*****SPOILERS BELOW**** This could have been a great book, but it is not for me. On one hand it is smart and clever, using history and science and magic together. On the other hand: I hate the heroine, Diana. She is a grown woman, who everybody has to take care of, and acts like child. She can’t even go an hour, without somebody who has to tell her to eat or put more clothes on so she won’t freeze or something else a grown woman should be able to take care of herself... With no thought at all, she agrees to obey a vampire, who suddenly just tells her: you became my wife the moment I said I love you and that includes that you have to obey me. And that’s just dandy to her. To me, this is just sad. There is not even just a little inner struggle about it, she just gives it up and is ready to risk the life’s of everyone that loves her, to be with a man she known for a few weeks and now have to obey. I love strong female leads, but Diana is not it.

Absolute page-turner that makes it impossible to take a break before moving on to Book 2.

I love this book. spellbinding indeed. looking forward to the trilogy.

Whether it is the first or second time reading, this is a spell binding trilogy. A must read filled with Magic, romance, action and suspense.

I could not pay attention to this at all, it was really boring. I stopped halfway through and purchased another book.

Excellent all around. I couldn't wait and ordered the second in the series before A Discovery of Witches ended so I could move right on with the story. Will do the same at the end of the second installment and order The Book of Life. The narrator was outstanding. You never lose interest in this fast moving tale. Be prepared to order Shadow of Night immediately upon finishing.

WOW! I love these books, I don't want them to end and the narrator is beyond amazing, best I have ever heard and I read and listen alot.

Amazing detail for both the narrative and the narrator! Loved the mystery, suspense, romance, horror, and adventure! All the characters are RICHLY developed in both the text and the narration. Not only is Jennifer great with the different accents, but she captures each characters' cadences and variation in syntax perfectly! And since books don't have ratings as to content (as in, can I listen to this in the car while on a road trip with my kids), I'd give this a PG-13 rating. Some violence, thematic content, and nudity. All tastefully done without too much obvious or gory detail. Highly recommend!

Absolutely recommend - an enchanting tale of adventure, ancestry, and forbidden love.

Very good, the series only gets better. It is classy and beautifully written.

Such a great book, intellectual, suspenseful, witty, and amazing. I could not wait to start the next book to find out what happens. The narrator is phenomenal!

This book is mainly caught up in the main character's musings about resisting being a witch vs. embracing being a witch. The handsome vampire comes along to help her discover herself. They throw emotional tantrums like toddlers. I expected more sophisticated musings from characters who have studied history or were a part of history in the case of the vampire.

OMG!!!!! Just AMAZING!! I listened to all the books and then started from the beginning again and listened through twice. By far the best book/books I have EVER read! The narrator was fantastic as well. I couldn't stop listening.

The novel is fantastically written. The narrator conveys every character with entertaining v"fervor

Having read this book before i knew how good it was already, but ive been wanting to give audio books a try and this is the book i chose to begin with. I never knew how good an audio book could be until listening to this one. It was as if i had never read the book before from the way it was narrated, so beautifully done. I was always waiting eagerly to listen again after work or when i was with family and friends. I cant wait to experience this trilogy again in a whole new way!

excellent reading ... more than once! I have listened to the entire series, wishing that there were some further adventures ... following the family and children.

We unfortunately have a new fifty shades of grey, only this is different because there's a which, a vampire and absolutely no f****** or plot advancement. Total f****** snooze fest.

spell binding? I think not. so boring. I really tried to get into this, listened to more then half and just gave up. bought another book. nothing interesting happens the 1st half, I guess I'll never know what happens in the 2nd half. extremely slow progression.

Boring. Never developed a good story

I couldn't finish listening to this book. I really didn't like the narrators way of reading, and I'm disappointed in the way the story went.

Lacked excitement...it felt like forever waiting for the author AND the reader to get on with it.

Fully enjoyed the whole series- the narrator allowed me to fully escape into the story and quickly search for the next book!

The love interest, Matthew, is a misogynist and a murderer, and yet the main character ignores all of that to be with him. I can stomach quite a bit, since I read a lot of books in the paranormal romance genre, but I barely made it through. Beside that, the storyline sort of stops very suddenly at the end. I'm okay with cliff hangers but you have to hook me first. I will not be reading the next one.

Intriguing, plenty of intellectual mystery and adventure, just the right amount of magic, and not overrun by silly romance.

This book is a combination of a brilliant plot involving brilliant people who behave like characters in a Harlequin romance. The concept behind the book, the well-researched background, the broad range of characters are all compelling. The two main characters, however, are downright juvenile within the scope of their relationship. I get that vampires are supposed to be protective but Diana's acquiescence to his complete ownership of her seems quite bizarre. His protracted refusal to consummate their great, forbidden love with actual intercourse just seems silly, considering all their other bedroom antics. But in the end, if you overlook some annoying features, the book is a fun read, well written and well narrated, taking you into a world you almost wish were real.

Such a great book! Truly fascinating and spell-binding! I wasn't sure about it being 20+ hours long at first, but every development in the book was necessary. I can't wait to get started with the next book!

