Squee
Genre: Science Fiction/Fantasy
The first thing I heard about this book was that it wasn’t very good. But I’m a romance reader and so I care not a fig fancy for others’ opinions of my reading preferences. It didn’t hurt that my love for vampires was (and still is) so tremendously strong that any qualms I had were quickly squashed. When it became clear to me that the heroine would be gifted with a vampire hero, I launched myself at this book like it was a sushi buffet (which is to say, vigorously and with great enthusiasm). Oh, Bitchery, how glad I am that I ignored the opinions of others. This book has been a source of joy and comfort for nigh on eight years, and I know it will remain so for many years to come.
Diana Bishop, our heroine, is an academic by training but a witch by birth. While the former brings her tremendous fulfillment, the latter leaves her cold. She has no interest in being a witch. So when she manages to break a spell by calling up an enchanted manuscript at the Bodleian Library at Oxford University, she is as shocked as everyone else. How a non-practising witch could manage something that no one else could… well, it’s a mystery, and this mystery has EVERYONE very interested.
Diana’s actions attract the attention not only of her fellow witches, but also the demons and vampires. The demons are not actually demonic. They are the creative types we sometimes malign and/or worship in society. The vampires differ in some interesting ways from our cultural norm of the vampire, but I’ll leave the details for you to discover.
Every great heroine (and Diana is certainly that) needs someone worthy of them. Matthew Clairmont is a truly ancient vampire with more degrees than you can shake a stick at. He is interested in the manuscript, just as so many others are, but by golly is he even more interested in Diana. The two quickly pair up and while their romance is relatively slow-burn it is so richly rewarding. There is one scene in particular that makes me WEAK at the knees. Matthew is comforting Diana because of something nasty that happens, and while she is angry and hurt and wrapped in his arms, this happens…
Somewhere in the center of my soul, a rusty chain began to unwind. It freed itself, link by link from where it had rested unobserved, waiting for him. My hands, which had been balled up and pressed against his chest, unfurled with it. The chain continued to drop, to an unfathomable depth where there was nothing but darkness and Matthew. At last, it snapped to its full length, anchoring me to a vampire. Despite the manuscript, despite the fact that my hands contained enough voltage to run a microwave, and despite the photograph, as long as I was connected to him, I was safe.
In the story more broadly, there is a fine balance of fated mates (it all starts with a prophecy, after all) and the two main characters maintaining their agency throughout. Even here, where the chain seems to be operating independently of Diana, Diana is allowing the chain to unfurl (which I admit isn’t super clear in this extract, but trust me on this one). The past hurts and fears (it’s one helluva rusty chain) are not powerful enough to stop Diana from making this permanent connection to Matthew. God, I love a brave heroine. And this balance of prophecy and agency works so well for me as a reader.
Aside from the main characters, there is a lot I love about this book. First, the setting. There is the time spent in old libraries and reading rooms. Matthew’s home in France (with his incomparable mother and her aide-de-camp) And second, the collection of demons, witches and vampires that the pair call friends. Each one richly drawn and magnetic in their own ways.
While the setting, supporting cast, mystery and plot all have their own attractions, I have to say it is the pairing of Diana and Matthew that really makes this book shine for me. In Diana we have a powerful witch learning to come to grips with her power. It has long been a fantasy of mine to find a deep well of strength, not only of resilience (or more evocatively, grit) but to have the power to use that strength in life-changing ways. As a human being, while I do have agency, I don’t have as much agency or control as I would like. Diana has that control and power, not only over herself, but over her surroundings and even the actions of others. Is this a noble aspiration in me? Perhaps not, but I find it so rewarding to see Diana stretch and grow into her power.
Matthew is a strong, independent man who finds himself in love with a strong independent woman. A very modern dilemma. His old ways won’t work and so the two have to draw new boundaries in order for them both to remain essentially themselves while making space for another person in their lives. Again, this is something that I have grappled with in past relationships and it is frankly inspiring to see a possible way forward sketched out in this book.
This book might not be everyone’s cup of tea. And really, what book is? (Answer: none. It’s not possible.) But for me this book remains a source not only of comfort, but of inspiration. Inspiration for what is possible, not only in my own choices but in the choices I make in relationships. I’m not ashamed to say that my situation in my current relationship (which is ‘for keeps’) has boundaries that are modelled in no small way on the ones that Diana draws for herself. (One significant departure though – I’m in love with a cinnamon roll hero!) Apparently, it takes a witch and vampire to show me the way, and I’m okay with that.
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Although I have many, many problems with Diana, I actually want to re read this. I think it’s the descriptions of Oxford, the history and err… Vampires, yep.
