A descoberta das bruxas

De Deborah Harkness

Durante uma pesquisa na Biblioteca Bodleiana de Oxford, a acadêmica Diana Bishop encontra um manuscrito chamado Ashmole 782. Descendente de uma antiga e notória linhagem de bruxas, que renega, Diana sente que tem em mãos mais de mil anos de pura magia. Justamente por ser aquilo de que mais foge, depois de tomar algumas notas sobre o que encontra ali, rapidamente recoloca o estranho livro na estante.
Mas o que Diana não sabe é que esse antigo texto alquímico, dado como perdido há séculos, trará à tona um mundo paralelo aterrador: junto com ele, uma horda de demônios, bruxas e vampiros adentra as salas de leitura da biblioteca. Uma dessas criaturas é Matthew Clairmont, um enigmático e eminente geneticista - e também um vampiro com grande interesse pelo Ashmole 782, que não hestia em se aproximar da pesquisadora.
À medida que a aliança entre Matthew e Diana passa a ser mais íntima, ela terá que rever antigos tabus, assim como a conflituosa história de sua família - e precisará aprender até onde a mulher moderna, que de fato é, aceita os poderes sobrenaturais que são o seu legado.
Com boas doses de magia, romance e suspense, A descoberta das bruxas é uma trama de dimensões épicas que vai das ruas de pedra de Oxford aos châteaux e montanhas de Auvergne, na França, passando por uma pequena cidade ao norte do estado de Nova York. Enquanto nos deslocamos por diferentes lugares do mundo, somos levados a uma viagem por 1500 anos de história, onde encontramos Clóvis e as Cruzadas, os Cavaleiros Templários e a Revolução Americana.
Com sólida pesquisa e o talento de uma grande contadora de histórias, Deborah Harkness criou uma trama onde alquimia e ciência se encontram de forma apaixonada.
Primeiro volume da Trilogia das Almas, A descoberta das bruxas deu origem à série de mesmo nome, disponível na Globoplay, estrelando Matthew Goode e Teresa Palmer. A história de Diana e Matthew continua em Sombra da noite e O livro da vida.

• Idioma: Português
• Editora: Rocco Digital
• Data de lançamento: 14 de set. de 2011
• ISBN: 9788581220420

Avaliações de A descoberta das bruxas

[auntieg0412 · Nota: 5 de 5 estrelas]

Well, I can no longer say, "I don't do vampire novels." Fantastic characters and imaginative plot have pulled me right into this world. This isn't much of a review, but I will do better once I finish the trilogy. I am well and truly hooked, so now it's on to book 2!!

[amberwitch · Nota: 3 de 5 estrelas]

A fantasy romance between a witch and a vampire. They meet in a library, when the witch finds an enchanted manuscript that makes her a target for both witches and vampires, and the vampire end up protecting her.Not a very good read, kind of boring. Flowery prose and a lot of pathos. Characters I did not care for, and romantic protagonists where I could not se the attraction between them.

[sensory-376444 · Nota: 3 de 5 estrelas]

Meh. Was disappointing. Waited so long to read this book and it wasn't as good as I expected it to be. I will try the whole series though since it has a few redeeming qualities.

[m_mozeleski · Nota: 5 de 5 estrelas]

Wow.


What a complex world Harkness has built for us. Magic, vampires, witches, and daemons... I love stories that can build on things that everyone knows about in a unique way.

[pennykaplan · Nota: 4 de 5 estrelas]

Well written creation of an alternate universe of supernatural creatures…liked the historical bits (vampires never die). But got tired of the romance between a witch and a vampire. Didn’t finish it.

[rchall78 · Nota: 2 de 5 estrelas]

I really wanted to like this book. Couldn’t finish it. I never started liking the main characters. I got about 75% of the way through, and figured if I didn’t like it by then, I wasn’t going to.

[swbesecker · Nota: 4 de 5 estrelas]

An adult story of witches, vampires, and daemons that begs you to forget everything you thought you knew about these creatures and fosters imaginative hope in wishing they were real.

[bookwitch9 · Nota: 5 de 5 estrelas]

The author's descriptions of past and current surroundings drew me in and the characters kept me captivated. It was extremely refreshing to read from the point of view of a strong, capable, all-be-it confused female main character. I loved that Ms. Harkness describes all of the main characters so well that I can see them clearly through every turn of the page. The exploration of magical elements in this book are done tastefully and elegantly! Beautifully written as if she used magic herself!

