The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion

This is the discussion thread for the Winter 2019 Group Reads A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness. Please post your comments here. This thread is not restricted to those choosing this book for task 20.10, feel free to join in the discussion. Warning- spoilers ahead!

The requirement for task 20.10: You must participate in the book's discussion thread below with at least one post about the contents of the book or your reaction to the book after you have read the book.

I've read 15 pages so far, and that was a struggle. I hope it picks up a bit...

I enjoyed this...somewhat. I'm generally not a big fan of romance, and especially of the insta-love variety, but I'd already read the other books that were group reads so here we are! I did enjoy Matthew and Diana as characters, and especially their families, they were all really enjoyable. On the negative side, I thought it took wayyyy too long to get to the main conflict, and the resolution felt a bit too contrived, but I guess that's always a risk with a book about magic, it's easy to come up with whatever you need to get a solution! Overall I'm glad I read it, get out of my comfort zone, but I won't be reading the rest of the series.

Jessica wrote: "I've read 15 pages so far, and that was a struggle. I hope it picks up a bit..."

Good Luck Jessica-I threw it back, not going to read it. Points are not a big thing to me, so makes no difference to me if I do the Group Read. I just am not reading books I am not invested in anymore-it feels great!

I'm over 100 pages in, so I've got to finish. It's still painful but I am determined. It's not so much about the points (my personal goal is only 300, as this is my first season), but it's about pride... or OCD?? I read it for short spurts between other books. I'm almost sure I can get it done before the end of Feb lol

It took a while for me to get into this book it seemed to take a long time to lay the foundation for the book and the series. Saying that I did enjoy it. The world building was great and the situations the characters found themselves in was amusing. As is normal with these types of books there is a love interest, which develops through the book. Not sure I’ll continue with the rest of the series simply due to the length of the book. This one could quite easily have been split into two books.

Jessica wrote: "I'm over 100 pages in, so I've got to finish. It's still painful but I am determined. It's not so much about the points (my personal goal is only 300, as this is my first season), but it's about pr..."

LoL-I can understand the OCD and pride...been there. After my 3rd Season here, I just made up my mind not to finish anything that was dragging me down-I think this is my 6th season now, and I always shoot for 300 points too-if I get more I am thrilled

Dlmrose

Really? almost 600 pages and that's the resolution?! This was way too long, too little happened, with really uneven pacing, There would have to be a really good reason to pick up #2, as this one didn't do much for me.

I had read all 3 of the choices, but the other two much more recently, so I picked up this one again.

I think I disliked it much less than the other commenters here. It was undemanding, reasonably interesting, and didn't need to be read all at once - I kept the audiobook in my car and listened to it there (which is why it took forever to read it!).

I'm not a romance reader, so I did quite a lot of eye rolling! I'm always taken by the "falling into undying love" in about 5 minutes.

One thing I found interesting was the genetic stuff - the idea that genetic analysis would indicate all the witch abilities and such. I think that's an interesting extension of the current interest in getting one's DNA analyzed - hey, maybe I should do that and find out that I have witch abilities!

This book has everything I love (vampires, witches, forbidden romance, books, yoga, and time travel!!!) but it was painfully boring, as is evident by the 10 days that it took me to finish. I am so glad that's over.

I have to sort of agree with everyone here. There was a lot of descriptive text that I skimmed. It took me far too long to finish and for it to be 600 pages and not actually end was a big disappointment. It really irritates me when authors leave a story unended just to make you have to go buy the other books to get the complete story.

The story started really slowly and I felt the connection between Matthew and Diana was too sudden. One moment she was somewhat standoffish and the next they were in love. I totally missed something.

This book was definitely not what I was expecting it to be. I thought it was a fantasy when in fact it feels more like a romance with more built up around it.

I'm not sure I'm interested enough to read the rest of the trilogy.

PAULA S

I actually really liked this book, although I can agree with everyone who thought it was too long and slow. It was a new take on witches and vampires, and I loved the setting, both Oxford, France and US. I have the next two books waiting for me, and I'm looking forward to find out their further adventures.

I'm still going guys. I'm 52% done. Over half way. I have one more month; I can do it, right? I might try to get it done this week... I need to move on with my life.... so.... painful....
(side note: It's hard to say what I don't like about this book. I mean, it is interesting... maybe I don't like the whole pretentious Oxford thing, all the detail, or I don't know... I can see why some people would really like it, I'm just not super into it... HOWEVER, Matthew just left Diana with his mean, old-lady vampire mom. I like her. Maybe she will save the book for me.)

I am finished!! The second half of the book was much better than the first. There was too much irrelevant detail when Diana was in Oxford. I enjoyed the author's take on how "the hunt defines a vampires' identity." That was expressed very well throughout the book. I was quite confused at the mating abilities between vampires, witches, and demons. I believe that the author alluded to different species being able to mate; which is not accurate in nature. This was pretty surprising to me, as the author seemed to have spent a ton of time researching accurate details in other areas of the book. Of course, this interspecies/mating thing will probably be an ongoing theme throughout the series. Oh, the author also mentioned the artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti, whom I Love and completely forgot about until I read his name. I spent an evening looking at his art online, and I found a new favorite print. … So, for as much whining as I did above, the book got much better as it went along... Dare I say that I might consider reading the next in the series someday??? I am not sure.

Finally finished!!! Oh my goodness this book needs a brutal edit and then it could actually be pretty great. The first 200 pages could be condensed to 50 without losing any plot at all. The pacing is really odd in this. Nothing much happens for so long, except repetitive scenes of daemons in libraries, but then later in the book absolutely loads happens within a couple of chapters, with new characters added in right til the end.

I did however really like the scenes in Diana's aunts house (witchy aunts are a favourite trope of mine), particularly the house itself being a distinct character with its own powers.

I might well read the sequel but NOT within the confines of a reading challenge if it will take me as long as this one did!

I have not seen the TV series -- I do not watch TV series until well after they have come out on DVD. But I might actually try to find it once it does come out on DVD.

I prefer Sci-Fi to Fantasy. But I still might try to find it once it comes out on DVD.

In reading the book, I like the fact that the demons and vampires were all just a little bit "off." But generally speaking, I like my vampires of the 19th century variety -- Carmilla and Dracula and their all too different sexual neuroses. And demons? Well, like I say I like Sci-Fi better than Fantasy. But I still might try to find DOW once it comes out on DVD.

So there must be something about it I liked. Right?

I liked the Oxford intellectual stuff. I liked the genetic near-to-sci-fi element. I thought those things lifted it above the tawdry romance it actually was.

Why then do I feel so 'blah" after reading. in snatches over a couple of months, this tome? Maybe it did not lift enough above the tawdry romance. And some of the almost-gothic fantasy was cartoonish. To me, Dracula and cartoons do not mix, and should not be attempted.

Nonetheless, once the TV series comes out on DVD, I will probably try it out.

I'm in agreement with the fact that this book is way too long. I didn't necessarily hate the story line but agree that it could have been condensed without taking away from the story. I listened to the book on Audible and was overwhelmed when looking at it and seeing that it was 24 hours long, but I made it through. Will I read the rest of the trilogy? I'm not sure. I like the characters but don't know if I want to devote that kind of time to it.

Brooke TX
I've actually read this before, when it first came out - but I had no memory of the plot, so I decided to have another go with it. And I promptly remembered why I forgot.
Maybe it's just that I've read SO MUCH urban fantasy with a damaged, broody vampire romantic interest, but I'm tired of it. And I wasn't a huge fan of the female main character either. The historical bits were potentially interesting, but they got bogged down. I'm a compulsive series completionist, and I have zero interest in finishing the series any time soon.