Summary

In Part One: Chapter 1, the narrator Diana Bishop tells the reader that every soul has a shadow and hers is hidden under a bruise she thought had already healed. In late May, Diana, her husband Matthew, and their twins Becca and Pip prepare to return to their summer home in Woodstock, England close to Oxford. As she packs, it is revealed that Diana’s family is crossed between vampires and witches and their house is filled with magic. Suddenly, the world turns gray as a raven tumbles out of the sky and dies as it hits the ground. A second, larger raven lands in front of them and plucks a ring out of his companion’s beak, handing it over to Becca. To Diana’s surprise, Becca talks to the raven and stops Diana from leaving until the rest of the...