[lisamorr · Nota: 4 de 5 estrelas]

I was really excited with how this book started - in the Bodleian Library at the University of Oxford, Diana discovers an enchanted tome. Soon she is caught up in a dangerous mystery involving other witches, demons and vampires. However, I found the pace to be too fast, frantic even, and would've enjoyed more descriptions of place and characters. Also, I found the romance angle to be a bit unbelievable. Still, I enjoyed the story and will definitely continue the trilogy.

[jennybeast · Nota: 4 de 5 estrelas]

I quite liked it, but I really wanted it not to be a series. It was so involved that I wanted it to wrap up in one book -- I'm not sure I have the staying power for an indefinite storyline.

[kcollett_6 · Nota: 4 de 5 estrelas]

Not only does Diana start off studying in the Bodleian in Oxford (which I’ve done, squee!), but she eventually returns home to her family’s old farmhouse in Madison in upstate NY (20 miles from our 200-year-old farmhouse—though our house is not nearly as alive or opinionated). Includes witches, like Diana’s family, vampires, and daemons, old manuscripts with secrets, old vampire families with secrets, some unpleasant enemies, and a remarkably likeable bunch of allies.

[elenaj-147457 · Nota: 2 de 5 estrelas]

Not my thing. The main character is a Mary Sue, and her specific geeky interests (the history of science and alchemy) are not interesting to me. I was expecting something a little heavier on the fantasy and lighter on the paranormal romance.

[aneg81 · Nota: 5 de 5 estrelas]

All I can say is I love this first book of the All Souls series. I travelled into a different world where the interaction of witches, wizards, vampires, demons and humans is possible. It is in my library now and I will reach out for it every time I want to travel again. Thank you for making this book possible and available for passionate readers of fantasy books Deborah H.

[charon07 · Nota: 1 de 5 estrelas]

I was going to give this two stars, since it was at least entertaining enough to keep reading, but it got pretty tedious toward the end, and most unforgivably, turned out not to be a stand-alone book but to be just the first installment of a series. There is no resolution of any part of the plot, and I have no interest in continuing. Its best feature was some bodice-ripper romance, but that was too scant and far between, and similarly unresolved, to redeem it even as a romance.

[xofelf · Nota: 5 de 5 estrelas]

I want the sequel.

[linyarai · Nota: 5 de 5 estrelas]

Terrific! I couldn't put it down and I can't wait to read the next ones.

[pennybrainerd · Nota: 4 de 5 estrelas]

Couldn't put the book down. Interesting concepts about all the magical creatures in the world. I do hope the sequel lets us see Diana learning to use her powers and becoming the strong person her name implies --- Diana the Huntress.

[robinkaye-1 · Nota: 5 de 5 estrelas]

A historical paranormal book! A little but long but very detailed. I really enjoyed this novel. Its like Pillars of the Earth meets Dan Brown meets Sookie Stackhouse.

[menshevixen · Nota: 2 de 5 estrelas]

I gave up. Not in any way, shape, or form worth it.

[crowsb4bros · Nota: 2 de 5 estrelas]

I really wanted to like it because the aesthetic was 10/10 but dear god the insta-love was so terrible. It felt a bit like if twilight and shadowhunters had a book baby though and I think that'll have plenty of appeal to others.

[sushicat-1 · Nota: 5 de 5 estrelas]

For her research on the history of alchemists the young professor Diona Bishop calls up a bewitched alchemical manuscript. Descended from an old and line of witches, Diana wants nothing to do with sorcery. Though she feels the strong magic in the book, she sends it back to the stacks - very much to the annoyance of all kinds of witches, vampires and daemons. As she is threatened by creatures wanting to put their hands on the manuscript nobody has been able to call up in centuries, she has to confront her own magic and gather support from unexpected sources.

As we start into the book the world seems to be a pretty normal scholarly environment, with a tiny dash of magic thrown in. Along with Diana, who has refused the magic after her parents died when she was very young, we discover that there is much more to magic than she suspected and get pulled along her in this discovery. As the story progresses, she meets other players in the magical world and finds herself pulled into a world of power plays and ages old feuds. I found the world she builds intriguing and enjoyed a heroine who has passed her 20th birthday for a change and can hold her own against powerful adversaries.

