Reviews with content warning for Murder - A Discovery of Witches

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A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

45 reviews

atxshopgirl's review against another edition

adventurous funny mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.5

Reading this was like all my favorite YA, fantasy, and sci-fi fandoms got mixed up in a big cauldron, with a healthy dash of ABO elements, without explicitly calling out ABO (sorta). (Seriously — if you liked the vibes from that childhood wizard series or the sparkly vampire story, read fanfic, and have watched that show about a time lord at any point, you’ll probably enjoy this story.)

The main character wasn’t super relatable at first and felt kinda like a Mary Sue, but as the plot really picked up, a lot of the exposition and first-person voice that I found somewhat annoying at the beginning fell away and I really began to enjoy the way the plot unraveled and the way all the characters were interacting with and growing with one another.

The book was a bit slow to start, but once many of the other characters were introduced the pace picked up quite a bit and I found myself wishing there had been MORE content established with those characters, and more depth, despite how long it already is.

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marylinaris's review against another edition

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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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nestofwordsandblankets's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional slow-paced

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

3.75

Steeped in history and science with a sprinkling of your fantasy must-haves and tropes, you will get your orphaned heroine and brooding vampire who must save a secret world and navigate their love.

Discovery of Witches was a great read, albeit slow and laborious. The story follows a historian named Diana and Matthew, a vampire, so be prepared for a lot of historical talks, alchemy theories, and arguing with a vampire. There are chapters that require patience to sort through the historical context to understand their relationship and the ramifications of their union. Are they necessary, no...but they do set this book aside from traditional vampire romances. This book is for those who have patience for a slow storyline and a quick insta-love situation.

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georgiaalexturnbull's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

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

3.75

Really enjoyed it until

Matthew returned to Sept-Tours

then I hated the dynamic between the two protagonists

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readerk8's review

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adventurous mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

4.5

As a historian, I just really identify with this historian MC 😆. I enjoyed the suspense of the story, the slow revelations as new information came to light, the different relationships. The romance is kind of weird I guess and it does seem a bit slow in places but I never wanted to abandon it. It was a nice book to end 2021 with.

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yellow_star's review

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adventurous emotional mysterious medium-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

Th main character technically has a disability with an anxiety condition and trauma, but mainly Diana is a multi faceted character and not an annoying disability inspiration caricature abled people often make. It's a fairly diverse set of characters, mixed in both sexuality and race which is rare in romances and fantasy. This is also just an awesome job of story telling in general and deserves to be a best selling book.

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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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katielaine_w's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious 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

3.25

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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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