I read A Discovery of Witches in the midst of a tough project at work, and needed a soapy fantasy to help distract me. It didn’t work!
Publisher’s description: “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. “
I guess some positives: the novel moved along at a good pace; it’s got a fun title; if you watch the TV series Matthew Goode is nailing it and has charisma for days.
Many more negatives (with light spoilers):
– lead character Diana Bishop quickly goes from “I’m an independent scholar, I don’t want to be a witch” to “all-powerful-being” in like 100 pages.
– Bishop abandons her life goals instantly, and is reduced to a crying mess whenever her sort-of boyfriend leaves? It’s disappointing and frankly boring. How did she function before he entered her life? It’s unclear.
– absolutely could have reduced the novel length, the plot seems padded considering there is so little of it.
– I’m still unsure what the romantic leads see in each other, it’s definitely going to be attributed to “destiny” or some such.
– Matthew (main vampire, romantic lead) should be arrested.
Do not read it – A Discovery of Witches in itself is not a great book, and I hear the sequels get much worse. Not worth the time sink.