Review: Marked in Flesh by Anne Bishop

Marked in Flesh

The Others, #4
Anne Bishop

Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Roc
Date of Publication: March 8, 2016
Number of pages: 417

Available at the following retailers:
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Review: Vision in Silver by Anne Bishop

Vision in Silver

The Others, #3
Anne Bishop

Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Penguin
Date of Publication: March 3, 2015
Number of pages: 368

Available at the following retailers:
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Audiobook Review: Murder of Crows by Anne Bishop

After recently getting to finally listen to Written in Red, the first book in The Others by Anne Bishop, I was excited to learn that Murder of Crows was due out soon. Of course, I was in the middle of another series when it came out, so I was a good girl and waited to finish the other series before jumping back to this one.

The opening sequence is where the title of the book comes from.  A couple of boys have baited some garbage cans with poisoned food and are waiting for the crows to come ahead of the weekly trash pick up. They dose some hunting dogs with another drug and let them lose on the unsuspecting crows and watch the blood bath begin. Unfortunately, there was a human girl out, and she too was attacked by the dogs. When one of the boys tries to rescue the girl and calls for help, it quickly escalates and the police are called out and begin questioning some of the boys who don't belong there. There had been another incident a few days prior as well and the police quickly start drawing conclusions that the same boys were involved in both incidents.   Meanwhile, Meg dreams of black feathers in snow and wakes up screaming.

When Meg has the prickling feeling so bad that she can't stand it, she cuts herself and ends up cutting too deeply. Simon, sensing something is wrong, breaks into her apartment, and finding her on the bathroom floor, tries to staunch the blood and clean the wound by licking it.  He figures that it will cause him to be angry, like last time and he can use that anger and aggression to help Meg. This time, it has the opposite effect, and the Lakeside Courtyard is giving undeniable proof that both of the drugs that are poisoning Thasia are coming from the Cassandra Sangue. One town has already lost it's lease and had the humans evicted, and another is shut off from contact by the Terra Indigene while a they debate whether to close it as well. Both stem from incidents involving the drugs and the fall out from them. Simon invites the leaders from across Thasia to Lakeside to discuss the matter and give them a chance to meet Meg as well as discuss what would need to be done to protect against the drug.

I liked this book even more than the first. The world has been established, we have gotten to meet most of the major players, now we start really digging into their pasts and motivations. We are introduced to some new characters, ones that I hope make a reappearance in the next book, Vision in Silver, due out March 2015.  This was a 5 star read and personally, I can't wait to see what's next for Meg, Simon and the rest of the Lakeside Courtyard.

Return to New York Times best-selling author Anne Bishop’s world of the Others - where supernatural entities and humans struggle to co-exist, and one woman has begun to change all the rules…

After winning the trust of the terra indigene residing in the Lakeside Courtyard, Meg Corbyn has had trouble figuring out what it means to live among them. As a human, Meg should be barely tolerated prey, but her abilities as a cassandra sangue make her something more.

The appearance of two addictive drugs has sparked violence between the humans and the Others, resulting in the murders of both species in nearby cities. So when Meg has a dream about blood and black feathers in the snow, Simon Wolfgard—Lakeside's shape-shifting leader—wonders whether their blood prophet dreamed of a past attack or of a future threat.

As the urge to speak prophecies strikes Meg more frequently, trouble finds its way inside the Courtyard. Now the Others and the handful of humans residing there must work together to stop the man bent on reclaiming their blood prophet—and stop the danger that threatens to destroy them all.

Available at the following retailers:
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Audio Review: Written In Red by Anne Bishop

This book has been on my TBR pile for over a year. Since it came out as a matter of fact. It just kept getting pushed further and further down the listing; I would forget about it, until the next time I saw the book. Then I would bump it back up. When I found it in audio, I immediately grabbed it.

This was the story of Meg Corbyn, a young woman who is running from something so terrible, that living with The Others is a safer option.  See, in the world that Meg Corbyn lives in, humans must bargain and barter with the Terra Indigene, for the use of the land and natural resources.  The Terra Indigene, or Others, decide where they can live and what they can use and then keep close watch on the humans to make sure that they are keeping to their word. Those humans who don't, or attempt to hurt, cheat or steal from the Others become Meat. Yes, the kind that gets eaten.  Because the world that Meg lives in is nothing like our world. In Meg's world, the Terra Indigene are at the top of the food chain, and they don't let the humans forget it.

Alexandra Harris did a fantastic job of all the voices. Meg's voice is dead-on for me. She is timid, inexperienced and innocent, and these were carried across in her voice. Yet when I heard Simon Wolfgard, I could actually hear the growl in the voice and the bird-like movements for the Crowgard easily came through. Every voice was distinct and I rarely had a doubt who's point of view I was experiencing.

This was an amazing story. The world building was vivid and unique. I really appreciated the beginning "History of the World" at the beginning of the book. It helped to get the feel of the world and set me up to learn and explore the world I was visiting. This book truly felt more Fantasy than Urban Fantasy for me since the world is so different from our own. This is one of those books that you can totally share with your teenager or your parent. I can't wait for the next book, Murder of Crows, recently released. I gave this 4 stars.

No one creates realms like New York Times bestselling author Anne Bishop. Now in a thrilling new fantasy series, enter a world inhabited by the Others, unearthly entities—vampires and shape-shifters among them—who rule the Earth and whose prey are humans.

As a cassandra sangue, or blood prophet, Meg Corbyn can see the future when her skin is cut—a gift that feels more like a curse. Meg’s Controller keeps her enslaved so he can have full access to her visions. But when she escapes, the only safe place Meg can hide is at the Lakeside Courtyard—a business district operated by the Others.

Shape-shifter Simon Wolfgard is reluctant to hire the stranger who inquires about the Human Liaison job. First, he senses she’s keeping a secret, and second, she doesn’t smell like human prey. Yet a stronger instinct propels him to give Meg the job. And when he learns the truth about Meg and that she’s wanted by the government, he’ll have to decide if she’s worth the fight between humans and the Others that will surely follow.

Available at the following retailers:
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