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.
I'm going to be blunt, overall this book has a very good plot. There were so many critical aspects to the book as well. The characters during the majority of the book are always drinking tea. Too much vampires and not enough witches. I mean come on, if you are going to write a book about witches, why on earth throw in vampires, unless it was a forbidden love OR friendship between a vampire and a witch almost like Casper meets Wendy, but still. The writing is pretty good, just not the premise of the story. I don't think I'll read the sequel. I also found out the book has been optioned for film, it really amazes me how some of the not so great books get film deals.