Very good. I believe anyone who doesn’t like this book lacks imagination in my opinion. It’s amazingly exciting, intriguing and sensual. Very exciting to listen to each day.

Wonderfully interesting for those who like supernatural type stories of witches and vampires. Quite hard to stop listening!! Listening with wireless headphones even made cleaning the house more pleasant!

Twilight meets outlander as one review adequately characterized it and I loved it. It starts a little slow but I couldn’t stop until I had finished the trilogy. I love the science and history “weaved” in the tale. The author is great at keeping the reader hooked. The narrator was great with all the many voices and she made me feel like she was indeed the protagonist in the story.

This is by far the worst book I've ever read. the reading is cringe-worthy, the characters dull and predictable (and also justifys toxic behaviors like verbal abuse because "but daddy I love him!" reasoning), and the story so patched together you'd think the author made it up as they went. Let's also not forget they misquote biology, ecology, animal behavior, physics, and more. If you have to remind your readers every fifteen minutes the main characters name is Diana and the other main characters is "like a wolf", an inaccurate myth of wolves long discredited by ecologists I might add, maybe you're a poor author. Clearly, the author only did a brief Google search without actual substance behind the material. This book is laughable and barely passes for Teen Fiction like Twilight, nonetheless and adult novel.

More like Twilight meets Zzzzzzzzzzz. Made it almost half way and gave up.

The best story I have enjoyed in a long time.

Great read!! Before I ended the book, I started to download the next one!!

This book was amazing. It Was very hard to put it down.

11hrs into listening to this book and I already give it 5 Stars. The author writes in a way that makes you almost believe that these are real people, not just characters in a book.

Loved the story only reason I didn't give it 5 stars that it left me hanging at the end. Can't wait to listen to the second book

Great book.

It was a little slow to get into at first, but after an hour or two it started picking up! Pretty engaging story, and the narrator does an amazing job!! She definitely helps make the story come more alive! :)

The story is wonderful and thorough, however, the author's style is a bit wordy. She spends a lot of time meticulously describing unnecessary details, like every step in the process of a character opening a bottle of wine, for example. This tendency towards incredible description tends to slow the story down. You have to be patient and enjoy the ride. The narrator has formidable talent with accents. I don't know if they are all perfect, but they aren't the borderline-offensive imitations of accents that one occasionally encounters in audiobooks.

Loved this book when I read it & thoroughly enjoyed t listening to it! The narrator did an excellent job.

I had a lot of fun reading this book. It's engaging, racy, adventurous and a really interesting ethos on the genre.

Thoroughly enjoyed the story and Jennifer Ikeda did a phenomenal job narrating.

I absolutely love this book. I can't wait to read the next. I love how the myths about the creatures are so contradictory to what modern society so often shows them as. The best part about this book is that the author makes it scary, sexy, lovely, and humorous without being overly gory, and having really hot love scenes without using pornographic type imagery. Finally another favorite about listening to this book is that the narrator is amazing. She is so good at making each character unique. The accents are so different from one another and I can clearly tell who is speaking just by the tone or accent of her voice.

I liked this book. It kept me interested the whole time. very well read.

this story kept me intersted through the whole book......i hurried to get the second one....Shadow of Night.......and await the next wonderful book telling the story of Matthew and Diana....

WONDERFUL BOOK THAT IS SO WELL WRITTEN THAT YOU FALL IN LOVE WITH THE CHARACTERS. THE NARRATION IS ONE OF THE BEST I'VE EVER HEARD AS JENNIFER IKEDA IS AMAZING DOING SO MANY DIFFERENT VOICES IT'S HARD TO BELIEVE IT'S ONLY ONE PERSON DOING THEM

I simply love this story and want a Matthew for myself! The narration is amazing and you forget it's just one voice!

I really enjoyed this book! It is well written, though I was slightly disappointed that the strong, capable main character very quickly shifts her entire focus towards a man and it becomes about him protecting and managing her. Eventually she does exhibit some personal power. I am already on the next book!

An excellent read!

Very unique story! Wonderful narrator.

Looking forward to the next book in this series. Loved the first one

Absolutely hated this book. It was heavily recommended by the Twilight community because the author was inspired by Twilight. This book has nothing on Twilight. There's no charm, the world is boring, the plot is boring and the characters are so uninteresting. It is SO SLOW and has the most pointless scenes ever. Also, I felt like the quality of the narration was poor. Not the narrators voice, but the equipment they were using. I could hear her tongue/mouth noises when she would speak and it was driving me insane. Better microphones negate those sounds. Would not recommend this to anyone.

I really enjoyed this book. It kinda has the drama feel of Charmed but with a touch more of a scholarly ambiance. Definitely keeps me turning pages!

Very slow moving! 8-1/2 hours in to the book and little had happened. Don’t wait your time. The narration was fine, given the material.

A marvel of a book. I enjoyed every word.

