Marked In Flesh: A Novel of the Others (The Others, #4)

by Anne Bishop

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...

• ISBN10: 0451474481
• ISBN13: 9780451474483
• Publish Date: 7 February 2017 (first published 10 March 2016)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Penguin Putnam Inc
• Imprint: ROC (imprint of Penguin Group (USA) Inc)
• Format: Paperback (US Mass Market)
• Pages: 528
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780451474483

Reviews

[EBookObsessed]

Things are heating up as the terre indigene decide they have had enough of the Human First and Last movement. It is time for the clever meat to be reminded of their place in the food chain.

The Elders are no longer ignoring the actions of the humans. They are watching and they are unhappy with what the clever meat are doing to the terre indigene and to the lands that don't belong to them. The Elders have decided that it is time to get rid of the human infestations. But they are also watching the Courtyard and what Simon and Meg are doing there to create a haven for both terre indigene and humans alike. They are now thinking of simply thinning the human herd and remind them who is in charge of the land known as Thaisia.

The Elders have sent word to Simon and they want Simon and the Courtyard to advise how much of the human population they still need around to make the human things that the terra indigene enjoy. Once, this might have been an easy decision for Simon to make. The terre indigene used to keep themselves separate from the humans.
They might be clever meat, but they were still meat. Now that Meg has come to be part of the Courtyard, along with her Human Pack, and working with the Police pack, Simon finds that the line between us and them has become quite blurred. There is no question that the Human First and Last movement must be taken care of but not all humans support the movement and many have proven that they wish to work with the terre indigene.

The last thing Simon wants to do is ask Meg but with so many lives at stake, he wants to ask her opinion. The Elders are looking at the Courtyard because of the changes Meg has brought to their lives. But if he asks her opinion, will she want to cut for a prophecy? Simon doesn't want Meg cutting and risking herself, not for those who would hurt or use her if they had the chance.

Humans have been pushing for a war with the terre indigene in an attempt to take over more land but they have forgotten just how dangerous the terre indigene are and just how much the humans rely upon their good will for their very lives.  Things aren't looking too good for the humans in Thaisia as Simon's time to respond to the Elders ticks down.

I believe one of the most prominent moments is when things turn bad for the humans and the Elders leave a note "We learned from you." The humans were instrumental in their own destruction when the Elders turn their actions against them and the human killings of the terre indigene come back to haunt them mutiplied ten-fold. What happens in this story has been building through the entire series and the question will be can Simon hold back the Elders from the extinction level slaughter of the humans that they originally planned and then what comes next for the Courtyard and the rest of Thaisai?

An excellent series for any urban fantasy/paranormal lover with wonderful characters and great world-building.

See more at EBookObsessed.com

[Quirky Cat]

I still can’t get over how wonderful the Others series has ended up being. When I first saw the description for it, I had a lot of concern that it would be either too dark or go off the rails, but knowing that Anne Bishop does a great job producing immersive worlds, I knew I had to give it a chance anyway. Four books in and I still don’t regret that decision. If anything I just wish I could read faster so I could get caught up with the series quicker (yeah, I’m still one novel behind and it’s killing me).



