8.03.2011

just finished reading...

Let me start out with a reminder that I don't care for fantasy fiction. Having said that, I could not put this book down. And it's a fairly substantial book!

From the publisher:
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.

The book is full of rich historical detail and the authenticity of atmosphere. I could see and smell sections of the book. I liked that the characters were well-developed and even if they veered close to cliche--with star-crossed lovers and rescuing the damsel in distress--they were people.

This is the first book of a trilogy and I can't wait to read more.

2 comments:

Cat. said...

Glad you enjoyed it; I did too. ;-)

Anonymous said...

I'm looking forward to reading this one. I didn't realize it was the beginning of a trilogy. Not sure when I'll time to commit to that :)