April Book of the Month: A Discovery of Witches

Alright! Alright! I admit it! I'm been slack over the last few weeks. Between uni, work, volunteering and interning I haven't had the slightest inclination to blog. I have continued reading though, so have no fear, I will reach my intended goal for the year.

Moving on to the much delayed, and much enjoyed April BotM! I picked this up in passing, without really understanding what I had my hands on. Like most avid readers/ book bloggers, I have the writers bug and I love picking up encyclopaedia's. I have a shelf and a half full now and I pick up more all the time. So when I grabbed this book, I didn't actually read the blurb properly and just chucked it in my pile. Lucky I did or I might have missed one of the best supernatural books I have ever read.

A Discover of Witches by Deborah Harkness

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-with an extra serving of historical realism.

Keep watching for my review and I'm sorry I'm so far behind!

The Betrayal of Maggie Blair by Elizabeth Laird

#42 of 200

Original Language: English
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
Country: UK
Publication Date: April 18 2011
ISBN: 0547341261Page Count: 360

The Betrayal of Maggie Blair is due to be released on April 18 2011

In seventeenth-century Scotland, saying the wrong thing can lead to banishment – or worse. Accused of being a witch, sixteen-year-old Maggie Blair is sentenced to be hanged. She escapes, but instead of finding shelter with her principled, patriotic uncle, she brings disaster to his door. Betrayed by one of her own accusers, Maggie must try to save her uncle and his family from the King’s men, even if she has to risk her own life in the process.

The Betrayal of Maggie Blair (also published as The Witching Hour) is the latest novel by popular children's and young adult author Elizabeth Laird. A stunning story of witchcraft, religion and belief, The Betrayal of Maggie Blair will keep you on the edge of your seat, eagerly awaiting poor Maggie's next obstacle.

Captivate by Carrie Jones

#11 of 200


Original Language: English
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA
Country: USA
Publication Date: Jan-2010
ISBN: 978-1599903422
Page Count: 288

Zara and her friends knew they hadn't solved the pixie problem for good.
..Far from it.
The king's needs grow deeper every day he's stuck in captivity, while his control over his people gets weaker.
It's made him vulnerable.
And now there's a new king in town.
A turf war is imminent, since the new pixie king, Astley, is moving in quickly.
Nick nearly killed him in the woods on day one, but Zara came to his rescue.
Astley swears that he and Zara are destined to be together, that he's one of the good guys.
Nick isn't buying it, though Zara isn't as sure -- despite herself, she wants to trust the new king.
But it's a lot more than her relationship with Nick that is at stake. It's her life -- and his.

Carrie Jones continues her Need saga in Book Two: Captivate after Zara and her friends have rescued their missing school mate and confined the Pixies, and Zara’s Father, their King, within the house buried in the woods. But they soon learn that it is far from over, and their little Maine town is attracting more Pixies than they can handle. Unfortunately for Zara, two new Pixie Kings arrive on the scene and they want her as their Queen.