Tag: Alexandra Harris

Review: Marked in Flesh by Anne Bishop

Posted October 10, 2018 by Holly in Reviews | 1 Comment

Review: Marked in Flesh by Anne BishopReviewer: Holly
Marked in Flesh by Anne Bishop
Narrator: Alexandra Harris
Series: The Others #4
Also in this series: Written in Red, Murder of Crows, Vision in Silver, Etched in Bone, Written in Red, Murder of Crows, Wild Country, Vision in Silver, Written in Red
Publisher: Roc
Publication Date: February 7, 2017
Format: Audiobook, eBook
Source: Purchased
Point-of-View: Alternating Third
Genres: Fantasy
Pages: 489
Length: 15 hours and 21 minutes
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four-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

In the fourth novel in Anne Bishop's New York Times bestselling series, the Others will need to decide how much humanity they're willing to tolerate--both within themselves and their community...

Since the Others allied themselves with the cassandra sangue, the fragile yet powerful human blood prophets who were being exploited by their own kind, the dynamic between humans and Others has changed. Some, such as Simon Wolfgard, wolf shifter and leader of the Lakeside Courtyard, and blood prophet Meg Corbyn see the closer companionship as beneficial.

But not everyone is convinced. A group of radical humans is seeking to usurp land through a series of violent attacks on the Others. What they don't realize is that there are older and more dangerous forces than shifters and vampires protecting the land--and those forces are willing to do whatever is necessary to safeguard what is theirs...

This series is addicting. For centuries humans and The Others have lived together in an uneasy peace. Now the Humans First and Last movement has shattered that peace with acts of terrible violence against the Others. What they didn’t realize is the shapeshifters they see aren’t the scariest Others out there. Ancient, primordial beings know as The Elders have awoken and now have the scent of their prey…the human race. The only thing keeping the humans from total extinction is Meg Corbyn, a cassandra sangue (blood prophet) who has befriended and intrigued all the Others. The Elders have to decide how much human they’re willing to keep..and Meg and Simon Wolfgard, leader of the Lakeside Courtyard, have to figure out how to save the human race – or if they’re even worth saving.

Meg’s first few weeks outside the compound where she was kept and abused were so eventful she barely had time to think about her circumstances or settle in to some new kind of normal. Now, however, she’s overwhelmed by all the changes in her life. And the more overwhelmed she gets, the more she craves the euphoria she feels after she makes a cut. Trying to beat her addiction and help the other cassandra sangue is bad enough, but now she and Simon must figure out what her prophesies mean, and how to keep the Elders from killing them all.

Another excellent read, Marked in Flesh delves further into the issues of racism, bigotry and the consequences of those when faced with beings bigger and badder than ourselves. The intense character development and story arc make this series a must read.

4.25 out of 5

The Others

four-stars


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Review: Vision in Silver by Anne Bishop

Posted October 9, 2018 by Holly in Reviews | 1 Comment

Review: Vision in Silver by Anne BishopReviewer: Holly
Vision in Silver by Anne Bishop
Narrator: Alexandra Harris
Series: The Others #3
Also in this series: Written in Red, Murder of Crows, Marked in Flesh, Etched in Bone, Written in Red, Murder of Crows, Wild Country, Vision in Silver, Written in Red
Publisher: Roc
Publication Date: February 2, 2016
Format: Audiobook, eBook
Source: Purchased
Point-of-View: Alternating Third
Genres: Fantasy
Pages: 493
Length: 16 hours and 4 minutes
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four-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

The Others freed the cassandra sangue to protect the blood prophets from exploitation, not realizing their actions would have dire consequences. Now the fragile seers are in greater danger than ever before; both from their own weaknesses and from those who seek to control their divinations for wicked purposes. In desperate need of answers, Simon Wolfgard, a shape-shifter leader among the Others, has no choice but to enlist blood prophet Meg Corbyn’s help, regardless of the risks she faces by aiding him.

Meg is still deep in the throes of her addiction to the euphoria she feels when she cuts and speaks prophecy. She knows each slice of her blade tempts death. But Others and humans alike need answers, and her visions may be Simon’s only hope of ending the conflict.

For the shadows of war are deepening across the Atlantik, and the prejudice of a fanatic faction is threatening to bring the battle right to Meg and Simon’s doorstep…

The war between the humans and the Others is heating up. Simon and other terra indigene from the Lakeside Courtyard helped liberate the Blood Prophets like Meg Corbyn from the compounds they were held in where they faced terrible abuse. With the Humans First and Last movement trying to stir up trouble for The Others, Simon needs Meg’s help to figure out a way to keep all the Blood Prophets safe and out of the control of those who would hurt them.

Things are getting more intense in Lakeside and throughout the continent of Thaisia as the humans try to wrest land from the Others. Meg and Simon have their hands full dealing with outside conflicts, as well as learning how to understand each other. This series works extremely well in part because the stories are so well layered. I love Meg and her journey to fight the addiction to cut, to live a life in her control. Simon’s reactions to her are at times amusing, heartwarming and frustrating. Much like his feelings toward her. As she builds a family in Lakeside, the drama and violence outside the Courtyard adds an urgency that kept me glued to the pages.

