Book Review · Books

A Discovery of Witches (All Souls #1) by Deborah Harkness [BOOK REVIEW]

A Discovery of Witches (All Souls #1) by Deborah Harkness [BOOK REVIEW]

About The Book:

A Discovery of Witches (All Souls #1) by Deborah Harkness [BOOK REVIEW]

Pages: 688

Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Fiction, Paranormal

Publisher: Headline

Format I read it in: Paperback

Rating: ★★★

A world of witches, daemons and vampires. A manuscript which holds the secrets of their past and the key to their future. Diana and Matthew – the forbidden love at the heart of it.

When historian Diana Bishop opens an alchemical manuscript in the Bodleian Library, it’s an unwelcome intrusion of magic into her carefully ordered life. Though Diana is a witch of impeccable lineage, the violent death of her parents while she was still a child convinced her that human fear is more potent than any witchcraft. Now Diana has unwittingly exposed herself to a world she’s kept at bay for years; one of powerful witches, creative, destructive daemons and long-lived vampires. Sensing the significance of Diana’s discovery, the creatures gather in Oxford, among them the enigmatic Matthew Clairmont, a vampire genticist. Diana is inexplicably drawn to Matthew and, in a shadowy world of half-truths and old enmities, ties herself to him without fully understanding the ancient line they are crossing. As they begin to unlock the secrets of the manuscript and their feelings for each other deepen, so the fragile balance of peace unravels…

Thoughts:

It’s a shame, but “A Discovery of Witches” was a bit too slow for my taste. It started very promising and instantly captured my interest. We have Diana, who knows she’s a witch, but has chosen to not use any of her powers. Until she does it without realising. And this occurrence captures the interest of other witches, but also vampires and demons. This is how Diana ends up meeting Matthew, who is a vampire. And as soon as the two meet, they instantly bond.

I will be brutally honest and admit that I stopped reading the book a few chapters later. And it took me a good few weeks to get myself to continue reading it again. The book was boring and monotone and nothing really noteworthy happened, apart from Diana getting to know Matthew and discovering his red flags, one red flag at a time.

“A Discovery of Witches” starts to get interesting again once Diana starts to learn more about her powers. A lot of secrets then come flooding to the surface and the stakes get higher. The ending was quite enjoyable. It kept me intrigued and it kept me guessing. The book ending made me curious about what’s next, and that is the only reason I’ll be continuing with the series. Okay, maybe the other reason is that I already own the next two books in the series, so it would be a shame to leave them untouched. I loved all the stories about  alchemy, magic and evolution and I wish we had more of that. When it comes to the romance part, unfortunately, I wasn’t a fan. Maybe book two will introduce us to a demon, and give me “Jacob from Twilight” vibes? You never know, a girl can only hope…

Matthew left out his breath and sat back in his chair, staring at the chessboard. His queen stood encircled by his own pieces – pawns, a knight, and a rook. Across the board his king was checked by a lowly black pawn. The game was over, and he had lost.
“There’s more to the game than protecting your queen.” Hamish said. “Why do you find it so difficult to remember that it’s the king who’s not expendable?”
“The king just sits there, moving one square at a time. The queen can move so freely. I suppose I’d rather lose the game than forfeit her freedom.”

About the Author:

A Discovery of Witches (All Souls #1) by Deborah Harkness [BOOK REVIEW]

Deborah Harkness is a #1 New York Times bestselling author who draws on her expertise as an historian of science, medicine, and the history of the book to create rich narratives steeped in magical realism, historical curiosity, and deeply human questions about what it is that makes us who we are.

The first book in Harkness’s beloved All Souls series, A Discovery of Witches, was an instant New York Times bestseller and the series has since expanded with the addition of subsequent NYT bestsellers, Shadow of Night (2012), The Book of Life (2014), and Time’s Convert (2018), as well as the companion reader, The World of All Souls. The All Souls series has been translated in thirty-eight languages.

Website

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Book Review · Books

The McMasters Guide To Homicide, Vol. 1: Murder Your Employer by Rupert Holmes [BOOK REVIEW]

The McMasters Guide To Homicide, Vol. 1: Murder Your Employer by Rupert Holmes [BOOK REVIEW]

Welcome to the McMasters Conservatory for the Applied Arts – a luxurious, clandestine college dedicated to the fine art of murder where earnest students study how best to “delete” their most deserving victim.

