mon_bookedoc's review against another edition
5.0
I know there are contradictory reviews of this book but I am in its corner. A Discovery of Witches is on my old favorites shelf and I have reread it twice now. While I agree that the romance is quite a slow burn and takes some patience, I appreciate the more organic way Matthew and Diana build their relationship vs a lot of the instant love romantasy novels out there (even though that’s sometimes fun too, admittedly).
My favorite aspect of this book is that while the romance slowly heats up, there is a lot of depth to the story as it explores more thought provoking themes such as self discovery, friendship and found family, prejudice and changing oppressive social norms. Each character in the book is complex and has an interesting backstory and rich personality that is fun to learn about as they develop throughout the book. Additionally, the weaving of real historical events and figures with the fantasy of witches and vampires is well done and more “believable” (as believable as a story about witches and vampires can be, anyway).
It’s also a great breakout book to those that are newer to the fantasy genre because there’s so much more to the story than just the magical detail. I’ll always recommend it!
Happy reading (:
My favorite aspect of this book is that while the romance slowly heats up, there is a lot of depth to the story as it explores more thought provoking themes such as self discovery, friendship and found family, prejudice and changing oppressive social norms. Each character in the book is complex and has an interesting backstory and rich personality that is fun to learn about as they develop throughout the book. Additionally, the weaving of real historical events and figures with the fantasy of witches and vampires is well done and more “believable” (as believable as a story about witches and vampires can be, anyway).
It’s also a great breakout book to those that are newer to the fantasy genre because there’s so much more to the story than just the magical detail. I’ll always recommend it!
Happy reading (:
brianna_meshelle's review against another edition
3.0
3.5// I enjoyed this book but it was very slow and not really action packed until about page 350 and on. I liked Diana’s character and her relationship with Matthew but overall there was nothing too special about this book. It was a good starter to a series with a ton of background info.
ladysagestorm's review against another edition
4.0
Ok, so major props for being what Twilight could and should have been (chould have been, if you will). There's a whole lot more to it than that, but really, this book said what a lot of us were thinking: what if Edward did something interesting with his immortality and Bella weren't such a limp noodle? I would have preferred a more shenanigans and fewer dinner dates, but I have a lot of hope for the rest of the series.
nbvanderhyden's review against another edition
3.0
Y’all, "A Discovery of Witches,” let me tell you-
So, this book is basically a 600 page prologue.
Diana, our Heroine, spends the first half of the book walking around moaning and
groaning because she doesn’t want to be a witch. “Wha, I don’t want to use my
powers.”. You spend the whole first half of the book waiting for something
to happen.
The plot picks up speed during the middle and then towards the end, I had this
sinking feeling that there weren’t enough pages left to accomplish the tasks and solve the
mysteries. Turns out that my gut was correct. Just as Diana has decided to learn
to control her powers and the plot gets complex, the book is over. No mysteries are solved.
No marriages consummated. No powers are controlled. We have more questions than
answers. Plans are made, but we don’t get to see the fulfillment.
Diana is like Harry Potter. A extra-special magical, yet orphan, witch who is uncovering the great
secrets of long ago and aiming to make the world a better place. However, A Discover
of Witches is like when Harry and gang decide to put the three headed dog to sleep and
go inside the trap door it/they are guarding but instead of seeing the outcome, imagine the book
just ending there.
I am intrigued by the setting/location/plot (what I'm assuming is the plot) of the second
book. Alas, I have other commitments in my tbr and can't afford the time to read 2000 pages of *maybe* a good read. I’ll decide later
if I want to read the final two books or just wiki the synopsis. Either way, I would like to know how
The End comes about.
Look, it’s not a bad book. A bit boring, not really a Capital R romance, and my eyes did glaze
over a bit as mitochondrial DNA was analyzed. For about a page, I did for sure think Diana was a hermaphrodite and going to have her
own baby. Like, she was gonna be both mother and father to this little incest baby.
That was kind of fun. Overall it was a very detailed, involved, complex,
focused read that I did appreciate. It was a nice detour from my typical brain candy diet of pure
Romance.
Alrighty, they have kissed but we’ve all been left frustrated, and I’ve told you about it!
So, this book is basically a 600 page prologue.
Diana, our Heroine, spends the first half of the book walking around moaning and
groaning because she doesn’t want to be a witch. “Wha, I don’t want to use my
powers.”. You spend the whole first half of the book waiting for something
to happen.
