Black Bird Oracle by Deborah Harkness

I read this to fulfill a Goodreads summer challenge, but I have read the rest of this series and did not realize there was a new installment. I am not an avid reader of fantasy or books featuring witches and vampires, which characterizes this book and the ones that precede it, but I have really enjoyed this ongoing saga of Diana Bishop, a witch, and her now husband Matthew de Clairmont, a vampire. This is the fifth installment in what is called the All Souls series. It is set several years after the events of the previous installment--Diana and Matthew are now parents to seven-year-old twins, Pip and Becca. The story kicks off with a formal demand from the Congregation, the organization that governs witches and their magical behavior, to test the magical abilities of their children, echoing the trials Diana faced in her youth, which were not just traumatic, but she had longstanding conflict with her examiner. This leads Diana to uncover a previously unexplored branch of her family, the Proctors, and explore the depths of her own magical heritage. As she delves into higher magic under the guidance of her great-aunt Gwyneth, Diana must confront her family’s dark past and her own fears, all while protecting her children from the Congregation’s scrutiny. There are hints at books to come in this series, and it would be best to read this series in order.