Narrator: Alexandra Harris

Summer Reading Challenge Review: Written in Red by Anne Bishop

Posted August 27, 2019 by Rowena in Reviews | 3 Comments

Summer Reading Challenge Review: Written in Red by Anne BishopReviewer: Rowena
Written in Red by Anne Bishop
Narrator: Alexandra Harris
Series: The Others #1
Also in this series: Written in Red, Murder of Crows, Vision in Silver, Marked in Flesh, Etched in Bone, Written in Red, Murder of Crows, Wild Country, Vision in Silver
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Publication Date: March 5, 2013
Format: Audiobook
Source: Purchased
Point-of-View: Third
Genres: Urban Fantasy
Length: 18 hours, 32 minutes
Add It: Goodreads
Reading Challenges: Goodreads Challenge, New to Me Challenge, Rowena's 2019 GoodReads Challenge, Rowena's 2019 New to Me Challenge, Summer Reading Challenge
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Ripped Bodice | Google Play Books
four-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

18 hrs 32 mins

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.

I’ve been hearing lots of good things about this series and though I’ve been curious, I haven’t been curious enough to try the books out for myself. Well, the girls made sure to fix that problem right away by adding it to my Summer Reading Challenge. I’ve got to admit, I’m not at all mad that I read this one. I listened to the audiobook and thought that the narrator did a great job of telling this story.

The world that was created for The Others is really complex and so colorful that it took me by surprise at first because I wasn’t expecting it. It’s also very different from all of the other paranormal worlds that are out there in Romancelandia and I really liked it. It was different from the other series, in that these paranormal creatures are super scary. Sure, in the other paranormal worlds, the shapeshifters are mean but we don’t really see it. Not like we do with the others. So, The Others are shapeshifters and they are dangerous creatures. Super scary. They eat humans and govern themselves. Human laws don’t apply on their lands and that was exactly why Meg Corbyn needed the job as the human liaison. She was on the run from her past and she needed somewhere to lay low until she figured out what she would do next. Simon Wolfgard runs the business district at the Lakeside Courtyard and though he can smell that Meg is keeping secrets, secrets that might show up on his land and endanger his people, he can’t turn her away. He hires her to be the human liaison and as he gets to know her, he realizes that she’s different from the other humans that come around…and he’s drawn to that.

Meg is determined not to get caught and taken back to her prison of being her captor’s blood prophet again so she’s throwing herself into her new job and keeping her head down. She hadn’t anticipated on how by simply doing her job and being kind, she would grow so attached to everyone around her. It’s not easy at first to be around so many others because they don’t hide their distaste for humans and their distrust of her…but when she starts inserting herself into their world, they all become super protective of her.

This was an interesting introduction to the world of the Others and though it took me a long ass time to get into the book, I’m glad that I stuck with it because it ended up being good. I liked seeing Meg form bonds with everyone in the Courtyard and even though Simon got on my nerves for most of the book, I still really liked him in the end. I’m definitely interested in continuing this series.

Final Grade

4 out of 5

The Others

The World of the Others

four-stars

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Review: Vision in Silver by Anne Bishop

Posted June 21, 2019 by Casee in Reviews | 2 Comments

Review: Vision in Silver by Anne BishopReviewer: Casee
Vision in Silver by Anne Bishop
Narrator: Alexandra Harris
Series: The Others #3
Also in this series: Written in Red, Murder of Crows, Vision in Silver, Marked in Flesh, Etched in Bone, Written in Red, Murder of Crows, Wild Country, Written in Red
Publisher: Roc
Publication Date: March 3, 2015
Format: Audiobook
Source: Purchased
Point-of-View: Alternating Third
Cliffhanger: View Spoiler »
Content Warning: View Spoiler »
Genres: Fantasy
Pages: 400
Length: 16 hours and 4 minutes
Add It: Goodreads
Reading Challenges: Casee's 2019 GoodReads Challenge
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Ripped Bodice | Google Play Books
four-half-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…

This is my favorite series on audio. Alexandra Harris is an amazing narrator. If you’ve ever thought about giving audiobooks a try, but haven’t taken the leap yet, this series is where to start. You won’t regret it.

Vision in Silver is the third book in The Others series. The cassandra sangue have been freed, but they’re not free. They’re not free of the demons that they’ve lived with their whole lives and they don’t know how to live in a world without structure and order. The HFL (Humans First and Last) movement are really stirring up trouble for The Others and not just where the cassandra sangue are concerned. They’ve forgotten their history as well as the fact that they are prey.

Racism against terra indigene and their human friends is running rampant in Thaisia. A human that is found to be a “Wolf lover” will find themself in more danger from their own race than from the Others. Humans working for the Lakeside Courtyard are finding that they are being evicted from the homes and that they are banned from stores where they usually shop. Simon Wolfguard is the protector of all that reside and work at the Courtyard and he will not let his humans be treated like criminals by their own kind.

