Tag: all souls trilogy

Show Review: A Discovery of Witches (2018)

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I absolutely consumed A Discovery of Witches (the book), so it makes sense that I’d fall head over heels in love with the show. It’s so beautifully shot, so intense, so lush, so engrossing. I watched the entirety of season one on Sunday and I am in the mood to watch it all over again!

As with the book, the show follows Diana Bishop, a DPhil from Yale studying for a summer at Oxford while she finishes up her latest article on alchemical symbolism. She’s also a witch, but on the down low and not happy about the magical world in general following her parents’ murder when she was very young. In the course of her research, she finds a magical tome, freaks out, and sends it back to the stacks. Little does Diana know that by opening the book, she’s caught the attention of every vampire, witch and daemon on campus (and abroad).

Matthew Clairmont, a professor of biochemistry at Oxford, introduces himself to Diana, who knows instantly that he’s a vampire. He wants the book she discovered in an effort to learn more about the origins of vampires and why they seemingly can no longer sire humans into vampires. His son Marcus’ failed attempt at turning his best friend is just the latest in the series of confusing occurrences for vampires. Though Matthew unsettles Diana, he seems to be the only one on her side as witches harass her. Unlike the vampires, who want the book to learn about their origins and to survive, the witches want the book to erase vampires from existence.

As Diana and Matthew try and discern the mysteries of the book and why Diana is the one and only person to find it in centuries, other witches, vampires and daemons close in around them, forcing the pair to flee to France, where Matthew’s vampire family reside.

I LOVED EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS SHOW!!! It’s full of romance, magic, mystery, politics, history, architecture, scenery, science and more! I want to draw hearts around it and watch it over and over. Season two is going to be here in 2021 and I cannot wait! I must have more of Diana and Matthew’s epic romance.

Book Review: A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness (2011)

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A Discovery of Witches (All Souls Trilogy #1)
by Deborah Harkness

‘I saw the logic that they used, and the death of a thousand cuts as experimental scientists slowly chipped away at the belief that the world was an inexplicably powerful, magical place. Ultimately they failed, though. The magic never really went away. It waited, quietly, for people to return to it when they found the science wanting.’

TEA! WINE! BOOKS! MAGIC!

This book is basically an ode to all the things a historian loves: archival research in old libraries with numerous texts and tomes, historical tangents, philosophical debates, and an investigation into the inexplicable and wondrous. I’m also fairly certain I’ve never encountered two characters who love the history of wine and tea more than Diana and Matthew. Bless their hearts.

A Discovery of Witches is the first in a trilogy that follows the fantastical adventures of Diana Bishop, a professor/witch who is spending her summer in Oxford for research on alchemical texts. But it’s in the archives that she stumbles upon something: a book that everyone in the magical world wants to get their hands on. Diana, though a witch, wants nothing to do with magic and pretends not to notice the book or its magical ~allure. That is, until a vampire named Matthew Clairmont catches her notice.

Matthew, along with an entire library of magical onlookers (i.e. magical stalkers), all want the book. For some reason, though, only Diana has ever been able to access it. This discovery leads to a spiral of events that put Diana in danger as various vampires and witches try to get the book. Few of the book’s seekers care about Diana’s wellbeing, leaving her with only Matthew and her aunts to help. Her aunts, Sarah and Emily, were wonderful! Very motherly. They’re both witches themselves and I love their scenes. I also loved Matthew’s relationships with his family: especially Marcus, his son and Ysabeau, his mum. The story eventually leads the main couple from England to France and then to the United States, so there’s a good bit of setting changes. The library scenes were probably my favourite, though!

This is a vampire tale quite different from Buffy or Vampire Diaries. I was reminded a bit of Twilight at the start, but not because the storylines are the same (they’re not) or because Diana is similar to Bella (she isn’t), or because the vampires are similar (they’re totally, totally, totally different), but rather because Matthew reminded me a bit of Edward at the start. That sort of quiet, reserved, chivalrous type who lurks in the shadows. That changed pretty quickly, though. Matthew is much, much darker than Edward. His history is long and brutal and he makes no attempts at hiding it. There are some seriously interesting events in history that he’s been party to. This is a book that lauds history, so you do get a lot of historical moments re-imagined through the lens of vampires and witches, which was seriously cool. Diana and Matthew are the epitome of researching academics, which I adore ♡ Their chemistry is also unreal.

I’m definitely curious about book two, Shadow of Night, especially given that ending! OH MY GOSH.

Has anyone else read this trilogy? Or seen the show?