Another solid book in the series about a girl whose house was previously owned by witches and contains living paintings. As I say every time, not enough illustrations. I love the style and they add to the book, especially during action scenes when things get a bit hectic - helps guide my mental images.

The plot of this book is sliiiightly darker, though not as dark as I'd like. I had to roll my eyes at the latest villains because they were incredibly obvious, though not to our heroine Olive. For me, that was frustrating, but to a younger reader it might not seem so clear. It does also reflect a lot on Olive's insecurities throughout the book, as she's always questioning her thoughts or second-guessing herself, so I understand why she might trust people who seem evil to an outside observer. I am still enjoying her character development, but hoping that in the last book she truly gains confidence. ( )

This series continues getting better, and this installment introduces some new characters as well (a family of magicians, including one particularly lunk-headed member, regarding which no more to avoid SPOILER). This fourth volume also wraps up the series but leaves room for a sequel if the author so chooses. ( )