Narrator Jennifer Ikeda

"It begins with absence and desire.
It begins with blood and fear.
It begins with a discovery of witches."

A richly inventive novel about a centuries-old vampire, a spellbound witch,
and the mysterious manuscript that draws them together.

Deep in the stacks of Oxford's Bodleian Library, young scholar Diana Bishop
unwittingly calls up a bewitched alchemical manuscript in the course of her
research. Descended from an old and distinguished line of witches, Diana
wants nothing to do with sorcery; so after a furtive glance and a few notes,
she banishes the book to the stacks. But her discovery sets a fantastical
underworld stirring, and a horde of daemons, witches, and vampires soon
descends upon the library. Diana has stumbled upon a coveted treasure lost
for centuries - and she is the only creature who can break its spell.

Debut novelist Deborah Harkness has crafted a mesmerizing and addictive
read, equal parts history and magic, romance and suspense. Diana is a bold
heroine who meets her equal in vampire geneticist Matthew Clairmont, and
gradually warms up to him as their alliance deepens into an intimacy that
violates age-old taboos. This smart, sophisticated story harks back to the
novels of Anne Rice, but it is as contemporary and sensual as the Twilight
series [that's a recommendation? - Ouzicat] - with an extra serving of
historical realism.

Download File Size:633.7 MB

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