A debut novel by Harkness, this is a grown-up tale about witches, deamons, and vampires living among humans. Reluctant witch Diana Bishop is a professor and historian at Oxford University where she is researching the history of alchemy. Diana has refused to use magic since her parents, who were both very powerful witches, were killed when she was a child. However, when one of the tomes she requests from the library archives turns out to be an enchanted alchemical text that hasn’t been seen for 150 years, her magic triggers a response from the text that has the witch, deamon and vampire communities all stirred up, as each wants the manuscript for themselves. Diana, spooked by the magic stirred by the manuscript, returns it to the archives without knowing what she has set in motion.
Vampire geneticist Matthew Clairmont steps in for the vampire community and tries to gently encourage Diana to reacquire the manuscript. He also provides protection from the witches, deamons and vampires who would use force to try to get at Diana and the manuscript. Of course Matthew and Diana fall in love and encounter difficulties due to the fact that different species have not been allowed to mingle, let alone inter-marry.
Intertwined amid the suspense and danger of keeping Diana safe and discovering the mysteries held by the manuscript and the budding romance between witch and vampire are the themes of the possibility of peaceful co-existence of the four species: human, witch, deamon, and vampire and the inter-mixing of these species.
This is a long book but has many delightful aspects as well as being very well told. This is a grown-up story with more serious grown-up themes for those who liked the romance of Twilight and the political aspects of the Hunger Games. Don’t miss it or the sequel coming out soon!