A Discovery of Witches

All Souls, Book 1

By: Deborah Harkness

Narrated by: Jennifer Ikeda

*NOW A MAJOR SKY TV SERIES.*

THE NUMBER ONE INTERNATIONAL AND SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER. A Discovery of Witches is the first in the must-have, must-read ALL SOULS series.

It begins with absence and desire. It begins with blood and fear. It begins with a discovery of witches.

Diana Bishop, a young scholar and descendant of witches, discovers a long-lost and enchanted alchemical manuscript deep in Oxford's Bodleian Library. Its reappearance summons a fantastical underworld, which she must navigate with a vampire, Matthew Clairmont.

This manuscript, Ashmole 782, holds the secrets of their past . . . and the key to their future.

'Rich, thrilling . . . captivating' E L James

'Intelligent and off-the-wall' The Sunday Times

'I could lose myself in here and never want to come out' Manda Scott

'A bubbling cauldron of illicit desire' Daily Mail

(P)2011 Penguin Audio©2011 Deborah Harkness

Critic reviews

'Intelligent and off-the-wall, it will be irresistible to Twilight fans'

Write what you know, debut novelists are told, and Professor Deborah Harkness has accordingly set hers in the world of academia... A bubbling cauldron of illicit desire...all the ingredients for an assured saga that blends romance with fantasy

'An inventive addition to the supernatural craze... Historian Harkness's racy paranormal romance has exciting amounts of spells, kisses and battles, and is recounted with enchanting, page-turning panache'

A romp through magical academia

...a grand romance smartly dressed up in the fashion for the occult...Sauced up with magic as well as being intelligent, the novel will be irresistible to Twilight fans

Had to give a five star all round

This was a very enjoyable and gripping listen. The story is captivating and keeps you in it's grips. The characters are addictive and added perfectly. The narrator does an excellent job with her soothing smooth voice and portrays all characters very well. I am of to read the next in this stimulating series. Thanks Deborah, a fabulous job all round :)

loved it

definitely one of my favorites. iv read an listened to it several times. a Must read

Mesmirising characters and story

This was the first book i have listened to by Deborah Harkness. I had no expectations, and i have been pleasantly surprised. I love the way the story melds together modern life and witchcraft with strong romance between the 2 main characters. The only negative about the audiobook is the narrator, which is a small negative and is easily forgotten about when drawn into the story, unfortunately she changes her pitch in quite unexpected places where its not necessary. All in all its an intriguing story, I definitely recommend it.

more than witches

i loved this book from the start till end. i just hope there is a second book coming

A fun listen

Would you listen to A Discovery of Witches again? Why?

Yes, the story is fun and I liked the mystery, even if the writing wasn't particularly good.

What other book might you compare A Discovery of Witches to and why?

A bit like Twilight for the scholarly type. The comparison is a bit unfair bc in general I think this book is better written than Twilight, but it does share the whole vampire-stud motif (although Matthew is a much more complex and real character than Edward Cullen).

If you could take any character from A Discovery of Witches out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Matthew, just to hear his life story

Any additional comments?

Any Oxford student, tutor, or alumni would cringe at how Harkness likes to just drop in place names for no apparent reason. And the narrator, Ikeda, mispronounces Magdalen (the first clue for an Oxford outsider). Although as a former member of New College, I did like that my college was showcased so prominently.