📖 Book Review ~ The Blackbird Oracle by Deborah Harkness

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July 2024
All Souls #5

Thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book

Diana Bishop journeys to the darkest places within herself – and her family history – in the highly anticipated fifth novel of the beloved Number One Sunday Times bestselling All Souls series.

The first shadows fall on a Friday afternoon when a single, dying raven lands on the pavement in front of Diana Bishop, harbinger of an invitation that reads, ‘It’s time you came home, Diana’.

Diana is a witch and scholar; her husband Matthew Clairmont, a vampire. Their intense love for one another awoke the dark powers within her and dissolved the Covenant between the three species – Witch, Daemon and Vampire – that live alongside humans. Now, the governing Congregation has decided it must test the magical powers of their seven-year-old twins, Pip and Becca. Concerned with their safety, Diana decides to forge a different path for her family’s future and travels to Ravenswood, the Proctor family home.

There, Diana begins a new era, becoming her great aunt Gwyneth’s pupil in higher magic. It’s time to confront her family’s past – and her own, inescapable desire for greater power.

📖 My Review..

I’ve been a fan of this fascinating series since the very beginning and so to have a continuation of the story has been a real treat as not only are we back, once again, with Diana and Matthew but we are also given the opportunity to explore Diana’s paternal Proctor family at their home at Ravenswood. In the seclusion of the Proctor family home, and under the tutelage of her newly discovered family, Diana is given the opportunity to explore, and learn more about, the skill of higher magic. However, her search for the darkness will send Diana on a  path where she risks putting herself and her loved ones in grave danger.

I have enjoyed being back with Diana and Matthew, observing them as a family unit with their children Pip and Rebecca, and watching how Diana starts to understand her higher power. The Proctors are a lively lot, especially Granny Dorcas who brings her own brand of sassiness to everything she does and Great-Aunt Gwyneth who rules the roost with her own brand of magic. Inevitably, the Congregation makes its presence felt with its determination to ‘test’ the magical powers of Pip and Rebecca who, as bright born children of a witch and vampire, are especially interesting, but of course Diana and Matthew are determined to protect their twins at all costs. 

I have both the hardback and the audio of The Blackbird Oracle and have thoroughly enjoyed dipping into both versions. The audio is expertly narrated by Jennifer Ikeda who has been the distinctive voice of all this series with the exception of Time’s Convert.  As a committed fan, I am delighted with this latest instalment in the All Souls series and although there were times when I felt like the story seemed a little meandering that really didn’t matter as it allowed the plot to evolve gradually and gave me time to get to know lots of new and fascinating characters.

It’s been great being back Diana and Matthew’s world and I have loved meeting the Proctors and learning more about their history and where they all fit into this complex story. The ending of The Blackbird Oracle lends itself to a continuation so I can only hope for more from this talented author who has created such a wonderful legacy of characters and who has given us the enticing and compelling world of All Souls. Long may it continue 😊

About the Author

Deborah Harkness is the number one Sunday Times bestselling author of A Discovery of Witches, Shadow of Night and The Book of Life. A history professor at the University of Southern California, Harkness has received Fulbright, Guggenheim, and National Humanities Center fellowships. 

Follow Deborah Harkness on Twitter @DebHarkness and visit http://www.deborahharkness.com and http://www.facebook.com/AuthorDeborahHarkness