Reviews with content warning for Confinement - A Discovery of Witches

Reviews tagging 'Confinement'

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

19 reviews

marylinaris's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No

3.5

I took several pages of notes while reading but I genuinely can’t put them into a succinct review, so bullet points got to do.

Things I liked:

• the worldbuilding

• the plot hooked me from the beginning and kept me intrigued till the end

• that Diana has grown up knowing about the magical things in the world and her not knowing specific things that were later revealed gets a good explanation

• descriptions part 1 - this book had some very flowery prose and did a great job describing the general settings; it very much gave the sense that the author has lived these places, sports and activities

Things I didn’t like:

• describing the only two WoC by comparing their skin to the color of beverages

• the short timeline when it comes to the romantic relationship (I didn’t mind their instalove but their speedrun from strangers to lover to married in one month was a little too much)

• both main characters, but especially Diana, are way too dramatic (this goes hand in hand with the short timeline but I couldn’t take her seriously when she swore undying love and devotion to Matthew after knowing him for half a month –– not to say Matthew wasn’t dramatic, that man has an emotional breakdown at his friends place about how much he loved Diana... THREE DAYS AFTER THEY MET)

• descriptions part 2 - overall too much! While nicely written most of it was just not needed for the plot or setting up the scene. The way we were told about just every outfit Diana put on very much gives ‘this was written by a teenager on wattpad in 2013 who thinks it is necessary to describe every single item of clothing the mc ever wears’. We don’t need to hear about every single food group Diana eats when they have a meal? So much of it has no plot relevancy and I, personally, do not need the author to hold my hand through the book and give me this much detail when it comes to just about everything. I can believe the line ‘She had a quick breakfast and brushed her teeth before heading out’ and do not need every single step that goes into these actions written out in detail to follow the story - truly it was more hindering than helpful

Random other things:

• at some point I just wrote down that it feels like the entirety of Oxford is just made up of non-human creatures because there were like three human side characters and the rest of the town was filled with vampires, witches and daemons

• I’ve heard about how possessive Matthew was going to be before I picked up the book, so I wasn’t really bothered by it for most of the book tbh (the only way it got a little annoying in was when he tried to keep Diana save, she wouldn’t listen, stayed and couldn’t even really defend herself)

• this book was published in 2011 and you can tell, surprisingly it refrained from the ‘not like other girls’ trope for the most part

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fireside_reads's review

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adventurous emotional mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

An addictive story with secrets, vampires, and magic.

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linesiunderline's review

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adventurous emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Sometimes you just want a good story to really sink into. Sometimes that story will have vampires and witches and romance and Oxford in it, and there will be parts of it you don’t really get but whatever, you won’t be mad about it, even if it is a teensy bit overwritten in places.

Did I think I would really enjoy this one so much, to the point that I put the second audiobook on hold before I finished the first? I did not. But Vampire Matthew has quite a presence. So does Oxford and all of the witchy atmospheric business. I’m all in.

If you are an Outlander fan, this one is for you. I have to go watch the TV series now.

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readwithde's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging hopeful informative inspiring mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

I want to rate this book higher, because I love the premise and story, but there are pacing issues that make this nearly 600 page book hard to relish.

This is a book of 3 stories, really: first, Diana and Matthew finding each other and choosing love over the rules of the Congregation. This is the primary plot and takes the most space, as it should. We do get early POV chapters from Matthew that glimpse his secrets, but as a reader, I didn't appreciate being kept in the dark so much, especially as he tends to keep literally everything a secret.

The romance is interesting at first, then picks up and becomes intense and truly lovely,

with the pinnacle being their "marriage" when Matthew returns to Sept-Tours at the midway part of the book. The action sequence of Diana's kidnapping and torture changes the romance, and it becomes very needy, desperate, and codependent with the only excuse being, "that's just how vampires are."

A bit disappointing

The second story is about Diana's parents and their choice to get married and have a family

despite the Congregation's wishes; this includes their decision to spellbind Diana to keep her from accessing her full magic as they seem to knowingly go to their deaths. With her father's ability to timewalk paired with her mother's divination, they set up a path for Diana, essentially leading her to Matthew and Ashmole 782.

This story is revealed in bursts, and is often confusing to follow. While I find it interesting and evocative, it leaves quite a few plotholes that are never directly answered. In fact, many important rules about magic and powers are handed out nonchalantly, making it easy to be confused if you don't pay close attention.

Finally the third story involves Ashmole 782 and the people who want to use it,

namely the Congregation and Matthew's Lazarus Order. Apparently it has something to do with the maintaining and evolution of daemons, vampires, and witches, along with how they first came to be, but it is never explained why this knowledge is hidden. If maintaining the species is necessary,

why is it not public knowledge in the magical community? Why is it a dangerous, hidden secret?

