The Black Bird Oracle (All Souls Book 5)
By Deborah Harkness
In 2011 Deborah Harkness brought the world A Discovery of Witches, introducing readers to Diana Bishop and Matthew Clairmont. Now the All Souls series is back with The Black Bird Oracle which takes place four years after the events of Time's Convert. Mathew and Diana are facing a demand from the Congregation to test their twins for magic abilities. When Diana receives an unexpected invitation from a relative she had never heard of her path, and that of the family changed forever.
I loved the first books in this series and was thrilled to learn another was being published. I enjoyed this book despite there being a few annoyances. The dynamic between Diana and Mathew felt off. There were parts that dragged with a bit too much history of New England witches and their family bloodlines. What I loved most was just getting back into the world of the All Souls characters. I eagerly await another book and the next installment of this story.
On the author - I wasn't aware until recently that Deborah Harkness was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2021 which is why she took a break from writing. During her battle, she used her platform to bring awareness around the importance of not being scared to know what is happening with your body. She has shared on her social media channels “Women need to advocate for themselves and get the help they need. Knowledge is power.” After the completion of her second surgery, Harkness began to work on The Black Bird Oracle and returned to teaching. https://www.cityofhope.org/best-selling-author-fights-back-against-ovarian-cancer
4 Stars