Blackbirch: The Collector

by K.M. Allan

The monster Josh Taylor feared is free-and it's all his fault.

Not only have Josh's actions put his family and friends in danger, they've thrown Blackbirch into elemental chaos, forcing the town to evacuate.

Fleeing with his friends to his former home in the city, they follow clues left by his mom and aunt to uncover long-held secrets, and truths that lead to danger and loss.

This makes Josh question if he can avoid the doomed history of the Gifters before him, and if his magick is enough to defeat a creature willing to violate the laws of nature to claw its way back to life.

It's Collector versus Collector in this epic conclusion to the Blackbirch series, and there's only room in this world for one.

312 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 27, 2023

About the author

K.M. Allan is an identical twin, but not the evil one. She started her career penning beauty articles for a hairstyling website and now powers herself with chocolate and green tea while she writes novels and blogs about writing.

When she’s not creating YA stories full of hidden secrets, nightmares, and powerful magic, she likes to read, binge-watch too much TV, spend time with family, and take more photos than she will ever humanly need.

Visit her website, www.kmallan.com, to discover the mysteries of the universe. Or at the very least, some good writing tips.

Reviews

[Pauline Yates · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blackbirch: The Collector is the final installment in the Blackbirch series and it opens with magick unleashed in the most apocalyptic way. The friends I’ve grown to love, Josh, Kallie, Sara, and Max, and, yes, even Eve, who is always full of surprises, face a battle against dark magick that will test their abilities and their trust in each other. As I settled into this riveting supernatural story, K. M. Allan once again kept me on the knife’s edge as she cleverly pulled together all the threads to tie up the loose ends neatly, and she did it in a way that now has me questioning every fairytale I’ve ever read. The final scenes were as destructive as the opening and that all-is-lost feeling held me in its grip right through to the shocking finale. I’ve come to expect K. M. Allan’s open-ended final pages, but it will take me a while to get over these. I will miss Blackbirch, however, as we’ve learned, magick has a way of coming back, in more ways, I hope, than just one. I highly recommend the entire Blackbirch series.

[Helen Edwards · Rating 4 out of 5]

K.M Allan is one of the hardest working, most organised writers I know, and this final book in her Blackbirch series is a glittering testament to her ability to create a world that shines from the pages with an engaging narrative and strong characters who are the beating heart of the story. In The Collector, we pick up where Book 3 left off, with the town of Blackbirch in elemental chaos. With waning magick of their own, strange trees, and a dark magick that's trying to kill them, secrets are gradually peeled away, as Josh, Kallie and friends face a monster that may cost them all. This book has it all- beautiful prose, detailed systems of good and dark magick, suspense, romance, and humour. A very satisfying ending to this brilliant series.

[Veronica Strachan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blackbirch: the Collector is brilliant. K.M. Allen and the supernatural town of Blackbirch blew in like the storm that sets up the opening of this fourth book. It's more action-packed and loaded with plot twists and turns as well as the magic being bigger and wilder. A fitting, page-turning finale to a great YA series.
Allan's prose gets stronger and stronger and her story telling more complex and compelling with each outing. I found the Blackbirch characters, the primary and secondary, were even more relatable, and their world-changing adventures saw much deeper insights into themselves and each other. Plus Josh, Kallie, Sarah and Max have matured in their words and deeds - only natural given the events of books 1, 2 & 3!
That's not to say there's no betrayal (Eve!) and heart wrenching scenes in the plot - enough said...
What I love the most is the slick way the supernatural slides through this contemporary tale. It could be happening in any town - albeit one with a spooky blackbirch forest, some witchy connections and a big bad lurking in a mysterious clearing (or it was - you'll have to read Blackbirch: The Collector to find out what happens).

All in all, a fantastic final instalment. I'm going to miss Blackbirch.
An excellent read.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read!

Well I dragged my feet through this last book because I didn’t want this story to end. Now it’s time to leave the Blackbirch bookstore and all of the wonderful characters who have become friends over the years. I wish all of them a great life. Thanks to the author for creating a truly wonderful world to visit. I’m sure I’ll go back again in the future.

[Laurie Bell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Josh, Callie, Sarah and Max are in the fight of their lives and everything is coming for them in this final installment of the Blackbirch series. The town of Blackbirch is under a siege of magical destruction. The elements are tearing Blackbirch apart. If the four friends survive and escape the town they will only have to return to defeat the biggest of the big bads and prevent him from taking everything they have. Josh finally discovers the truth about his family's magic and is determined to be the one to stop the destructive cycle. Enemies become reluctant friends in the battle to end it all, but betrayal is everywhere and when magic means you can change your form it seems you truly can't trust anyone.

Once again author K.M. Allan hits it out of the park. Book four is the final installment of this terrific magical series and wraps it all up beautifully. The battles are bigger, the magic is wilder and the danger is far more deadly. Each character well-grounded, realistic motivations and an emotional depth that drives the drama and the story forward. Blackbirch again steals the show as a town with a life, personality and history all of its own. It is very much a character in its own right. Generational drama also features strongly in this tale where the actions and decisions made by one generation will be felt by the next until you find a way to end the vicious cycle. Actions affect decisions which affect actions and so on. Only by breaking the cycle will Josh and his friends survive.

If you had magic, could you give it up to save the ones you love?

A fantastic series.

[Naomi Shippen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the thrilling conclusion to this spellbinding series. Book 4 is action-packed from the opening pages and takes us on a wild ride with the town of Blackbirch, and everyone in it, in peril. Allegiances are tested, mysteries are unfurled, and battlelines are drawn. All the characters we have come to know and love are pushed to their limits and beyond as they must fight with everything they've got to survive.

If you love suspenseful stories of the supernatural, you're going to love the Blackbirch series by K.M. Allan.

[A Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an end to an amazing series! The Collector is immediately atmospheric, and I was absorbed from the start. It then continues to be tense, dark, and fast paced as Josh, Kallie, Sarah and Max fight the dark forces destroying the mysterious town of Blackbirch. I'm a complete sucker for Eve, and loved the progression of her character. There were also moments when I came to tears, which is unlike me! So emotive. Overall a satisfying ending to a brilliant four part series. Well done, K.M. Allan!