A Discovery of Witches

"If the butterfly wings its way to the sweet light that attracts it, it's only because it doesn't know that the fire can consume it.”

3.5 STARS Oh so many, many things to talk about with this one. Right off the bat you should know that I struggled through this one, not because of its length, but because of the dynamic between its characters. I loved the complexity that Harkness gave to them, and I loved that there were so many with very particular personalities that worked well with each other, but there is a very distinct turn off for me in this book and his name is Matthew. Now, please know that I am by no means saying this is a bad book, hell just look at the rating I gave it where I rounded UP (see guys I can be somewhat nice to books when it calls for it), but with my personal views of a healthy relationship and my battle scars from my Twilight years in middle school I couldn't condone Matthew's treatment of Diana in many situations. Yes, I understand that he is from a different era where misogyny is even more prevalent than it is now, and that he may feel a particular possessiveness due to his species' adaptations, but I cannot excuse his near emotional abuse of our main character. There are many times when he refuses to allow her to do things, impedes her free will, forces her into uncomfortable situations, and just doesn't see her as an equal. There are many points in the book that reinforce this obedience, and every time it was mentioned it made me want to stop reading. However, moving past that I loved this book. I'm starting to progress (slowly) into the adult realm of books from my comfortable YA bubble, and I think this was an excellent transition novel. It had an equal writing style, possibly more elevated, but easily approachable with a nice scattering of figurative language and interesting diction. The characters were easy to connect with (except for our lead male) and all held their own within the story except for the small brush-away characters that held no true plot importance. The story here is a long one, let me tell you, and within 600 pages Harkness takes us through layer after layer of backstory, detail, intrigue, and action but I loved the level of finesse she took with explaining her world and her plot. Though there are many questions at the end of the novel, the most important ones were resolved and the ones left are there to nibble on slowly until the next book is released (though for me they're already out so hell yeah). My only complaint with the plot is that, as current literature seems to be plagued with, there seems to be insta love. Now, was it as bad as YA books? Hell no. Was it still pretty bad? Yep. Diana and Matthew progressed very quickly, and with his possessiveness it seems to be exponentially increased in the rate of love, or really lust in the beginning. Additionally, with the (view spoiler) it all seemed very stilted and odd. Though this was intended because Diana herself was not expecting this reality, the fact that after just a few weeks they became (view spoiler) and were perfectly copacetic with it seemed very unrealistic, but what do I know I've never been in a relationship. The characters like I said before could hold their own and I loved the small touches of different aspects of the species in Hamish, Marcus, Miriam, Sarah, and the other minor players. They served as a good background for Diana and Matthew to bounce off of and to see the different paths these creatures can take. But I want to talk about Diana for a moment. Diana Bishop, one of the most intelligent, interesting characters, did not grow, but fell. I think this was more of a devolution or a tragedy in literature, but that makes it no less interesting. As she gained back her magic and fought battle after battle be it physical or emotional, Diana seemed to be growing into a being without her original characteristics. The original professor who only wanted to deliver her keynote address and uncover the secrets of alchemical manuscripts was lost under the pressures of a man without thought to her previous disposition, and it was fascinating. I know Harkness might not have intended it, but the degradation and ultimate reshaping of Diana was one of the better character progressions I've seen, though it was not a positive one. Well, maybe not negative, but certainly something all together foreign to her original nature. All around this was a very interesting book, I just couldn't stand Matthew's oppression and silencing of Diana's thoughts and feelings through an almost emotional abusive dynamic, but pushing past this (as it did ease and improve toward the later third of this book) manipulation it was a great read and highly entertaining with all the mystical and fantastical elements included in it. Share your thoughts!