★The Black Bird Oracle by Deborah Harkness. Ballantine. (All Souls, Bk. 5). Jul. 2024. 464p. ISBN 9780593724774. $32. FANTASY

Harkness returns after a six-year hiatus in her “All Souls” series, whose most recent outing was 2018’s Time’s Convert. She picks up the story as witch and professor Diana Bishop is wrapping up the spring semester at Yale. She and her family—her vampire husband (knight/geneticist Matthew) and their twin Bright Born children—are preparing to head to Oxford. When an unkindness of ravens descends, carrying a magical ring and a message, their plans change. It’s time for Diana to meet her father’s side of the family, under the leadership of Gwyneth Proctor, an extraordinary witch of great knowledge. The visit carries with it promise and peril, as it pulls Diana into another stream of magic and a new realm of danger—a risk to both her and her children. Harkness balances the novel’s threats with deep joy, filling the book with new characters (many of them ghosts), the power of nature, and the connection of family. Affirming Harkness’s skill as a storyteller, the 464 pages unfold at a delightful speed, constantly moving the plot forward but also offering a lovely lull that creates a sensory experience; readers will get lost in the novel’s details—magic camp flags, the mysterious Ravens’ Wood, variously flavored teas, and the history of the Salem witch trials. Harkness is equally good at characterization. She puts a large cast in play while also reaching across the series and wonderfully blending new characters into a family that spans centuries, secrets, and expertises.VERDICT Marked by Harkness’s deft evocations and appreciation of learning, this is a book to treasure. The portentous ending, rife with new story threads and threats, will leave readers hoping that she doesn’t wait another six years to continue the series.