Plus I may be in the need of a doorstep of a book to distract me from my diet of scary news stories on the BBC, not helping with the Anxiety…
This is one of my favorite series to re-read. I love, love, love it. The romance gives me all the feels. And I too love the setting, especially in the second book—Elizabethan England! (Which also has Phillipe!) I also love how Diana really comes into her own through the series. And the way, family is such an integral part of these characters.
I re-read the first one after binge-watching the tv series last year. I think it’s time to re-read the second one this time! Thx!
Darn I think this was on sale recently and I didn’t buy it. Now I wish I had because it sounds great. Thanks for the review, going to put this on my want list.
I love the All Souls trilogy and if you like audios the narrator Jennifer Ikeda is outstanding.
Great review!
Delighted to read this! I’m a fan of all things All Souls and find it holds up over multiple re-reads and re-listens!
I agree that the book had plenty of issues, but I still enjoyed it immensely. I’m glad I took the plunge despite all the negative reviews I’d read. In particular, the audiobook was great and just flew by. The only problem? It was so good that I’ve been reluctant to start the second book in case it wasn’t as good as the first. (Why does my brain do these things?) This might be the nudge I need. Thanks!
It’s been a while since I read this, but I do remember that the heroine, a competent scientist, turns into a complete dishrag the moment her fated mate appears. Cue clueless stumbling, and starry-eyed tagging along (“We have to travel in time!” “Of course, darling, whatever you say”. Even if she has no idea why or to what time period or what the heck is going on anyway). Also, she is the most water-logged heroine in history. Whe she isn’t drinking tea (at least once per page), she’s taking baths! Or both. So yeah, I’m one of the haters. I couldn’t take all her watery stupidity (and I actually love both tea and baths). Sorry, ladies!
I was all in on this trilogy as well. The major compliant with the first book seemed to be just how much was in it, aside from the romance and the mystery of the missing manuscript. I went with the whole “write what you know” explanation. Everything Deborah Harkness finds interesting is in there from alchemy to oenology, but I loved all the various digressions. I loved all the characters, Matthew’s extended made family, Diana’s aunts.
The writing evens out and goes of on fewer tangents as the books progress. Favorite book 2 moment: Christopher Marlowe getting what he deserves. He usually gets treated as a tragic character, dying young and all, but I had Dr Faustus forced on me in junior high. There is no punishment harsh enough for that. It was a wonderful reading experience, and I totally enjoyed it.
@Susan, stop dithering and dive in. If you don’t you’ll miss out on so much.
I truly love this book and every one in the series. I want more of this world. I love Diana’s historicity, which is important to me. And she is a superb writer.
I finally picked up this book and started reading it and was looking for a review last night for it. SBTB reads my mind yet again. Thanks for the review.
I’ve recently reread the series. Book 1 I used to love, now Mathew annoys me in it. Such an ass. But Book 2, which I used to be meh about, I really enjoyed. And I love book 3 too. It’s unusual to see so much growth in a set of characters, as well as cool to see what happens *after* the h/h become a couple. Matthew is so aware of what an ass he has been, of his mistakes (especially parenting mistakes)… I just love reading them work on it together.
I really like the All Souls Trilogy and A Discovery of Witches is my favourite.
Confession Time: I go to sleep every night listening to the audiobooks on my old iPod.
Not because they bore me to sleep, but because I know them so well that their familiarity comforts me. They help smooth over my mind and I simply drift off in the fantasy world they depict wherever the audio starts. They take me away from my concerns and worries, and that is all I want and need from a book at the end of a busy day.
I listened to the audiobook in starts and stops until I finally just lost interest in finishing it. It was interesting, just very slow paced. However, this is one instance where I enjoyed the TV series MUCH better because it moved along at a faster pace while maintaining the story. I’m definitely looking forward to season 2!
I’d been hesitant to try this book because of negative reviews. I see now that I really need to sample it to see what I think. Thanks for sharing your enthusiasm, Lara!
A friend recommended this to me recently and I have to say I found it very meh, and was not at all convinced by the romance , which seems to appear from nowhere and not be based on much real rapport between the characters.
I might try vol 2…
These books are some of my favourite audio narrations, and this reminds me that I’m overdue for a reread! I never got around to book 3 yet, because it wasn’t written yet at the time.
Finally saw the TV series earlier this year, and highly recommend it. I like what they did with it, and probably because I hadn’t read it in years – I couldn’t make comparisons. Don’t read it to watch it; watch it first for the atmospheric setting and characters, and then read the series before series two comes out next year. Book 1 is mostly just a world builder, everything really starts happening in book 2.
