Author:
Format: Quality Paperback, Unabridged-CD
Publisher: Penguin Books
Published: Dec 2011
Genre: Fiction - Occult
Retail Price: $19.00
Pages: 592
A richly inventive novel about a centuries-old vampire, a spellbound witch, and the mysterious manuscript that draws them together.
Deep in the stacks of Oxford's Bodleian Library, young scholar Diana Bishop unwittingly calls up a bewitched alchemical manuscript in the course of her research. Descended from an old and distinguished line of witches, Diana wants nothing to do with sorcery; so after a furtive glance and a few notes, she banishes the book to the stacks. But her discovery sets a fantastical underworld stirring, and a horde of daemons, witches, and vampires soon descends upon the library. Diana has stumbled upon a coveted treasure lost for centuries-and she is the only creature who can break its spell.
Debut novelist Deborah Harkness has crafted a mesmerizing and addictive read, equal parts history and magic, romance and suspense. Diana is a bold heroine who meets her equal in vampire geneticist Matthew Clairmont, and gradually warms up to him as their alliance deepens into an intimacy that violates age-old taboos. This smart, sophisticated story harks back to the novels of Anne Rice, but it is as contemporary and sensual as the Twilight series-with an extra serving of historical realism.
Despite a brief and interesting start, this book is very slow and very boring. There are endless chapters about the heroine drinking tea, eating toast, rowing, and going to yoga classall in very boring detail. This book only needed to be about 150 pages long, not 600! What was the editor thinking? In summary, dont waste your time because nothing ever happens. A rambling plot that goes nowhere.
This was one of the most enjoyable books I have listened to in quite a while. It has a good plot and story line, the characters are well developed and enjoyable, and it flows very well. I am very much looking forward to the next book!
I enjoyed this book and the way it flowed. Deborah never left you hanging too long. I liked Diana and Matthew.