''A Discovery of Witches'' is the first novel in the ''All Souls Trilogy'' by Deborah Harkness, which weaves together elements of science, history, romance, and fantasy.

The first book was published in 2011, and the second book ''Shadow of Night'' was published in July 2012.

Historian Diana Bishop, who is descended from a long line of witches, has been fighting the influence of magic throughout the majority of her life. However, when she opens a bewitched alchemical manuscript in Oxford's Bodleian library, Diana discovers that she can no longer keep magic out of her carefully ordinary life.

After Diana returns the book, it becomes clear that creatures (classified as witches, daemons, and vampires) are after its secrets. They believe that it contains important clues about the creation and future of creatures and desperately want to know how Diana, an unskilled witch, was able to get her hands on the elusive volume.

Chief among the creatures who gather around Diana is vampire Matthew Clairmont, a geneticist with a passion for Darwin. Together, Diana and Matthew embark on a journey to understand the manuscript’s secrets. But the relationship that develops between the ages-old vampire and the spellbound witch threatens to unravel the fragile peace that has long existed between creatures and humans—and will certainly transform Diana’s world as well.

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!!This series contains examples of:

* AlchemyIsMagic: Though Diana has convinced herself that alchemy is simply the gateway to modern chemistry, it is apparent that the discipline is more magical than she wanted to believe.
* AllWitchesHaveCats: Diana's aunts have a cat named Tabitha, who seems to have some level of precognition.
* BadassFamily: Both the de Clermonts and the Bishops.
* BattleCouple: Michael and Diana both exhibit impressive displays of combat due to their supernatural abilities.
* BeethovenWasAnAlienSpy: Several historical figures are revealed to be either witches, daemons, or vampires. Matthew would know, he knew most of them personally!
* BetaCouple: Sarah and Emily, Diana's aunts.
* BlackSheep: Both Diana, a witch who tries not to use magic, and Sophie, a daemon born to a family of witches.
* TheClan: The de Clermonts.
* ColdBloodedTorture: Satu does this to [[spoiler:Diana]]. She tries to use an opening spell on ''her back'' in order to extract the information she needs. Sarah says that this sort of spell was not meant to be used on living things.
* FantasticRacism: Most creatures exhibit a degree of prejudice and distrust towards one another.
* [[spoiler:FourthDateMarriage]]
* GenkiGirl: Sophie, a daemon, is very friendly and quite the chatterbox.
* GodSaveUsFromTheQueen: Elizabeth Tudor doesn't like it when she doesn't get her way.
* GossipyHens: The women of the Malá Strana. It proves useful.
* HowDoIShotWeb: Diana has very little control over her witch powers and often finds simple tasks, such as magically lighting a candle, to be beyond her abilities.
* IJustWantToBeNormal: Diana's main desire after her parents' murder.
* ILoveYouVampireSon: Vampires, or at least Matthew's family, exhibit strong amounts of affection for one another.
* ImmortalitySeeker: Rudolph II, the Holy Roman Emperor, hopes that Edward Kelley will make him a philosopher's stone. Elizabeth I wants Kelley back in England so he will not do this for Rudolph. The immortality and gold that would come if he made ''her'' a philosopher's stone would be nice, too. She also considers being made a vampire, but Matthew tells her that would violate the law of the Congregation.
* InterspeciesRomance: Between Matthew, a vampire and Diana, a witch.
* LawOfInverseFertility: [[spoiler:Vampires aren't supposed to be able to sire children, but due to Diana being a Weaver, a witch who creates new spells, Matthew and Diana are able to conceive. Subverted in that Diana miscarries their first child.]]
* LoveAtFirstSight: Strongly implied between Matthew and Diana, although with Diana it's more like "Love at My Decision to Not Beat You Down On Sight."
* MakingASplash: One of Diana's powers.
* MayflyDecemberRomance: Matthew is a nigh-immortal vampire, while it seems witches like Diana have normal human lifespans.
* MurderTheHypotenuse: This seems to be Juliette's intention when she challenges Matthew and Diana in the woods. [[spoiler:Instead, Diana uses witchfire to kill Juliette in self-defense]]
* NonHumanHumanoidHybrid: What could result if [[spoiler: Diana and Matthew have a child. If Ashmole 782 is correct, this could be the solution to the problem of creatures dying out.]]
* OfficialCouple: Matthew and Diana.
* OurVampiresAreDifferent: Vampires in this universe are not harmed by the sun, do not have fangs, can't fly, and can't change into bats. Interestingly, they are able to ingest food such as rare meat, nuts, and wine. However, blood still makes up the majority of their diet. Vampire hearts also beat, just at a much slower rate than humans.
* ParentalAbandonment: Diana's parents were murdered in Africa when she was seven years old.
* ParentalSubstitute: After her parents' death, Diana was raised by her aunt, Sarah and her partner, Emily.
* ThePatriarch: Philippe de Clermont.
* PlayingWithFire: Another of Diana's powers.
* PleaseDontLeaveMe: Twice: When Matthew decides to leave Diana (albeit temporarily) and when [[spoiler:Diana has to heal his near-fatal wounds from Juliette]]
* Really700YearsOld: Matthew is around 1,500 years old, but has the appearance of a 37-year-old.
* TimeTravel: Diana has this power as well.
* TitleDrop: Of the novel, in the epigraph:
--> ''It begins with absence and desire,''\\
''It begins with blood and fear,''\\
''It begins with a discovery of witches.''
** And of the series, in chapter 14.
--> Matthew looked down with a shy smile. "Welcome to All Souls."
* WitchSpecies: Witchcraft and power distribution are hereditary.
* WriteWhatYouKnow: Deborah Harkness is a historian of medieval/renaissance science and a wine enthusiast, much like her characters.