The third and final instalment of the brilliant black harvest trilogy. This continues with the dark harrowing tale of the unfortunate family. I have absolutely loved this series, although I feel it could have been done as a single long novel rather than splitting it up into 3. Despite this, it didn’t affect my enjoyment. Highly recommended.

Book Three of the Malumdon trilogy is just as engaging as the first two volumes. As tragic as some of the events are throughout the series, I was drawn into the stories to discover what could possibly befall the characters next. It became a foregone conclusion, in my mind, that something untoward was going to happen, and it usually did. But, not always. I don’t recall the word “cursed” being applied to the people living, playing and working at Malumdon Farm, but the place and people certainly were plagued by mishaps, some irreversible. Knowing the stories are based on true events makes them all the more troubling and sad.

In considering how I would rate this book, I cautioned myself against rating the darkness of the stories as opposed to the writing of those stories. The crows’ frequent appearances shouldn’t dictate the rating, even though they have a prominent recurring role! Feeling sad, upset or incredulous about what takes place, based on actual events, is all part of experiencing emotions as a result of a well written book. I did feel challenged, at times, to keep the characters straight in my mind. It seemed as though there was more than one character bearing the same name, like multiple Henry’s over the years. Some of the events couldn’t possibly happen to the same Henry, at least not in the sequence the events happen in the books. With the trilogy structure, it was inconvenient to go back to a previous volume and double check names, dates and what happened to whom, although I did try when I thought Book One and Book Two might have overlapping years that caused my confusion with names/characters. Other readers might not have experienced this challenge. With Book Three I went with the flow and didn’t worry about names. Book Three moved along at a smooth and good pace.

I’m glad L.C. Williams felt the Malumdon story needed to be told. It’s not a lighthearted romp, but it does pull at the heart strings.

Book 3 of 3 - Based on a true story set in rural England. The 3 stories tell of the farm and its family through the generations. A must read trilogy. Suggest to read in order.