Bishop is setting a high bar with this series..and she keeps leaping over it.

4.25 out of 5

The Others

four-stars


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Review: Murder of Crows by Anne Bishop

Posted September 26, 2018 by Holly in Reviews | 5 Comments

Review: Murder of Crows by Anne BishopReviewer: Holly
Murder of Crows by Anne Bishop
Narrator: Alexandra Harris
Series: The Others #2
Also in this series: Written in Red, Vision in Silver, Marked in Flesh, Etched in Bone, Written in Red, Murder of Crows, Wild Country, Vision in Silver, Written in Red
Publisher: Roc
Publication Date: February 3, 2015
Format: Audiobook, eBook
Source: Purchased
Point-of-View: Alternating Third
Genres: Fantasy
Pages: 413
Length: 14 hours and 13 minutes
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four-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

As a human residing among the Others of the Lakeside Courtyard, Meg Corbyn 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 in nearby cities. So when Meg has a dream about blood and black feathers in the snow, Lakeside's shape-shifting leader, Simon Wolfgard wonders whether their blood prophet dreamed of a past attack or a future threat.

Now the Others and the handful of humans residing there must work together to stop the man bent of reclaiming their blood prophet - and stop the danger that threatens to destroy them all.

Murder of Crows is the second book in Anne Bishop’s The Others series.

Meg is trying to settle in to life away from the Compound where she was held captive and used for the first 24 years of her life. When two addictive drugs show up and start effecting humans and Others alike, and Meg sees a prophecy filled with blood and feathers in the snow, Simon Wolfgard and the rest of the terra indigene in the Courtyard need to piece together what Meg’s vision means – before more death occurs.

I enjoy Meg, Simon and the other cast of characters from the Courtyard, plus those we’ve gotten to know from outside the Courtyard. The human cops assigned to the area as well as others made this a rich, entertaining experience. Bishop does suspense very well. Coupled with the strong character studies, Murder of Crows was a very compelling read that built on the strong foundation Bishop laid with Written in Red.

4 out of 5

The Others

four-stars


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Review: Written in Red by Anne Bishop

Posted April 17, 2018 by Holly in Reviews | 2 Comments

Review: Written in Red by Anne BishopReviewer: Holly
Written in Red by Anne Bishop
Series: The Others #1
Also in this series: Murder of Crows, Vision in Silver, Marked in Flesh, Etched in Bone, Written in Red, Murder of Crows, Wild Country, Vision in Silver, Written in Red
Publisher: Roc
Publication Date: March 4, 2014
Point-of-View: Alternating Third
Genres: Fantasy
Pages: 487
Add It: Goodreads
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four-half-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

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 a job. And when he learns the truth about Meg and that she's wanted by the government, he'll have to decide whether she's worth the fight between humans and the Others that will surely follow.

Meg Corbyn is cassandra sangue, a blood prophet, who can speak prophecy when her skin is cut. Because the blood prophets become addicted to the euphoria that veils their mind when they speak prophecy, many years ago it was decided benevolent ownership of them when be given to caretakers “for their own protection”. The majority of whom then used them for profit. For 24 years Meg has lived in such a compound, being used and abused by her owners, taught only what she needed to know to speak prophecy. Until she becomes desperate and escapes. She ends up in Lakeside at a Terra Indigene (The Others) Courtyard. The Others are Earth Natives who rule the continent of Thaisia. They allow humans to lease the land from them, but they have Courtyards in each major city so The Others can keep an eye on what the humans are doing.

Simon Wolfgard is an “Other”, a Terra Indigene (Earth Native), who can shift into the shape of the wolf. He’s the leader of the Lakeside Courtyard. To The Others, humans are just clever meat. Meg is a human, but she doesn’t smell like prey. This intrigues him enough that he hires her to be their Human Liaison. He knows she’s keeping secrets and lying to him, but it isn’t long before she’s won the hearts of all the residents of the Courtyard, including his. When her secrets come to light he’ll have to decide if she’s worth possibly going to war to protect.

Equal parts humor, intrigue and horror, Written in Red sucked me in from page one. The world-building in the first few chapters was somewhat dense, but Meg’s interactions with The Others and her struggle to settle in to life outside the Compound kept me glued to the pages. From there things only got better. Simon’s struggle to pin down why he reacted differently to Meg who smelled like not-prey; His nephew Sam and the emotional trauma he suffered after the death of his mother; Meg befriending everyone in the Courtyard, most of them in spite of themselves; The Elementals (who control the weather) and their Steeds…all of this, and more, pulled me in. I was fully immersed in the Courtyard and the lives of those who inhabit it. Bishop tackles heavy issues like racism and abuse, yet does it so expertly I didn’t feel preached to – or at.

I immediately picked up the second book in series.

4.25 out of 5

The Others

four-half-stars


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