Warnings first: Some of the characters (for sake of spoilers I’m not going to say whom) in this novel end up dying a pretty graphic death. It’s one of those things where if you don’t let yourself think about it too much you might be okay – but maybe not. I made the mistake of letting myself think about it, and it felt like a punch to the gut, so consider yourself warned. You’ll see the event coming from a mile away; Anne Bishop does a pretty good job of warning her readers with this one.
Trust me when I say there’s a little something for everyone in Marked in Flesh. Meg is still working to understand her abilities (more on that later), the plot is intense, but there’s still some funny moments in it, there’s still some cute pup Sam moments, and then there’s the whole Simon/Meg relationship buildup that’s been going on. Needless to say, there’s quite a bit going on in this novel. So if you’re looking for a book (or series) to dive into, let me suggest this one for you.
I love that they’re going forward with Meg trying to gain control over her abilities. I’d love to see a future where Meg doesn’t need to cut to see…well…the future. Not only for the obvious reasons (her life expectancy for one), but because it means that the quality of life for her and all the other girls would significantly go up. Plus it means that there’s a chance that future generations might never need to get hooked on the euphoria of cutting for prophecies. Wouldn’t that be wonderful? Of course, as Meg mentioned multiple times, there’s no euphoria with alternate forms of prophecy telling. I don’t know how long it’ll take her to truly understand the alternate options for her here, but it’ll be interesting to see her sort it all out.
The Humans First and Last movement (oh man do I hate those jerks – and yes, I’m holding back by calling them jerks) have been an active nuisance for the Terra Indigene for too long, and frankly I don’t understand why they thought they could continue to get away with acting like that. The higher ups in the organization I almost get (even though they’re by far the worst of the bunch), in their minds they’ve become untouchable; safe even. But the everyday people on the ground thinking they could get away with back talking to a wolf in human skin? That just seems suicidal to me (I mean, it’s not like the police could arrest said wolf for eating the guy).
With so many different humans acting up for as long as it has (going on four books worth of time now), it really was just a matter of time before they went too far, or for the Others to get tired and finally respond in kind. I’m actually surprised it didn’t happen right after they raided the Cassandra Sangue compounds earlier (because there’s no way what was happening to those girls was done by a ‘benevolent benefactor’).
What I really love about this series is the ability to make us laugh despite all of the tensions in the air. Seeing the wolfgaurd constantly being thrown off by a blood prophet’s human actions is oddly endearing, as well as frequently hilarious. Though I don’t think anything will top Simon trying to learn how to deal with Meg and the rest of her ‘human pack.’ It’s adorable, but it’s also really hard not to laugh at Simon at times. I suspect that’s why so many ship Meg and Simon getting together, and to be honest, I really can’t blame you guys there. Sign me up for that ship!
In a way I’m almost happy that I’m still behind in the series. I still have one more published novel waiting for me, and then the next is out in just a few months. So there really isn’t that much waiting for me, right now that is. Once I’m caught up I’ll be forced to wait along with everybody else, and that isn’t going to be fun.


For more reviews, check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks

[liz089]

This series never gets boring, I love reading it. Love the characters, love the eerie setting.. Just great.

[littleread1]

I started to read this and realized I read it already and just never marked it as read. oops!

[jesstheaudiobookworm]

View on The Audiobookworm
5★ Audiobook⎮ Wow. I’m in shock right now. Not because of the ending, which wasn’t shocking at all, but because I shouldn’t be reviewing this yet. I could have sworn I was only halfway through Marked In Flesh. Seriously. I thought I had a whole other half to go and then Wham! Out of nowhere I hear “This is Alexander Harris. We hope you have enjoyed…” and I just sat there stunned. It’s like being woken up too soon and having to face the real world again when you were having a really great dream.

Needless to say, those 15 hours absolutely zoomed by. I listened to this in increments, but not exactly by choice. Every time I started listening, it seems like something else came up to pull me away from it. We’re like starcrossed lovers, Marked In Flesh and I. The world tried to keep us apart but we kept finding our way back to each other and then… It all ended before I was ready to let go. Tragic.

For as long as I’ve been listening to this series, I keep trying to come up with an adequate comparison to another series I heard. Time and time again, I come up empty handed. I honestly can’t think of anything else that reminds me of The Others. It’s that unique. That’s what keeps me coming back to it. Marked In Flesh cemented The Others' place among my favorite series. I say this in my review of every installment, but Anne Bishop’s world-building is phenomenal. I have a clear mental picture of every location in the story and I rarely get them confused. It’s A+.

But the best, I mean the very best, thing about Marked In Flesh was the romance development. By “romance development” I mean that Bishop actually let the romance develop at a natural pace. Nothing is forced, because one of the parties has a history of being sexually, physically and psychologically abused. I don’t want to give anything away, but I love the way that part of the story is developing.

