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connieling1927 's review for:
A Discovery of Witches
by Deborah Harkness
2/5 stars
This book was a frustrating one for me. I bought the trilogy because I loved the show, and after reading reviews about it, I thought to myself why not. An urban fantasy, elements of historical fiction, and a forbidden paranormal romance? Sounded great in theory - but sadly, it was not executed well. I tried to keep in mind that this book was written over a decade ago, so writing trends and books trends are so different now - but even then, this book fell flat for me.
On paper, Diana's relationship with Matthew seemed great. However, that illusion was quickly shattered because Diana, a mature adult working woman with a Ph.D. and a professor, someone who is an expert in her field, acts like a child. I'm sorry but I was absolutely beyond annoyed with her. Every complaint, every action, I was just so frustrated with her! She acted like a pushover teenager to be honest, which only cemented my dislike for her.
And Matthew. Oh, Matthew. I had to remind myself not to be fooled by Matthew Goode because Matthew de Clairmont is perhaps one of the most toxic, unlikeable love-interests I've ever had the displeasure of reading- and that's saying something. He's controlling, possessive, and quite frankly, insane. He basically kidnaps Diana and she lets him too - all the while, she's also refusing to acknowledge that hey, you're not human. You're a witch! Stop bringing others into your issues! I felt like screaming at her so many times throughout the novel because of this. She doesn't act like her age which only served to frustrate me beyond belief.
Not to mention that whole part of them being mates and his "children" becoming "their children" - it was just too much for me to handle. I rolled my eyes when I read those scenes. Overall, I'm over the mating aspect of paranormal romances because they're simply not my thing, which may be a reason why I couldn't click with that in this novel.
However, despite my intense annoyance with the main characters, I have respect for the fact that Deborah Harkness is passionate about the subject. Because the author is a professor, her knowledge clearly bleeds into the history she weaves carefully through the novel. I liked that; it just wasn't enough to save the book for me.
Will I continue this series? Yes simply because I own the trilogy. Hopefully, the frustrations I have will either get remedied or at the very least, forgotten.
This book was a frustrating one for me. I bought the trilogy because I loved the show, and after reading reviews about it, I thought to myself why not. An urban fantasy, elements of historical fiction, and a forbidden paranormal romance? Sounded great in theory - but sadly, it was not executed well. I tried to keep in mind that this book was written over a decade ago, so writing trends and books trends are so different now - but even then, this book fell flat for me.
On paper, Diana's relationship with Matthew seemed great. However, that illusion was quickly shattered because Diana, a mature adult working woman with a Ph.D. and a professor, someone who is an expert in her field, acts like a child. I'm sorry but I was absolutely beyond annoyed with her. Every complaint, every action, I was just so frustrated with her! She acted like a pushover teenager to be honest, which only cemented my dislike for her.
And Matthew. Oh, Matthew. I had to remind myself not to be fooled by Matthew Goode because Matthew de Clairmont is perhaps one of the most toxic, unlikeable love-interests I've ever had the displeasure of reading- and that's saying something. He's controlling, possessive, and quite frankly, insane. He basically kidnaps Diana and she lets him too - all the while, she's also refusing to acknowledge that hey, you're not human. You're a witch! Stop bringing others into your issues! I felt like screaming at her so many times throughout the novel because of this. She doesn't act like her age which only served to frustrate me beyond belief.
Not to mention that whole part of them being mates and his "children" becoming "their children" - it was just too much for me to handle. I rolled my eyes when I read those scenes. Overall, I'm over the mating aspect of paranormal romances because they're simply not my thing, which may be a reason why I couldn't click with that in this novel.
However, despite my intense annoyance with the main characters, I have respect for the fact that Deborah Harkness is passionate about the subject. Because the author is a professor, her knowledge clearly bleeds into the history she weaves carefully through the novel. I liked that; it just wasn't enough to save the book for me.
Will I continue this series? Yes simply because I own the trilogy. Hopefully, the frustrations I have will either get remedied or at the very least, forgotten.