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"Diana Bishop journeys to the darkest places within herself--and her family history--in the highly anticipated fifth novel of the beloved #1 New York Times bestselling All Souls series Deborah Harkness first introduced the world to Diana Bishop, Oxford scholar and witch, and vampire geneticist Matthew de Clairmont in A Discovery of Witches. Drawn to each other despite long-standing taboos, these two other-worldly beings found themselves at the center of a battle for a lost, enchanted show more manuscript known as Ashmole 782. Since then, they have fallen in love, traveled to Elizabethan England, dissolved the Covenant between the three species, and awoken the dark powers within Diana's family line. 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"-- show lessTags
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Listening to Jennifer Ikeda narrate THE BLACK BIRD ORACLE by Deborah Harkness is a bit like the comfort you get wearing your comfiest pajamas after a long day at work. It is the love you feel when your kids run up to you for hugs and kisses freely given and readily received. It is the sense of belonging that you obtain when you get together with old friends and pick up right where you left off in terms of comfort, ease, and affection. I didn't know how much I missed the bizarre and yet charming world of Diana Bishop and Matthew Clairmont until I heard Ms. Ikeda's voice reading the first sentence.
Like all of Ms. Harkness's novels, THE BLACK BIRD ORACLE is intricate in its details regarding alchemy, history, and magic. Of particular show more interest is Diana's visit to Salem on the anniversary of Bridget Bishop's death. Ms. Harkness uses Ipswitch's proximity to Salem and Diana's family heritage to explore what life was like for those jailed and awaiting trial for witchcraft. Not only do we get details about the state of the imprisoned, but she mentions a new-to-me "method for determining a witch" that is as abhorrent as it is brutal. Ms. Harkness does not shy away from calling out the judges and ministers who used the witchcraft scare as an opportunity to commit rape, steal land and property, and remove women they deemed too independent and intelligent to submit to their authority.
Another interesting facet of the Salem trials that has repercussions for Diana in modern times is how even those in the witch community viewed Bridget as reckless and deserving of her fate. Women have been damning other women for centuries, so this depiction comes as no surprise. Yet, it does force you to think about why women are so quick to condemn other women, or, using a modern example, why they vote for politicians who make no secrets about their intent to enact policies that will harm women and restrict the rights of all minorities. Even though Ms. Harkness does not explore it in full, the fact that she specifically mentions this phenomenon as it pertains to 1692 and Diana's life now makes it the perfect opportunity for discussion.
We see less of Matthew in THE BLACK BIRD ORACLE than you are used to seeing from the original trilogy, but it works because this is very much Diana's tale. She is exploring her family tree and her family powers. This is a story about witches, hence the switch in geography to Ipswitch and Salem instead of France, London, or New Haven. To include Matthew in a more direct role would subvert that importance.
I will say that without Matthew's overt involvement, the story is not quite as intense as the trilogy. There is a lot Diana learns about the Proctors and their particular type of magic, which means there is a lot of description and explanation that both Diana and you have to endure. However, Ms. Harkness plants the seeds for future conflicts and long-held secrets to be unveiled, which suggests that there should be a lot more action and less instruction in the next novel.
Still, it was wonderful to be back in Diana and Matthew's world, to see the twins older and beginning to show their powers, and to learn more about Diana's family roots. (As my ancestors hail from Poland and Germany in the late 1800s, the idea of having a family tree that goes back four hundred years or more boggles my mind and makes me slightly envious of all that history; I'll admit to living vicariously through Diana in those moments.) Ms. Harkness's ability to make history and science both fascinating and integral to her story continues to amaze and delight me. THE BLACK BIRD ORACLE is a welcome addition to the All Souls' world, and I am excited to know that there will be even more. show less
Like all of Ms. Harkness's novels, THE BLACK BIRD ORACLE is intricate in its details regarding alchemy, history, and magic. Of particular show more interest is Diana's visit to Salem on the anniversary of Bridget Bishop's death. Ms. Harkness uses Ipswitch's proximity to Salem and Diana's family heritage to explore what life was like for those jailed and awaiting trial for witchcraft. Not only do we get details about the state of the imprisoned, but she mentions a new-to-me "method for determining a witch" that is as abhorrent as it is brutal. Ms. Harkness does not shy away from calling out the judges and ministers who used the witchcraft scare as an opportunity to commit rape, steal land and property, and remove women they deemed too independent and intelligent to submit to their authority.