Even though this is a paranormal series with some nonhuman characters living in an alternate universe, the conflict serving as the foundation for the plot really resonates with me. At first, it sort of seems to turn everything on its head because the humans are largely the antagonists. But if you look deeper, I think there is a very profound message in this series and especially in this installment. The conflict that has been building in the first four installments comes to a head in Marked In Flesh. It’s exhilarating and terrifying at the same time. I say terrifying because certain elements of the conflict mirror today’s divisive society. I’m not going to get political in a review about a book that isn’t even based in our reality, but if you’ve read this, or if you’re planning on reading it, I hope you’ll look at Marked In Flesh from a semi-realistic perspective because I’m fairly certain that’s how Bishop intended it. She’s a clever one.

Narration review: I seem to appreciate Alexandra Harris’ narration abilities more with each installment in The Others series. In Marked In Flesh, her range of character distinction was really on display. Character distinction has made its way to the top of my list for essential narration abilities. I don’t know why it took me five installments to realize this, but Harris gives each species a unique and distinct accent. I can’t emphasize enough how immensely helpful that is, especially when trying to discern whether a wolf or a coyote is “speaking”. She also distinguishes accents for those from different locations within the fictional universe. I hadn’t thought about this until recently, but the story moves locales quite a lot. I credit Harris with being the reason I never really noticed all of the geographic jumping around. Her accent distinctions make the transitions appear seamless. I’m along for the ride and the ride is a very smooth one. ♣︎

[nitzan_schwarz]

ALSO POSTED ON MY BLOG: AFTERWORDS

Well. That happened.

I cried. I laughed. I squealed like an anime girl spotting her favorite Senpai reading the same manga she loves. I bit my nails. I awwed and ewwwed. I can't even with all these emotions and feelings. 

Like, I don't know how to deal with this. This book was devastating to me. I came here to have fun and I honestly feel so attacked right now. I mean, I knew it will get bad. I knew the stakes are rising and we're going to get some really bad stuff.

But... like... I sobbed. Why did you have to do this to me? Why????

Aside for that, this book got my shipping vibes rolling. We all ship Meg and Simon, and by this point that particular ship is more an armada that contains every single living soul in the novels plus everyone reading them, BUT I was seeing so much potential for more hybrid couples (as I shall now call them) in this novel.

There's Toyla, for one, whom I can pair with a couple of lovely ladies, and I feel like Jesse mentioned Shelleymeeting the right guy for a reason, and her fascination with vampires (I'm sorry, I can't pronounce their actual specie's name in this series, let alone remember how to write it...)   has to come into play somehow. I mean, so far Anne Bishop have used every "small" detail that shouldn't matter to her advantage and made it important.

Now, this book gets a four and a half star rating because a lot of time was invested outside the Lakeside Courtyard and with new characters. I liked all the newbies and I liked their story, and I definitely see the necessity of it as the books progress in scale - it's no longer about the fight of the Lakeside Courtyard, but that of the entire continent and then some - but they aren't the Lakeside Courtyard, and the Lakeside Courtyard is where my heart lies and always will lie.

Speaking of my heart...

Was I supposed to live through that last scene? Because I think I've died. Like, seriously. That was so worth it. It's been wonderful enough that everyone knows they're going to be mates at some point. By now, it's just a matter of time and even Meg and Simon acknowledge that in their inner monologues. BUT, to have a scene like this... 

All I can think about is getting my hands on book five. The last book.

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Original Response, April 10,2016
Noooo why did the book end? ahhh I need more. And now I have to wait..... another year?!

[Heather]

The Humans First and Last movement is gaining strength. Members believe that they will be able win territory from the terra indigenes who control most of the land mass of the world. They aim their attacks at the wolves. Bad idea.

Now the powers who humans have never seen that rule the world have a decision to make.

How Much Human Do They Want To Keep?

