I adore the All Souls series and it was wonderful to be back in Diana's head and with characters I love. After several years since the last book it felt a joy to finally have something new to read. I was fully immersed in the world from the first chapter. 

That said, I don't consider Black Bird Oracle to be one of the strongest of the series. It lacks the brilliant atmosphere of A Discovery of Witches or the action and climatic events of The Book of Life. The book is very focused on Diana as a person, a witch and a mother, and while I enjoy all of that I did find myself missing a stronger plot and more great moments for other characters (though there was one which stood out for someone I won't name for reasons of spoilers). 

As is so often the case with All Souls it was the family moments I loved the most, and the family history - and their family expands even further in this book. While not all of the family were in this book, I was very happy to see Baldwin make an appearance (always one of my favourites). 

Overall very enjoyable and I'm happy to be back in this world, but perhaps not a hugely memorable installment.