A review by parot
A Discovery of Witches, by Deborah Harkness

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.