Terrific Tuesday 11-5-2013

As certain as it is that Monday will fall upon us, it is almost as certain that our favorite blog day is here. We are always so excited to tell you about a book that we have loved and hope to catch people who have not read the book/series. So, we are happy you returned!!!!

This week is from Jen:

The book I chose for this weeks Terrific Tuesday is A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness. This book is the first of All Souls Trilogy, with the first two already published. But in order to be fair to our readers, it would only be appropriate to start with book One.

The moment I read the synopsis of this story, there was absolutely no doubt I would be purchasing this book. Her story feels familiar, but with much more rich storytelling than your traditional paranormal series. Deborah loves history and will research her settings and surroundings to no avail. She makes you feel like you are standing right where her characters stand, listening in on their conversations. It is a gift, truly.

The book takes place in England where Diana Bishop is doing research at the Bodleian Library. Diana is the daughter and niece of the famous Bishop Witch family in Salem. While calling books within the library, she calls upon a magical book. As she opens the book and breaks the spell, she knows there is something very different about it and sends it back.

What Diana doesn't realize is that opening the book has brought out various underworld species wanting to get ahold of this ancient book that holds many secrets of the past. Diana finds herself surrounded by daemons and vampires. One specific vampire, Matthew Clairemont, catches Diana's attention while trying to keep her safe from the wanting to hurt her.

The journey the book takes you on is both magical and romantic.

Diana tries to figure out who is trying to hurt her versus who she can honestly trust. You meet a wide range of characters throughout the book, some who are infuriating and others you grow to love. But what keeps you turning page after page is the growing and building relationship between Diana and Matthew. Matthew has a past that has caused much hurt for him. Can he let it go and only love Diana? And how will the underground world feel about an inter-species relationship, especially his family?

You might be compelled to compare this to another vampire love story, but please.....please don't. To do that would be simplifying Deborah Harkness's story. This is beyond a love story. This story plays into societal roles and how others feel about relationships between different types of people. And for me, it was a bit of a learning experience....which I loved. The greatest thing about reading is to be swept away with a story, but when you get a bit of a history lesson without realizing it, then that is one creative, excellent and quite possibly a magical author.