Review: Blackbirch – The Ritual by K.M. Allan

About the Book:

After the devastating events at The Playhouse, Josh is once again grieving. Unwilling to put Sarah and Max in more danger, he vows to deepen his abilities alone and stop the mysterious threat Kallie warned was coming. But his powers aren’t as strong as they once were.

Something is siphoning his magick, and he doesn’t know where to turn. Can he have faith in Eve after her sudden reappearance? Or should he side with Sheriff Stevens, whose help comes with secrets the lawman isn’t prepared to reveal?

When Josh is faced with enemies—both old and new—he has a choice to make: fight the one who threatens to take everything from him, or put his trust in an enemy who promises to cast a ritual that will give everything back.

My thoughts:

Wow, this was so much fun. Book three jumps straight into the action. And boy there is a lot of action!

Magic and mystery abound as Josh attempts to deal with the events of book two and keep his friends out of danger, all while staying out of the grips of the monsters trying to take his magic. But all is not what it appears. Even the secrets have secrets in Birchwood.

Uncovering these secrets and staying alive will take Josh to the limits of his abilities. Unless he learns what he is fully capable of, he won’t survive. And that is just the start.

K.M. Allan has done such a wonderful job with this third installment of the Birchwood series. The story rips along at a rapid pace. All the old favorites are back, and we meet some new characters too. even the secondary characters (Sarah, Max, Eve and Sheriff Stevens) are complex and deliciously layered. The town of Birchwood, and in particular the woods, have a life of their own and are practically a character in their own right. The magic used within the series is well described, clever and seductive and a powerful tool that can be wielded by both sides. The emotional trauma experienced by all of the characters is written in a very realistic and believable way.

Just be careful of who you trust in Birchwood.

This series just keeps kicking goals. Love it!