Review: A Discovery of Witches

~"The most beautiful experience 

we can have is the mysterious."~

from A Discovery of Witches

page 455

So, let me start by saying, I wanted to love this book, A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness. I really did. Per my usual, I'm behind on the times and had not read or even heard of this book until the second one (Shadow of Night) was coming out and I say several people across social media making a big deal about it. So my friend let me borrow her copy and I set out to read it. Like a month ago. Seriously, usually I'm a pretty fast reader but it took me forever to read this book! I didn't know really anything about it before I started so maybe my apathy for this book is my own fault.

It took until about page 70 for me to really start to get interested in this book. I almost felt like I just started in the middle of a story I was unfamiliar with but I know that's not the case. I really had no clue what Ashmole 782 had to do with anything. I realized as the story progressed that was the point but I was really confused. (Also I kept reading Ashmole as a$$hole...I know, terrible, right?) 

I thought around page 200 it really started to get good. Similar to many vampire stories, I kind of felt that Matthew was too domineering Diana. Yes, it was usually for her own good but it made me bristle a couple of times. Just because you are old and male doesn't mean you get to boss a smart, educated woman around, ya know?

By the end I was really starting to appreciate the story. The ending is very open for the next book. I just don't know that I'll endeavor to read Shadow of Night. It's just Discovery took me soooo long to read and the whole time I kind of felt I really wasn't smart enough to read this book. I just kept feeling that I was missing something. I give this book a 3 out of 5. I just didn't really like it or hate it. So there ya go. This is one bandwagon I'm not jumping on whole heartily. Lots of people love it. So you don't have to take my word on it!

Link to A Discovery of Witches on Goodreads.

Charlaine Harris

Earlier this month, I wrote about hubs and I going to Charlotte, NC to see one of my all time favorite authors, Charlaine Harris. She was on tour for her new book, Deadlocked. It is book twelve in her Southern Vampire Series, aka The Sookie Stackhouse series. I have mixed feelings about this book and its release. I am super thrilled to have this book in my possession (all the better that it's signed and personalized to us) but I am super duper sad to know there is only one more Sookie book to left to come out (due May 2013).

If you are not familiar with Charliane Harris let me give you a little background. By far, I'd say her most popular series is her Sookie books, which is the inspiration for HBO's show True Blood. The first book is called Dead Until Dark. You meet Sookie, a telepathic waitress. I first picked up this series after I read Twilight and was looking for something to fill that vampire void in my life! Sookie is an adult and Southern so it is totally not the same as Twilight but a great series in its own right.

After reading Sookie over the past couple of year and waiting (impatiently) for the next ones to come out, I found Ms. Harris has written several other books including the Harper Connelly series, the Lily Bard series, The Aurora Teagarden series, a couple stand alone mysteries and several short stories. I've read them all (except maybe a couple of the shorts) and they are all wonderful! I certainly recommend anything she's written. The Lily and Aurora series are straight mystery novels, no supernatural stuff going on. Ms. Harris also mentioned at the event that her Harper series has been picked up by SciFy to be turned into a show! (I read it will be called Grave Sight-which is also the title to the first book in that series. YaY!!!)

Here's my (short) review for Deadlocked:


**Possible Spoilers**


Oh Sookie! I'm very intrigued how the series will end after reading Deadlocked. There were a few surprises in this book. It did take care of clearing out some secondary characters. I think a good way to sum up what was going on in Deadlocked, is like Sookie said at one point, all her supernatural paths had crossed. Team Sam all the way, baby!!

I hope you guys have a great Friday and weekend if I don't get to talk at ya again! What are you guys up to this weekend? Anybody reading anything good? Who are your fav authors?