Vampires and Witches and Daemon's...oh my! In this imaginative debut novel from non-fiction author Harkness, we are introduced to Diana Bishop, a Yale historian who is a visiting scholar at Oxford University in England, studying ancient alchemy. Oh, and she is also a non-practicing witch, last in the line of a powerful family of witches. In the course of her research she unknowingly calls up a bewitched manuscript, which turns her non-magical life on its ear.
One of the creatures who is drawn to both Diana and this manuscript is Matthew Clairmont, a smoldering yet ice-cold vampire who immediately stakes his claim on the witch, monitors her activities and defends her from the onslaught of magical activity that she has unwillingly instigated. As daemons, witches and other vampires descend upon Oxford, Matthew moves in closer and closer to Diana until their attraction to one another cannot be denied. Not only has the manuscript stirred things up, the burgeoning relationship between a witch and a vampire has also brought further unwanted attention to Diana. Finally, with her life in danger for reasons she does not understand, she takes refuge first at Matthew's ancestral home in France, then back in her upstate New York hometown with her quirky aunt and her partner.
This book is kind of like "Twilight" for grown-ups. It is smartly written, with references to all types of historical figures and works of literature. It is a very dense book - it took me what seemed like forever to finish it - but I enjoyed the journey. If you've read Elizabeth Kostova's "The Historian" this book was highly reminiscent. Best of all, if you enjoy this book and want more (the author does leave one hanging!) she is working on the sequel right now!
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