A Discovery of Witches cover art

A Discovery of Witches

All Souls, Book 1

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A Discovery of Witches

By: Deborah Harkness
Narrated by: Jennifer Ikeda
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About this listen

Now a major Sky original production.

The number on international and Sunday Times best seller.

A Discovery of Witches is the first in the must-have, must-listen All Souls trilogy.

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.

©2011 Deborah Harkness (P)2011 Penguin Audio Epic Epic Fantasy Fantasy Fiction Romance Paranormal Witchcraft Magic Users Feel-Good Magic Time Travel Discovery

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Critic reviews

"Rich, thrilling...captivating." (E. L. James)

"Intelligent and off-the-wall." (The Sunday Times)

"A bubbling cauldron of illicit desire." (Daily Mail)
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Took while to get into this book, in fact had it for a good 6 months before listening to it. Overall, thought ok, but would not listen to another like this. The reader changed accents frequently. The English accents were all the same tone and region and a little annoying.

A Discovery of Witches

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Not the type of book I would normally read, I loved it as a change, a page turning romp.great fun, just purchased the next book

loved this book

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This was a well written book which I have enjoyed listening to whilst travelling to work each day. Some days I had travelled the 45 minutes in what seemed like a moment. But I guess that’s what magic is all about.
A fun and creative book that I have enjoyed. Staring 2nd in series next!

Fantasy

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I don't think people are giving this enough credit.
Contrary to other reviews, I didn't think the plot was slow to develop at all, the story gripped me from the very first pages. Diana, the main character is smart and sensible. Her thoughts and actions are very well explained, which makes her a very believable character. Her romance with the vampire is believable and follows many conventional patterns that normal humans go through which makes us able to relate to the relationship.

While the plot follows the out of the frying pan into the fire pattern, the problems slowly resolve themselves, as is life. We don't solve one problem before the next disaster strikes. While there is no final resolution in the book it is a good opener for the series. We know who all the key players are, we have motivations for most of their actions and we can get a clue at where the series is leading. The book stops at an ideal place to keep the reader interested, even though no firm resolution has been reached in this book. Information slowly presents itself throughout the novel in a believable manner.

The author did a fantastic job of presenting subjects such as alchemy, genetics in a believable manner and tied them into the book brilliantly. If you like a more academic twist to your fantasy books, this is the perfect book for you!

So much more than a romance...

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This started off really slowly, so much so, that I nearly gave up on it, but DON'T, because it kicks off after about 5 hours and you'll love it.

I think the intriguing thing for me was that you know there are no such things as witches, vampires, demons etc, but the amount of detail the author has gone into describing their world and histories is so believable that you get swept up in the story and end up accepting it wholeheartedly. From a geeky point of view I enjoyed the medical side, DNA analysis etc; and of course there is the romantic side for the sentimental listeners.

Basic plot, witch and vampire fall in love but everyone is against them getting together - why?

More than just Romeo and Juliet

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Now to read the rest of the series first part was excellent looking forward to part 2 and 3

excellent recommended as well well well Goodread,

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This tale was intimate and held me captive from the start. The story was beautifully delivered without distracting from any of the characters. Perfectly believable in every way. A delight, thrill and compelling. Can’t wait for the next book, so that I can follow Diana and Mathews story onward.

Absorbing and enticingly familiar.

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I love Deborah Harkness and have read this book twice, so I thought I'd audible version a go. Once I got over the strangeness of listening to a book and one person doing all of the voices, I really enjoyed it.

I did however find a couple of the voices hilarious, Hamish's Scottish accent and Miriam's squeaky voice. I had a chuckle everytime I heard them, luckily they were minor characters in the story.

My first audible book

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Loved it. I have to book but wanted to listen to it before the tv series ruined it.
so much better than the series and loved the narrator.

brilliant

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This book is amazing; great story, ease to read and very engaging. Recommended it to everyone. I've read this book and listened to it on audible twice and I most say that this book is definitely one of my favourites. Can't wait to read the other two!

Amazing

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