Excellent first book in an excellent trilogy. All 3 books are amazing. And the narration by Jennifer Ikeda is chef’s kiss!

Love this series so much! A wonderful and captivating story.

also good stuff

amazing book

Falls too quickly but love the characters

I agree with some previous reviews, howeverto a point, it does start boring...the entire first 3rd is horrible, however I'd you stick with it the remaining 2/3rds are pretty good, captivating story of interwoven sci-fi of a combo of 'Charmed' meets 'Twilight", ending in a cliff hanger that continues in the next book. The first part is a 2 the last part is a 4 thus my 3, recommend sticking with it if you like those two genres.

An intelligent new look at a tired trope. The supporting characters are where this book really shines. The two leads definitely fall flat, two demential. I’ve always found that the vampire genre has wasted the historical fiction opportunity in its story telling, but this series embraces it. The quality of the storyline definitely falters with each proceeding book, but The Discovery of Witches is definitely worth the read.

This book has all the “things”! A must listen.

This was so good, I’m reading the series a second time!

loved it and looking forward to more.

I caught me right away! Simply love it, and can’t wait to get into the next one.

Great book! Narrator does a good job switching up accents which made it easier to listen to.

Love the mix of history and fantasy. If you are patient it is a wonderful book.

Could not get through it. If I had to hear how Diana’s hair fell in front of her face and sexy vampire dude tucked it behind her ear one more time, I was going to scream. Boring, slow, repetitive. Not for me.

I absolutely loved the fusion of fantasy and history that this entire trilogy showcases. The read is easy and the ideas throughly throughout. I can almost look at the world with a renewed interest, thinking, “what if…” I love the mystery and the action found in these books. I’m hoping that Harkness decides to try her hand at another series….

A well written book. An enjoyable experience.

great read looking forward to all in the set

A romance novel market as a supernatural thriller. If you are looking for a forbidden romance novel featuring vampires and witches, you might lake this. If you are looking for a supernatural thriller look elsewhere.

Great book! Can’t wait to read the rest of the series.

I do like this series a lot, so the audiobooks are just a “cherry on the cake”. Jeniffer Ikeda made by my opinion a great job. It’s a joy to listen to such narration.

I liked it, narrator's done a wonderful job.

Listened after seeing the 1st tv series and there’s lots more to the story to enjoy. Narration is impressive.

Spellbinding! I love the characterisations. Beautifully crafted. Love it and recommend it. I'm now also enjoying book 2.

I absolutely loved this book. The narration was so wonderful you could feel yourself pulled into the story. So intelligently written. A powerful love story indeed.

Lush, rich, prose and perfect narration with convincing French pronunciation.

Great read! I enjoyed it from beginning to end.

I absolutely love this series. This is my second time listening to it. The narrator of the first three books does a fantastic job of putting you right there with the characters.

I have literally listened to this book serious 3 times so far!!

This was a very sophisticated fantasy fiction book! Absolutely loved it!

Had to hear after watching the first season. Did not disappoint.

Really good! I’m hooked!

I really enjoyed the book including the reading of. The transitions seemed to jump around a bit. Yet still enjoyable. Based on the ending there must be a setup for a second book, which I will listen to, just to see what happens.

I loved. Now I need the second book and have them with me on paper. Super entertaining with a million details that I loved. Love all the historical background.

I absolutely loved this book...moving onto book 2 now.

Excellent book:]

Looking forward to book 2.

Great read!!!!

Excellent read

Wonderful book, loved every minute.

Great read. Was pleasantly surprised

I loved the mixture of creatures, the magic, the romance, and the hidden message the story delivers. I'll definitely continue with the next book. The narration complements the story as well. Ms. Ikeda shows great range in her narration which only adds to the allure of this book. Great job! I highly recommend!

I could not stop listening! This book hooks you from the very beginning. Amazing narration. On to the second book!

I generally don’t read this type of genre but I very much enjoyed listening to it and am now on the 2nd of 3 , Shadow of Night. I love the narrator and she is reading my new listen.

Great book! It was spellbinding.

I would love to see this turned into a series true to the books on network somewhere!

beautiful book

I am happy with this series. It is believable. I have read all witch stories and all vampire stories and some have come together in various but not quite like this. I am hooked and curious about how the story will end. It reminds me of the fellowship of the ring from Lord of the Rings. Different groups working together.

This book is amazing!!! I was really reluctant to pick it up because I don’t do vampires but a couple of my friends insisted that it was written specifically to delight me so I gave it a shot. Oh my goodness! It’s so good!!! One of the best parts for me was the Historical Tourism, it’s handled so well, the love Deborah Harkness has for history is on perfect display!

Loved this book Enjoyed every minute Couldn't put it down Can't wait to read the next book

Awesome book! Awesome series! Love all of the history!

The narrator of this amazing trilogy makes this read even better!!! She does an an excellent job w/ each and every character. These books are the best I have ever read. Long thrill packed, worth every penny. By the end of these books you feel you know every character personally and sad to see the books end. I will be finding more by this author, and especially this narrator. A must read from teen to adult.