The plot picks up speed during the middle and then towards the end, I had this
sinking feeling that there weren’t enough pages left to accomplish the tasks and solve the
mysteries. Turns out that my gut was correct. Just as Diana has decided to learn
to control her powers and the plot gets complex, the book is over. No mysteries are solved.
No marriages consummated. No powers are controlled. We have more questions than
answers. Plans are made, but we don’t get to see the fulfillment.
Diana is like Harry Potter. A extra-special magical, yet orphan, witch who is uncovering the great
secrets of long ago and aiming to make the world a better place. However, A Discover
of Witches is like when Harry and gang decide to put the three headed dog to sleep and
go inside the trap door it/they are guarding but instead of seeing the outcome, imagine the book
just ending there.
I am intrigued by the setting/location/plot (what I'm assuming is the plot) of the second
book. Alas, I have other commitments in my tbr and can't afford the time to read 2000 pages of *maybe* a good read. I’ll decide later
if I want to read the final two books or just wiki the synopsis. Either way, I would like to know how
The End comes about.
Look, it’s not a bad book. A bit boring, not really a Capital R romance, and my eyes did glaze
over a bit as mitochondrial DNA was analyzed. For about a page, I did for sure think Diana was a hermaphrodite and going to have her
own baby. Like, she was gonna be both mother and father to this little incest baby.
That was kind of fun. Overall it was a very detailed, involved, complex,
focused read that I did appreciate. It was a nice detour from my typical brain candy diet of pure
Romance.
Alrighty, they have kissed but we’ve all been left frustrated, and I’ve told you about it!
mydogswalkme's review against another edition
4.0
My favorite aspect of this book was the combination of magic, science, and history that were interwoven throughout the main plot. Additionally, the lively descriptions of Diana’s childhood home — a character in and of itself — brought up vivid and sometimes silly mental images that really lightened the tone. The only thing that bugged me a bit about the book was the relationship of Diana and Matthew. I’ve read one too many books at this point where a strong female character gets swept up in a romance with an overprotective partner, without whom her powers would never come to fruition.
definitely_bs's review against another edition
Bruh I was in it until the vampire baby and then I got serious Twilight flashbacks.
parot's review against another edition
5.0
I really (really really) liked this book a lot. It hits solidly around a 4.5 rating. This book was so good but it sort of snuck up on me. It was one of those books that didn't FEEL like I was sucked in but I didn't put the book down any more than I had to (My eyes will be "swimmy" all day today I'm sure. lol) & I realized just past the halfway mark that I actually resented anyone & anything that tried to get my attention. I can't put my finger on any one thing that drew me in really. This is a subtle book. It doesn't come on like gang busters & throw you right into the middle of the action (sometimes I was ready to be through the wait because I'd figured out where things were going & was getting impatient) & instead really spends a lot of time on setting the scene, the characters & the stakes. The first part (half maybe?) feels a little on the slow side but really the book takes place over (only) a few months and a lot happens. I confess I was wondering what all the fuss was about ... and then suddenly I was snippy when people interrupted my reading. Weird. ;)
So.... I'm entirely too tired to be reviewing (Going to bed in the wee hours will do that to you.)and will quit now after saying that this is a great book! If you don't like "others" in your books it may bot be for you (though you may want to try it anyway) but you should absolutely try it if you like vampires, witches & daemons. If it's moving too slow -- give it time.
So.... I'm entirely too tired to be reviewing (Going to bed in the wee hours will do that to you.)and will quit now after saying that this is a great book! If you don't like "others" in your books it may bot be for you (though you may want to try it anyway) but you should absolutely try it if you like vampires, witches & daemons. If it's moving too slow -- give it time.
thesarahsilvester's review against another edition
3.0
Meh. I'm not really that sure how I feel about this book. I abandon books that I don't like at all, so it was enjoyable in some ways, but I think perhaps I just don't like vampire stories. Matthew irritated me, he was controlling and overbearing at times, and I loved Diana at first but she started to annoy me too. I loved Sarah and Em and their house was my favorite part. I enjoyed the cast of characters as a whole and am mildly intrigued to see what happens in book 2, though I think I'll leave it for the holidays. 2.5 stars.
hallie61218's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
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? It's complicated
4.0