Another interesting facet of the Salem trials that has repercussions for Diana in modern times is how even those in the witch community viewed Bridget as reckless and deserving of her fate. Women have been damning other women for centuries, so this depiction comes as no surprise. Yet, it does force you to think about why women are so quick to condemn other women, or, using a modern example, why they vote for politicians who make no secrets about their intent to enact policies that will harm women and restrict the rights of all minorities. Even though Ms. Harkness does not explore it in full, the fact that she specifically mentions this phenomenon as it pertains to 1692 and Diana's life now makes it the perfect opportunity for discussion.
We see less of Matthew in THE BLACK BIRD ORACLE than you are used to seeing from the original trilogy, but it works because this is very much Diana's tale. She is exploring her family tree and her family powers. This is a story about witches, hence the switch in geography to Ipswitch and Salem instead of France, London, or New Haven. To include Matthew in a more direct role would subvert that importance.
I will say that without Matthew's overt involvement, the story is not quite as intense as the trilogy. There is a lot Diana learns about the Proctors and their particular type of magic, which means there is a lot of description and explanation that both Diana and you have to endure. However, Ms. Harkness plants the seeds for future conflicts and long-held secrets to be unveiled, which suggests that there should be a lot more action and less instruction in the next novel.
Still, it was wonderful to be back in Diana and Matthew's world, to see the twins older and beginning to show their powers, and to learn more about Diana's family roots. (As my ancestors hail from Poland and Germany in the late 1800s, the idea of having a family tree that goes back four hundred years or more boggles my mind and makes me slightly envious of all that history; I'll admit to living vicariously through Diana in those moments.) Ms. Harkness's ability to make history and science both fascinating and integral to her story continues to amaze and delight me. THE BLACK BIRD ORACLE is a welcome addition to the All Souls' world, and I am excited to know that there will be even more. show less
The Black Bird Oracle gives us everything we’ve come to expect and love from Deborah Harkness’s All Souls series. More magic, more lore, more politicking and discovery.
If I have any criticism at all, it’s that I would have liked to see more of the extended de Clairmont Family. More Ysabeau and Baldwin please! That’s really not a fair criticism though, because this book isn’t about Matthew’s side of the family, it’s about Diana’s. We get a deep dive into the Bishop and Proctor family history, and make some pretty unexpected discoveries. Maybe that’s not really surprising – after all, Diana never really knew her parents. After losing them so young, of course she’d have a perfect, child’s impression of them. When show more we’re young, our parents can do no wrong. It’s only as we get older that we start to see them as real people, the good, the bad, the beautiful and the flawed. And we don’t always agree with them.
Even as Diana is confronting the truth of her ancestry, she’s also bracing for the future of her children. The Congregation hasn’t forgotten about them, not at all. And they’ve got plans.
I don’t want to give anything away, because this book is so good you need to read it yourself. I am THRILLED that she’s continuing this series! show less
If I have any criticism at all, it’s that I would have liked to see more of the extended de Clairmont Family. More Ysabeau and Baldwin please! That’s really not a fair criticism though, because this book isn’t about Matthew’s side of the family, it’s about Diana’s. We get a deep dive into the Bishop and Proctor family history, and make some pretty unexpected discoveries. Maybe that’s not really surprising – after all, Diana never really knew her parents. After losing them so young, of course she’d have a perfect, child’s impression of them. When show more we’re young, our parents can do no wrong. It’s only as we get older that we start to see them as real people, the good, the bad, the beautiful and the flawed. And we don’t always agree with them.
