Message of the Crow

Legacy of Magick #3

by Ellen Dugan

One crow for sorrow and two crows for joy... The drama keeps unfolding in William's Ford, the picturesque and charming Missouri college town where a deadly, decades old battle of dark versus good magick is being waged. Seer, Autumn Bishop is still reeling from the shocking loss that has devastated her family. But a Witch's work is never done, and the last section of the missing grimoire has to be found, leaving her with no choice other than to go forward in this third installment of the Legacy of Magick series. When following her heart leads to pain, betrayal and disillusionment, Autumn must pull herself up and try to make her own way. Not sure who she can trust, and at last coming into her own abilities, Autumn begins to question ethics and the motivations of those closest to her. With the help of new friends, Autumn explores different traditions of magick while ghostly clues and messages from the spirit world surround her. As the final lunar eclipse of the tetrad cycle draws closer, and the search for the Blood Moon Grimoire reaches its climax, the magickal families of William's Ford must draw together to defeat a common enemy. Will Autumn be able to put an end to the curse that has haunted her family for generations?

Genres: Paranormal, Romance, Audiobook, Urban Fantasy, Magic, Mystery, Fiction

332 pages, Paperback

Published December 13, 2015

About the author

Ellen Dugan is the award winning author of over thirty six books and the Witches Tarot. She branched out successfully into paranormal fiction in 2015 with her popular Legacy Of Magick series. Her portfolio of work also includes dozens of articles in the Llewellyn Almanacs and Calendars and 15 non-fiction books. Ellen's non-fiction titles with Llewellyn Worldwide have been translated into over twelve foreign languages. She is a psychic-clairvoyant, and has been a practicing Witch for over thirty-five years.
With over 300K books sold Ellen has a global following. She currently has over twenty published novels, the eleven book Legacy Of Magick series and three other paranormal series: The Gypsy Chronicles, Daughters Of Midnight, and Hemlock Hollow. The first four books in her Legacy Of Magick series were made into audio books with Tantor Audio in 2018.
Ellen was featured on the cover of Witches & Pagans Magazine. She has been interviewed in the studio on KMOV News Channel 4 in St. Louis, done numerous newspaper and radio interviews, and a two hour guest spot on the national syndicated live radio show, Coast to Coast. In 2017 Ellen was also featured in USA TODAY'S HEA column. More information on Ellen's work can be found at www.ellendugan.com on Instagram at www.instagram.com/ellendugan/ or on Facebook www.facebook.com/ellendugan

Reviews

[Lisa Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this one

Ellen provides another riveting tale. Her fiction is every bit as good or better than her non-fiction. This book closes the story begun in The Legacy of Magic in a way that I didn't expect. The story kept me focused from beginning to end. Eleven writes in a way that makes me care about the characters like actual people. I was almost disappointed to have the story end and I can't wait for Ivy's tale to be told in the next book!

[Julie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not like this third installment as well as I liked the other two. The relationship with Rene seemed to "forced". When reading the first two books, I never got the feeling that Duncan was manipulative however the beginning of this story he suddenly is shown that way paving the way for the new relationship with Rene. However, Rene seemed more manipulative to me in the story. The ending was good however it seemed rushed. I think the story needed better transitions in the timeline.

[Sarah Esmae Wolfe · Rating 1 out of 5]

Most disappointing series I've read since Red Queen...

In a similar fashion, the first book starts out promising and then goes downhill as the series continues. The romances in these books leave much to be desired and the author would have been better off focusing on the mystery part of the plot, which was actually compelling but was severely neglected in this book. Almost an entire year goes by where everyone ignores looking for the rest of the Blood Moon Grimoire.

I was so looking forward to a series about witches written by a real witch. While the witchcraft bits of the book are still the best parts, the rest of the story was found lacking. There wasn't much plot to be seen until the last 20% of the book. The conclusion wasn't satisfying enough to make up for the problematic content I put in spoilers.

...SPOILERS: I hate what was done with the romance! For the sake of Autumn getting with Rene who comes out of nowhere, Duncan is portrayed as abusive only because he is being corrupted by the Blood Moon Grimoire which spoiler: he was the victim, it was not his choice. We see from his brother Julian that it fades away as soon as the influence of the Grimoire is removed. Yet Rene is written as the good guy here, but he displays traits of toxic masculinity and he is more abusive than you could even say Duncan was in his right mind. I would have rather seen Autumn desperately trying to figure out how to fix the problem and save Duncan from the Grimoire (because didn't we learn it does not affect her??) instead of completely writing off Duncan and IMMEDIATELY getting together with the first guy who came along even though she was apparently "so traumatized." Even though I thought Autumn and Duncan rushed things, at least they were surrounded by interesting circumstances, which is more than I can say for her and Rene who had no chemistry besides her constantly thinking about how hot he is (plus the passive homophobia, what was up with that?!). I was actually kind of hoping he was a secret villain because the vibes he gave were off.

