent writer, she could have come up with something more creative then the following scenario, upon which much of the bones of the story hinges upon.

1.A witch who was orphaned at a young age, whose parents were murdered by a powerful wizard who was threatened by their power. They sacrificed their lives to protect the protaganist and she has been raised by her Aunt. The parents do something with Magic to protect her before they die. She may turn out to be the most powerful wizard (oops sorry...) I mean Witch, ever.

2.A much older male Vampire who meets her at school, is obsessed with a female who (while not a human like in Twilight) is still much more frail then he is and so he must always be on his guard with her. He knows he should stay away from her but he breaks in her house to watch her sleep. He loves the way she smells, and catalogs all the different flowers and herbs she smells like to him. He is at first angry and irritable with her, but he is massively protective and will kill anyone who threatens her. His Vampire friends are upset that he is attracted to this woman. Their love can't be consummated because he is afraid he might hurt her, or he wants to wait or something. I don't know, I got so tired of watching two adults act like teenage kids I can't remember if they ever actually had sex or not.

J.K Rowling and Stephanie Meyers should ask for a portion of the receipts.

Harkness's world is one of Humans, Witches, Vampires, and lastly the poor Daemon's (who aren't demons, but are basically slightly wacked out hyper creative sorts who are the Mozart's of the world, and often can't function in the real world. Other then visions of the future, the Daemon's kinda get short shrift as far as magical abilities goes).

The protaganist, Diana Bishop is an American historian who has returned to Oxford, England to continue her studies in famous historical Alchemist's for a dissertation she is going to give. (The above is all applicable to Harkness as well, in fact there are so many similarities between the protagonist and the author, Diana's name could well have been Mary Sue.)

Dr. Diana Bishop isn't just an intellectual with a penchant for studying historical Alchemy, she is also a witch from a long line of witches (going back of course to Salem's witches which all fictional witches seem to need to use as a touch stone.) For some inexplicable reason Diana "usually" refuses to use her magic, allotting herself only the occasional magical sin like fixing the washing machine when it goes on the fritz. While in the library she asks for a book called Ashmole 782, which it turns out has been hiding in the Bodleian Library for over a hundred years. Her magic rears it's head and breaks the spell, sending out a shock wave to the magical community.

Suddenly the library is full of "Creatures," all staring at her while she is trying to study. Vampires, Witches, and Daemon's follow her around waiting for her to call the book back up. They all want to get their grubby little paws on Ashmole 782, each group for different reasons. When Diana returns it, everyone wants her to call it back up and give it to them. The Witches want the book because it will tell them how to attack and kill Vampires magically. The Vampires want the book to destroy it for the above reason. And the Daemon's want the book because they hope it will explain how they came to be created. The poor Daemon's are the only ones who deserve the damn book in my opinion. The Witches are born so they know how they are created, Vampires are made, but no one knows what makes a Daemon, and so children who are born to human's are often treated like freaks by their terrified parents when the "Gifts" arrive. This one book is enough to nearly create a war between the species.

Diana is approached by the 1500 year old (and of course gorgeous) Vampire, Matthew Clairmont, who is also (of course) a brilliant academic with doctorate degrees in four different discipline . He is rich, aloof, distant towards women, and suddenly obsessed with average looking and socially awkward Bella...I mean Diana. Can you tell this is a fantasy written by a middle aged academic?

Vampire, Matthew Clairmont has wanted Ashmole 782 for over 100 years as he is trying to scientifically analyze what creates magical creatures. He is a smarter version of Edward who continues to go, not to highschool, but to one of the highest levels of college, and has studied with and learned from the brightest minds in the world. He hears about Diana and goes to the library where he sees her use her magic, and begins to basically stalk her to find out more about the book. These two break every magical rule in the book when they fall in love and team up to try to find the book again. Only instead of trying to find the book again, they basically run and hide.

ADOW's settings are gorgeous, Oxford England, a Mansion in France, a magical Farmhouse in the midwest of America. I also loved all the nods to historical people and places. At times lyrical and thought provoking it was also however maddeningly slow and in desperate need of editing. At over 600 pages ADOW has scene of meal after meal after meal. A surprising number meals given that one of the pair is a VAMPIRE. Likewise, the main character, Diana is always fussing with her hair. There are long (to me anyway)boring descriptions of the two of them taking Yoga together. Yoga. For god's sake. The two of them reading hand written copies of everything from Shakespeare to The Origin of Species, all signed to Matthew of course. And long winded descriptions of wine. What makes good wine, what the best wines are in the world today and by the way, Matthew has them all and is willing to share. We get long descriptions of Diana being initiated into learning all about wine. You get the idea. He's catnip to a fictional historical academic, and the perfect fictional hero to a living one as well.

I could not get a handle on Matthew's character. He is in the beginning oddly hostile and surprisingly angry at the slightest thing (again, shades of Edward), then he becomes shy and uncertain around her. He's 1500 years old, I doubt there would be much shyness left after having lived through the dark ages, and the black plague.

Once these two lovebirds start exchanging lists of what the other smells like to them (he smells of cinnamon and clove and carnation pinks, she smells like...oh seriously who cares,) the plot almost dissolves. Instead of getting to the bottom of what is in the damn book (Ashmole 782) that has every creature's panties in a bunch for a 200 mile radius, these two go on Inter-species Yoga dates, and have long meals with lectures on wine tasting and long walks. Harkness by the way has a blog on wine tasting that has won awards so she is knowledgeable, perhaps too much so for a fictional escapist novel. Too much detail and something can lose its alure.

At first Diana doesn't want anything to do with him. Then they start hanging out all the time because he wants information on the book, then they start to fall in love and he tells her they can never be together. She is crushed. The lovers almost kiss. She gets threatened by bad witches and he takes her to his Mother's castle in France to protect her and then leaves her, saying they can't be together at which point she turns into a watering witch and almost floods the Mansion with her tears and nearly drowns herself. In other words, just a week or two into knowing Edward, oops I mean Matthew, she is ready to die if she can't be with him. Where did my independent, brilliant, educated witch from the beginning of the book go?

The forbidden and implied, doomed love affair of a Witch and a Vampire in ADOW is so all consuming to the story, it loses some of the excitement a book like this needs to move the whole thing forward, and the obsessive focus on the romance takes away from any action or plot involving the magical book. Nothing much happens, and some of what does happen, happens off page. There are only, in over 600 pages, two times where I thought ....now we are talking, something serious is about to happen. Which again reminded me of Twilight.

There are some fascinating themes, the idea of Vampires working in DNA labs to try to find out more about their origins and her idea of Daemon's was new to me. I thought it ridiculous however, that in all of history these are the only two who have crossed the bi-magical dating line. ADOW is at times fun and thought provoking. It is also at times as dull as watching the dust settle on the books our heroine loves so well, and that is the real tragedy here. It could be so much more. But evidently, an intellectual Harry Potter meets Twilight is just what the public was clamoring for.