A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness


My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Debut novelist Harkness has crafted a mesmerizing and addictive read, equal parts history and magic, romance and suspense--a richly inventive novel about a centuries-old vampire, a spellbound witch, and the mysterious manuscript that draws them together.


This book seemed daunting at first because it is 579 pages long, but I never got bored with it. It's the story of a woman, Diana Bishop, who just happens to be a witch. She represses her magic most of her life because she thinks it doesn't have a place in her life. She is more concerned with academics and her research on alchemy. However, her magic slips out of her in "little" ways that she thinks are inconsequential. While she is at Oxford in England, she comes across a manuscript that she realizes is enchanted, and opens it when noone had for hundreds of years. This alerted the attention of other creatures around her including a vampire named Matthew Clairmont, a witch named Peter Knox and several daemons hanging out in the library. The rest of the book is about her relationship with Matthew and the consequences of a witch loving a vampire. Since I am a fan of historical fiction, I was intrigued (as Diana was because she was a historian) by the many lives Matthew had lived and the people he had known. As much as he tried to hide it, he had feelings and a capacity to love that you wouldn't expect in a vampire. The blending of Diana's and Matthew's families along with their daemon friends was interesting. My favorite character though had to be Diana's house -- yes, her house. It was haunted by ghosts of her ancestors, but it also had a mind of its own and welcomed and dismissed visitors at will. Some of the things that Diana discovered she was capable of were somewhat fantastic, but it is a fictional story after all. Apparently, "A Discovery of Witches" is the first in a trilogy which explains why it took so long to get close to a confrontation between the collected families and the Congregation -- a tribunal of sorts made up of vampires, witches and daemons -- which attempted to enforce an agreement made hundreds of years ago to keep evidence of these creatures out of the sight of humans. I'm looking forward to picking up the next installment of this trilogy, but I have a lot to think about from this book until then. Also, my book club is reading this for their February selection. I'll be back to update this review with their thoughts after next Wednesday.




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101 Fantasy Mini-Reading Challenge

February, March, April Mini-Challenge!

I helped come up with this challenge, so I HAVE to participate, right? Yesssss!
Here are the details:

In February -- read a book with "love" or some kind of display/description of affection in the title or on the cover, i.e. Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead or Dark Lover by J.R. Ward.

In March - read a classic tale, i.e. A Midsummer Night's Dream by Shakespeare or Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll.

In April - a book with an animal in the title or on the cover (you know, Easter is in April).

•Remember: all the books must be from the challenge list, which can be found in the pages section at the top of the sidebar on the 101 Fantasy Reading Challenge blog. The examples given above are all from the list

•Everyone who completes the challenge by reading at least one book per month following that month's criteria will be entered in the giveaway (winner will be chosen randomly via random.org)


•The winner will receive a gently used copy of one of the most awesome fantasy books ever written, The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley (which is on the list, incidentally). More details are on the 101 Fantasy Reading Challenge blog.

Come join us in this mini-challenge and get some more of the 101 best Fantasy books on the list read!

Sisters of the Confederacy by Lauraine Snelling

Sisters of the Confederacy by Lauraine Snelling


My rating: 4 of 5 stars



When her sister fights to hold on to the family legacy, Louisa Highwood works tirelessly to save the lives of wounded soldiers. Putting her own safety n the line, she covertly ventures behind enemy lines to procure desperately needed supplies for the army hospital in Richmond, Virginia.Meanwhile, Jesselynn Highwood and her ragtag band of freed slaves and Thoroughbreds seek refuge along the Oregon Trail, unable to imagine what awaits them.An exciting tale of courage, adventure, and romance amid the turbulence of the Civil War.

