A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

Published December 27th 2011 by Penguin Books (first published January 1st 2011)

579 Pages

Goodreads Summary: 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.

Review: I am so glad that I finally got around to reading this book.  I have always had a big interest in witches and witchcraft.  And to combine that all with vampires and other supernatural creatures just made it that much better.  If you read the summary I included in this review and you’re not a fan of Twilight… don’t let that little mention scare you away because this is really nothing like Twilight.  The book was a little slow moving at first but it was still enough to keep me interested.  I’m so glad I kept on reading because I really did enjoy this book.  I loved all of the characters, especially Matthew.  I loved his and Diana’s relationship.  This story could have been your typical witch coming into her power type but it was so much more than that.  I really love how history was incorporated into the story and can’t wait to get even more history in the second book.

4/5 Stars

Supernatural: Rising Son

Supernatural: Rising Son (graphic novel)

Published May 5th 2009 by WildStorm (first published June 15th 2008)

144 Pages

Goodreads Summary: Dean and Sam Winchester were raised as Hunters by their widowed father, seeking vengeance on the supernatural elements that took their mother from them. But the road to vengeance is a dark one, and is it a place where children can have any semblance of a life?

Picking up several years after Supernatural: Origins, the boys are now old enough to join John on his cross-country “hunting trips.” Amid the carnage and violence, John’s seeking something specific: any information on why his wife was murdered. But is he prepared for the answers that he’ll find? And is he willing to sacrifice his 11-year-old son Dean to this hard, lonely life by giving him his first “hunt”?

Review: I haven’t read the first volume, Origins, but I decided to read this one anyways.  As the summary says, this takes place quite awhile before the show Supernatural begins.  Dean is 11 years old and is taken on his first hunt.  You also get to see the beginnings of the dark side wanting to take Sam.  I thought this was a pretty good graphic novel.  The illustrations were great and the writing was good as well.  (And the book smells really good :P) Here is a photo of one of John’s fights in the book.

If you’re a fan of Supernatural, I definitely suggest checking out the graphic novels!  I will be adding the other graphics to my Christmas list this year 🙂

4/5 Stars

WWW Wednesday – August 12, 2015

WWW Wednesdays is a weekly meme hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World Of Words.
Each week we answer the following three questions:
-What have you recently finished reading?
-What are you currently reading?
-What are you reading next?

I loved Siege and Storm!  I liked it even more than the first book and I am dying to read the third!  I also really liked A Court of Thorns and Roses.  I can’t wait for spring and the sequel to be released!

Currently I am reading The Wrath and the Dawn.  At first I was a little bit confused because some of the names are similar but now that I’m 100 pages in I am really loving it and can’t wait to get more time to read it later today!  This is my 3rd book for #5books7days.

Coming up next I have two graphic novels that I chose to read for #5books7days.  Supernatural: Rising Son is one I have had forever but I’ve been in the mood to do anything involving the Winchesters so I’m excited to read it.  The second graphic will be The Exile which is an Outlander graphic about Jamie’s perspective on things.  I am super excited to read this one because I’ve also been on an Outlander kick!  I had said that I was going to stop requesting on NetGalley for awhile but I couldn’t help myself when I heard they had Darken the Stars by Amy A. Bartol.  It’s the 3rd book of the Kricket series and I’m dying to know what happens so I couldn’t resist.

What have you been reading lately?