Even as Diana is confronting the truth of her ancestry, she’s also bracing for the future of her children. The Congregation hasn’t forgotten about them, not at all. And they’ve got plans.
I don’t want to give anything away, because this book is so good you need to read it yourself. I am THRILLED that she’s continuing this series! show less
‘Higher magic wasn’t a bag of tricks the Proctors pulled out at Halloween. It was their way of life.’
‘Oracles? Prophetic twins? Higher magic? Dark paths that meet at a crossroads?’
It’s time to meet the Proctors and that changes everything for Diana, Matthew and their growing family. Until now her father’s side of the family was a mystery and when the curtain is pulled back, not everyone is going to be thrilled to find out they’re as far from the Bishops as they can be...yet, Diana has found part of herself that was always missing. As the clock counts down to when the twins will be tested by the Congregation, and Diana finds out some harrowing information on exactly what the witches of the Congregation have been doing for show more as long as time can remember, this De Clermont finds herself taking a stand, yet again. The only thing missing this time around was Matthew, who was relegated to a shadow of himself lingering in the background glowering as only he can glower. show less
‘Oracles? Prophetic twins? Higher magic? Dark paths that meet at a crossroads?’
It’s time to meet the Proctors and that changes everything for Diana, Matthew and their growing family. Until now her father’s side of the family was a mystery and when the curtain is pulled back, not everyone is going to be thrilled to find out they’re as far from the Bishops as they can be...yet, Diana has found part of herself that was always missing. As the clock counts down to when the twins will be tested by the Congregation, and Diana finds out some harrowing information on exactly what the witches of the Congregation have been doing for show more as long as time can remember, this De Clermont finds herself taking a stand, yet again. The only thing missing this time around was Matthew, who was relegated to a shadow of himself lingering in the background glowering as only he can glower. show less
I have mixed feelings about this book. I loved learning more about Diana's father's side of the family. I missed having more of the de Clairmonts. I loved the twins and Diana. I missed Matthew doing more than just glowering most of the time.
In the end, I loved more than I missed. It does feel as though there should be a sequel following the twins' lives.
Recommended for fans of the series.
In the end, I loved more than I missed. It does feel as though there should be a sequel following the twins' lives.
Recommended for fans of the series.
This is an entertaining book. Harkness keeps many of the characters from the original trilogy, but also adds a number of new ones, including new villains. The Proctor family ghosts are far and away the best additions; Granny Dorcas is a stitch.
The genealogist in me loved this completely. I think this series is the best when it brings in parts from the past. I did get some of what people were saying where I feel like the characters were not being themselves but I think that was the point especially for Diana. Matthew however I wish there was more from. I also feel like not having the other children there other than a mention was wrong there is no way if something was happening with the twins the others wouldn't be there. Besides that it was good. The reveal at the end seen that but I do look forward to the next book because she needs to go destroy people.
**Initial Thoughts:
- more Matthew & Diana & now the kids + finally delving into Diana's father's family / witch connections
- the entire book just feels like a bridge to more stories... but we have no idea what the plan for the rest of the series is. The first spinoff after the trilogy was focused on Marcus & Phoebe. There has been mention of a Gallowglass book eventually. So I was kind of expecting that we would get to delve into the wider net of characters we have previously met and learn more about them. Instead we got a deep dive into a BUNCH of new Diana relations, which is fine.... but leaves me wondering how big this series is going to be. The first trilogy had a clear goal and while I thought book 4 might be a filler book... book show more 5 seems like it's starting another story but it's not entirely clear who's fighting who.
- Much deeper exploration into magic lore and powers, showing that what we thought made Diana almost all-powerful in the first trilogy was only scratching the surface.
- Change in perspective on Sarah, into a jealous, and even vindictive person at times. Did NOT love this character transition....
