What to read after A Discovery of Witches

Now a major TV series, Deborah Harkness’ novel A Discovery of Witches is the first in her All Souls sequence: a richly intricate tale about a witch, a vampire and a manuscript which binds them. 

Harkness’ own background as a scholar in the history of witchcraft is evident throughout the books, which follow Dianne - an Oxford scholar and reluctant sorceress - and Matthew Clairmont - a vampire geneticist - as they try and solve a centuries old mystery while battling the forces of evil. 

If you devoured A Discovery of Witches, and are looking for a little more magic in your life, why not try one of these titles next?

The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling 

If you’re after something both romantic and magical, then we would definitely recommend The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling!

When Vivienne Jones experiences heartbreak, she deals with it in a perfectly reasonable way: crying, vodka, bubble baths - and of course, a hex on the heartbreaker in question. But when her ex, the frustratingly gorgeous Rhys Penhallow, returns to her hometown of Graves Glen nine years later, she realises her spontaneous curse may have gone too far. 

As disaster after disaster befalls Rhys and her town, the two must overcome their past - and the undeniable chemistry between them - to break the ex hex before it is too late. 

Payback's a Witch by Lana Harper

A sapphic revenge romance set in a town full of witches? Count us in!

Emmy Harlow has been away from her hometown of Thistle Grove for a long time - so long it's begun to affect her magic - in no small part because of Gareth Blackmoore: heir to the most powerful family in town, and breaker of innocent hearts.

But when her family’s spellcasting tournament approaches, Emmy finds herself pulled back to Thistle Grove, and decides to make a life for herself once more in Chicago, alongside her best friend Linden Thorn. That is, until she finds out that both Linden and a beautiful bad-ass witch called Talia Avramov have also both fallen prey to Gareth’s wicked ways. Now they want revenge. The only question is: does Emmy?

And as Emmy tries to navigate her complex family history and her own hurt, she can’t help but wonder: why can’t she get the brilliant Talia Avramov out of her mind?

Practical Magic - Alice Hoffman 

What list would be complete without Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman? The book that inspired the classic film starring Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock, this is 90s witch lit at its finest. 

The Owens women have always been blamed for everything disaster in their small Massachusetts town. As children, sisters Gillian and Sally were shunned for the magic that seemed to sparkle around them, and all they ever wanted was to escape. And they do - one by marrying, the other by running as far away as she can. 

But years later tragedy draws the sisters back together, almost as if by magic . . . 

If you enjoy Practical Magic, then you’ll be glad to know Hoffman has written three more in the series: two prequels and a sequel, plenty of material to feed your witch obsession. 

The Familiars - Stacey Halls 

If the historical setting of A Discovery of Witches was more to your taste than the romance, then you might enjoy The Familiars by Stacey Halls.

Set during the infamous Pendle Witch trials of 1612, The Familiars follows young noblewoman Fleetwood Shuttleworth, whose recent marriage to her husband Richard has failed to produce children. While pregnant once again, Fleetwood discovers a hidden letter from her doctor, disclosing to Richard that she will not survive another birth. Desperate to save her own life, and that of her unborn child, Fleetwood begs the services of Alice Grey, a mysterious midwife she encounters in the woods near her home. 

But this is Jacobean England, and the witch-hunting fever driven by King James I is coming to a pitch. Soon Alice finds herself embroiled in the Pendle trials, accused of witchcraft. Fleetwood must risk everything to save her midwife - and herself. 

 

The Witch's Heart by Genevieve Gornichec

This novel by Genevieve Gornichec is a beautiful reimagining of Norse mythology, with a complex and powerful witch for a heroine: what's not to love?

Witch Angobordr survives what most wouldn’t: an attempted burning by the Norse gods after refusing to provide Odin with knowledge of the future. Injured and powerless, she flees to the remote woods, expecting to live out the rest of her days alone. But when a chance meeting with the trickster god Loki transforms into something more, she begins to believe once again in a life of love and happiness.

Determined to keep their three children safe, Angobordr is horrified when the return of her prophetic powers reveals them to be in mortal danger. With the help of the fierce huntress Skadi, Angobordr must make a choice: whether to accept the future she has foreseen, or fight it.