A Discovery of Witches (All Souls, #1) in My Vampire Book Obsession

Jan 30, 2011 Suzanne (Doppleganger) rated it really liked it

Shelves: vampires, romance, paranormal, witches-wizards-magic, time_travel

A Discovery of Witches is a vampire romance. Let me say that again. A Discovery of Witches is a Vampire Romance.

Oh sure the title mentions ‘witches’ instead of ‘vampires’ or other vampire clichés like blood, darkness, or night. It has witchy symbols on the cover and the synopsis calls it “equal parts history and magic, romance and suspense”. But don’t be deceived, this is a vampire romance.

If you don’t like vampire romances, then this book is not for you.

You say you like vampire romances? So do ...more

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Jun 19, 2011 Barbara ★ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: x-set-in-europe-uk-england, romance, x-set-in-europe, historical, paranormal-demons, paranormal-vampires, paranormal-witches-wizards, paranormal-ghosts, zz-cover-blue, read-2011

Let me first say that I absolutely loved this book! Diana has moments of stupidity and Matthew is overbearing as hell at times but as a whole, they make a great couple. He's a strong ancient vampire with many allies and abilities, and she's a dormant witch who is just coming into her powers. Which is a very good thing because their forbidden vampire/witch pairing goes against the rules of the Congregation and all of the different species (vampire, demon and witch), war is imminent. The courtship Let me first say that I absolutely loved this book! Diana has moments of stupidity and Matthew is overbearing as hell at times but as a whole, they make a great couple. He's a strong ancient vampire with many allies and abilities, and she's a dormant witch who is just coming into her powers. Which is a very good thing because their forbidden vampire/witch pairing goes against the rules of the Congregation and all of the different species (vampire, demon and witch), war is imminent. The courtship is very old-fashioned and enjoyable to this reader who gets sick of the "meet and immediately sex them up" story line that is evident in most books. Matthew is a real gentleman and though he is romantic, he isn't a sex fiend. As a matter of fact, he is terrified of having sex with Diana for reasons I cannot mention.

There are many things going on in this book which I'm sure the author will mesh together eventually. Let's see, there is the ancient alchemy manuscript called Ashmole 782 that everyone is interested in since it's reappearance; the Knights of Lazarus (similar to the Templar Knights); the suspicious death of Diana's parents; the possible war between the species; the dissection of Diana's spectacular DNA; and of course, the forbidden romance between Diana and Matthew. Quite a lot going on with numerous characters to untangle allegiances and keep track of. I found a lot of the alchemy stuff in the beginning to be boring and really couldn't understand the point but it eventually became clear. Not that I'll ever actually understand it but I do realize how it is going to help Diana in the future...like when she gets her hands on Ashmole 782 again.

Any book that is almost 600 pages long is going to have moments when the hero and/or heroine is going to get on your last nerve with their silliness, pettiness or just plain stupidity and this book was no different. For most of the first half, Diana was definitely one of those TSTL heroine that make me want to scream. I don't know if she was playing the damsel-in-distress for Matthew's benefit or if she really was just that stupid but it did get irritating after a while. In the second half of the book, her personality shifts enough to lose the stupid part and become the heroine she is meant to be. I believe that Matthew enabled this behavior in Diana with his own behavior - ordering her around and protecting her against the smallest threats. After all, who needs to think for themselves when someone else is telling them what to do, say or think. This is annoying to most readers but if the characters are flawless from the beginning, how can you judge their growth?

I am eagerly awaiting the next installment of Diana and Matthew's love affair and the outcome of the coming war between the witches, demons and vampires. An absolutely terrific start to a series that is spectacularly different from anything else on the market. Bravo Deborah! ...more

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Sep 05, 2012 Carrie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: witches, vampire, romance, paranormal-romance, time-travel, parnormal, supernatural, magic, wizards, dance-party

So this book was great. When I first started it felt a little slow, but I must confess when I started reading I was rather tried so that might have played a slight role in the slowness of the book. Hence the 4 stars rather then 5.

I found the the information about alchemy fascinating, the whole story is so interesting. The descriptions of everything were perfect (to me at least). I can not wait to find out what happens next. I'm a excited and a little scared, not because the book is scary, I'm s ...more

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Jul 23, 2011 Marla rated it really liked it

Shelves: paranormal, historical-fiction, zz-team-2013-challenge-wild-blue-d, book-club, mystery, girl-power, adult, fantasy, zz-2013, lgbt

4.5 stars. Long book, but easy, interesting read. Explores a world where witches, vampires and daemons walk mostly unnoticed among humans. A sweet and funny story of a romance between an ancient French vampire and a stubborn American witch.

Likes:
* Diana Bishop trying to run from her nature and magic toward history and knowledge, daughter of witch Rebecca Bishop and wizard Stephen Proctor.
* Matthew Clairmont sounds intriguing, his protectiveness, his vast knowledge, his success as a scientist
* Co ...more

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Jan 07, 2013 Shan ~A~ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: paranormal

Update: Reread 10/06/14

First read 01/13/12
I loved this novel. It absolutely had me hooked from the first to the last word. I kept getting impatient to find out what was going to happen next in this saga. It was amazing and I am going to start book number 2 in a couple of days. I was on pins and needles throughout the entire book and still am waiting to see what will happen next in Diana and Matthews story.

I can't say much without giving it all away, but this book was a great beginning to what I ...more

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Dec 29, 2012 Sandra O'Briant rated it liked it

Witches, vampires, daemons . . . oh my! An athletic, somewhat obtuse, but yet brilliant protagonist buries and denies her own ancient powers; she's someone with whom any woman can identify. It's a romantic adventure thick with historical references and sketchy sexual innuendo. Secrets abound. Powerful forces are at work here and not just between the two lovers: one (the macho vamp) intent on rescuing the damsel in distress and the other (the witch)unwilling to submit. Repeatedly, she is advised ...more

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Jul 20, 2011 Delitealex rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: vampire, witches, favorites, fantasy, own

This book was nothing like I expected. The writing was so descriptive. I loved the parts about Diana's alchemical research and Matthew's experiments. Also the descriptions of each creature were interesting. I loved the characters and can't wait to learn more about them. The mystery of the manuscript and the interactions between the creatures really kept me interested and I loved the chemistry between Diana and Matthew. I'm definitely continuing on to the next book. ...more

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Mar 16, 2011 Damian Serbu rated it liked it

This book has a great story, and I LOVE the combination of witches, vampires, and daemons. The characters are engaging, the story intriguing. But after over 550 pages, it had no ending. And to get where it did, it did not need 550+ pages. Don't get me wrong - I love long, epic books and stories. But they have to move along, and this one didn't do that consistently. Still, I don't regret reading it. I will read the sequel (there has to be one!). ...more

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