**Final review summary:
💙 Heavy focus on witchcraft / expansion on the powers and skills Diana has learned so far
🖤 Finding & re-connecting with long lost family
💙 Finding out more about Diana’s parents and their backstories & powers
🖤 Tie-ins to the covens associated with the Salem witch trials
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Overall this was a bit of a departure from the rest of the series. We really get a deep dive into witch lore and culture and powers, which blew open our knowledge of them compared to how they were previously perceived in the series.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
This is another Diana focused book, so we are still waiting for the dives into Gallowglass, and the rest of the family. But I think this had some ties to other family members so we can see more of that in upcoming books. show less
- more Matthew & Diana & now the kids + finally delving into Diana's father's family / witch connections
- the entire book just feels like a bridge to more stories... but we have no idea what the plan for the rest of the series is. The first spinoff after the trilogy was focused on Marcus & Phoebe. There has been mention of a Gallowglass book eventually. So I was kind of expecting that we would get to delve into the wider net of characters we have previously met and learn more about them. Instead we got a deep dive into a BUNCH of new Diana relations, which is fine.... but leaves me wondering how big this series is going to be. The first trilogy had a clear goal and while I thought book 4 might be a filler book... book show more 5 seems like it's starting another story but it's not entirely clear who's fighting who.
- Much deeper exploration into magic lore and powers, showing that what we thought made Diana almost all-powerful in the first trilogy was only scratching the surface.
- Change in perspective on Sarah, into a jealous, and even vindictive person at times. Did NOT love this character transition....
**Final review summary:
💙 Heavy focus on witchcraft / expansion on the powers and skills Diana has learned so far
🖤 Finding & re-connecting with long lost family
💙 Finding out more about Diana’s parents and their backstories & powers
🖤 Tie-ins to the covens associated with the Salem witch trials
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Overall this was a bit of a departure from the rest of the series. We really get a deep dive into witch lore and culture and powers, which blew open our knowledge of them compared to how they were previously perceived in the series.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
This is another Diana focused book, so we are still waiting for the dives into Gallowglass, and the rest of the family. But I think this had some ties to other family members so we can see more of that in upcoming books. show less
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Deborah Harkness was born in 1965. She received a B. A. from Mount Holyoke College in 1986, a M. A. from Northwestern University in 1990, and a Ph. D. from the University of California at Davis in 1994. She is a professor of history at the University of Southern California. Harkness is a well-regarded historian of science and medicine, show more specializing in the fifteenth through seventeenth centuries. Her first novel, A Discovery of Witches, was published in 2011. She is the author of the All Souls Trilogy. In 2006, she began a wine blog entitled, Good Wine Under $20. It provides an online record of her search for the best, most affordable wines. She made The New York Times Bestseller List with The Book of Life and Shadow of Night. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Deborah Harkness is a LibraryThing Author, an author who lists their personal library on LibraryThing.
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- Canonical title
- The Black Bird Oracle
- Original title
- The Blackbird Oracle
- Original publication date
- 2024-07-15
- People/Characters*
