Absolutely Freaking Amazing Book

I have a confession: I don't usually read books that are part of a set unless the whole set is already in print and available.

Patience has never been my strongest virtue and I've never seen the point of unnecessarily frustrating myself.

Then I found this: A Discovery of Witches.

I picked it up on a whim not knowing it was the beginning of a trilogy until I was nearly done. A quick peek on Amazon promptly led to a few bad words. The next book in the series doesn't come out until July!! 

Ugh. *sigh*

I don't tend to read novels much any more, because my obnoxiously high standards usually leave me disappointed. But this book blew me away. Intricate and enthralling, while simultaneously quick paced and charming, I couldn't wait to get to the next chapter.

(Incidentally, although the audio book is excellent, listening to it at the gym may lead to laughing out loud and earning strange looks from other gym goers. Attempts to explain that the vampire on your headphones said something uproariously funny usually just compounds the problem. Consider yourself forewarned.)

The very, very short summary of the book is as follows:

Hereditary witch Diana Bishop long ago turned her back on her magical heritage and stubbornly lives her life as a normal human scholar, studying the scientific history of alchemy and teaching at Yale. On a routine study trip to Oxford, she accidentally encounters a lost and heavily enchanted book that tips the entire balance of the magical world.

Her world changes overnight as demons, vampires and witches converge on Oxford trying to get to the book, convinced that she is the key. Her carefully constructed world imploding, Diana finds an unlikely ally in the 1500 year old vampire Matthew Claremont. While they struggle to find get to the bottom of the mystery surrounding the book, Diana's erratic, long suppressed magic begins wreaking additional havoc.

Ancient animosities, old secrets and unexpected bonds clash and tangle as the two fight - first to survive and then for a cause much bigger than they ever imagined...

So go read it. Now. 

PS - I totally want the Bishops' house. Who doesn't want a house that adds on its own rooms when it knows you're expecting company?

PPS - There are no werewolves or insipid, Twilight-esque vampires. If you liked Twilight, don't read this. It will destroy your ability to ever like Twilight again. Thank you.