The End of Magic

Untrained witch Lyse MacAllister and her coven gather their remaining powers to take on the evil antimagical organization known as the Flood in the somewhat muddled conclusion to Benson’s contemporary paranormal Witches of Echo Park trilogy. The coven was able to shut down the Flood’s secret subterranean laboratory in Nevada, where torturous experiments were inflicted on captured witches, but they’ll need bigger magic to stop the Flood’s worldwide witch hunts. With the assistance of the ghosts of the coven’s former leaders, Lyse must gather her courage, ignore her own self-doubt, and dig deeply into the Dream Lands and her own family history to find the key to defeating the Flood. Even fans may have trouble keeping track of the large cast and multiple side plots. When things do eventually come together, the swift resolution feels a bit disappointing. But some readers will be more than satisfied to see that everything depends on family ties, a recurring theme throughout. (May)