“In Harkness’s lively debut, witches, vampires, and demons outnumber humans at Oxford’s Bodleian Library…a crowded universe where normal and paranormal creatures observe a tenuous peace. “Magic is desire made real,” Bishop says after both her desire and magical prowess exceed her expectations. Harkness brings this world to vibrant life…”

It's a bit over the top, but witch-and-vampire novel should launch a good series...
It's probably unfair to compare A Discovery of Witches, the debut novel from Deborah Harkness, to the Twilight saga and its imitators, but it's a difficult comparison to avoid. It's probably best, then, to get that out of the way at the top.

Yes, A Discovery of Witches is a novel featuring a romance with a preternaturally old, attractive and compelling vampire. Thankfully, this one doesn't sparkle.

Yes, it is yet another novel in which a supposedly capable young woman is reduced to swooning ineptitude as her relationship with said vampire deepens....
If she can rein in some of the fulsomeness, Harkness might just be on to a winner.

"A Discovery of Witches" — like another recent Viking title, last year's "Angelology" — is a debut novel with a big supernatural canvas and a decidedly feminine point of view..Can I just say how difficult it is for a guy to read this stuff? Why do vamps always have the look and fashion sense of a GQ model? Is there no such thing as a homely vampire?..The book's pace is leisurely — often a little too leisurely ....A professor of history at USC, Harkness creates an entertaining world in her first novel...

While fervently hoping for The Historian meets The Golden Compass, what I got was Twilight meets The Da Vinci Code, via Harlequin Romance. That, alas, is the problem with A Discovery of Witches – it’s a romance trying to masquerade as something more erudite. ...The sexual politics of the book are often appalling, but almost as offensive is the writing. This sentence, for example, should not have been allowed in any novel, ever: “Matthew laughed, and the sound was as deep and smoky as his eyes.” What makes it even more frustrating is that Harkness is an engaging writer on subjects that clearly interest her, like history. But when it comes down to character relationships, the novel is filled with the most irritating tropes of romance fiction...Despite its many problems, A Discovery of Witches is sure to become a massive bestseller, and will be clutched fervently to many a heaving bosom. Alas, the whole thing has worn me out, and I must now retire to my fainting couch with a cold compress and a vial of smelling salts. (Because, you know, that’s what women today are like.)

[starred review] "Diana Bishop is a history scholar—and a witch in denial of her powers. Researching the early beginnings of scientific study in Oxford's Bodleian Library, she unwittingly discovers an ancient tome of alchemy and finds herself attracting a great deal of unwanted attention from a startling array of daemons, witches, and other supernatural beings. Among them is the brilliant (and attractive) vampire geneticist Matthew Clairmont. Set in our contemporary world with a magical twist, this sparkling debut by a history professor features a large cast of fascinating characters, and readers will find themselves invested in Diana's success at unlocking the secrets of the manuscript. ... Harkness is an author to watch.