This is the second in this series by Lauraine Snelling. I liked it just as much as I liked the first one. The book is about Jesselynne Highwood who leaves her ranch in Kentucky with some of her freed slaves and her little brother along with their Thoroughbred horses to travel across the country to Oregon to keep them safe from the ravages of the Civil War. She pretends to be a boy since she got more respect that way and people would deal with her when she wanted to buy supplies and such when they wouldn't have if she was female. As it starts out, the troup is halfway across the States living in a cave (a big cave) outside of Springfield. When the war cstches up with them, they move on to join a wagon train going to Oregon. Jesse's doubts about God and her faith add to the story. Meanwhile, her sisters are living in Richmond, VA, helping out with the wounded men. They discover that one of the wounded men is their brother, Zackary, and that part of their family is reunited. Their home, Twin Oaks, was burnt out by raiders, but their freed slaves hid and came back to try to keep things going -- the tobacco crop, the garden, etc. I really liked the pace of this book. It didn't drag at all. The story kept going from the sisters in Richmond to Jesse in the west and back again. There is a very Christian theme running through it as well, but it isn't overwhelming. It seems as if it should be there. I'm sure there is another volume in the series because they haven't made it to Oregon yet. I'll have to look for it.




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Hourglass by Myra McEntire

Hourglass by Myra McEntire


My rating: 3 of 5 stars


One hour to rewrite the past . . .



For seventeen-year-old Emerson Cole, life is about seeing what isn’t there: swooning Southern Belles; soldiers long forgotten; a haunting jazz trio that vanishes in an instant. Plagued by phantoms since her parents’ death, she just wants the apparitions to stop so she can be normal. She’s tried everything, but the visions keep coming back.


So when her well-meaning brother brings in a consultant from a secretive organization called the Hourglass, Emerson’s willing to try one last cure. But meeting Michael Weaver may not only change her future, it may change her past.


Who is this dark, mysterious, sympathetic guy, barely older than Emerson herself, who seems to believe every crazy word she says? Why does an electric charge seem to run through the room whenever he’s around? And why is he so insistent that he needs her help to prevent a death that never should have happened?


Full of atmosphere, mystery, and romance, Hourglass merges the very best of the paranormal and science-fiction genres in a seductive, remarkable young adult debut.
A friend of mine made me read this book and tell her what I thought of it. Well, I liked most of it, but I didn't like the ending -- it was too much and not enough. Too much whining and cruelty and people turning against those who trusted them and not enough follow through and depth of character. Apparently it was leading up to another book, so that could have been why things weren't resolved such as: what happened to Grace? -- I have a feeling that Jack did something to her that he's not telling; did anything happen with Lily?; what about Ava?; and what was happening to the fabric of time causing Emerson (great name btw) to see whole scenes instead of just single rips?


I did like the way the author handled time travel. I thought it was cool to have a veil and a bridge to another time. I also liked the fact that Emerson investigated the various time period clothing so she could identify ripples when they came at her. And the cover was nice.


So, I probably wouldn't have read this book had my friend not asked me to, and I probably won't read the sequel, but I can't say I hated it. I'll just say I liked it -- 3 stars.





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Watership Down by Richard Adams

Watership Down by Richard Adams


My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Fleeing the intrusion of man and the certain destruction of their ancestral home, a band of rabbits encounters harrowing trials posed by predators and hostile warrens — driven only by their vision to create a perfect society in a mysterious promised land known to them as Watership Down. First published in 1972 to world-wide rave reviews and now a modern classic, this is a powerful tale about the destructive impact of our society on nature — written in the same vein as Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit
I read this book a long time ago, so when I noticed it on Audible.com, I decided to give it a listen. I really enjoyed it. The narrator was very good and it had been long enough since I read the book that I didn't remember everything, so there were surprises. This is the story of a group of rabbits that get the inkling that something bad is going to happen to their warren. They decide to run away and find another place to live. Hazel, the unofficial Chief Rabbit, leads them across unfamiliar territory and proves to be an intelligent, resourceful and caring leader. They encounter several different groups of rabbits -- some that are complacent, some hutch rabbits, and some that are ruled with an iron fist...foot? Anyway, it was a very good book and a great audiobook. There were battles and lots of strategical planning. Just really really good. Not just a story about bunnies.




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A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle


My rating: 3 of 5 stars


It was a dark and stormy night; Meg Murry, her small brother Charles Wallace, and her mother had come down to the kitchen for a midnight snack when they were upset by the arrival of a most disturbing stranger.



"Wild nights are my glory," the unearthly stranger told them. "I just got caught in a downdraft and blown off course. Let me be on my way. Speaking of way, by the way, there is such a thing as a tesseract".


A tesseract (in case the reader doesn't know) is a wrinkle in time. To tell more would rob the reader of the enjoyment of Miss L'Engle's unusal book.

