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bexolotl's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
kwanzamos713's review against another edition
3.0
I'm still deciding how I feel about this book, but I'm going with 3.5 stars.
First, the positive things: The writing was actually quite good. I really liked the premise of the book; I'm always happy to read a love story between a witch and a vampire. The pacing at the beginning of the book was really well done. I liked the way they incorporated science and DNA analysis into the story.
And now, the rest of my thoughts...
I felt like the whole plot of the book happened in the first 70 pages and then the book really stalled until the very end.
I did not think the romance between the main couple was depicted very well. I thought they fell in love way too quickly and the process of it was not very believable. I also did not feel any chemistry between the two of them at all. Their relationship was so weird, like why did he keep drugging her?? They literally decided to be married like 3 weeks after they met. And then she finds out he killed all these people and she's just like "that's fine". I thought the personality of the main character slowly devolved over the course of the book. At the beginning I thought she was pretty badass and strong and at the end she was just like obsessed with this boy and constantly passing out all the time.
Also, as a self-proclaimed vampire enthusiast, one of the reasons I like reading vampire books is to see how each book handles the vampire lore. I thought it was overall pretty lame in this book. Like all of the myths about vampires being unable to go out in the sun, unable to enter a house without permission, etc...Matthew was just like 'yeah none of those things are real, we can do whatever we want'. And I thought the relationship between vampires and their makers in this book was SUPER WEIRD. Like he literally calls his maker Mommy in French??? You were a grown-ass man when you met her?? Like why do they have to act like their parents. I literally cringed when Diana started calling this vampire who is probably 8 times older than her "son" because Matthew created him.
It was not horrible, mostly because things kind of picked up at the end. Even though there was still some weirdness at the end, like I still don't understand who this pregnant woman was and why she needed to be involved in anything. The direction of the story is interesting and I'm curious about what happens next. I think I'm going to continue with this trilogy to satisfy my own curiosity (and hopefully it gets better), but going to take a break from it for a little while.
First, the positive things: The writing was actually quite good. I really liked the premise of the book; I'm always happy to read a love story between a witch and a vampire. The pacing at the beginning of the book was really well done. I liked the way they incorporated science and DNA analysis into the story.
And now, the rest of my thoughts...
I felt like the whole plot of the book happened in the first 70 pages and then the book really stalled until the very end.
I did not think the romance between the main couple was depicted very well. I thought they fell in love way too quickly and the process of it was not very believable. I also did not feel any chemistry between the two of them at all. Their relationship was so weird, like why did he keep drugging her?? They literally decided to be married like 3 weeks after they met. And then she finds out he killed all these people and she's just like "that's fine". I thought the personality of the main character slowly devolved over the course of the book. At the beginning I thought she was pretty badass and strong and at the end she was just like obsessed with this boy and constantly passing out all the time.
Also, as a self-proclaimed vampire enthusiast, one of the reasons I like reading vampire books is to see how each book handles the vampire lore. I thought it was overall pretty lame in this book. Like all of the myths about vampires being unable to go out in the sun, unable to enter a house without permission, etc...Matthew was just like 'yeah none of those things are real, we can do whatever we want'. And I thought the relationship between vampires and their makers in this book was SUPER WEIRD. Like he literally calls his maker Mommy in French??? You were a grown-ass man when you met her?? Like why do they have to act like their parents. I literally cringed when Diana started calling this vampire who is probably 8 times older than her "son" because Matthew created him.
It was not horrible, mostly because things kind of picked up at the end. Even though there was still some weirdness at the end, like I still don't understand who this pregnant woman was and why she needed to be involved in anything. The direction of the story is interesting and I'm curious about what happens next. I think I'm going to continue with this trilogy to satisfy my own curiosity (and hopefully it gets better), but going to take a break from it for a little while.
deanneestelle's review against another edition
3.0
I really enjoyed the academic setting of this book, but got annoyed when we strayed from that to focusing on the passionate, foundationless insta-love between the main characters. I’m interested to see where the story goes from here.
newlillith's review against another edition
5.0
I picked this up on a whim at the airport in St. Louis in a used book store. The heavy bend to the book belied just how much the previous owner loved it (that or they're a serious book abuser). I was not disappointed. After being gone for four days from my amazing daughter and husband, I sailed past their open arms and into my bed with this book. It's a love story between a witch and a vampire. Seems like it'd be a pretty tired plot, but it's not. Not only is the love story believable (they talk to each other like mature adults, gasp!), but there's some pretty awesome history stuff thrown in here for history buffs. I would highly recommend this to anyone looking for a smart, entertaining read. It's deliciously long and I was so sad when it ended!
purcellapple's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
buaslbutterfly's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
thebookdivareads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
gillianw's review against another edition
3.0
First read Nov 2013
Second (partial read) Jan 2022
Oof, this did not age well. Or maybe it was always subpar and my tolerance for fictional alpha males and formerly strong but suddenly useless women has changed. Probably both. In any case, I don’t think I can go on reading this. I’m DNFing here so I can stop reading about this presumably powerful witch who keeps getting put to bed whenever she gets upset.
Second (partial read) Jan 2022
Oof, this did not age well. Or maybe it was always subpar and my tolerance for fictional alpha males and formerly strong but suddenly useless women has changed. Probably both. In any case, I don’t think I can go on reading this. I’m DNFing here so I can stop reading about this presumably powerful witch who keeps getting put to bed whenever she gets upset.
bagejew's review against another edition
5.0
Vampires, daemons, witches and humans. The co-exist, but can they or should they co-mingle? A Discovery of Witches is a story about love, a story about family, and a story about overcoming obstacles. It is beautifully written and hard to put down. I am a fan and can't wait to read the next book in the series.
nalian's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0