And the wonder continues within the All Souls universe. Deborah Harkness’ The Black Bird Oracle is the fifth instalment in the All Souls Series, following the events of the original three books A Discovery of Witches, Shadow of Night, and The Book of Life, and we cannot forget about Time’s Convert. With so much more to discover and witness within this expansive, detailed, and enticing world, The Black Bird Oracle is a must-read for adult fantasy bookworms. That does mean you should read the whole series, but lt me sing this book’s praises first,

Spoiler warning! – If you have not read the All Souls Trilogy and intend to, this review should be skipped. It reveals many spoilers for the trilogy that cannot be rewritten in a more cryptic way. If you do not mind details being given and are interested in finding out how the series is continuing then please read with caution.

Deborah Harkness first introduced the world to Diana Bishop, Oxford scholar and witch, and vampire geneticist Matthew de Clairmont in A Discovery of Witches. Now, Diana and Matthew receive a formal demand from the Congregation: They must test the magic of their seven-year-old twins, Pip and Rebecca. Concerned with their safety and desperate to avoid the same fate that led her parents to spellbind her, Diana decides to forge a different path for her family’s future and answers a message from a great-aunt she never knew existed, Gwyneth Proctor, whose invitation simply reads: It’s time you came home, Diana. On the hallowed ground of Ravenswood, the Proctor family home, and under the tutelage of Gwyneth, a talented witch grounded in higher magic, a new era begins for Diana: a confrontation with her family’s dark past, and a reckoning for her own desire for even greater power — if she can let go, finally, of her fear of wielding it.

There has been a lot of off-page character development for many of the adult figures in this novel, especially Diana, Matthew, and Sarah. While we don’t get to see them much, or at all in some cases, out other beloved characters have undoubtedly changed as well. In a way it is good that we don’t see as many familiar faces in this one because we are introduced to many, and I mean many, Proctor family witches and Ipswich coven witches. the ensemble is large and keeps you on your toes when it comes to large events. But as for Diana, our main character whose perspective we see through once again, there is a lot that happens on and off page in terms of character development. She becomes a new woman in a sense, and with that comes the concerns and considerations of this new power she is growing into and the repercussions of her decisions.

There are so many internal conflict moments for Diana, but it is certainly true for Matthew which puts a strain on their relationship and the family as a whole. Many things are happening at once, none of which have clear reasonings and routes forward, and when the children are involved it makes the stakes all the more real. The external conflicts hammer home the messages from the original trilogy, as does the newfound knowledge and revelations we see here in The Black Bird Oracle. You cannot say this novel is not an immersive, action-packed read.

I didn’t know I needed more of this story world until I read The Black Bird Oracle. Now I need so much more of it. I am so excited as I get to read these new books as they come out, having missed that experience with the original trilogy. The countdown is on for the next one, and you can be sure that I will be on the pulse of these book publications.