The whole series seems to be centered on this book, but it is never explained why it is so dangerous, vital, or anything else other than what it may contain in an alchemical sense. It makes it hard for me to care who wants it or why when no one knows what is inside or why it's dangerous. A definite problem that is only obvious when not distracted by Diana and Matthew's romance or some disgruntled friend, ally, or enemy.

Overall, I love the concept, but it didn't need to be so detailed, so cerebral, or so lengthy. Likewise, the final 50 pages add two brand new characters from out of nowhere; they end up causing upheaval to the entire plan and structure. Some better pacing could fix many of these issues and smooth out the extra plotlines.

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meganpbennett's review

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adventurous dark mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I am not sure what I think of A Discovery of Witches. It took a very long time to build up into an interesting book, and I'm not sure I like Matthew, and I found his relationship with Diane highly questionable. I didn't like the ending - I think Harkness took the wrong page out of Gabaldon's books with that decision.

A Discovery of Witches had a witch scholar of alchemy find a rare alchemical text, and - unaware of the significance of the text - return it to the spell that kept it safe for centuries. Almost immediately, the Vampires, Daemons, and more witches show up.

The book take a long time to change from 'academic scholar researching old manuscripts' to the paranormal suspense novel it is, with vampires, daemons, and witches. And it's rarely "suspenseful" in the strictest sense, where you have to know what happens next. It's just mildly interesting. I'm not completely sold on a lot of things in the novel - from how Matthew behaves to how it ends - but maybe the (longer) second one will be more interesting.

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lilifane's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense slow-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? Yes

4.0

I know I know I know, there are a lot of flaws in the book, especially with the romance plot, but I just adore the world building and the atmosphere and the characters and the magic and the science and the books and the history. I should care more about the fact that the romance is highly problematic and annoying and is also a major part of the plot. And yes, I hate that part of the book with all my heart. It does not help that the problematic issues are actually addressed... and just ignored by the characters because loooove. But ... the rest is just too good?

The vampire and witch lore is so fascinating in this book. And I love that it's actually rooted in science. The academic setting at the beginning is so nice. And the found family aspects are just wholesome. And I'm in love with the Bishop house. And the thing that happens at the end... I'm just a huge fan of this kind of plot, okay?

So yeah, not a fan of the romance but a big fan of the world.

I'm very curious how the story will unfold, but I'm also prepared to hate it at the end. So we'll see.

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marisabenn's review

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adventurous mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I love this book so much. I read it at least once a year. I love the characters, their strengths, their weaknesses, all of it. I think it's a great mixture of fantasy and real life. Even though you're reading about witches and vampires, they seem real. I'll always root for a strong female lead, especially if she's Diana Bishop.

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stormwise's review against another edition

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mysterious slow-paced

2.5

Hmmmmm.

It's not that I entirely disliked this book - I'll be reading the sequels - but I spent a lot of time complaining about this book as I read it.

On paper this sounded right up my alley: a story that begins with a witch in a library? Nice. However this novel had a much heavier focus on romance than I expected - not necessarily a bad thing, I do like romance, but...

Did anyone else who read this book find it a little...sexist? Misogynistic, even? I struggled to find Matthew an attractive romantic lead when he was so frequently being controlling towards Diana, or having wild mood swings. It was a bit "Twilight for adults" in my opinion. The 'alpha male' bullshit had me rolling my eyes on a regular basis.

Also, if I had a penny for every time my mum recommended a 500+ page fantasy-romance novel that turned out to have multiple sex scenes in it, I'd have two pennies, which isn't a lot but it is weird that it's happened twice (the other one was Outlander which I read last year and, weirdly, have similar criticisms for).

The writing style was also a bit...long-winded. I love a good bit of descriptive writing but sometimes less truly is more and overly floral language just bogs down the scene.

My various grumbles aside, the overall plot was sufficiently compelling, dragged as it was through endless scenes of monotony which were fortunately bolstered by the intriguing cast of characters. I really liked the magic and the way the world worked with witches, vampires and daemons. I just wish Diana had spent less time taking naps or having decisions made for her... </spoiler >

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massivepizzacrust's review

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adventurous funny lighthearted tense fast-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

This is a deceptively long book, with almost 600 pages when it looks from the outside like it should have closer to 350. It's also an absolute breeze to read and, though I have to dock a star for what I think is a pretty unhealthy start to a relationship, it's my new favorite slightly guilty read series.

Reread in 2020: I needed to get back to this because of *waves broadly* and I enjoyed it just the same this time around. I almost never reread but I needed something comforting and addictive for finals season.

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