Meg, for all intents and purposes, is still a baby to the world. All she wants to do is protect those that she has come to care about and it doesn’t matter to her how she does it. To her, cutting has become necessary to protect the Courtyard and to protect Simon. Although she does feel the euphoria, it’s more about helping her friends than anything else.

Simon and Meg’s relationship did progress insofar as they realized they actually have a relationship. Their friendship is just so heartfelt. These two care about each other very deeply. They have formed a bond that has nothing to do with sex and it’s just really sweet to see the whole thing unfold.

We also learn more about the Others in the Wild Country and what they are capable of. Yeah, they can do a lot of damage. Simon has a big burden to bear when it comes to protecting the humans and showing the Others of the WC that some of them are worth saving.

All in all, a great addition to this incredible series.

Rating: 4.25 out of 5.

The Others

four-half-stars

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Review: Murder of Crows by Anne Bishop

Posted April 19, 2019 by Casee in Reviews | 2 Comments

Review: Murder of Crows by Anne BishopReviewer: Casee
Murder of Crows by Anne Bishop
Narrator: Alexandra Harris
Series: The Others #2
Also in this series: Written in Red, Murder of Crows, Vision in Silver, Marked in Flesh, Etched in Bone, Written in Red, Wild Country, Vision in Silver, Written in Red
Publisher: Roc
Publication Date: February 3, 2015
Format: Audiobook
Source: Purchased
Point-of-View: Alternating Third
Content Warning: View Spoiler »
Genres: Fantasy
Pages: 430
Length: 14 hours and 13 minutes
Add It: Goodreads
Reading Challenges: Casee's 2019 GoodReads Challenge
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Ripped Bodice | Google Play Books
four-half-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.

This series is so freaking good. And the narrator? Holy crap, she’s amazing. I loved this book, the way the series moved forward, just everything about it.

Meg is now a trusted member of the Lakeside Courtyard. She proved herself in Written in Red when she warned the terra indigene of the threat that was coming to them. She put herself in harms way for one of them and even the vampires love Meg.

Meg is finding that she needs to speak prophecy now more than ever. Before, it was about feeling the euphoria that comes with the cut. Now it’s about helping the terra indigene and stopping the Controller. The Controller will stop at nothing to get Meg back. She is the most valuable cassandra sangue that is in his possession and losing her means losing money.

When crows are murdered it is traced back to a drug that has been put into food by humans. They are trying to kill anyone related to The Others. It’s also discovered that blood from a cassandra sangue is not good for The Others. It makes them feel a little too good. In other words, they’re worthless and helpless both at the same time.

Simon and Meg had a small crisis in their growing friendship. Meg can accept Simon as a wolf, but when it comes to accepting him as a man? It’s not so easy. Simon doesn’t understand why Meg changed once she saw his human form naked. All he does know is that their relationship changed and he misses his friend. Their friendship is so innocent in a way that it’s hard to even want them to get into something romantic. You can just tell that Meg is Simon’s person.

It soon becomes time to save other cassandra sangues that are under the control of the Controller. After a prophecy where Meg sees the location of her “home” for most of her life, Simon and The Others go for blood. When Simon sees the cell that Meg lived in almost her whole life, it almost breaks him (see, she is his person).

This is a great second installment to The Others. I am so happy that I started this series and I am really looking forward to getting back to it. I just don’t want it to end too soon, so I’m taking my time.

Rating: 4.25 out of 5.

The Others

four-half-stars

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Review: Written in Red by Anne Bishop

Posted March 29, 2019 by Casee in Reviews | 4 Comments

Review: Written in Red by Anne BishopReviewer: Casee
Written in Red by Anne Bishop
Narrator: Alexandra Harris
Series: The Others #1
Also in this series: Written in Red, Murder of Crows, Vision in Silver, Marked in Flesh, Etched in Bone, Murder of Crows, Wild Country, Vision in Silver, Written in Red
Publisher: Roc
Publication Date: March 5, 2013
Format: Audiobook
Source: Purchased
Point-of-View: Alternating Third
Genres: Fantasy
Pages: 433
Length: 18 hours and 33 minutes
Add It: Goodreads
Reading Challenges: Casee's 2019 GoodReads Challenge
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Ripped Bodice | Google Play Books
four-half-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

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.

When Holly first told me I absolutely needed to read this series, I was hesitant because it isn’t my usual fare. I like a hefty dose of romance in the books I choose to read and Holly straight out told me that The Others had romantic elements, but it technically wasn’t a romance series. Then Tracy jumped into the fray and told me that I had to read it. Tracy and I have very similar reading tastes, so I decided to listen to both of them and picked it up on audio. Holy crap you guys. This book is amazing. It was a little boring at first with the world building, but I could tell right from the beginning that I was going to love this series.