[reallifereading · Nota: 3 de 5 estrelas]

As a child, I believed in vampires.

It was a mixture of both fear and excitement. Part of me was all, hey, vampires are cool. They live forever. The other part of me was thinking, wait… that means I’d have to feed on blood for the rest of my life??

Of course that was more about the western vampire than the Chinese vampire. I mean, have you seen those Chinese movies with vampires? They stick out their arms in front of them and hop. Hop hop hop. I kid you not.

Back to the western vampire. They are always portrayed as these charming, enigmatic creatures, are they not? Perhaps not in some tales like The Strain and The Passage, which are more zombie-like and parasitic and frankly quite gross. But I guess I’m talking about the beautiful vampire, the kind portrayed by Brad Pitt, long haired, gorgeous. Or somewhat gorgeous. Somehow I remember him being more good-looking than that? Teenaged eyes or something I guess?

And here is that charming vampire again, this time in A Discovery of Witches. He’s not just charming, tall and well built, he’s rich, he’s French, he’s well read, and an academic/scientist! What more could you ask for?

Ok so I kinda fell for him too. Because if this book were just about Diana, witch and not-witch (she is the last of the Bishop witches – who were one of the original Salem witches – but refuses to use magic) I wouldn’t have finished it. She’s occasionally irritating and quite childlike at times. She’s also an academic who’s visiting Oxford, her topic the history of science. And a bit too smug about it: “What got me away from Madison was my intellect. It had always been precocious”. I felt like taking that mystical magical book that is the focus of this book and conking her on her noggin with it. It also helped that the story opens in a library, but not just any library but the Bodleian.

“Bewitched books? Daemons following you? Vampires taking you to yoga? Witches threatening a Bishop?”

There’s something for everyone in A Discovery of Witches. Witches, vampires, daemons, magic, alchemy, science, history, evolution, and yes, yoga (Now that would be an unforgettable movie scene)…. Yeah, go on, stuff them all in there. That’s right. But essentially it is a romance between a witch and a vampire. I suppose there might be comparisons to Twilight etc (or so some reviews on GoodReads seem to suggest) but I’ve yet to read that so I am blissfully ignorant.

A Discovery of Witches was a relatively fun read. I’ve been trying to figure out what would be the autumn/Halloween equivalent of a beach read? A trick-or-treating read? I.e., the book to read while waiting for trick-or-treaters with candy? The winter-storm read? I.e. here in the bay area it’s all grey and gloomy and a little chilly thanks to an early winter storm that’s got the Weather Channel and the media all in a tizzy. I have to warn you that it’s not all that action-packed so it might not be for everyone. And as I mentioned earlier, you just want to give it some time because Diana is around a lot in the beginning. Too much. It does have a fantastic vampire in Ysabeau, who was probably my favourite character (she’s the male vampire’s ‘mother’). I would say that it would probably make a great RIP read, especially since it ends on Halloween. Oh! More importantly, it’s the first of a series. I didn’t know that until I was halfway through! And when I finished it, I wondered, why oh why must they always leave things hanging? That’s the thing about series isn’t it? Oh well. I’ll see if the next one will be worth reading…

[being_b-1 · Nota: 2 de 5 estrelas]

Basically Twilight for anglophiles, history buffs, and people who like their reading to make them feel "smart." Under the obscure literary references and genetic analyses, this is the story of a woman with Super Speshul Powahs who falls in love with a vampire and completely lets him take over her life because the narrative tells us that's what love is. The vampire, in turn, is super old and sophisticated and rich and intelligent and... wants to eat her but doesn't because he's in love with her. Why he's in love with her isn't particularly clear other than that it's "fated."

There's plot stuff about three different kinds of "creature" (witch, vampire, and daemon) who are in conflict with each other but there's some Big Secret etc etc, but really it's about a Big Strong Man/Vampire manhandling our heroine to help her discover her True Potential.

It's really a shame, because if you remove the romance plotline there's a lot of interesting ideas I'd love to know more about, but I just can't stomach any more of His Chilly Perfection.