I read this book for some reading challenges I am participating in -- a science fiction challenge, a time travel challenge, and the reading the books featured on the TV show LOST challenge. There could be more that I'll use if for, but those are the main ones. I've wanted to read this book for a long time actually. I would see it in the library and wonder about it. Granted it is a young person's book, but it intrigued me. The main characters were 3 children -- each was special in their own way. Two of the children were brother and sister, Meg and Charles Wallace. Their Father was a scientist working for the government and had gone away while working on a project and hadn't been heard of for some time. Meg, Charles Wallace and their friend, Calvin meet and discover 3 beings: Mrs. Who, Mrs. Whatsit, and Mrs. Which who are going to help them get Father back. They tell the children Father has gone through a tesseract or a wrinkle in time to another place. This is a bit different take on time travel than books I have read before. Young people would like this book because it is full of strange creatures, strange planets and evil beings like IT that have to be challenged in order to get Father back. Even though it is a children's book, it wasn't written in a childish way, so I rather enjoyed it. I wouldn't say that I "loved it," but it kept my attention and I am glad I read it.




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Guardian of Time by Linda Hawley

Guardian of Time by Linda Hawley


My rating: 4 of 5 stars


It’s the near future, and society is government controlled. Technology tracks everyone, personal privacy does not exist, and even food supplies are being monitored. The hope for freedom lies in the operations of an underground organization, GOG, which fights against worldwide oppression. Their most powerful weapon is Ann Torgeson, a paranormally-gifted operative, who unseals The Prophecies with her powers. With the government doggedly pursuing her, she goes underground, fleeing the Pacific Northwest, but not before leaving three murders, one suicide, and an explosion behind her. Will she and her companions survive to change the world after everything twists and turns upside down?(

This is really a different kind of time travel. This book is the 2nd in this series and the story is unfolding more and more. At the end of the last book, we were led to believe that Ann was going down in a plane crash. Common sense told us that that couldn't be because there's more to her story, but it sure sounded like she was gone. This book goes back and sets things up again, and using her Herkimer crystal, Ann believes she helped the pilot steer out of what would have been a fatal crash. Ann is trying to put things together. She remembers more about the Guardian of Time and The Prophecies, meets Chow again, and is taken away from her current life. She further develops her paranormal abilities and discovers a way she can help the human race. This novel is well-written and moves along with events taking place that you don't expect. Of course, there is a cliff-hanger at the end to lead us into the next book!




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Wildflower Hill by Kimberly Freeman

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


SPANNING THREE GENERATIONS AND HALF THE WORLD, WILDFLOWER HILL IS A SWEEPING, ROMANTIC, AND COMPELLING STORY OF TWO WOMEN WHO SHARE A LEGACY OF SECRETS, HEARTBREAK, COURAGE, AND LOVE.


Emma, a prima ballerina in London, is at a crossroads after an injured knee ruins her career. Forced to rest and take stock of her life, she finds that she’s mistaken fame and achievement for love and fulfillment. Returning home to Australia, she learns of her grandmother Beattie’s death and a strange inheritance: a sheep station in isolated rural Australia. Certain she has been saddled with an irritating burden, Emma prepares to leave for Wildflower Hill to sell the estate.


Beattie also found herself at a crossroads as a young woman, but she was pregnant and unwed. She eventually found success—but only after following an unconventional path that was often dangerous and heartbreaking. Beattie knew the lessons she learned in life would be important to Emma one day, and she wanted to make sure Emma’s heart remained open to love, no matter what life brought. She knew the magic of the Australian wilderness would show Emma the way.

Wildflower Hill is a compelling, atmospheric, and romantic novel about taking risks, starting again, and believing in yourself. It’s about finding out what you really want and discovering that the answer might be not at all what you’d expect.

I read this book as the January selection for our book club. I had never heard of it before, but it was suggested by one of our members. It's the story of a professional ballerina, Emma, who lives in London and gets injured and cannot dance anymore, and her grandmother, Beattie, who leaves her a homestead in Australia. Emma goes to Australia to check out the place and discovers many remarkable things about her grandmother's life that she didn't know. Beattie had quite a life. She was very independent and was put down and picked herself back up several times. The way she handled the things that happened to her was inspiring. Emma went through a period of self-discovery herself and turned her life around so that she cared more about other people and was less self-centered. The book went back and forth with sections about Beattie, then sections about Emma. It moved along and was never dull or sluggish. There was always something happening. The things that happened were predictable in a sense...there were no big twists...and the ending was satisfying. I would have liked to have had one more page though to experience the final reaction. You'll know what that means when you read the book! 

Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare

Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare


My rating: 5 of 5 stars


In the magical underworld of Victorian London, Tessa Gray has at last found safety with the Shadowhunters. But that safety proves fleeting when rogue forces in the Clave plot to see her protector, Charlotte, replaced as head of the Institute. If Charlotte loses her position, Tessa will be out on the street and easy prey for the mysterious Magister, who wants to use Tessa's powers for his own dark ends.



With the help of the handsome, self-destructive Will and the fiercely devoted Jem, Tessa discovers that the Magister's war on the Shadowhunters is deeply personal. He blames them for a long-ago tragedy that shattered his life. To unravel the secrets of the past, the trio journeys from mist-shrouded Yorkshire to a manor house that holds untold horrors, from the slums of London to an enchanted ballroom where Tessa discovers that the truth of her parentage is more sinister than she had imagined. When they encounter a clockwork demon bearing a warning for Will, they realize that the Magister himself knows their every move and that one of their own has betrayed them.


Tessa finds her heart drawn more and more to Jem, though her longing for Will, despite his dark moods, continues to unsettle her. But something is changing in Will; the wall he has built around himself is crumbling. Could finding the Magister free Will from his secrets and give Tessa the answers about who she is and what she was born to do?

As their dangerous search for the Magister and the truth leads the friends into peril, Tessa learns that when love and lies are mixed, they can corrupt even the purest heart.


Another segment in the world that is Infernal Devices! This novel moved along well and was full of new pieces of the puzzle to figure out how the characters in Infernal Devices relate to those in Mortal Instruments. The relationship between Will and Jem and Tessa took a surprising turn. Jem is so kind and good and sweet -- which was mentioned several times by various characters. Will had an epiphany, but it would be a spoiler if I told what it was. Will's family appears on the scene although he cannot contact them. Tessa is searching for what she is which she didn't totally discover -- fodder for the next book. Her brother rears his ugly head again and hurts more of the people he comes in contact with. There were few actual clockwork automatons in this one, but the ones that were featured were definitely beastly. Charlotte and Henry's managing of the Institute in London was questioned by Benedict Lightwood and they set out to prove their worth. Their relationship developed, nay came to a sweet realization, which I really loved.




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One Magic Moment by Lynn Kurland

One Magic Moment by Lynn Kurland


My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Medieval studies scholar Tess Alexander is thrilled for the chance to live in a medieval castle. But then a trip to the village brings her face-to-face with the owner of the local garage, who looks a great deal like the man who married her sister...800 years in the past. She's determined to remain objective about magic and destiny, but she can't help wondering about that mysterious, sword-wielding mechanic.

I haven't read a book by Lynn Kurland for a while, so when I saw this one on the shelf at the library, I had to get it. It didn't disappoint me. I love time travel/historical romance. This was the story of John de Piaget and Tess Alexander. When you start reading Lynn Kurland's books, you get introduced to the MacLeod and de Piaget families and the time gates they employ to go from one century to another -- accidentally and sometimes on purpose. Ms. Kurland writes with a lot of humor and her descriptions make you actually feel the velvet, the wind and the stone. This novel involved a lot of running and driving from one place to another which was a little tiring -- of course, it would have been for Tess (the Future gel) since she had to run from one castle to another. Even though she had a PhD. in medieval studies, she didn't seem to have many problems adjusting to being in the 13th century. Of course, there were so many of John's relatives to describe, that maybe there wasn't time. The reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 is because I think John & Tess's relationship could have been documented more. As I said, they did a lot of running around and I would have liked them to have an opportunity to stop and spend some time together. But I was very happy to have the chance to read this book. Tess's sister, Pippa, and John's brother, Montgomery, are featured in the book that came before this one, "One Enchanted Evening", and there were several times that I wished I had read it first. It's coming in the mail any day. This was a good, clean, time travel historical romance, so if that's your cup of tea (as it is mine), you should pick it up and read it.




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