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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
This book was recommended to me by two different friends with taste similar to mine. The story and characters just didn't grab me. Also, there is a time travel element that doesn't follow logic or physical laws and I had a tough time buying into it. So, I did finish the book but it took me a really long time and I don't care enough to read the next in the series. To sum up: meh.
It's very slow to start, I started the book because I started watching the series. But I didn't finish that either. The book does have a little more substance than the series, the main character is a lot more layered, but it's just too slow for me
It was really slow and static also the love story were kind of too much to bear.
But after 3/4 of the book, the thing moved a little and the interest in the book returned.
Not the best work but is nice for chilling and sipping tea...
But after 3/4 of the book, the thing moved a little and the interest in the book returned.
Not the best work but is nice for chilling and sipping tea...
A reluctant witch and a gorgeous/powerful/sexy/rich vampire fall in love over the hunt for an obscure alchemical manuscript hidden in Oxford's Bodleian library. Complications ensue. Plus, there are daemons. What's not to enjoy? Yes, I will have to read the time-traveling sequel...featuring Christopher Marlowe.
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I give this book a 3.5, but marked it as a 4 because 3 seemed too low. The writing style and story is captivating; though, I do think part of why I understood and liked it so well is because I watched the tv show first. (I didn’t know it was a book, okay!) I think if I’d read it outright, I would have struggled a little more.
I was interested in finishing the story and learning more about the world. The relationship between Matthew and Diana is interesting. While not entirely believable for a long time (they moved to love very quickly), a plot point at the end made it a little more reasonable. It’s not your typical teenage love story, which I appreciate.
Overall, solid book with a compelling story. I wouldn’t recommend it to everyone, but would definitely recommend to certain friends who I know would enjoy it.
I was interested in finishing the story and learning more about the world. The relationship between Matthew and Diana is interesting. While not entirely believable for a long time (they moved to love very quickly), a plot point at the end made it a little more reasonable. It’s not your typical teenage love story, which I appreciate.
Overall, solid book with a compelling story. I wouldn’t recommend it to everyone, but would definitely recommend to certain friends who I know would enjoy it.
2.5 stars
A historian of alchemy at Oxford, Diana Bishop has always tried to ignore her heritage as a witch and make her own accomplishments without use of her magic. But when she accidentally summons an alchemical manual that has been lost for hundreds of years, she is sucked back into the world of magical creatures hiding within our own along with the elusive vampire Matthew Clairmont.
I picked this up on a whim, not really knowing anyone who has read it before, simply because the audible narration seemed pleasant. I was betting on the plot of a mysterious alchemical manual and the promise of dark academia to carry me through this, but like I had thought before reading this, it turned out to just be a vampire romance. Our main character is a not-like-other-girls type who talks about how plain she is even though she's blonde and athletic, etc., who, after knowing him for maybe a week, falls in love with a vampire while knowing nothing about him. The pace at which their relationship developed was breakneck, which seems unnecessary given that this is a trilogy and this could have been much more suspenseful. Maybe it's my demisexuality, but I'd take a slow burn over instalove any time. I don't see the appeal of Matthew at all; he's overly possessive extremely quickly, demanding, and definitely crosses some consent lines that I was not cool with. Like I said before, the overarching plot with alchemy - which is a subject I love in fiction - was fascinating, and a lot of the magic that was introduced here that will be expanded upon in future installments seems really fun. However, Harkness never lets these be the focus of the story for very long before switching to yoga or horseback riding or plot-irrelevant infighting or the smell of wine or meat or every single person and their emotions that we come across. Seriously, we get it; Matthew smells like cloves. We don't need to hear it every chapter. I also felt that the book could have ended around the 75% mark and have that be part of the next book. I thought the writing was pretty solid as well, it's just what the author chose to write about was not for me at all.
I am so conflicted if I want to continue on in this series! On the one hand, this made me visibly cringe in public multiple times and also pause frequently out of pure frustration, but the direction that the second book is going into is using one of my favorite narrative tropes AND in a way that seems specifically catered to me and my interests. But I'd have to put up with more vampires and descriptions of scents... Like I said, conflicted.
A historian of alchemy at Oxford, Diana Bishop has always tried to ignore her heritage as a witch and make her own accomplishments without use of her magic. But when she accidentally summons an alchemical manual that has been lost for hundreds of years, she is sucked back into the world of magical creatures hiding within our own along with the elusive vampire Matthew Clairmont.
I picked this up on a whim, not really knowing anyone who has read it before, simply because the audible narration seemed pleasant. I was betting on the plot of a mysterious alchemical manual and the promise of dark academia to carry me through this, but like I had thought before reading this, it turned out to just be a vampire romance. Our main character is a not-like-other-girls type who talks about how plain she is even though she's blonde and athletic, etc., who, after knowing him for maybe a week, falls in love with a vampire while knowing nothing about him. The pace at which their relationship developed was breakneck, which seems unnecessary given that this is a trilogy and this could have been much more suspenseful. Maybe it's my demisexuality, but I'd take a slow burn over instalove any time. I don't see the appeal of Matthew at all; he's overly possessive extremely quickly, demanding, and definitely crosses some consent lines that I was not cool with. Like I said before, the overarching plot with alchemy - which is a subject I love in fiction - was fascinating, and a lot of the magic that was introduced here that will be expanded upon in future installments seems really fun. However, Harkness never lets these be the focus of the story for very long before switching to yoga or horseback riding or plot-irrelevant infighting or the smell of wine or meat or every single person and their emotions that we come across. Seriously, we get it; Matthew smells like cloves. We don't need to hear it every chapter. I also felt that the book could have ended around the 75% mark and have that be part of the next book. I thought the writing was pretty solid as well, it's just what the author chose to write about was not for me at all.
I am so conflicted if I want to continue on in this series! On the one hand, this made me visibly cringe in public multiple times and also pause frequently out of pure frustration, but the direction that the second book is going into is using one of my favorite narrative tropes AND in a way that seems specifically catered to me and my interests. But I'd have to put up with more vampires and descriptions of scents... Like I said, conflicted.
It's a really good book and I really enjoyed reading it. I haven't been interested in reading much of anything lately but this book had me squealing and hugging it to my chest. I'm really happy I picked it up. I love Diana and Matthews love story. I'm not a big fan of Sarah and I really don't like any of the plethora of bad guys that were introduced cause there were a lot. That's one thing I can say against the book is that it felt like 20 things were hitting them all at once and it didn't focus on one overall thing it was just everything. Which realistically makes sense for what they're dealing with it just makes it difficult to keep somethings straight.
Definitely going to continue the series - I'm interested in how it's all going to play out and the mystery of what's up with the book everyone wants.
Very Twilight with some witches.
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Probably just tired of the defenseless young woman becoming obsessed with a monster trope… but didn’t feel worth a 600-page first book commitment.
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Not sure if I’ll try the second book that’s just as long.
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Probably just tired of the defenseless young woman becoming obsessed with a monster trope… but didn’t feel worth a 600-page first book commitment.
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Not sure if I’ll try the second book that’s just as long.