Greetings, readers! Happy Sunday and thanks for stopping by Fiction Fairies. Today I'll be reviewing Written in Red, which is the first novel in the The Others series by Anne Bishop.
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.
Summary from Goodreads.com
First impressions pack a punch. Ever tried a dish - maybe tacos - for the first time, and it was horrible? And then you tell yourself, "Goodness gracious, I am NEVER eating tacos again! Tacos are evil." But a few years down the road your friend makes you tacos, and says they're the best thing ever. And after tasting this glorious creation, you decide that hey, tacos aren't so bad.
WORLD = TRANSFORMED.
This was my experience with Anne Bishop. Once upon a time, I tried reading her Black Jewels series. It did not go well. Then I decided to give her another shot with Written in Red and I was quite happy with my choice.
The characters are funny, if a bit cliche? Simon is very wolf-y in that he thinks like an animal and can be quite childish or simple in his reasoning. It's cute, but frustrating too. Meg is kind of a Mary Sue, which apparently is Anne Bishop's tendency for MCs. Meg is sweet and innocent, and for some reason unknown, everyone likes her and wants to protect her. It sounds horrible, but it didn't get on my nerves too much. Everyone else is kind of just there... I mean, they play a role but eh.
Sam is Simon's kid nephew and is super adorable though.
The romance is ALMOST NON-EXISTENT.
And it bothers me. I'm halfway through Book 3, and it's STILL NOT THERE.
This is partly due to Meg's extremely innocent nature, and Simon's inability to recognize his own feelings. But maybe no romance is a plus for you! If so, kudos to you. You'll probably enjoy it very much. For me, though, romance is my sustenance. If it ain't there, I might just wither away to nothing.
The story is good - it kept me on my feet. But one complaint I have is that the action is very plot-driven and not character-driven at all. Things keep happening one after the other, and Meg/Simon/etc just have to keep dealing with it.
The world-building is spot-on though; you'll be happy to see it grow and develop marvelously with each book.
To conclude : it's a book that easily kept my interest (I kept sneaking my phone out to read during class) and I got sucked in very quickly. I wish the romance was heavier, but overall I think it's a fun read. The paranormal beings are ruthless in this series, and see humans as meat. I found it refreshing instead of having the same old romantic, lusty perspective most authors take on. 10% of me was "ew, they just tore the human to pieces and ate him" and 90% was "Whoa. MUST KEEP READING!"
If you have any comments to share, I'd love to hear them!!
Kisses~~
Cassie
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.
Summary from Goodreads.com
First impressions pack a punch. Ever tried a dish - maybe tacos - for the first time, and it was horrible? And then you tell yourself, "Goodness gracious, I am NEVER eating tacos again! Tacos are evil." But a few years down the road your friend makes you tacos, and says they're the best thing ever. And after tasting this glorious creation, you decide that hey, tacos aren't so bad.
This was my experience with Anne Bishop. Once upon a time, I tried reading her Black Jewels series. It did not go well. Then I decided to give her another shot with Written in Red and I was quite happy with my choice.
The characters are funny, if a bit cliche? Simon is very wolf-y in that he thinks like an animal and can be quite childish or simple in his reasoning. It's cute, but frustrating too. Meg is kind of a Mary Sue, which apparently is Anne Bishop's tendency for MCs. Meg is sweet and innocent, and for some reason unknown, everyone likes her and wants to protect her. It sounds horrible, but it didn't get on my nerves too much. Everyone else is kind of just there... I mean, they play a role but eh.
Sam is Simon's kid nephew and is super adorable though.
The romance is ALMOST NON-EXISTENT.
This is partly due to Meg's extremely innocent nature, and Simon's inability to recognize his own feelings. But maybe no romance is a plus for you! If so, kudos to you. You'll probably enjoy it very much. For me, though, romance is my sustenance. If it ain't there, I might just wither away to nothing.
The story is good - it kept me on my feet. But one complaint I have is that the action is very plot-driven and not character-driven at all. Things keep happening one after the other, and Meg/Simon/etc just have to keep dealing with it.
The world-building is spot-on though; you'll be happy to see it grow and develop marvelously with each book.
To conclude : it's a book that easily kept my interest (I kept sneaking my phone out to read during class) and I got sucked in very quickly. I wish the romance was heavier, but overall I think it's a fun read. The paranormal beings are ruthless in this series, and see humans as meat. I found it refreshing instead of having the same old romantic, lusty perspective most authors take on. 10% of me was "ew, they just tore the human to pieces and ate him" and 90% was "Whoa. MUST KEEP READING!"
If you have any comments to share, I'd love to hear them!!
Kisses~~
Cassie
Hey thanks a lot for your review, i really liked it and the whole post in its totality. In fact i really enjoyed it also, and im really inclined to look into this novel as well.
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