Author: Deborah Harkness
Series: All Souls Trilogy # 1
Genres: Paranormal, Supernatural,
Contemporary, Romance, Adult
Publisher: Viking Adult
Released: 8 February 2011
Summary: via goodreads.com 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.
My Review: Oh goodness, question: who
hasn't read this book by now? Answer: basically no one. I even saw
a old man (like eighty) reading it on the bus the other day. So am I
wasting my time reviewing it? Maybe. But I will say this: I'm
officially adding my voice to the lovers. The way that Harkness has
structured her story is pretty incredible in the fact that it didn't
read like an adult novel. It read like popular fiction, extremely
popular fiction, which I wasn't expecting from a history professor.
Although at times I found this book to be bogged down by stats and
facts that I didn't particularly care for, I did feel that Harkness
gave a well rounded account that was intellectual and moved forward
effortlessly. I adored all of the supporting and main characters and
was quite intrigued by the story line. And the setting, oh my
goodness don't even get me started. Pack me up in a box and send me
to Oxford, because I want to live in that freaking library.
Definitely one I would recommend for a summer vacation read, if you
haven't already read it. And I can't wait for the sequel to come out
in just a few weeks! Sidenote: I hate when the word sensual is used on book jackets. Seriously? This book isn't sensual, it spends like thirty pages talking about the construction and mutation of genes.
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