Synopsis:

Who hasn’t wondered for a split second what the world would be like if the object of your affliction ceased to exist? But then you’ve probably never heard of The McMasters Conservatory, dedicated to the consummate execution of the homicidal arts. To gain admission, a student must have an ethical reason for erasing someone who deeply deserves a fate no worse (nor better) than death.

The campus of this “Poison Ivy League” college – its location unknown to even those who study there – is where you might find yourself the practice target of a classmate… and where one’s mandatory graduation thesis is getting away with the perfect murder of someone whose death will make the world a much better place to live.

Prepare for an education you’ll never forget. A delightful mix of witty wordplay, breathtaking twists and genuine intrigue, Murder Your Employer will gain you admission into a wholly original world, cocooned within the most entertaining book about well-intentioned would-be murderers you’ll ever read.

The McMasters Guide To Homicide, Vol. 1: Murder Your Employer by Rupert Holmes [BOOK REVIEW]

Pages: 480

Genre: Mystery, Thriller

Publisher: Headline

Format I read it in: Hardcover

Rating: ★★★★

Thoughts:

It feels wrong saying I was fascinated and pleasantly surprised by this book, when you only have the title to judge. After all, it is a guide on how to murder your employer. Disclaimer to all my colleagues: I promise it’s fiction!

I loved the start the most. The book is written as if the dean is speaking to the new students at the McMasters Conservatory for the Applied Arts. I love the idea of there being a school, where you’re about to learn how best to “delete” your “target”. It gave me Hogwarts vibes, with a killing twist. Even though the book contains mostly the Dean’s thoughts and advice, we also meet three students in particular, and through them, we get introduced to their lives, their classes and why they want to “delete” a certain person. 


Cliff Iverson, Gemma Lindley and Doria Maye all have one thing in common – they’re here to learn how to kill.

Through their diaries, interactions with each other and the dean’s reports, we follow their progress. It was interesting to see what the classes are about and the weekly timetables, including the eating schedules. What I found very intriguing were Cliff’s attempts to escape the school in the beginning. 

I will be honest, the book lost me somewhere in the middle. As soon as they were out in the world, preparing to execute their assignment (pun intended), I got a little lost. Mostly because I wasn’t aware of their plans. And the other part is maybe because I prefered the school setting. We knew mostly about Cliff’s plans, but even he went off script. And I know that the surprise and mystery elements have a say in us going in blindly, but I didn’t enjoy it because everyone was scheming at the same time and it was difficult for me to follow all three storylines without a lot of clues. If this was done separately, I would not have faced character and plot exhaustion and would have enjoyed this book so much more. 

That being said, the plot twists in the end were incredible. I devoured those last pages intensely! Seeing all plans being changed at the last minute was worth it! And on top of that, we have the dean’s comments on their assignment and the pass / fail moments too. The book blew me away so many times, it’s definitely one of a kind and one I wholeheartedly recommend, despite my “middle-book” experience. I will definitely be on the lookout for the next volumes of the McMasters Guide.

About The Author:

The McMasters Guide To Homicide, Vol. 1: Murder Your Employer by Rupert Holmes [BOOK REVIEW]

Rupert Holmes was born on February 24, 1947, in Northwich, Cheshire, England. Soon after, he ventured forth to America (New York) with his British mum and Air Force dad. After graduating from the Manhattan School of Music, Mr. Holmes delved into the art of melodious sound. A successful piano player for both the Cuff Links and the Buoys, with whom he had his first international hit, “Timothy,” in 1971, Rupert also wrote and arranged songs for Gene Pitney, The Platters, The Drifters and the Partridge Family.

With the new millennium, Holmes added novel writing to his repertoire. Where the Truth Lies, was a Booklist Top Ten Debut Novel. His second, Swing, was a San Francisco Chronicle Top Ten Best Seller. His short stories have been anthologized in such prestigious collections as Best American Mystery Stories, On a Raven’s Wing, A Merry Band of Murderers and Christmas at the Mysterious Bookshop. He was also commissioned by The New York Times to write the Arts and Leisure tribute celebrating the 100th birthday of Irving Berlin.

Website: https://www.rupertholmes.com

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