The Others have been around for as long as anyone can remember. Long before humans. The terra indigene rule as they see fit. They grant resources to humans at their discretion. At the same time, the humans aren’t completely powerless. With the resources that The Others grant them, they build. They build cities, transportation, create electricity. All things resources they grant to The Others at their discretion. There is shaky peace between humans and The Others, but that’s about to end.

Meg Corbin is a cassandra sangue, a blood prophet. When she takes a blade to her skin and cuts it, she can see prophecy. It is told that a cassandra sangue doesn’t live much past thirty. The compulsion to cut often outweighs self-preservation. When she arrives at the Lakeside Courtyard to inquire at the Human Liaison position, it is clear that she is on the run from something or someone. Simon Wolfguard is the head of the Lakeside Courtyward. While he wants to turn her away, something about Meg won’t let him do so.

Meg and Simon tiptoed around each other in this book. Which was okay. It worked. I think my favorite part of the book was Meg and Simon’s nephew, Sam. Sam was just a little boy when his mom was murdered. For two years he has been in wolf form and scared to come out of the cage that Simon let him have to feel safe. It was Meg that got him to come out of the cage, risking the anger of the entire pack. Their relationship was so sweet, it brought on all the feels.

When Meg sees a prophecy telling of a fight coming to the Courtyard, Simon has to decide if he’s going to protect her or turn her away.

I also need to mention that Alexandra Harris is one of the best narrators I’ve ever listened to. Hands down.

Rating: 4.25 out of 5.

The Others

four-half-stars

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Review: Etched in Bone by Anne Bishop

Posted October 12, 2018 by Holly in Reviews | 6 Comments

Review: Etched in Bone by Anne BishopReviewer: Holly
Etched in Bone by Anne Bishop
Narrator: Alexandra Harris
Series: The Others #5
Also in this series: Written in Red, Murder of Crows, Vision in Silver, Marked in Flesh, Written in Red, Murder of Crows, Wild Country, Vision in Silver, Written in Red
Publisher: Roc
Publication Date: February 6, 2018
Format: Audiobook, eBook
Source: Purchased
Point-of-View: Alternating Third
Genres: Fantasy
Pages: 496
Length: 16 hours and 21 minutes
Add It: Goodreads
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Ripped Bodice | Google Play Books
four-half-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

New York Times bestselling author Anne Bishop returns to her world of the Others, as humans struggle to survive in the shadow of shape-shifters and vampires far more powerful than they are. . . .

After the Elders cleansed and reclaimed many human towns, Lakeside Courtyard has emerged relatively unscathed, though Simon Wolfgard, its wolf-shifter leader, and blood prophet Meg Corbyn must work with the human pack to maintain the fragile peace. But all their efforts are threatened when Lieutenant Montgomery's shady brother arrives, looking for a free ride and easy pickings.

With the humans on guard against one of their own, tensions rise, drawing the attention of the Elders, who are curious about the effect such an insignificant predator can have on a pack. But Meg knows the dangers, for she has seen in the cards how it will all end: with her standing beside a grave. . . .

Etched in Bone is the final installment of the Lakeside Courtyard Others series (though more novels set in the same world are in the works – begging with Lake Silence, March 2018). I do not believe it can be read as a standalone. The series really should be read in order.

Now that the human uprising against the Others has been put down – with entire civilizations wiped out – Meg and Simon Wolfgard need to keep the peace with the humans of Lakeside more than ever. The Elders, the oldest and most dangerous of The Others, are watching them to decide how much human should be kept in Thaisia. When Lt. Montgomery’s shady brother, Cyrus, arrives in Lakeside looking for a handout, the Elders decide this is an opportunity to learn the difference between Good humans and Bad humans.

In the beginning Simon may have wanted to study the humans, but now the Human Pack inside the Courtyard and Meg have changed things. He’s invested in their survival and understands he has to protect them the same as his Wolf Pack. His relationship with Meg is complicated by the fact that she’s human and he very much isn’t. Can they even become mates in truth? Does Meg want that? Between dealing with Cyrus Montgomery, settling the expanded human pack in the Courtyard and trying to help Meg figure out the best way to help the other liberated cassandra sangue live outside the Compounds, Simon has his hands full. With the Elders in Lakeside, Simon knows the smallest thing can upset the balance and damn them all.

Seeing the world break, then be rebuilt has been heart-breaking, horrifying and yet still there’s beauty in the horror. This is a world filled with multi-layered characters who constantly grow and expand. The most compelling thing about this series has been the depth of the character growth. As the world breaks we see what truly lies in the heart of humanity. Bishop has shown us the best and worst of us all.

4.25 out of 5

The Others

four-half-stars

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