Another interesting adventure in this series, although not as nicely dark as the first book, Ravenfall. The inclusion of Jewish holidays and cultural practices is nice to see.

As always I enjoyed returning to the world of Ravenfall and Anna and Collins adventures as they grow into young adult's. There's always thr atmospherical and magical vibe the author sets that whisks you away into an autumn dream filled with magic and mystery. Witchwood was a really cool town and I love how there's always growth not only in the characters but within their families. The mystery of the missing witches was captivating and kept me on my toes. And I always love Max!

Thank you Netgalley, Random House Children's, and Keith Josephson!

This was a great installment to the series. I love how much Anna and Colin have matured throughout the stories. In this book they start out to deal with a kelpie and get sucked into a whole other adventure. Anna almost gets taken then goes to witch wood where she gets to see her aunt and cousin Leah. They learn about witches who have gone missing and set out to help discover what is going on. It was a great middle grade read and I'm glad to find out there will be a fourth book coming out next year!!

Anna and Colin, best friends who each have their own role to play in the world of magic, embark in a new adventure set almost a full year after the first book and nine months after the events of the second. After spending a summer apart - Anna working in her grandmother’s tea shop and Colin training with his brother Liam - they reunite and undertake a mission dealing with a kelpie near Seattle, Washington. Seattle happens to be very close to the all-magic town of Witchwood where Anna’s paternal Aunt Miriam lives. So when the mission goes sideways and Anna seems to be the target of a plot involving abducted witches from the area, it makes sense to crash in on Aunt Miriam and cousin Leah even though Anna only met the former once seven years ago and the latter never. Anna and Colin must work to solve the mysterious abductions before another witch, or even Anna herself, becomes the next to disappear. All while dealing with the fact that Leah seemingly hates Anna.

Let me begin by saying that I absolutely adore this series. The first book, Ravenfall, was, in my opinion, absolute perfection. It was atmospheric and magical with the perfect blend of endearing, well developed characters and a well-paced murder mystery steeped in magic and mythology.

I mention my deep appreciation of Ravenfall because while I did enjoy this book and will absolutely purchase it and recommend it to any students I can, I have enough qualms about the direction of the series and its deviation from what worked so well in the first book that I do wonder if my rating is fully fair. Am I marking it higher than I should given my qualms out of an enduring attachment to the world and characters?

So much of what I loved about the first book is just… absent here. Max is still my entire life and he remains as loveable and amazing as ever. But the relationship between Anna and Colin has become flat. While there are declarations of best friendship, it just doesn’t seem to ring as true as it once has. Colin inexplicably sides with Anna’s cousin for no reason at all and never even thinks about Anna’s perspective, immediately assuming Anna is the one who is failing to listen or try. It’s even gotten to the point where Colin illogically no longer trusts Anna’s assessment and assurances of his skills because he trusts her so much? Meanwhile, Anna’s interactions with Colin seem to involve little else than superficial teasing and sticking out her tongue at him like a toddler.

Meanwhile, so many of the characters I had hoped would come back and feature more heavily for this third book after only having small roles in the second aren’t there. There’s no more Rose and Kara. No Uncle Roy and Aunt Elaine. No Gran and Nora, or even Henry after his heavy presence in the second book. No Ravenfall, which let’s be real, is one of the best sentient houses ever created. While all these characters are gone, what we get in return are Aunt Miriam and Leah. Both of whom just kind of suck.

Finally, while I appreciate the nods to Jewish mythology throughout the second and third books, it doesn’t feel as well developed and integrated into the plot as the Gaelic mythology did in Ravenfall. It feels more superficial and forced rather than flowing seamlessly into the events and atmosphere. The plot is rather direct and predictable, rather than being layered and steeped in history and folklore.

To reiterate, I did enjoy reading this book. I liked revisiting this world and these characters. The series is still great and enjoyable. I just really hope that some of the magic of Ravenfall can be recaptured in the next installment to bring this series back to the absolute perfection it began with.