@Bec, where would I find the TV series?
I loved reading this review….I’ve always been, and still am, a huge fan of the Paranormal genre, especially Vampires. I’ve held off on starting this, mainly because I couldn’t get into the series like I thought I’d be able to. Maybe it’s time to give it another shot, and start the books.
This series is one of my all-time favorites! I still need to try the show but so far I haven’t been able to manage my high expectations enough to give it a go.
I have a library copy on the shelf right now. I watched the first season of the show (also borrowed from the library) and enjoyed it immensely.
I have a library copy on the shelf right now. I watched the first season of the show (also borrowed from the library) and enjoyed it immensely.
More keeper shelf squees, please!
I ended up watching the tv show after seeing several GIF sets of Matthew Goode in a moodily-lit library and thinking “Now THIS is the quality television content I’ve been looking for!”
When I was finished, I had some questions (WTF is up with Juliet- did she exist just to die?! What are demons in this universe?) etc, so I read the book hoping it would explain some things.
It did not. It made even less sense.
HOWEVER- It was exactly the sexy, overwrought, library action fantasy I needed to escape into.
Will I forever be incensed that a historian would ask absolutely no questions about where and when she’s about to time travel to? YES. Do I find the character of Juliet highly problematic in both book and show? YES. Did I spend 2 straight weeks with my nose glued to the screen and then book drinking in every moment? ABSOLUTELY.
Is this book good? I honestly don’t know. I yelled at it a lot. But I also COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN.
I wouldn’t yuck someone else’s yum; it’s a book, if you think you’re interested then go try it out.
But in all honesty, I didn’t care for this one. People had recommended it to me with…a lot of what this review says (strangely, I hadn’t heard any negative reviews of aDoW or the series before now?), but I didn’t find it in the first book at all. Lot of problematic elements I couldn’t get behind, lot of frustration with the characters & what (if anything) they were thinking when they acted. It got to the point where I was skipping ahead just to see how many new curveballs they’d throw in the next scene/chapter, and I had and have no intention of reading the rest of the series.
To end on a positive note…love the cover, I guess?
A friend recommended the first book shortly after publication and…I tried. I just couldn’t get past the first chapter. Fast forward a few years and I was facing a long road trip through one of those stretches where the radio reception is sketchy and content pretty much limited to Jesus, and I tried again on audio.
Bingo. I was hooked.
Major pluses: character arcs all over the place. I’m quite fond of Sarah’s transformation from the witch version of Basic White Feminist to understanding that her prejudices are really pretty stupid. Love her protectiveness. Love her interactions with Emily. Love Emily’s gentle fierceness.(Kingston and Pettiford are marvelous as the aunties in the TV show, and massively underutilised.)
The supporting characters are excellent. The villains are excellent. Peter Knox is satisfyingly loathesome.
Matthew grows and changes and becomes less of an arsehole. Diana…I ended up liking eventually.
The story is well plotted and researched.
The author doesn’t rely on throwing in random rapes when she can’t think of anything better to do, unlike another popular doorstop-sized time-travelling series.
Minuses: Gallowglass and the unrequited pining are annoying. (I know, I’m in the minority) Twin children, one of each (boy/girl), and also one of each (witch/vampire)- a little too tropey, IMO. I can live with both though, because great supporting characters and villains and did I mention no rapiness?
A definite A-, overall, and periodically squee-worthy.
I was brought to this wonderful world of vampires, witches, daemons and humans when I saw the rv series. I was hooked and when season 1 ended I have to have the books before season 2 started. A very dear friend of mine asked me what I wanted for Christmas and told her a copy of the Trilogy. Ho and behold I received then two days after Christmas. What a gift! And also learned that Season 2 was gonna start by January. So halfway of season 2 I started to read book 1. Finished it in 1 week and started book 2, surpassed recent episodes of season 2 and now started on book 3. As early as now I am dreading the ending not because of what might happen to our witch and vampire but because it means its the end of their story. But a good book for me is worth reading and reading again and again and again.I just hope others will find them worthy of a read. Even have to search for the characters of the past . Enjoy!!
I got this first book for free around the time it came out, I loved it from moment 1. I found the romance to be a slow build, but the history well researched. Making it perfect for me who does not get overly excited about romance novels. Harkness has shown with the 2 books that follow that she knows how to dig down the rabbit hole of history, hand how to weave it with her fiction without dismantling it. Be warned though, you will re-read this series over and over. It is that well written.
I’m’a upgrade from an A- to an A. I keep finding new bits each time I read one of the books, which is a major Good Thing IMO. .