[mrnattania72 · Nota: 5 de 5 estrelas]

This was a great beginning to what I think will be an amazing tale of how 3 genre of monsters cohabitate in a world that is simultaneously unraveling without the notice of humans. Why do Witches, Vampires and Demons think so I'll of the other. Is it because one created the other or ate they gentically related to one another ? I generally tend to stick with YA, but this caught my eye, given to me from my brother-in-la. It is not a overwhelmingly packed with fast past action and storylines, but is more subtle and yet very powerful in is imagery. Harkness filled this story with so many great ideas a bout some of the most well known monsters than we grew up with Every Halloween. I hugely recommend this book, but you have to be patient for the meat, good parts.

[thetruebookaddict · Nota: 4 de 5 estrelas]

This was a reread (I listened on audio). I wanted to read it again before the series aired (on Sundance or Shudder). I didn't quite get there, but I watched the first eight episodes and will now finish watching the last two. I have to admit, I liked this better when I read the print book the first time. I think it was the voice of the audio book reader. Listening to her read it made it sound more corny to me. Has that ever happened to you? It just seemed more romance-y to me this time. Maybe I'm just more jaded than I was back in 2011. All this being said, I still like the story. I love the history tied up in it, and the idea of witches, vampires and demons existing along side humans. So, I'm looking forward to reading the second book, though I won't be listening on audio. Not sure when I'll pick up, Shadow of Night, but it will definitely be before the next season of the television series (which is pretty good, by the way, although a bit different from the book).

[melrailey-412132 · Nota: 4 de 5 estrelas]

Diana Bishop comes from a long line of power witches. After her parents are killed when she's a child, Diana decides to not use her magic and becomes a history scholar. While studying at Oxford, Diana meets a vampire named Matthew Clairmont and the attraction is instantaneous. Diana also calls up an ancient manuscript from the library that has been lost for centuries. Not realizing it's power, she sends it back to the stacks but not before word gets out and a slew of vampires, witches and daemons are after Diana and the secrets they think she knows. Her only protection from these creatures is Matthew; but, their romance is forbidden and causes even more problems for Diana and Matthew.

I loved this book. It was intellectual. There was so much fun and interesting history. The characters were great. I may be a little in love with Matthew. He's definitely at the top of my favorite vampire list. I think Harkness' writing was terrific. This book reminded me a lot of The Historian but it was much more romantic and the characters are easier to identify with.

[cc123-3 · Nota: 5 de 5 estrelas]

actually it should be 4.5 stars.
Great characters, lots of historical references, and a complex story. Looking forward to the next book to see what Diana and Matthew do next.

[brangwinn · Nota: 5 de 5 estrelas]

I tend to stay away from vampire books, but I’ve got admit I’m looking forward to the next two books in this trilogy. Passion and obsession fill the pages of this book about a history researcher at Oxford who is also a witch. Much of the action takes place in the Bodleian library. When she discovers a treatise that has been missing for over a century, she attracts the attention of vampires and daemons. Falling in love with a vampire leads her into more danger and returning to her family home the US doesn’t end the danger, it just sets the stage for the next 2 books. Who knew a book combining history, magic and science could make for compelling reading. If you’re reading it just for the love story, you’re missing much of the story, although that’s pretty good, too. I’d recommend this for readers who loved the Twilight series and are ready for something a little more challenging.

[saraellen_1 · Nota: 5 de 5 estrelas]

I read this book for a book club and the consensus is that we loved it!The book starts with Diana, a young witch who...doesn't want to be a witch. She pulls up an old manuscript and opens up a whole world that she's been trying very much to avoid. She and Matthew Clairmont, a vampire, start a very complicated relationship and begin a war with the Congregation creating a fascinating story of love and the freedom to love.As we learn more about Diana and Matthew I found this world full of magic and creatures increasingly believable. I loved the characters and the family bonds. It was so smart and entertaining I found myself completely enthralled.I learned that the author was a science historian herself and I felt that you could definitely feel that in her writing. it was full of knowledge and so much history that there's know way you could miss it.I did find that the relationship between Diana and Matthew felt a little bit forced in the beginning but it eventually got a little more comfortable. I also felt that there seemed to be a lot of filler material, Diana sleeps, she eat toast, she sleeps again. I understand that we need to understand that she a 'warm blood' and mortal but could we please cut a few of those parts out? I'm excited to read the next two books. I think this is a good book for people who like YA and are trying to dive into something a little more complex.

[nurse73 · Nota: 4 de 5 estrelas]

Fabulous tale of intricate characters and well developed love story. Can't wait for the next book!!!