I love this series. The books have moved from the cozy feeling of the first one to encompass the whole of the continent. The blood prophets are developing a system of warning each other when they see visions. The shifters are cooperating to keep the prophets safe.

This is a series that will make you ashamed to be human. The humans are definitely the bad guys here. It is frustrating because the humans are so short sighted. There were a few times when I had to remind myself that I wasn't listening to the news because I would swear out loud in the car when the humans would do something evil.

I miss the grumpy ponies. The ponies control the weather and have names like Hurricane and Whirlpool based on what they cause. When they aren't being totally bad ass, they appear as grumpy little ponies who deliver the mail in their spare time as long as the treats on offer are good enough. They are in the book in their elemental form but not the begging pony form. There are not enough books with begging ponies!

If you haven't started this series yet, what are you waiting for? It is amazing. There is great world building. You'll love the characters. Go out and read these now or do what I do and get the audiobooks so you can savor the experience of being in this world longer.This review was originally posted on Based On A True Story

[MurderByDeath]

Well, obviously I loved this one. I almost went the whole 5 stars, but I was able to put it down when I finished and not just start re-reading it, so I figured it must be lacking something.  Let's call it "not enough Tess".   But honestly, I had some fears over this one because surely the author couldn't keep on writing books this consistently good; surely there had to be a weakling among the litter?  If there is, it hasn't yet been written.  Once I started it, I didn't want to put it down.   That's all I'm going to say, because I don't want to spoil it for those that haven't read it yet.  But yes, it is well worth the read.

[jnikkir]

I am REALLY torn over what to rate this. I'm extremely frustrated with this series by this point, for very specific reasons, but the book overall was good. Stuff actually happened (though not the stuff I WANTED to happen), and there were many legitimately-terrifying developments.

3.75 stars, with the understanding that the reasons I am most disappointed in the book have more to do with my own wants than the realities of what this series is going to give me. -_-

[kimbacaffeinate]

4.5 Marked in Flesh shares a violate time for those living in Thasia. Tension is high between the Others (terra indigene) and the Humans First and Last movement. Meg and the other Cassandra Sangue (blood profits) are more important than ever as attacks are being made against the Others.

Delivered in multiple POVs, Bishop shared the tension, violence and both sides of the ongoing issue. We are on the brink of war and everyone is on edge. While I love spending time in the Lakeside Courtyard I appreciated the different perspectives from humans to those in different settlements. It allowed me to gain a strong sense of the world, become emotionally connected and feel like I was part of these volatile times. While humans and others do not always understand each other, it is becoming clear they have come to rely on each other. The Cassandra Sangue are adjusting to freedom and looking for alternative options to cutting for their visions. It was dark and fascinating.

We see a little development in the relationship between Meg and Simon, but we did not get nearly enough page time with this adorkable couple. Instead Bishop focused on the divide between Others and humans. The humans who stand with the Others are shunned and denied services. We spent more time with other key characters and I enjoyed getting to know them. A new territory developed for the Others and new faces both human and other are introduced. I have a feeling future books will be divided between different settlements. The Elders and the creatures belonging to Namid both fascinated and scared the ever-lovin’ stuffing out of me. We even spend time inside the head of one of them.

Bishop’s writing is beautiful and well paced allowing me to slip away from the outside world. I have never read an urban fantasy series that compares to the Others series. Unique, and breathtaking Thasia is a world I hope we never stop visiting. There is so much I want to discuss from things that made me cry to banter that had me giggling aloud. However, I do not want to spoil a single word for you. It some ways Marked in Flesh wrapped things up and answered our questions, but this world and story is far from over leaving me hopeful that Bishop and Penguin will give us a sixth, eighth, eighteenth book in this series.

Alexandra Harris has narrated the series since the begin and is the voice of Meg, Simon and the others in my head. This is why I must listen first. I thoroughly enjoy listening and find her pacing and tone enjoyable. It is my hope she continues to narrate all of Bishop's books.

Copy provided by publisher. This review was originally posted on Caffeinated Book Reviewer