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Deborah Harkness is my kind of fantasy writer; the practicality she brings to A Discovery of Witches, the story of a reluctant witch who falls for a soft-hearted vampire, has me nearly believing in magic. I'm the type of reader who can have a hard time letting go of reality, and while I claim Tolkien as a favorite author, I often am distracted by supernatural elements in books. Sometimes instead of focusing on the plot, I find myself silently protesting descriptions of characters who can fly, shoot lightening bolts out of their fingers, or fortell the future.
I don't mean to be such a drag, really, it's just that the older I get the more practical my thinking becomes. I read a lot of non-fiction these days. So, enter Deborah Harkness and her blessedly believable characters who cast spells, drink blood, timetravel, and drink 500 year old wine. Diana, the witch at the story's center, doesn't know a whole lot about vampires when she meets Matthew, the smoking hot, brilliant scientist/vampire. As they grow closer, Matthew shares some of his research about witches, vampires, and the ever-amusing daemons, as well as dispelling many common beliefs that people have about vampire behavior. The result, for me, was that I was able to appease the rational part of my mind and really lose myself in the story, which was such a fun read. By the time I got to the "living" house, I was just rolling with it and found that I didn't hear one single, "But, but, but, that could never. . . " from the back of my mind.
The story earned lots of points with me for its originality, action, suspense, attention to detail, and storytelling. Harkness is excellent at switching points of view between chapters, and I appreciated how she kept Diana's character central by giving the "I" voice only to her. All the characters were lively and vivid, and I especially enjoyed Diana's aunts, their cat, and her family home.
Just as soon as I finished the book, I dropped it off on my mom's front porch and gave her a call letting her know it was there. I have a feeling I'll reread it after she's done, and then wait impatiently for the sequel.