- Diana Bishop- de Clermont (heks); Matthew de Clermont (vampier); Philip Bishop - de Clairmont (Pip, vampier, tweeling broer van Rebecca); Rebecca Bishop - de Clairmont (Becca, vampier, tweeling zus van Philip); Gwyneth Proctor (oudtante Diana. zus van Morgana en Taliesin); Brenda (postbode) (show all 102); Phoebe (partner Marcus); Marcus Whitmore (zoon Matthew, partner Phoebe); Grandpère Philippe de Clermont; Ysabeau de Clermont (moeder Matthew); Apollo (Griffioen Philip); Ardwinna (deerhound Diana); Sarah Bishop (zus van Rebecca, tante Diana, partner Emily); Agatha Wilson (vriendin Diana, hoofd van de raad van de Congregatie); Fernando Gonҫalves (vampier, Partner van overleden Hugh de Clermont); Sidonie von Borcke (heks, raad van de congregatie); Rebecca Bishop (moeder Diana); Peter Knox (heks, folteraar van Diana); Stephen Proctor (vader Diana); Vivian Harrison (hoofd coven van Madison); Jack (achterkleinzoon Matthew); Professor Gwyneth Proctor (oudtante Diana); Christopher Roberts (peetoom Pip en Becca); Miriam Shephard (vampier, peettante Pip en Becca); Baldwin de Clermont (vampier, oom Matthew); Hortense (tante Chris); Emily Mather (partner Sarah); Freyja; Julie Eastey (nicht Diana); Margaret "Meg" Skelling (heks); Ann Downing (heks); Morgana Proctor (oudtante Diana, zus van Taliesin en Gwyneth); Junior; Grace; Tracy; DeMarco; Mary Lyon; Taliesin Proctor (Tally, opa Diana, broer van Gwyneth en Morgana); Bridget Bishop (opgehangen); Joanna Bishop; Hitty Braybrooke; Betty Prince (voorzitter coven); Vrouw Katrina Wu; John Proctor (meermalen overgrootvader Diana); Elizabeth Proctor; Ruby Addison-Proctor (oma Diana); Naomi Proctor (tweelingzus van Stephen Proctor, dochter van Taliesin en Ruby); Dorcas Hoare-Galley (meermalen oma Gwyneth); Mary Sidney; Goody Alsop; Alice (overgrootmoeder); Jonathan Mather (man van Constance); Constance Proctor-Mather (vrouw van Jonathan); Putnam Mather (zoon Jonathan en Constance, man in rolstoel bij covenbijeenkomst); Predikant Cotton Mather (vader Creasy); Tituba (slavin, gekocht door Pred. Parris); Predikant Parris; Vrouwe Mary (vrouw gouverneur Phips); Creasy Mather (zoon van Cotton, man van Tituba); Gouverneur Phips; Grace Mather (dochter Creasy en Tituba na verkrachting); William Proctor (man van Tabby, | man van Tabby,); Tabitha 'Tabby' (vrouw van William, dochter van Dorcas); Margaret Proctor (dochter William en Tabby, tweelingzus Mary); Mary Proctor (dochter William en Tabby, tweelingzus Margaret); Satu Järvinen (vrouw, folteraar van Diana); Gerbert d'Aurillac (folteraar van Diana); Tracy Eastey (nicht van Julie); James Perkins (covenhistoricus); Hannah Varnum (heks); Phoebe Wildes (heks); Thomas Lloyd (kapitein Amerikaanse leger); Ike Mather 'Junior' (kleinzoon Putnam, advocaat); Mary Beth Proctor (jeugdvriendinnetje van Diana); Zetje (een van de twee Susies, zus van Essie); Essie (een van de twee Susies, zus van Zetje); Richard Eastey (echtgenoot van Julie); Tike Mather (zoon Ike, broer Courtney); Courtney Mather (zoon Ike, zus Tike); Vivian (hoofd coven Madison); Jake (broer Abigail); Abigail (zus Jake); Rose (dochter Tracy); Lucy Nguyen (moeder Ike); Janet jr. Gowdie (Kleindochter Matthew); Griselda Gowdie 'Grissel' (moeder Janet); Janet sr. Gowdie (banshee, moeder Griselda, oma Janet); Isobel (oma Janet jr.); Mercy Toothaker; Thomas Lloyd; Dorothy Good; Rebecca Nurse; William Sorley; Davy Hancock; Eric 'Gallowglass' de Clermont (De zomerreiziger, neef van Matthew); Gerbert (heks, orakel); Tinima Toussaint (heks); Santoro (vampier, majordomus huis Venetië | | ); Alain Le Merle (bediende De Clermonts); Marthe (metgezellin Ysabeau); Victoire (metgezellin Ysabeau); Roberto Rio (Demon, Robert Fludd)
- Important places*
- Yale, New Haven, United States; Hadley, USA; Ipswich, Massachusetts, USA
- Dedication*
- Voor Tonya en Tracy,
die de magie van een tweeling begrijpen - First words*
- In elke ziel is er een plek bestemd voor Schaduw.
- Last words*
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)'Zo moet het zijn.'
- Blurbers*
- Picoult, Jodi
- Original language*
- Engels US
*Some information comes from Common Knowledge in other languages. Click "Edit" for more information.
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