[Patricia Haynes · Rating 5 out of 5]

good conclusion

Books 1-3 are a solid story arc. Sad, but true to the story, the characters and the authors desire to continue the characters forward. Magic, murder, love and such an inventive mix of Hoodoo, herb crafts and crystal usage. Fun seeing the different elements used together! I enjoyed the addition of the New Orleans style into the mix! So, new man, growing up, and pure evil…..what’s not to enjoy?

[Adrienne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good and evil collide as the last section of the grimoire is found and Autumn is following the messages left by a crow. Nothing is easy, the messages are confusing but it will take the Bishops and the Drakes to fight the evil. It will take the Bishops and the Drakes to decide what side they choose.. the good or the evil and who will survive in the end.

[Teri Stich · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do love when you start reading a series from the first and you get to see not only the story develop but the writing as well. This is the third in the series and already the characters and writing style has become so much more. Interrelationships, magic, mayhem, suspense, romance, this has a bit or a lot of all. I look forward to continuing the series and seeing how far the author can go.

[Terri Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loving this series! Have read all three this weekend. I plan on catching up on as many as possible of the series

I recommend Ellen Dugan to everyone who likes to read about magick. I know I certainly will be doing that!

[Lisa wittenburg · Rating 5 out of 5]

The series

The reason I picked this series is I met her and she seemed pretty cool.I wanted to know how she wrote and now I am hooked

[Debra J. Nordyke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loving!

I am enjoying the deeper relationships that continue in the book. I am always surprised and I have fun reading the story!

[Laura Griffith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series has become one of my favorites!

[Judy Boyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book!!!!

Great book!!!! It keeps you on the edge of your seat through the while book!!!! I loved it, I loved all of them

[Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Tchipakkan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Satisfying climax to the BMG cycle

Dugan has created a great cast of characters, and it will be interesting to watch them developing as the series continues.

[JH · Rating 5 out of 5]

This third Legacy of Magick book kind of concludes the hanging plotlines from the first two books. Equally cozy and fun, I really liked the introduction of new characters. You never know who to trust in William’s Ford!

[debbie race · Rating 5 out of 5]

As the story continues

This series has turned into a suspenseful story with situations that are not expected with the turn of events. A definite page turner. You can wait to see what happens next. Hopefully relationships left behind are not gone forever. Let's see in the next book. Fantastic reading. Debbie Race

[Eileanór Bláth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Il primo libro di questa serie mi aveva lasciato perplessa. Ho letto il secondo per dare un'altra chance ad un'autrice che ammiro per i suoi precedenti lavori: e anche il secondo libro era al livello del primo. Ma l'ho finito proprio mentre usciva il terzo volume, quindi ho voluto darle una terza opportunità. E beh... finalmente con l'esperienza è migliorata. Message of the Crow ha un ritmo decisamente più incalzante, una storia avvincente e la trama un po' meno prevedibile delle precedenti. Quindi ora posso tranquillamente dire che non vedo l'ora che esca il quarto capitolo della serie.
Come nota negativa, però, c'è da dire che non è accettabile che una persona che pratica l'Arte da più di vent'anni non sappia la differenza tra invocazione ed evocazione, nè che sia così ignorante da considerare la chaos magick come qualcosa di negativo tanto da definirla "peggio della magia nera" (?!). Queste due cose mi spiace ma non posso proprio fargliele passare.

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 3 of Legacy of Magic Series

I enjoyed book three of this series. It was a satisfying closure to the magickal mystery of the Blood Moon Grimoire. To say more about the story would be spoilers. I will say it was fast paced and kept me guessing to the end. I was very glad to see a more mature Autumn. I will look forward to Ivy's storyline in book 4.
I would have given the book 4 stars but for grammatical errors that bothered me.

[Sheri Heiner · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun Read!

I really enjoyed this book. It was fun, dramatic and very entertaining. I love the characters. Their charming interaction's made them feel like real people. The threads of magic, family and mystery kept me involved and hurrying back to read what happened next.

[Sarah Atkins Mascorro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another amazing read

Wow oh boy I can't wait till the next book. This is such an amazing series. I highly recommend this to all witchy fans. A+++ Blessed Be

[Kelly Murray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this series!!

[Aisling Van Dam LaBauve · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it and look forward to reading the next one!

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yep, I loved it! This series, is wonderful! And so, on to book 4! Yep second time around just as good as the first! On to book 4!

[Brittany]

Another good book in the series. Again, a bit predictable at times but enjoyable over all. Glad to see that the family finally overcame the curse of the blood moon grimoire and I rejoiced when Autumn dumped Duncan and started to date Rene. Very good series. Can't wait to see how the next one turns out.